Add 6ths Under The Melody Of a Song to create a much fuller sound in your right hand.

You can change the sound of the melody of a song but adding various intervals and chords beneath the melody. To create a much fuller sound in your right hand, add an interval of a 6th under the tune. For example, if you melody note is A, add a C below it.

Good morning, this is Duane, and we’re going to continue our series on right-hand techniques that you can use in any kind of song, any kind of melody. The first technique we took is a single finger melody. We’re going to use the same tune in all these styles just so you can compare. A single finger like this. (plays piano)

The next thing we took was octaves, playing the same tune in octaves. (plays piano) And so on. Then the next things we took were thirds, in other words, putting a third under the note like this. (plays piano) Then we combine octaves with thirds like this. We play an octave note but into the top octave note we put in a third, so it sounded like this. (plays piano)

Today we’re going to take up another style, this is Style #5 or Technique #5. We’re going to put a sixth under the melody whenever we can. Now, nothing works 100% of the time so don’t think you can play a whole song this way but we’re going to put a sixth under the melody.

What’s a sixth? Well, a third was 1-2-3 notes down, so a sixth is the same, 1-2-3-4-5-6, okay? So we’re playing this. (plays piano) Let me play it an octave higher. (plays piano) Let me get it right, too. (plays piano) The same technique, six notes below, you just freeze your hand in that position.

Sometimes the sixth, excuse me, is not always going to sound good. If you get a sound like that that you don’t like, just leave it out. Just play a single note there, okay? Or switch to a third.

By the way, if a sixth doesn’t work, a third almost always will, and conversely the same thing is true for thirds. If a third doesn’t work, a sixth usually will. They’re kind of, you know why? Because a third and sixth are the same animal upside down. If I take C and E and turn it upside down, I still have C and E but now it’s turned in from a third to a sixth. Let me do that again. (plays piano)

As I said, you don’t use that style, any style, all the way through. You combine. You play a phrase or two, a sixth, and then go to a phrase or two of single fingers, a phrase or two of octave or octave thirds. Nothing is to be used all the way through, but that’s Technique #5.

Excuse me. My voice is still giving me problems and I ask you to forgive me for that, but such is life. Okay, that’s it for today. We’ll see you tomorrow with Technique #6, so see you then. Bye-bye for now.

***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!”

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