If you’ve ever wondered how top players make even simple progressions sound rich, modern, and inspiring, here’s the secret: they use ninth chords. And the best part? You can start using them right away—no advanced theory required.

Using what I’m about to share in this lesson, you can instantly upgrade basic triads and seventh chords into ninth chords in two shakes of a dog’s tail.

All I’m asking for is your undivided attention and that in the next four minutes or so, you discover the secret to an instant chord upgrade.

Let’s Define Ninth Chords

There are so many ways to define a ninth chord. In this lesson, we’ll be defining a ninth chord as follows:

A ninth chord is any chord, be it a triad or a seventh chord, that contains a ninth.

Think of a ninth chord as an enhanced version of the chords you already know (triads and seventh chords).

Take your basic triad or seventh chord, add the ninth of the scale, and you’ve created a fuller, more expressive sound.

What Is A Ninth?

When you take a closer look at these two chords:

C major triad:

C major (add ninth):

…it becomes really clear what the ninth is.

C E G = C major triad

C E G + D = C major (add ninth)

Even if you can’t hear the ninth (and maybe you can), I’m sure you can see that the ninth of the C major triad is “D”:

If C major triad + D = C major (add ninth), then D is the ninth of C

In the case of these two chords:

C major seventh:

C major ninth:

…we can also see that the difference between the C major seventh and the C major ninth chord is “D”:

C major seventh + D = C major ninth

That added note (D) is the ninth, and it makes a game-changing difference that adds openness, warmth: elevating chords from traditional to modern and giving them a more professional outlook.

You can’t find any gospel musician or contemporary keyboardist who is into smooth jazz, Neo-soul, R&B, etc., who doesn’t rely on ninths.

Why Is It Called A Ninth?

There are usually seven unique numbers in the scale degree numbering system (aka – “number system).

In the C major scale (C D E F G A B C):

C is 1 | D is 2 | E is 3 | F is 4 | G is 5 | A is 6 | B is 7

However, when you look at the extended number system, you have the following numbers:

C as the 8th tone (aka – “the octave”):

D as the 9th tone:

…and it goes all the way up to the 15th tone (the second octave):

C is 1 | D is 2 | E is 3 | F is 4 | G is 5 | A is 6 | B is 7 | C is 8 | D is 9 | E is 10 | F is 11 | G is 12 | A is 13 | B is 14 | C is 15

The extended number system is basically two octaves (side by side), numbered from the first to the fifteenth.

A lot of people know about the relationship between the first and eighth:

C is 1

C is 8

…known as the octave.

Beyond the 8th (aka – “octave”), that’s a duplicate of the 1st:

C is 1st and C is 8th

…there’s also the 9th that’s a duplicate of the 2nd tone:

D is 2nd and D is 9th

With that said, the ninth is simply the second tone of the major scale. It’s called the ninth because of its position in the extended number system.

We’ll talk more about this in class!

How To INSTANTLY Upgrade Triads And Seventh Chords

With the knowledge of what the ninth is, you can now upgrade triads and seventh chords by introducing the ninth, and this is done in two known ways: addition and extension.

The introduction of the ninth to a triad is described as addition while the introduction of the ninth to a seventh chord is described as extension.

Let’s take a look at the two known ways to form ninth chords: by addition and by extension.

[For Triads]: Ninth Chords By Addition

Super simple: take your major triad and add the second tone of the corresponding major scale.

If you’re given the Eb major triad:

…you can transform its sound by adding the second tone of the Eb major scale:

…which is F:

…and you’ll have an Eb major [add9] chord:

What’s the second tone of the B major scale:

Well, it’s C#:

Adding C# to the B major chord:

…produces the B major [add9] chord:

The introduction of the ninth to triads is called addition and produces added tone chords.

Check out a few add9 chords:

D major [add9]:

Ab major [add9]:

Gb major [add9]:

Bb major [add9]:

[For Seventh Chords]: Ninth Chords By Extension

If you already play seventh chords, here’s the next level:

C major seventh to C major ninth:

• Cmaj7:

  

•  Cmaj9:

  

F minor seventh to F minor ninth:

• Fmin7:

  

• Fmin9:

  

G dominant seventh to G dominant ninth:

• Gdom7:

  

• Gdom9:

  

…and it’s the same process of introducing the second tone of the corresponding major scale:

However, the ninth is considered and extension and produces an extended chord.

What’s The Difference?

Both C(add 9) and Cmaj9 qualify as ninth chords:

C major [add9]:

C major ninth:

However, they belong to two different structural categories.

C major [add 9] is formed by adding the ninth to a triad. This results in an added-tone chord because no seventh is present.

C major ninth is formed by adding the ninth to a major seventh chord, which makes it an extended chord.

A chord is classified as an extended chord only when the ninth is introduced through extension of a seventh chord.
Introducing the ninth to a triad produces an added-tone structure, whereas introducing it to a seventh chord produces a true extension.

This distinction is essential for accurate analysis and for understanding how ninths function in harmonic contexts.

Final Words

Thanks for reading!

I’m sure that going forward, you can form added tone chords (from triads) and extended chords (from seventh chords) with the introduction of the ninth (the second tone of the scale).

The primary chords in C major:

C major:

F major:

G major:

…will sound a lot warmer when the ninth is introduced:

C major [add ninth]:

F major [add ninth]:

G major [add ninth]:

…and that is the goal of this lesson: to inspire you to upgrade your triads and seventh INSTANTLY with the introduction of the ninth.

See you in class!

The post CHORD UPGRADE: How To INSTANTLY Upgrade Triads And Seventh Chords To Ninth Chords appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

Diminished seventh chords are very important in jazz, gospel, and a variety of other music genres.

However, a lot of musicians struggle when it comes to its formation. This is my observation based on my interaction with musicians in our community: The Gospel Music Training Center.

In today’s blog, I’ll take you by the hand and show you how to play a diminished seventh chord on the piano; not minding if you’ve never played a diminished seventh chord before.

Let’s get to it!

“Do You Know How To Count Half-Steps On The Piano?”

This blog post is dedicated to all my esteemed beginners and I want it as basic as possible. So, the requirement for forming diminished seventh chords is the knowledge of half-steps on the piano.

A half-step (aka – “semitone”) is the shortest distance between adjacent keys on the piano. Going from C to D:

…is a whole-step that can be broken down into two half-steps:

C to Db:

Db to D:

Let’s quickly go over the half-steps on the piano from C to C:

C to Db:

Db to D:

D to Eb:

Eb to E:

E to F:

F to Gb:

Gb to G:

G to Ab:

Ab to A:

A to Bb:

Bb to B:

B to C:

If you follow the progression of notes above, you should be able to count notes in half-steps.

Simplified: Diminished Seventh Chords Using A “Three-Half-Step” Count

A classic example of the diminished seventh chord is the B diminished seventh chord:

If we look at the distance between sequential notes:

B-D (three half-steps):

D-F (three half-steps):

F-Ab (three half-steps):

…it’s basically three half-steps.

Following the break down of the B diminished seventh chord, we can figure out the A diminished seventh chord in two shakes of a dog’s tail.

“Here’s How…”

Start on A (the root of the chord):

…and go up three half-steps (to C):

…and up by another three half-steps (from C to Eb):

…and another one (from Eb to Gb):

If you put all of that together, you have the A diminished seventh chord:

“Are You Ready For Yet Another Three-Half-Step Count?”

Let’s form the E diminished seventh chord starting on E:

Then count three half-steps up (from E to G):

…and three half-steps up again (from G to Bb):

…then from Bb, we can go up three half-steps up again (to Db):

If we put the E, G, Bb, and Db together:

…that’s the E diminished seventh chord.

Go ahead and work out the rest of the diminished seventh chords on the piano and kindly post it in the comment section below. For example:

C# diminished seventh chord = C# + E + G + Bb

Final Words

For those who are beyond the beginners level, there’s a fancy way to describe a three-half-step count. Musicians often times say stuff like, “minor third.”

So, a minor third from A is C:

…and from C, a minor third takes us to Eb:

…and another minor third from Eb takes us to Gb:

Altogether, A-C-Eb-Gb:

…is the A diminished seventh chord.

If you come across musicians who go up in minor thirds, they are not doing anything different from those of us doing three-half-step counts.

All the best and see you next time!

The post The Formation Of Diminished Seventh Chords Used To Be Challenging Until I Did This appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

You arrived at this page because you’re interested in learning how to form seventh chords.

There are so many ways to form seventh chords and truth be told, I have covered a lot of them in the past; ranging from the very easy approaches to the advanced approaches.

