Rearranging Your Piano Songs With Fresh Harmonies

Good morning. This is Duane and today I’d like to talk to you about the one question that can absolutely revolutionize the sounds you get on your piano songs. I’m talking about reharmonization of a melody, because that will change … The reharmonization you apply from this one question can absolutely change all the structure of what you’re playing. Now that sounds kind of scholastic, doesn’t it? But let me illustrate what I’m talking about.

I’ll take a simple hymn like “Fairest Lord Jesus.” And so on. There’s another section to it, okay? By this one question … Here’s the question you should ask. When you see a melody note, you’d ask yourself, into what other chord will this melody note fit? It’s obviously, it’s written in the key of F, I believe, and the chord that you’d be given is F. By the way, what I played was just 3 chords. F, B flat, C seventh, and [ander 00:01:18]. So it’s 3 primary chords, okay? But if I ask myself, what other chord will that fit into, there’s lots of answers.

It’ll fit into the F chord, yes. But it’ll also fit into the B flat chord. It’ll also fit in … It’s a member of the G minor seventh chord. It’s a member of the D flat chord, you see. It’s a member of the G flat major seventh chord, isn’t it? In other words, there’s lots of chords that that’ll fit into. Now, let me reharmonize that by just asking that question. What other chord will this melody note fit into? I’m going to choose B diminished, but it also fits into B flat minor seventh. It also fits into A seventh. It also fits into A flat diminished. It also fits into G minor seventh. The E fits into C, of course, but it also fits into G flat seventh.

Why did I pick those chords? Because I saw an opportunity to use a countermelody. Notice that the root of what I picked. You see it? That just made a nice countermelody there, as the right hand was taking on the same note. Any time you have a melody that stays on the same note for quite a while, that’s an opportunity to do things like that. Let me apply that same question to the whole song and see what we come up with. I’ll play it up an octave so you can hear it better.

What you could do, if you’re playing a solo at church, for example, you could play it the way it’s written, use arpeggios and so on, like this, the first time, and then the second time, you could go into that arrangement that I just made. Okay? It gives you lots and lots of opportunities to ask yourself that question. Into what other chord will this melody note fit?

Does this just apply to hymns? Oh, no, of course not. I use it on jazz tunes. Listen. Whoops. You see, lots and lots of possibilities on all kinds of tunes, not just gospel songs, but jazz songs, ballads, country tunes, pop tunes, whatever. Okay? So there’s my little exhortation for the day. Remember the question you ask is, in what other chord will this melody note fit? The answers will surprise you and delight you, and will really revolutionize your piano playing once you realize that you have the whole world of chords in front of you. You don’t have to play it the way it’s written.

Okay, thanks for being with me. If you enjoy these little tips, come on over to playpiano.com, and sign up for our series of free piano tips. I hope to see you there. Bye bye for now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlPV6osTi6M&feature=youtu.be
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