Scales: Why Do I Need To Know Them?
Scales are the “playing field” on which a piece of music is executed.
Continue reading →Category Archives: Chords & chord progressions
Cadences: Plagal, Authentic, Complete (Watch video)
Cadences are chord progressions that give a feeling of finality at the end of a phrase or section or song.
Continue reading →What are “slash chords” & how do they work? (Watch video)
What are “slash chords” & how do they work?
Continue reading →Altered piano chords (Watch short video)
In addition to the basic types of chords — major, minor, diminished, augmented — and in addition to 4 and 5 note chords such as 6ths, 7ths, 9ths, etc.
Continue reading →Four Kinds of 7th Chords On The Piano & Their Differences (Watch Video)
Seventh chords are some of the most useful and interesting chords one can play on the piano. Watch this short video and see the difference between a 7th chord, a maj7th chord, a minor7th chord, etc.
Continue reading →How To Tell The Key Of A Song When There Are Sharps In The Key Signature (Watch video)
Since the sharps always occur in the same order in a key signature, it is easy to tell the key of a song simply by finding the last sharp to the right in the key signature and going up 1/2 step. So if the last sharp in the key signature is G#, the key is A major (or F# minor).
Continue reading →How To Tell What Key A Song Is In When It Has Flats (Watch video)
Since the flats always occur in the same order in a key signature (BEADGCF), it’s easy to figure out what key a song is in by finding the 2nd to the last flat.
Continue reading →How To Be a Real Creep (On the Piano) – Watch Video
To play smoothly, a piano player needs to learn to move from chord to chord by using close inversions rather than jumping from root chord:
Continue reading →Music Theory 101: Intervals & Their Qualities
Intervals are the distance between any two notes, and can be major, minor, perfect, augmented, or diminished.
Continue reading →The Picardy 3rd Ending
When a song is in a minor key, but is then ended in a major key, it is termed a “picardy 3rd.” The old tune Greensleeves is an excellent example of the use of a picardy 3rd. Click on the … Continue reading →