Here are some of them:

How To Build Seventh Chords Like An Architect Using “Foundation And Structure” Concept

Eight Intervals That Are Essential To The Formation Of Triads And Seventh Chords

Who Else Is Interested In Learning The Shortcut To Playing Seventh Chords In The Major Key

You’d probably be asking, “Dr. Pokey, with all these approaches, what is the need for another approach?”

Well, there are many ways to skin a cat. It doesn’t hurt to learn diverse of perspectives to any subject in life (and not just music) because the tons of approaches will solidify your knowledge of the subject matter.

Additionally, some of the approaches you already learned in the past can be understood better using some of the concepts you’ll learn in this lesson.

So, if you give me the next 7 minutes or so, I’ll take you through the world of major seventh and minor seventh chords using third intervals and the circle of fifths chart.

Are you ready?

A Quick Review On Third Intervals

A third interval is formed when the relationship between any two notes encompasses three alphabet letters. The following notes are all third intervals:

C-E:

D-F:

E-G:

F-A:

G-B:

A-C:

B-D:

…and for each of them, three alphabet letters are encompassed.

Major Third Intervals

The relationship between the first and third tones of the major scale produces a major third interval.

For example, using any major scale (let’s say the C major scale):

…the relationship between C and E (which are the first and third tones):

…produces a major third interval.

“So, How Well Do You Know Your Scales?”

If you know the tones of the Ab major scale:

…it’s so easy to isolate the first and third tones (which are Ab and C):

…and that’s a major third interval formed.

“Here Are All The Major Third Intervals…”

C major third:

Db major third:

D major third:

Eb major third:

E major third:

F major third:

Gb major third:

G major third:

Ab major third:

A major third:

Bb major third:

B major third:

Minor Third Intervals

Shrinking a major third interval by a half-step produces a minor third interval. It’s as easy as lowering the upper note of the interval by a half-step.

For example, C-E is a major third interval:

…if we lower E by a half-step (to Eb):

…this produces C-Eb (a minor third interval):

Attention: While lowering the upper note of an interval, endeavor to stick to the same alphabet letter. Notice that we lowered E to Eb and not E to D#. Lowering E to D# changes the alphabet letter and that is wrong.

If you take any other major third interval that you’re familiar with (for example E-G#):

…and you lower the G# by a half-step (to G):

…you get yourself a minor third interval (E-G):

“Here Are All The Minor Third Intervals…”

C minor third:

C# minor third:

D minor third:

Eb minor third:

E minor third:

F minor third:

F# minor third:

G minor third:

G# minor third:

A minor third:

Bb minor third:

B minor third:

Seventh Chords = Third Intervals And The Circle Of Fifths Chart

Using the third intervals that we already reviewed and the circle of fifths chart:

…you can form major and minor seventh chords.

Ready to see how that works? Alright, let me show you.

Formation Of Major Seventh Chords

Assuming you don’t know the C major seventh chord:

…and you want to form it in two shakes of a dog’s tail, it’s possible if you know your major third intervals and the circle of fifths chart.

Step 1. Take C and its neighboring tone in the circle (in the clockwise direction) which is G:

C:

G:

Step 2. Turn C and G into major third intervals each; C-E (C major third) and G-B (G major third):

C-E:

G-B:

Step 3. Play the third intervals together and you get the C major seventh chord:

C major seventh chord:

“Let’s Do Same For The Ab Major Seventh Chord…”

Step 1. Take Ab and its neighboring tone in the circle (in the clockwise direction) which is Eb:

Ab:

Eb:

Step 2. Turn Ab and Eb into major third intervals each; Ab-C (Ab major third) and Eb-G (Eb major third):

Ab-C:

Eb-G:

Step 3. Play the third intervals together and you get the Ab major seventh chord:

Ab major seventh chord:

“Let’s Take One More Example (The E Major Seventh Chord)…”

Step 1. Take E and its neighboring tone in the circle (in the clockwise direction) which is B:

E:

B:

Step 2. Turn E and B into major third intervals each; E-G# (E major third) and B-D# (B major third):

E-G#:

B-D#:

Step 3. Play the third intervals together and you get the E major seventh chord:

E major seventh chord:

Final Words

Thank you for reading through today’s lesson and I’m excited that you’ve learned a couple of things from the relationship between third intervals:

Major third

Minor third

…and the circle of fifths chart:

Keep up the great work and don’t forget to internalize this approach by practicing this concept from key to key.

I’m grateful to my role model and mentor, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity to share this information with you and I’m looking forward to seeing you in the next lesson.

Until then, the comment section below is open to your questions, contributions, suggestions, etc.

All the best!

The post How To Form Seventh Chords In Two Shakes Of A Dog’s Tail Using Third Intervals And The Circle Of Fifths Chart appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

The 13sus4 chord is one of my favorite chords in music and I want to show you its application in this lesson.

But before I show you all of that, let’s go ahead and review the 13sus4 chord.

A Short Note On The 13sus4 Chord

The 13sus4 chord is actually a dominant thirteenth chord with a suspended fourth. So, instead of calling it a dominant thirteenth chord, it’s simply called the thirteenth chord.

If you take the basic C dominant seventh chord:

…and add its ninth (D), eleventh (F), and thirteenth (A):

D:

F:

A:

…you have the C dom13 or C13 chord:

When we replace the third tone of the C13 chord (which is E):

…with the fourth tone of the C major scale (which is F):

…we get the C13sus4 chord:

Here’s a classic 13sus4 chord:

…and it looks like we’re playing the Bb major seventh chord over C on the bass:

Bb major seventh chord (right hand):

C bass (left hand):

How To Form The 13sus4 Chords

Over any left hand bass note, you can form a 13sus4 chord by just playing a major seventh chord on your right hand. This is as simple as going down by a whole step below the bass note you have on your left hand.

“Let’s Form The E13sus4 Chord…”

Over the E bass note:

…we can go a whole-step below the E bass note to D:

…and form the D major seventh chord:

D major seventh chord over E on bass:

D major seventh:

E bass:

…produces the E13sus4 chord:

“Let’s Form The C#13sus4 Chord…”

Over the C# bass note:

…we can go a whole-step below (the C# bass note) to B:

…and form the B major seventh chord:

B major seventh chord over C# on bass:

B major seventh:

C# bass:

…produces the C#13sus4 chord:

“Here Are All The 13sus4 Chords On The Keyboard…”

C 13sus4 chord:

C# 13sus4 chord:

D 13sus4 chord:

Eb 13sus4 chord:

E 13sus4 chord:

F 13sus4 chord:

F# 13sus4 chord:

G 13sus4 chord:

Ab 13sus4 chord:

A 13sus4 chord:

Bb 13sus4 chord:

B 13sus4 chord:

Final Words

The 13sus4 chord is a powerful chord option for the 5-chord in any key you’re in.

If you’re also interested in learning how to modulate, the 13sus4 chord provides a powerful pivot chord option that would take you to the 1-chord in the key you’re modulating to.

In a subsequent lesson, we’ll cover this and you’ll see, step-by-step, how it works.

Until then, keep practicing.

The post I Played The 13sus4 Chord And This Happened… appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

I’ll be showing you how to build seventh chords in this lesson.

Using major and minor chords that you are already familiar with, you can form bigger and sophisticated chords.

The major chords are as follows:

C major:

Db major:

D major:

Eb major:

E major:

F major:

Gb major:

G major:

Ab major:

A major:

Bb major:

B major:

The minor chords are as follows:

C minor:

C# minor:

D minor:

D# minor:

E minor:

F minor:

F# minor:

G minor:

G# minor:

A minor:

Bb minor:

B minor:

The “Foundation And Structure” Concept

Two things you need to form a major seventh or minor seventh chord voicing with are as follows:

Foundation

Structure

Let’s get started with the foundation.

The Foundation

The foundation of a major seventh chord is a major third (or major tenth interval.) This interval is formed by the relationship between the first and third tones of the major scale.

Using the C major scale (as a reference):

…the first and third tones are C and E:

When we play C and E together, we’ve laid the foundation for a major chord. So, C goes to the left hand (as the bass) while E goes to the right hand:

Left hand (C):

Right hand (E):

The minor third interval is the foundation of the minor seventh chord and other bigger minor chords. Just take any major third interval you know and shrink it (make it smaller) by lowering the upper note by a half-step and you’ll have a minor third interval.

