The “Backdoor” To Piano Playing

Did you realize that there is a backdoor to piano playing? 95% of all piano players come in the “front door” – meaning piano lessons and finger drills and scales and endless practice until they can finally play a song that people can recognize. I came in the front door – I took lessons as a kid from the time I was about 7 until I was 14 – and couldn’t play a decent song all the way through if my life depended on it, plus I was “tied to the written music” – if I had no sheet music in front of me I was totally lost and had no idea what to do.

Then when I was 14, I had the opportunity to join our high school jazz combo – not because I was qualified, but only because the senior had graduated and they were desperate – they needs a piano player fast, and since I played a little, I was elected. It was the best thing that ever happened to me because that’s when I found out about the “back door” to piano playing – chords! I had to learn chords in a hurry so I could play a rhythm background to support the other guys in the combo. The sax guy, Mike, taught me 3 chords and said I could get by with those 3 when we played any variety of the blues. I’m sure I was terrible, but I gradually got better and learned to like playing by chords. Then I spotted an ad in Popular Mechanics for a chord chart that slipped behind the piano keys and pointed to the Cmaj7 chord, the Dm7 chord and a few others. That was exciting! I found I could play those chords with my left hand while playing tunes like “Frankie & Johnie” and “When The Saints Go Marching In” with my right hand.

After that, I couldn’t get enough of chords. I bought books, courses, fake books and whenever I was able to watch another piano player who knew chords I asked them a zillion questions. So it worked – big time – and I came through the “back door” of piano playing and was excited to learn more. In college I majored in music and eventually got my BS and my MS, so I not only was able to play by chords, but I could also read music and play most of the other stuff other good piano players play.

I invite you to do the same. Come on over to www.PlayPiano.com and sign up for our FREE series of newsletters on chords and chord progressions. They include lots of videos and audios and chord charts that will make it easy for you to get started in chord playing!

Click on this link to watch this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PchrNY8JBjo

***For lots more good stuff on piano playing come on over to my website at https://www.playpiano.com and sign up for our free piano tips – “Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions!”

Here’s a great little book on chords and chord progressions on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Chords-Chord-Progressions-Exciting-ebook/dp/B0076OUGDE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404158669&sr=1-1&keywords=piano+chords+duane+shinn

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