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You can play
a lot more notes without having to
read more notes...
When you learn to
play from chord symbols
(such as G7, Fm7, Dm6, Cm7, etc.)
Dear Piano-playing friend:
Most professional musicians play from a book called a
"Fake Book". I bought
my first fake book containing only about 200 songs when I
was a teenager -- they were illegal then, but most
musicians owned them -- for $50. That would be equal to
$500. or more now. But fortunately, they have since become
legal, so you can buy a real good one with 1000 songs now
for $50. or less. A fake book contains just the melody
(tune) and the chord symbols of a song, so you have to
know chords to use one. But when you do, your playing
comes alive -- you're only
reading a few notes, but playing lots of notes. |
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Most people learn to play the piano by
playing just the written music. Playing by written
music is exactly what the phrase says it is -- playing the exact
notation on a piece of sheet music. But
playing by chord symbol is very different. Instead of
following the harmony note by note, you follow the chord symbols
(i.e. C7 or F) written above the harmonies, filling in the gaps
with...well, whatever you want as long as it sticks to those
chords. Of course, you'll still read the melody (it is, after
all, often what makes the song recognizable) but even that is
completely open to interpretation. Playing by chord symbol
allows you a freedom that playing by written music simply
doesn't. The freedom to create. The freedom to invent. The
freedom to arrange chord patterns in the way you want.
Does that mean playing by written music is less important than
playing by chord symbol? No. The ability to play by written
music is an extremely valuable skill, one that even some of the
most famous musicians don't possess. And while you don't
necessarily need to know the skill backwards and forwards to
create great arrangements, it's a great help.
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Chord Symbols:
Cmaj7 Am7
Dm7 G7
Eb13 B11
etc.
Chord symbols -- sometimes refered to as "chord tabs" (for
example, Cmaj7 or G6) are a type of notation used
frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to
notate chord progressions and changes. This type of
notation differs from that of classical music in that
chord symbols don't show the function of a chord the way
the Roman numeral notation does. Chord symbols, for modern
music with lots of changes, are much easier to read. They
function as a sort of shorthand for change-heavy music and
are written with four chord parts in mind: the root, the
quality, the extension, and the alterations. |
How to read chord symbols:
The root
The
first part in chord symbols, the root, tells the musician
which note is the root of the chord.
In an E6 chord, for instance, the E serves as the root. In a C7
chord, C is the root. Easy enough.
The quality of the
chord
Quality, the second part in chord
symbols, denotes whether the chord is major, minor, diminished,
or augmented. In a Cmaj7, the maj tells us that the C
chord is major. The abbreviations for this area in chord symbols
are maj, min, dim, and aug, respectively. So Cm means the chord
is a C minor chord. Caug means that the chord is a C augmented
chord.
The extensions
The
extension in chord symbols, written after the quality, shows the
musician if the chord differs from a triad, such as an
11th or 6th or 9th or 7th or 13th.
So a C9 would mean that the C chord includes the 9th note above
C, which is D. A C6 chord would mean that the C chord includes
the 6th scale note above C, which is A. This part of chord
symbols is not always shown; if there is no indication of an
extension, the musician is to assume that the chord is a triad.
The alteration
The
last part in chord symbols, the alteration, is usually but not
always expressed. Think of this part as the "notes" section in
chord symbols; it gives the musician any specific (and sometimes
irregular) instructions for playing the chord and is always
written in parentheses after the extension (or the quality, if
no extension exists). For instance, (no fifth) would tell the
musician that the chord is to be played with the fifth tone left
out. Sus – short for “suspension”, would mean to play the 4th
scale note instead of the 3rd. A minus sign would mean to lower
(flat) a chord tone, such as C-9 which would mean to flat the
9th of the chord. Conversely, a plus sign would mean to raise
(sharp) a particular chord tone.
Use sheet music as
a map instead of a ball & chain
Reading music using chord symbols
allows a person to use written music as a map, rather than a
note-for-note approach -- being tied to the written sheet
music. By just reading the melody note and the chord
symbols, musicians can improvise to their hearts content and
create their own sounds on the keyboard.
What would you do
if your sheet music blew away?
Did you know that many pianists wouldn't have a clue what to do
if a gust of wind blew their sheet music off the music rack?
I've actually seen it happen, and it is very embarrassing to the
pianist. And it's so un-necessary! And there's a true story
about a famous concert pianist who could play most any piece of
written music, but when asked to play "Happy Birthday" at a
party, she couldn't do it because she didn't have any written
music! Almost unbelievable, but true.
I really want you to have this course
because it shows you exactly, step by step, how to make your
piano playing fuller and much more exciting and interesting by
reading just the single melody line and adding all the exciting
stuff using the chord symbols
(Gm7, Eb9,
C-9, F13, etc.). (Lots of people also call them
"piano tabs" -- borrowed from the world of guitar tabs) If
you've ever heard a professional pianist play all over the
keyboard, and then notice that the music he or she is playing
from is nothing more than the melody line and chord symbols,
then you have witnessed a fake book in action!
Once you learn this skill you'll be
reading only a few notes per measure, but playing handfuls of
notes -- arpeggios, chords, runs, riffs, fills, etc.
All I can say about
this course is "Get it!"
It comes with a booklet of lead sheets
(just like a fake book, but with less songs) and a chord chart
showing 120 chords plus actual photos of all 12 major chords,
just in case you're rusty on your chords.
DVD-43: 2-Hour
Instructional DVD Course:
$97
- "The Secret of Playing
More Notes Without Reading More Notes: Playing Piano From a Fake
Book Using Just the Printed Tune and Chord Symbols!"
- Includes a
"Book of Lead
Sheets" and "Super Chord Chart"
Click here or on the order button below to order now
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-
Learn how to
break away from the written music & use sheet music as a
map instead of being tied to the written music!
-
Learn how to read
chord symbols (also known as "piano tabs")
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Learn
how to turn a chord into a rhythmic pattern in your left
hand
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Learn how
to add arpeggios, echos, counter-melodies, riffs & runs to
any song!
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DVD-43: 2-Hour
Instructional DVD Course:
$97
P.S.:
Remember that you get nearly
two solid hours of priceless
demonstrations of how to play more notes without
reading more notes by someone who has
done it for years and knows exactly how it works, and
more importantly, can teach it clearly
so that you can SEE how to do it
as well as HEAR how to do it!
And of course since it is on a DVD along with a book of lead
sheets and a chord chart, you can review it as many times as you like
until you have it down cold!
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