For example, C-E (a major third interval):

…can be used in the formation of the minor third interval. It’s as simple as lowering the upper note (which is E):

…by a half-step (to Eb):

…and we’ll have C-Eb (a minor third interval):

…which is the foundation of all the bigger and sophisticated minor chords. Don’t forget that C is played on the bass while the Eb is played on the right hand:

Left hand (C):

Right hand (Eb):

Altogether, here are the two foundations we need:

C major third (for all major chords):

C minor third (for all minor chords):

The Structure

Now that you have the foundation of the C major chord (the C major third interval):

…all you have to do is to add a structure to the right hand.

Instead of playing just E over C on the bass:

…we can play a full-sounding E minor chord on the right hand over C on the bass:

Attention: I know it takes a little more mental effort to think of a minor chord structure when the chord you have in mind is a major seventh chord. However, you have to try!

Major seventh chord = Major foundation + Minor chord structure

If we take the D major third foundation:

…and add a minor chord structure on the F# (the F# minor chord):

…we’ll have the F# minor chord over D on the bass:

…and that’s the D major seventh chord.

“Here’s The Structure For Minor Seventh Chords…”

The C minor seventh chord:

…requires a major chord structure.

So, instead of playing only Eb on the right hand over C on the bass:

…we can turn the Eb into a full-sounding major chord (and that’s the Eb major chord):

If we put the foundation and the structure together:

C minor third (foundation):

Eb major chord (structure):

…that’s the C minor seventh chord:

Here’s the formula:

Minor seventh chord = Minor foundation + Major chord structure

Final Words

The post How To Build Seventh Chords Like An Architect Using “Foundation And Structure” Concept appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

If you’ve been trying to master all the major scales with little or no success, this 4-week plan is for you.

Learning all the major scales on the keyboard can be overwhelming. We are talking about 12 major scales (that’s a dozen major scales) and not the easiest thing in the world to learn.

Some times you can even learn new major scales and slightly or completely forget the scales you’ve already learned. I’ve been there, so I know exactly how frustrating this can be and that’s why I’m here to help.

But before we get into what we have to learn in this lesson, we’ll have to review the concept of the major scale.

A Short Note On The Major Scale

The major scale is a collection of all the notes in the major key. It starts and ends on the keynote, which is also the title of the major scale.

If you want to form the C major scale, you have to start and end on C:

…or if you want to form the F major scale, you have to start and end on F:

That’s how it works.

The easiest major scale to learn is the C major scale:

…because it consists of all the white notes from C to C:

C D E F G A B C

So, if you’re in the key of C major, you’re going to mostly have the notes of the major scale to play around and as you go into other major keys, you’ll also need to know their major scales as well.

“Here Are All The Major Scales…”

C major scale:

Db major scale:

D major scale:

Eb major scale:

E major scale:

F major scale:

F# major scale:

G major scale:

Ab major scale:

A major scale:

Bb major scale:

B major scale:

Now beyond knowing what a major scale is and having all the examples listed above, it is important for you to master these major scales and be able to play them as quickly as possible.

That’s why I came up with a 4-week plan that I’m going to share with you in the next segment.

How To Master All The Major Scales In 4 Weeks

Using the plan below you can master all the major scales by playing just three of them in one week. Heck, you could learn the first one one Monday, the second one on Wednesday, and the third one on Friday.

Check them out!

Week 1 – “C major, F major, and G major”

C major:

F major:

G major:

Week 2 – “A major, D major, and E major”

A major:

D major:

E major:

Week 3 – “Ab major, Db major, and Eb major”

Ab major:

Db major:

Eb major:

Week 4 – “F# major, Bb major, and B major”

F# major:

Bb major:

B major:

Final Words

Thanks for the time you’ve invested in reading this blog and I’m very certain that you know how to get a dozen major scales under your belt in just four weeks.

Keep scheduling out time to practice your major scales daily and once you come up with a routine, be sure to stick to it and you’ll sure succeed.

To Jermaine Griggs (our founder), I want to say many thanks for the opportunity given to me to share these information with you.

All the best and congratulations in advance.

The post This 4-Week Plan Will Help You Master All The Major Scales appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

Our focus in today’s lesson is on the formation of major ninth chords using the major sixth chord.

I’ve always said it to my students in the past, “if you know your major sixth chord, you know your major ninth chord.” All you have to do is to see how major sixth chords can be turned into sophisticated major ninth chords.

If you’re told that the C major sixth chord:

…can be used to form a full-sounding major ninth chord, would you believe?

Well, I’ll show you step-by-step how this is done.

Are you ready? Alright, let’s start by reviewing major sixth chords.

A Quick Review Of The Major Sixth Chord

The major sixth chord consists of two components:

The major chord

The sixth tone of the major scale

If you take any major chord that you’re familiar with, and add the sixth tone of its corresponding major scale, you have a major sixth chord.

“Let’s Do This Step-By-Step…”

Let’s take the C major chord:

…and the sixth tone of the C major scale:

…which is A:

…and add them together:

C major:

A (sixth tone of the C major scale):

…and we’ll have the C major sixth chord:

“Here Are All The Major Sixth Chords…”

C major sixth:

Db major sixth:

D major sixth:

Eb major sixth:

E major sixth:

F major sixth:

Gb major sixth:

G major sixth:

Ab major sixth:

A major sixth:

Bb major sixth:

B major sixth:

“Again…”

If we take the sixth tone of the F major scale:

…which is D:

…and add it to the F major chord:

F major:

D (sixth tone of the F major scale):

…altogether, we’ll have the F major sixth chord:

How To Form Major Ninth Chords Using Major Sixth Chords

The formation of major ninth chords using the major sixth chord is something you can do in two shakes of a dog’s tail.

If you can follow these steps, you can form a major ninth chord:

Step 1.Pick a key.

Step 2. Determine what the first and fifth tones of the major scale of that key are.

Step 3. Play the first tone on the left hand and play the fifth tone on the right hand.

Step 4. Play a major sixth chord off the fifth tone on the right hand over the first tone as the bass note.

Trust me, it’s simpler than it sounds.

“Let’s Put It To Work In The Key Of C Major…”

Step 1. Let’s pick C:

Step 2. The first and fifth tones of the major scale in the key of C major are C and G (respectively):

Step 3. Play C on the left hand and G on the right hand:

Step 4. Play the G major sixth on the right hand over C on bass:

So, here’s the C major ninth chord:

…using a right hand major sixth chord played off the fifth tone of the major scale in the right hand.

“Alright! Can We Try In The Key Of F Major?”

Step 1. Let’s pick F:

Step 2. The first and fifth tones of the major scale in the key of C major are C and G (respectively):

Step 3. Play F on the left hand and C on the right hand:

Step 4. Play the C major sixth on the right hand over F on bass:

So, here’s the f major ninth chord:

…using a right hand major sixth chord played off the fifth tone of the major scale in the right hand.

Final Words

Getting to this point lets me know that you’re really interested in learning how major ninth chords are formed using the major sixth chord.

Using the principle learned, you can form major ninth chords off any tone of the scale. But most importantly, major ninth chords are played off the first and fourth tones of the major scale.

For example, in the key of C major:

…here are the two major ninth chords you’ll need:

C major ninth chord:

F major ninth chord:

I deeply appreciate my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs (who’s also our founder), for the opportunity to share these information with you and I hope you’ve learned something.

All the best and see you in the next lesson.

The post Here’s How Major Sixth Chords Can Be Applied In The Formation Of Major Ninth Chords appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

Intermediate keyboard players use a lot of ninth and tenth intervals to enhance their their left hand.

Before we talk about these intervals, can you remember the nursery rhyme that goes:

One, two, Buckle my shoe;

Three, four, Knock at the door;

Five, six, Pick up sticks;

Seven, eight, Lay them straight:

Nine, ten, A big fat hen.

In the 90s, this was a common rhyme we sang and depending on what part of the world you grew up in, this nursery rhyme should sound familiar.

Submission: If the nursery rhyme is doesn’t sound familiar, you can just check it out for a moment before we proceed.

“Here’s What Inspired This Lesson…”

I came up with something that has to do with the enhancement of the left hand using ninths and tenths.

So, I was asking myself how I’ll pass it across in such a way that anybody (even a 9 year old) can relate to it and it didn’t take long before the nursery rhyme came to my mind.

With this rhyme, I’m not only showing you how to enhance your left hand but also making it easy for you to recall what to do to enhance your left hand at all times.

“What Are Ninths And Tenths?”

Ninth and tenths are basically intervals.

Now, intervals are the building blocks of chords and harmony. All the chords you can think of and know, can be broken down into intervals.

For example, the C major chord:

…can be broken down into the following intervals:

C-E (a major third interval):

C-G (a perfect fifth interval):

Although intervals are not chords, but they are the musical ancestors of chords because man started using intervals before chords.

“Now, Back To Ninths And Tenths…”

The numbers in the number system are usually ranging from one to seventh. However, when we extend the number system to cover two octaves:

…we have the following numbers:

C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C

1   2  3   4  5   6   7  8   9  10

…and it can go all the way up to the 15th (the double-octave) — which is clearly not our concern in this lesson.

But the point is this: there’s a ninth and a tenth and they are jumbo versions of the second and the third.

Here’s a contrast between the the second interval and the ninth interval:

Second (C to D):

Ninth (C to D):

If you also compare the third interval with the tenth interval:

Third (C to E):

Tenth (C to E):

…you’ll see that the tenth interval is a jumbo-sized third interval.

If I take a second interval (C to D):

…and take the D up to the next octave (upper D):

…that’s the ninth interval (C-D):

If I take a third interval (C to E):

…and take the E up to the next octave (upper E):

…that’s the tenth interval (C-E):

“In A Nutshell…”

If you know your second and third intervals, you also know your ninth and third intervals.

Using the D major scale (as a reference):

The second interval (D to E):

…can be extended to form a ninth interval (D to E):

The third interval (D to F#):

…can be extended to form a tenth interval (D to F#):

Now we’ve reviewed ninths and tenths, so what about them? Well, I’ll tell you in the next segment.

“If You Want A Big Fat Left Hand, Use Ninths And Tenths…”

It has almost become a tradition for the left hand to graduate from notes to octaves.

For example, it’s common to graduate from playing C on the bass:

…to playing the C octave:

Octaves sound reinforced and good but they don’t really enhance the left hand like ninth and tenth intervals. If you have the C major chord:

…and you’re playing the C octave on the bass:

…you are basically duplicating the root note and that doesn’t enhance the left hand — it only reinforces the root note you’re playing.

The goal of this lesson is to take you beyond octaves into the realm of ninth intervals and tenth intervals.

Enhancing The Left Hand With The Ninth Interval

A lot of chords sound a lot better on a ninth interval foundation.

“Minor Chords…”

For example, this C minor ninth chord:

…is basically an Eb major seventh chord:

…over a C ninth (on the left hand):

…and it sounds good.

“Major Chords…”

If we add the E minor chord:

…to the C ninth interval (on the left hand):

…that produces an overall C major ninth chord:

“The Filled-In Ninth Interval…”

We can even make the ninth interval sound better by filling it in with the fifth tone of the chord. For example, instead of playing the C ninth interval:

…we fill it in with the fifth tone of the C major scale (which is G):

…to make it sound full (C-G-D):

Just adding the first inversion of the C major chord (E-G-C):

…to the filled-in ninth interval produces a full-sounding Cadd9 chord:

Heck, if we take the C minor ninth chord we learned earlier:

…and fill-in the left hand with a fifth:

…we have a more enhanced chord:

Enhancing The Left Hand With The Tenth Interval

Tenth intervals are very unique because they can be used to imply chords and harmonies.

There are two tenth interval types:

The major tenth

The minor tenth

The tenth interval we’ve been playing all along is the major tenth. C to E:

…is a classic example of a major tenth interval.

When you lower that E:

…by a half-step (to Eb):

…you have C to Eb:

…and that’s a minor tenth interval.

So, a minor tenth interval is basically smaller than the major tenth interval by a half-step. If you take a given major tenth interval and you lower the higher note by a half-step, you get the minor tenth interval.

“Here’s How To Imply Harmonies With Tenth Intervals…”

The C major tenth interval:

…implies the following harmonies:

C major chord:

C dominant seventh chord:

C augmented chord:

The C minor tenth interval:

…implies the following harmonies:

C minor chord:

C half-diminished seventh chord:

C diminished chord:

Tenth intervals are quite a stretch and are not so easy to play.But when learned and mastered, they enhance the left hand a great deal and add a lot of depth to your playing.

Final Words

I’m sure you can see what we’ve made out of a simple nursery rhyme.

Ninths and tenths are quite a stretch but if you want that big fat left hand, you really have to stretch for it and trust me, it’s going to really add a lot of enhancement to your chords.

I am grateful to my teacher and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity to share this concept with you.

Feel free to ask questions, chip in your suggestions on some of the topics you’ll want to learn in the future, and make your contributions in the comment section below.

All the best!

The post “Nine, Ten, A Big Fat Hen”: A Lesson On The Left Hand For Intermediate Keyboard Players appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

Mastering the 12 major chords on the keyboard can be overwhelming and I know that because I’ve been there.

At the earliest stage of my musicianship, one of the things that challenged me most was the fact that I had to learn things in dozens. If you learn anything — note, scale, interval, chord, progression, song, etc —  you have to learn it in a dozen keys.

So, I’ve been thinking about how I can help beginners like you master a dozen major chords the easiest way possible so I came up with the easiest way to go about it and it’s been helping a lot of beginners.

Attention: I’m sorry if you’re not a beginner. This lesson is for beginners by the way.

But before I share it with you, let’s quickly do a review on the major chord.

A Short Note On The Major Chord

The major chord is a collection of three related notes played or heard together.

Attention: These notes are said to be related because they come from the same major scale. So, if you don’t know your major scales, you will neither understand nor appreciate the relationship between these notes.

If you know the C major scale:

…you can form the C major chord if you can single the following notes out:

The first tone (C):

The third tone (E):

The fifth tone (G):

If you put those tones together, you should have C+E+G and that’s the C major chord:

Now, there are a dozen major chords on the keyboard (twelve of them.)

If you want to learn and master them, you’ll have to know the corresponding major scales and probably go through the process of singling out the first, third, and fifth tones of the scale.

Well, the scale process of forming major chords is great but it’s not very easy and while I recommend that you do that because you’ll find it valuable when you do so, I’m here, today, to show you how to get the major chords under your belt — twelve of them.

If you’re ready, let’s do this in the next segment!

How To Master The 12 Major Chords On The Keyboard

Anyone who knows what white and black colors are and can do the following:

1. Change black to white
2. Change white to black

…can master the twelve major chords on the keyboard.

Submission: I know you’re wondering what black and white has to do with the chords on the keyboard.

The Black And White Notes

It doesn’t take more than black and white notes to form chords. All chords on the piano are either:

All white or a combination of white and black notes

All black or a combination of white and black notes

So, if you pay attention to white and black notes, you’ll find major chords easier to learn.

The C major chord (we reviewed in the last segment):

…consists of all white notes:

C is white:

E is white:

G is white:

“Here’s The D Major Chord Template…”

Learning the D major chord:

…and how it’s a combination of “white-black-white” notes:

D is white:

F# is black:

A is white:

…gives us a template to learn other major chords with.

D major:

…is NOT the only major chord that has the “white-black-white” template. We have the following chords:

E major:

A major:

Technically, if you can play the D major chord (using the “white-black-white” template), you can can also play the E major and A major chord.

I want you to tell me if these “D-template” chords really look different:

D major:

E major:

A major:

Trust me, it takes the same hand position to play these chords and they are so related that you can find their alphabet letters between the 2 o’clock and 4 o’clock position of the music circle:

“Did We Forget The C Major Template?”

The “white-white-white” notes of the C major chord:

C is white:

E is white:

G is white:

…provide us with a template that we can play two other major chords with:

F major:

G major:

So, if you have the “white-white-white” template in mind, you can play the following chords:

C major:

F major:

G major:

…and the root note of these chords are so related that they are found as neighbors on the music circle:

…precisely between the 11 o’clock and 1 o’clock position.

“We Have Six Out Of Twelve Major Chords Under Our Belt…”

Using the C-template:

C major:

F major:

G major:

…and the D template:

D major:

E major:

A major:

…we’ve covered six out of the twelve major scales on the keyboard. What an easy way to learn and master chords!

Alright, let’s keep going.

“Here’s The Db Major Template…”

Using the chords in the D major template:

D major:

E major:

A major:

We can create a new template by doing one thing:

Changing black to white

Changing white to black

Attention: Remember that I told you this in the beginning. Now, let’s see how changing black to white and vice-versa can help us master more chords.

So, the D major chord:

…is “white-black-white” in color and if we change white to black and black to white, we’ll have a new template:

black-white-black

…that produces the Db major chord:

So, switching from the D major chord to the Db major chord:

D major chord:

Db major chord:

…is as easy as going from one color template to its opposite; changing the black notes to white and the white notes to black.

This “black-white-black” template is not unique to the Db major chord:

…it works for three major chords:

Db major chord:

Eb major chord:

Ab major chord:

…and once you have this template mastered using the Db major chord, you can play the Eb and Ab major chords with it as well.

“Here’s The B Major Template…”

If you know the B major chord:

…you know the Bb major chord:

It’s the same change of color template from white to black and vice-versa.

If we take the B major chord:

…that is “white-black-black”:

B is white:

D# is black:

F# is black:

…and change the colors, we’ll have the Bb major chord:

…that is “black-white-white”:

Bb is black:

D is white:

F is white:

“The Final Chord On Our List…”

We have just one chord to go on our list and that’s the Gb major chord:

…and when you look at the G major chord:

…you’ll clearly see where it’s coming from.

If you take all the white notes in the G major chord:

G is white:

B is white:

D is white:

…and you change them to black notes, you’ll have a “black-black-black” chord (the Gb major chord):

Gb is black:

Bb is black:

Db is black:

…an entirely new color template that we don’t have to memorize.

Final Words

Thank you for reading today’s lesson. I’m very certain that you’ve seen how you can easily get a dozen major chords under your belt using color templates.

I specially appreciate my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity given to me to share this concept with you. My gratitude knows no bounds.

If you have any question, contribution, suggestion, etc., kindly reply using the comment section below and I’ll be happy to respond.

See you in the next lesson!

The post Mastering The 12 Major Chords On The Keyboard Has Never Been This Easy For Beginners appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

In this lesson, I’m going to show how to resolve the C diminished chord.

Attention: If the term resolve doesn’t sound quite familiar, don’t give up yet because I’ll explain it in the course of this training and you’ll be glad at the end of the day.

I know you’re eager to know what happened after I played the C diminished seventh chord:

…but before I tell you, let’s refresh our minds a bit on diminished chords.

A Short Note On Diminished Chords

Here are the chords in the major key (using the key of C major as a reference):

C major (1-chord):

D minor (2-chord):

E minor (3-chord):

F major (4-chord):

G major (5-chord):

A minor (6-chord):

B diminished (7-chord):

You can clearly see that the diminished chord is one of the chords in the major key and it’s formed off the seventh tone of the scale.

In the key of C major:

…it is formed off the seventh tone (which is B):

If you go to any major key and form the chord of the 7th tone of the scale using the tones of the major scale in that key, you’ll have a diminished chord.

But here’s an easy way to form the diminished chord in two simple steps:

Step 1. Form a minor chord

Step 2. Lower its fifth tone by a half-step

Using the D minor chord:

…we can form the D diminished chord by lowering the fifth tone (which is A):

…by a half-step (to Ab):

…and we’ll have the D diminished chord:

There are so many ways to skin a cat and I know that you might even have your own way of forming the diminished chord. So, let’s play through all the diminished chords on the keyboard and I’ll tell you what happened.

“Here Are All The Diminished Chords…”

C diminished:

C# diminished:

D diminished:

D# diminished:

E diminished:

F diminished:

F# diminished:

G diminished:

G# diminished:

A diminished:

A# diminished:

B diminished:

Alright! We’re good, so let’s proceed.

“I Played The C Diminished Chord And Then This Happened…”

The C diminished chord:

…has a lot of tension when played. You can hear the tension in the chord when played.

Unlike the C major and C minor chord:

C major chord:

C minor chord:

…the C diminished chord wants to move to a more stable chord when played and this movement is called resolution. When a diminished chord moves to a more stable chord, that’s when it has resolved.

I played the C diminished chord and was asking myself how I’m going to resolve it; move to a more stable chord. Then I remembered that diminished chords are leading note triads and they resolve by an upward half-step movement.

Attention: The term “leading note” is just a technical name of the seventh tone of the scale. So instead of calling the diminished chord a 7-chord, you can call it a leading note chord because the seventh tone of the scale is technically known as the leading note.

So, for a moment, I started seeing the C diminished chord for what it really is: a leading note chord. I also asked myself the major key where C is the seventh tone and I recalled that it’s the key of Db major:

Wow! The C diminished chord:

…is the leading note chord in the key of Db major:

That means that the it would resolve to the Db major chord:

Whilst my mind was illuminated with these thoughts and ideas, I rushed to the keyboard and played the C diminished chord:

…and progressed to the Db major chord:

…and the Db major chord was able to resolve the C diminished chord:

C diminished chord:

Db major chord:

After my C diminished experience, I’ve been thinking of diminished chords as leading note chords and applying them as passing chord.

Final Words

Thank you for stopping by to read today’s lesson and I’m glad you’ve learned how diminished chords can be applied as passing chords.

I want to specially appreciate my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity to share this information with you. Questions, comments, suggestions, and contributions are welcome in the comment section below and I’ll be happy to reply.

All the best and see you in another lesson.

The post “I Played The C Diminished Chord And Then This Happened…” appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

If you’ve been around musicians you probably would have come across this phrase, “Go Down And Eat Bread, Father!”

Attention: Chances are there that this is the first time you’re reading this phrase. If this is true for you, this lesson is also for you. So, don’t close this web page.

The use of phrases have been an integral part of formal and informal music learning.

What we’re learning in today’s blog is neither new nor wrong. So, I’ll just go ahead and bring it on. But before I do so, let’s start out by talking about musicians and phrases.

“Why Do Musicians Use Phrases?”

There’s always a lot to learn in music and that’s why the use of formulas, acronyms, mnemonics, etc., among musicians is very common.

If you’ve been following this blog for sometime now, you must have seen how we mastered the major scale in all the keys just by saying “Why Won’t He Wear White When Hot?”

When there’s a lot to learn and master, the use of phrases become very important because they simplify the learning process.

If you have sheet music experience, you must have come across phrases like:

All Cows Eat Grass

Every Good Boy Deserves Favor

Good Boy Deserves Favor Always

…that make it remarkably easy to recall the lines and spaces of the treble and bass staff.

So, the use of phrases to memorize and recall concepts is not entirely new to musicians and today I’m going to show you another important phrase that will help you memorize the circle of fourths and fifths.

A Short Note On The Circle Of Fourths And Fifths

The circle of fourths and fifths:

…is a geometrical representation of the musical notes and keys.

I can only imagine what must have led to its creation. The inventor must have thought, “oh, there are twelve hour positions on the clock and twelve music notes. You know what? I’m going to create a music clock where all the notes will sit on each of the twelve-hour positions.”

Like I said, I can only imagine.

On the 12 o’clock position, we have C. Then going clockwise gives us the circle of fifths because the distance between successive notes in the circle are fifth intervals:

C to G (12 to 1 o’clock position) is a fifth

G to D (1 to 2 o’clock position) is a fifth

D to A (2 to 3 o’clock position) is a fifth

A to E (3 to 4 o’clock position) is a fifth

If we decide to go counter-clockwise, then we have the circle of fourths where the distance between successive notes are fourth intervals:

C to F (12 to 11 o’clock position) is a fourth

F to Bb (11 to 10 o’clock position) is a fourth

Bb to Eb (10 to 9 o’clock position) is a fourth

Eb to Ab (9 to 8 o’clock position) is a fourth

The circle of fourths and fifths can be used in so many ways and in future lessons, I’ll break down all of those to you. But for now, I’ll go ahead and show you how you can memorize the notes on the circle using the phrase, “Go Down And Eat Bread Father!”

“Go Down And Eat Bread, Father!”

The Sharp Keys

If you make a list of the first six notes or keys in the circle of fourths and fifths:

…we have:

G at the 1 o’clock position

D at the 2 o’clock position

A at the 3 o’clock position

E at the 4 o’clock position

B at the 5 o’clock position

F# at the 6 o’clock position

Now, if you go from 1 o’clock to 6 o’clock, you have the following keys:

G, D, A, E, B, and F#

…which can be memorized using the phrase: “Go Down And Eat Bread, F#ather!”

With this, you no longer have to worry about the music clock. You can just say the phrase and you have the notes on the right hand half of the music clock — from the 1 0’clock to the 6 o’clock position.

The Flat Keys

If we want to go all the way back up to the 12 o’clock position, we have to keep going in the circle:

Just because we’re going into the flat keys territory, we have to change that F# at the 6 o’clock position to Gb and make a list of all the notes.

So here’s the list:

Gb at the 6 o’clock position

Db at the 7 o’clock position

Ab at the 8 o’clock position

Eb at the 9 o’clock position

Bb at the 10 o’clock position

F at the 11 o’clock position

From the order of the notes, you can see the following notes:

Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, and F

…and if you can see beyond the flats, it’s pretty much the same “Go Down And Eat Bread, Father!” phrase.

Meanwhile, let’s compare 1 to 6 o’clock (sharp keys) and 6 to 11 o’clock (flat keys):

Sharp Keys   –  G,   D,   A,    E,   B,   F#

Flat Keys       –  Gb, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, F

I’m sure you can see it’s the same “Go Down And Eat Bread, Father!” phrase repeating twice.

The sharp keys take you to the 6 o’clock position where you switch from F# (the end of the sharp keys) to Gb (the beginning of the flat keys.)

“Let’s Put The Knowledge To Work…”

After Gb is Db, on the circle of fourths. How do I know?

Go Down — Gb to Db

…and if I decide to extend it, I already know what comes and that’s Ab. How do I know it’s Ab?

Go Down And — Gb to Db to Ab

So you see?! You can call out the notes on the circle of fourths and fifths if you know the phrase “Go Down And Eat Bread, Father!” and that is sacrosanct.

Final Words

Thank you for stopping by to read today’s lesson.

I’m sure the phrase “Go Down And Eat Bread Father!” is going to help you master the notes and keys in the circle of fourths and fifths.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please leave them in the comment section below and I’ll gladly reply to them.

My special appreciation goes to Jermaine Griggs (who is my role model and founder of this site) for the opportunity to share this information with you and I don’t take that for granted.

See you in the next lesson.

The post Why Do Musicians Say Stuff Like “Go Down And Eat Bread, Father!”? appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

We’re going to be critically looking at the main purposes of chord inversions.

If you are a piano student and you’ve been involved with chords for sometime, the term inversion or chord inversion should not be totally new to you.

But for the sake of those who are just coming across the term for the first time, we’ll be starting out this lesson with a short note on the concept of inversion.

Attention: There are two sides to this topic and because I don’t want you to have a one-side view, I’ll be giving you both sides. However, we’re going to focus on the first side in this lesson and in a subsequent lesson, we can take a look at what’s on the other side.

Are you ready?

A Short Note On The Concept Of Inversion

A chord has at least three notes and the most basic chords in music are known as triads because they have three notes:

Root

Third

Fifth

A classic example is the C major triad (aka – “C major chord”):

…which has the following components:

C is the root:

E is the third:

G is the fifth:

Now, a chord is usually played in such a way that the notes are arranged in this root-third-fifth order.

But using the concept of inversion, we can change the order of the tones and instead of root-third-fifth, we can have the following:

third-fifth-root

fifth-root-third

…and that’s basically like giving every component an opportunity to either be on the bottom or at the top.

“Let Me Give You This Analogy…”

When we begin to change the order of the meals for the day, we’re doing inversion.

Instead of this order:

breakfast > lunch > dinner

…if we go:

lunch > dinner > breakfast

or

dinner > breakfast > lunch

…we have inverted the meals for the day.

The Root Position And Inversions

When a chord is played in the regular root-third-fifth order, it’s called the root position chord and this is because the root is maintaining its position as the lowest chord tone.

Here’s the C major chord in root position:

“The First Inversion…”

When we take the root off the bottom and put it on top of the chord, we have the first inversion of the chord.

Here’s the C major chord in first inversion:

Keep in mind that the root being on top puts the third tone at the bottom of the chord. So, we basically have a different top and a different bottom.

“The Second Inversion…”

The third which is at the bottom in the first inversion chord can be moved to the top. In the C major chord (first inversion):

…we’ll be taking the E (which is the third):

…of the bottom and putting it on top of the chord and this would produce the second inversion of the C major chord:

Submission: Taking the third off the bottom puts the fifth on the bottom.

“In A Nutshell…”

Using the concept of inversion, have two other ways to play the C major chord:

…and they are as follows:

The first inversion:

The second inversion:

Is that the main purpose of inversion? Are we inverting just to have multiple ways of playing a chord or is there more?

Find out in the next segment.

“What Is The Main Purpose Of Chord Inversions?”

There are two sides to the concept of inversion and we’re starting out with the first side of it which has to do with bass notes. In a subsequent lesson, we’ll explore the other purpose of inversion.

Inversion: The Art Of Using A Variety Of Bass Notes

One of the things inversion does is to change what the lowest chord tone is. In fact, when a chord is inverted, the lowest-sounding note changes because all the chord tones take their turn to be at the bottom.

In the root position:

…the root (C) is the lowest-sounding note:

In the first inversion:

…the third (E) is the lowest-sounding note:

In the second inversion:

…the fifth (G) is the lowest-sounding note:

So, inversion gives us a variety of bass notes for the left hand. Instead of playing the root, we can add variety to the chord using other bass notes: the third and the fifth.

Instead of sticking to the root all the time

C:

…we can use other bass notes:

E:

G:

With this, you can play the C major chord:

…with E on the bass:

…or G on the bass:

…instead of C all the time:

“Let’s Apply This To Another Major Chord…”

Instead of playing the F major chord (with F on the bass):

…we can use the other chord tones as bass notes:

F major (over A on the bass):

F major (over C on the bass):

…and it would add variety to the chord and that’s the purpose of inversion.

“Let’s Also Apply This To A Minor Chord…”

Instead of playing the G minor chord (with G on the bass):

…we can use the other chord tones of the G minor chord on the bass:

G minor (over Bb on the bass):

G minor (over D on the bass):

…to add variety to the chord.

Final Words

I’m sure that the following chords:

C major (over E on the bass):

C major (over G on the bass):

…will no longer be strange to you.

We’re basically playing the C major chord but using the concept of inversion to use a variety of bass notes.

So, if you’re stuck with playing the C major chord with the root on the bass and are interested in doing something different, it’s time to invert the bass notes and do something different on the left hand.

I hope this helps!

The post Ask Dr. Pokey: “What Is The Main Purpose Of Chord Inversions?” (Part 1) appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

In today’s lesson, I’ll be providing you with valuable information on third intervals.

Third intervals are very important in the study of chords because a vast majority of the chords you know and apply are built off third intervals.

The following chords:

Major chords

Minor chords

Diminished chords

Augmented chords

…can be broken down into third intervals. Even bigger chords like sevenths, ninths, elevenths, and thirteenth chords can be broken down into third intervals.

It is because of the importance of third intervals (especially in the study of chords) that I’m dedicating this lesson to it and if you give me your undivided attention for the next 5-10 minutes, I’ll get you to understand and master third intervals.

Attention: I’m aware that there are people reading this blog who don’t know what the term interval means in music.

“What Is An Interval?”

An interval is simply a product of the relationship between two notes.

For example, when C and E are played or heard together:

…we know that there are four half-steps between them:

C to Db (first half-step):

Db to D (second half-step):

D to Eb (third half-step):

Eb to E (fourth half-step):

If we say “C to E is a distance of four half-steps” that would be correct.

But when it comes to the understanding of what intervals are, we are looking at the product of that distance. Instead of describing it as four half-steps, we rather call it a major third.

The major third is the product of the relationship between C and E; so C to E is a major third interval.

“Intervals Are Much More Than Distances…”

Intervals aren’t just about the number of half-steps and whole steps that are between notes on the piano — No!

Intervals have to do with the product of the distance between two notes played or heard together and that’s why intervals have quality and quantity.

In the case of the major third interval between C and E:

The term “major” describes the QUALITY

The term “third” describes the QUANTITY

So, in the study of intervals, you’ll come across qualities like:

Major

Minor

Perfect

Augmented

Diminished

…and also come across quantities like:

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

Eighth

Ninth

Tenth

Eleventh

Twelfth

Thirteenth

Fourteenth

Fifteenth

If you’d want to learn more about intervals, join the Gospel Music Training Center today.

The goal of this lesson is to provide you with extra help on third intervals and I haven’t forgotten that yet. So, let’s go ahead and break down third intervals.

Who Else Needs Extra Help On Third Intervals?

Before I provide you with extra help on third intervals, I want to be sure that we’re on the same page.

There are basically two third interval types:

Major third

Minor third

…and while my theoreticians would want to say “But there’s the augmented third and diminished third intervals” they also need to realize that these other third intervals were once forbidden and even up till today, they are very rare.

So, I’m going to show you how to master major and minor third intervals on the keyboard. However, this information has a per-requisite which is the knowledge of the major scale in all twelve keys.

So here are the major scales for your reference:

C major:

Db major:

D major:

Eb major:

E major:

F major:

Gb major:

G major:

Ab major:

A major:

Bb major:

B major:

Using the knowledge of these major scales, you can master third intervals: major third and minor third intervals.

The Major Third Interval

The major third interval is a product of the distance between the first and third tones of the major scale. When the term major third is mentioned, the numbers 1 and 3 should comes to mind.

If you go to any of the major scales above and take the first and third tones, you’ll have a major third interval.

“Let Me Show You How Easy It Is…”

Using the D major scale:

…we can form the major third interval using the first and the third tones of the D major scale:

D:

F#:

…and altogether, D-F#:

…is a major third interval.

“Let’s Take Another Example…”

If we take the Ab major scale:

…and single out the first and third tones (which are Ab and C):

…we’ll have a major third interval.

I’ll let you tell me what the major third interval from G is:

…using the G major scale as a reference:

Attention: Let me know in the comment section below.

The Minor Third Interval

Now that you know the major third interval, the minor third interval is just a walk in the park.

All you have to do is to lower the highest-sounding note in any given major third interval by a half-step and you’ll have a corresponding minor third interval.

Using the C major third interval (C-E) as a reference:

…we can form the minor third interval by lowering the highest-sounding note (which is E):

…by a half-step (to Eb):

…and that produces C-Eb:

…a minor third interval.

“Okay, Let’s Do That Again…”

Using the E major third interval (E-G#) as a reference:

…we can form the E minor third interval by lowering the highest-sounding note (which is G#):

…by a half-step (to G):

…to produce E-G:

…the E minor third interval.

I’ll let you tell me what the B minor third interval is:

…using the B major third interval as a reference:

Attention: Let me know in the comment section below.

Final Words

Thanks for stopping by today and I’m glad you devoted some time into reading this blog post.

I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you. If you have questions, comments, suggestions, etc., please feel free to leave them in the http://getzonedup.com/ comment section below and I’ll be happy to respond.

I want to deeply appreciate my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity to share this information with you and in subsequent blogs, we’ll be taking this conversation further.

All the best.

The post Who Else Needs Extra Help On Third Intervals? appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

So, you want to know what comes to my mind when I hear a minor chord? I’ll tell you!

Attention: Now, this post is not for you if you’re yet to develop the chord recognition or awareness that lets you distinguish the minor chord from every other chord. I’ll recommend you focus on training your ears with the ear tutor software and when you can recognize minor chords, you get back to this lesson.

I stream music on YouTube from time to time and I come across unfamiliar song, listen to the chords and progressions, and try to analyze what’s going on.

Even before I figure out the key of the song, different chord types hit me differently and maybe after hearing the chord patterns and how they pull up to the 1-chord, I eventually get to find the key.

For example, a  certain song can start out with a minor chord (let’s say the A minor chord):

…and while I’m yet to find the key, the chord hits me and a few things start going through my mind that I want to share with you in this lesson.

If you stick with me till the end of this lesson, you’ll learn what comes to my mind when I hear a minor chord (especially when I’m yet to figure out what key it is.

Here’s What To Think When Next You Hear A Minor Chord

When you hear a minor chord, there are three things that should come to mind and they are:

The 2-chord

The 3-chord

The 6-chord

…in the major key.

We’ll be using the A minor chord (as a reference):

The Minor Chord As The 2-chord

When the A minor chord:

…is played or heard, the 2-chord should come to mind.

Thinking about the A minor chord as the 2-chord begs the question, “in what key is the A minor chord the 2-chord?” or “in what key is A the second tone of the scale?” and that puts us in the key of G major:

A look at the G major scale:

….shows that A is the second tone and the A minor chord is the 2-chord:

A:

A minor chord:

Every other minor chord in the keyboard can also be a 2-chord. So, when you hear a minor chord, think of it as the chord of the second tone of the scale in a particular key.

The Minor Chord As The 3-chord

The minor chord is also the 3-chord in a particular key and in the case of the A minor chord (which is our reference):

…it’s the 3-chord in the key where A is the third tone of the scale.

Pop Quiz: In what key is A the third tone of the scale?

If you know your major scale and numbers, then you should know that A is the third tone in the F major scale:

F major scale:

A:

…so, when the A minor chord is played or heard, the 3-chord in the key of F major should come to mind.

The Minor Chord As The 6-chord

Final Words

I appreciate you for sticking with me until the end of this lesson and I have no doubt that you’ve learned a lot from this lesson.

The next time you hear a minor chord, the numbers that should come to mind are 2, 3, and 6. Once you’ve mastered this, you’ll begin to see every minor chord as a 2-chord, 3-chord, and 6-chord.

Special thanks and appreciation to my mentor and role model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity to share this with you and I’ll be looking forward to your questions, comments, and suggestions on the comment section.

All the best and see you in another lesson.

The post Whenever I Hear A Minor Chord, Here Are The Three Basic Things That Come To My Mind appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

If you really want to master the number system, then there are three things you must never do without.

If you can implement one, two or all of the things I’m going to show you in this lesson, there’s no how you’ll not have the number system down pat in every key.

But right before we delve into learning the number system and how it can be mastered completely, let’s refresh our minds once again just in case the idea of the number system is entirely new to you or you need a refresher.

“What Is The Number System?”

There are so many ways to represent or distinguish musical notes; ranging from the use of alphabet letters:

A, B, C, D, E, F, and G

…to the use of sound syllables:

do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti

…etc.

When we use numbers to represent the tones of the major scale, this creates a “number system” where the notes are represented, associated with, or distinguished using numbers.

For example, in the C major:

…each of the scale tones can be represented using numbers and C (which is the key note):

…is the one.

“Here’s The Number System In C Major…”

In the C major scale:

C is the one

D is the two

E is the three

F is the four

G is the five

A is the six

B is the seven

So, instead of using alphabet letters to describe concepts, we can use numbers. In fact, chances are there that you’ve heard the term “2-5-1” if you’ve been around musicians for a while.

Here’s what the 2-5-1 means:

The 2 is D:

The 5 is G:

The 1 is C:

…and as you already know, or would learn in a subsequent lesson, these numbers can be used to describe chord progressions and patterns.

Once you stick to the same approach from key to key, naming the tones of the major scale with numbers, you are basically following the number system.

Now that I’ve refreshed your mind on the number system, can we just go right into the top three things I want to show you?

Oh yes! We can do that because we’ve tilled the ground.

Top Three Things To Master The Number System With

Before I go any further, let me make it clear that there are other routes that you can take while mastering the number system.

The things I’m about to share with you made it to my list because of how effective they’ve been and also based on the results and positive reviews.

That’s said, let’s get into the first one: scale practice routine.

#1 – Scales Practice Routine

On the top of my list is the scale practice routine.

If you want to master the number system, then you need to make the major scale your friend; you literally need to visit your major scales daily.

Analogy: When you love someone or find your friendship with someone extremely beneficial or good, you don’t want to go a day without seeing them.

Make the major scale in all the keys your best friend.

If you practice one major scale per minute, you should have covered the entire major scales in just 12 minutes and if you’re reading this and you don’t have 12 minutes to spare, then you’re jeopardizing your friendship with the major scales.

Attention: The major scale is that guy who’s going to eventually introduce you to the number system and (trust me) you don’t want to joke with the major scale.

Enough said! Incorporate the major scale into your daily practice routine and in a few weeks, or even in a matter of days, you’ll record mind-blowing progress in mastering the number system.

#2 – One Finger Melodies

If you find the scale practice routine too technical and less musical, you are not alone.

I feel that way too and that’s why I recommend one-finger melodies and I’m talking about very basic melodies like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Old McDonald Had A Farm, or just about any simple melody that appeals to you.

Take a one-finger melody and try to play it in all the keys — from one key to another — until you have all the keys covered.

You’ll find out that as you play these melodies, you’ll get more familiar with tones of the major scale in every key and also be able to recall them at anytime.

The melody of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star can be played using these numbers:

1-1-5-5-6-6-5, 4-4-3-3-2-2-1

…and as you play the melody from key to key, you’ll consciously or subconsciously begin to internalize the number system at a very fast rate.

The more the songs you can play a one-finger melody on (and in all the keys), the more you get to master the number system.

Attention: Remember to keep the one-finger melodies very simple!

#3 – Flashcards

Click here to download flashcards that you can master the number system with.

Final Words

Thank you for reading http://armodexperiment.com through and getting to this final segment lets me know that you’re really interested in learning how to master the number system.

So, go ahead and add the major scale to your daily practice routine, go ahead and learn tons of melodies (from nursery rhymes to anthems, folks songs, hymns, TV commercials, etc), and don’t also forget to download the flashcards.

My special appreciation goes to Jermaine Griggs, who is my mentor and role-model, for the opportunity to share some of these concepts with you.

In a future lesson, I will be back with another exciting concept. Until then, I really do hope that you make the most out of this.

See you in the next blog!

The post Facts: You May NEVER Master The Number System Until You Do These Top Three Things appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

Who else wants to learn how to play He Has Made Me Glad in the key of F major?

Using all the primary chords we already learned how to harmonize with, we’ll be harmonizing the song He Has Made Me Glad in the key of F Major.

Are you ready? Alright, let’s start off with the melody of the song.

Melody Breakdown Of He Has Made Me Glad

Melody precedes harmony and what this means is that before you go on with the harmonization of any song, you have to make sure you you are familiar with the melody of the song.

When you’re familiar with the melody, then you can go all the way to put chords behind those melodies and that’s what harmonization is.

The Introduction, Number System, And Lyrics

So, we’re starting today’s lesson with a breakdown of the melody to the song He Has Made Me Glad and we’re going to be doing that in the key of F major:

Here are all the tones in the key of F major:

F is the first tone:

G is the second tone:

A is the third tone:

Bb is the fourth tone:

C is the fifth tone:

D is the sixth tone:

E is the seventh tone:

F takes us back to the first tone:

Using these tones of the F major scale, let’s breakdown the melody.

Before we do that, here’s the lyrics for your reference:

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice for He has made me glad
He has made me glad, He has made me glad
I will rejoice for he has made me glad
He has made me glad, He has made me glad
I will rejoice for he has made me glad

“Here Are The Melody Notes To The Song He Has Made Me Glad…”

I:

…will:

…en:

…-ter:

…His:

…gates:

…with:

…thanks:

…gi:

…ving:

…in:

…my:

…heart:

I:

…will:

…en:

…-ter:

…His:

…courts:

…with:

…praise:

I:

…will:

…say:

…this:

…is:

…the:

…day:

…that:

…the:

…Lord:

…ha:

…-as:

…made:

I:

…will:

…re:

…-joice:

…for:

…He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

…He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

I:

…will:

…re:

…-joice:

…for:

…he:

…has:

…made:

…me:

….gla:

…-aaa:

…-ad:

He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

…He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

I:

…will:

…re:

…-joice:

…for:

…he:

…has:

…made:

…me:

….glad:

Now that’s the melody and I encourage you to play that repeatedly until you have it down pat before moving over to the next segment where we’ll be harmonizing the song using full-sounding chords.

The Harmonization Of He Has Made Me Glad

When it comes to harmonization, we’re basically using the primary chords in the key to flesh out one-finger melodies.

When we do this, those boring one-finger melodies are transformed into full-sounding songs that sound like you have the entire choir singing along.

A Short Note On Harmonization Using Primary Chords

Just to refresh your mind, the primary chords are the chords of the first tone, fourth tone, and fifth tone of the major scale in any key you’re in.

So, the 1-chord, 4-chord, and 5-chord are the primary chords in any key.

Our prevalent key in this lesson is the key of F major:

…and the primary chords are as follows:

1-chord (F major):

4-chord (Bb major):

5-chord (C major):

….and when we invert these chords to put certain melody notes that we desire on top, we can harmonize all the tones of the major scale.

“Here’s The Harmonization Of The F Major Scale…”

F (F major chord [first inversion]):

G (C major chord [root position]):

A (F major chord [second inversion]):

Bb (Bb major chord [first inversion]):

C (F major chord [root position]):

D (Bb major chord [second inversion]):

E (C major chord [second inversion]):

F (F major chord [first inversion]):

Attention: All the inversions used basically put the desired melody note on top and that’s what harmonization is all about. We’re playing full-sounding chords that give life to melodies. However, while playing the chords, you must NEVER sabotage the melody; they always have to remain on top.

Harmonization Of He Has Made Me Glad

Now that we’ve refreshed our fingers on the harmonization of the major scale, let’s go ahead and harmonize those melodies we covered earlier using the primary chords and following the designated primary chord for each melody note.

Attention: Over certain melody notes, we’ll add bass notes on the left. Endeavor to add these bass notes to support the right hand harmony.

Are you ready? Let’s do it.

“Here’s How To Harmonize The Song He Has Made Me Glad…”

I:

…will:

…en:

…-ter:

…His:

…gates:

…with:

…thanks:

…gi:

…ving:

…in:

…my:

…heart:

I:

…will:

…en:

…-ter:

…His:

…courts:

…with:

…praise:

I:

…will:

…say:

…this:

…is:

…the:

…day:

…that:

…the:

…Lord:

…ha:

…-as:

…made:

I:

…will:

…re:

…-joice:

…for:

…He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

…He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

I:

…will:

…re:

…-joice:

…for:

…he:

…has:

…made:

…me:

….gla:

…-aaa:

…-ad:

He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

…He:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

I:

…will:

…re:

…-joice:

…for:

…he:

…has:

…made:

…me:

…glad:

Final Words

Getting to the end of this lesson lets me know that you’re serious about learning how to play this song.

Now, getting all the melody notes and chords used in this breakdown in the key of F major is good. But you can do http://www.buyvaliumonline.com/ better by transposing them to other keys on the keyboard.

This might take some time and effort but at the end of the day, it’s worth the time and energy invested.

I’m glad you’ve seen how an entire song can be harmonized using primary chords. If you master this approach, you can just pick up any song and practically dissect it in a few minutes.

I’ll see you in another lesson and if you have other songs you’ll want us to learn, kindly let me know in the comment section below.

All the best.

The post Beginners: How To Play “He Has Made Me Glad” In The Key Of F Major appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

It takes only 5 major chords to harmonize the major scale in three closely related keys.

If you stick with me for the next seven minutes or so, I’ll show you, step-by-step, how this works. But before we get into all of that, let’s look at the primary chords in the following keys:

C major

F major

G major

…and then we take off as soon as we’re done.

The Primary Chords In C Major, F Major, And G Major

The primary chords in any key are the chord of the first, fourth and fifth tones of the major scale.

In this lesson, we’re focusing on the following keys:

C major

F major

G major

So, let’s take a look at the primary chords in these keys.

Primary Chords In C Major

In the key of C major:

…the first, fourth, and fifth tones of the scale are as follows:

C:

F:

G:

…and when we form major chords on each of these tones, we have the primary chords in the key:

C major:

F major:

G major:

“Here Are The Primary Chords And Their Inversions…”

The C major chord:

Root position:

First Inversion:

Second Inversion:

The F major chord:

Root position:

First Inversion:

Second Inversion:

The G major chord:

Root position:

First Inversion:

Second Inversion:

Although we’re NOT necessarily using all these chords in the key of C major, but they are worth knowing because (as you’re going to find out) these chords repeat in closely related keys.

Primary Chords In F Major

If we do the same thing in the key of F major:

…where the first, fourth, and fifth tones of the scale are as follows:

F:

Bb:

C:

The primary chords in the key are going to be:

F major:

Bb major:

C major:

Now, can you see that two out of the three primary chords in the key of F major:

…have already been covered in the key of C major:

Can you tell me the primary chords that C (that we already learned) and F (that we’re learning) share in common?

Well, that’s F major and C major:

F major:

C major:

…and we’re not going to learn them all over.

“The Bb Major Chord And Its Inversions…”

Now that we are already familiar with two out of the three common chords in the key of F major, let’s just add the Bb major to the list.

The Bb major chord:

Root position:

First Inversion:

Second Inversion:

Primary Chords In G Major

In the key of G major:

…where the first, fourth, and fifth tones of the scale are as follows:

G:

C:

D:

The primary chords in the key are as follows:

G major:

C major:

D major:

…and once again, we have already learned two chords (out of the three on the list) and they are:

G major:

C major:

The G major chord is the 5-chord in the key of C major and now it’s the 1-chord in the key of G major. Also, the C major chord (the 1-chord in the key of C major) is now the 4-chord in the key of G major.

So, we’re NOT re-inventing the wheel; rather, we’re just going to learn the new chord on the list and that’s the D major chord.

“The D Major Chord And Its Inversions…”

The D major chord:

Root position:

First Inversion:

Second Inversion:

Here Are The 5 “Unique” Major Chords

Altogether, we’ve covered only 5 major chords in three keys.

Now, it’s mathematically correct to think that we’re going to have 9 chords total and this is because 3 primary chords in each key would give us a total of 9 chord.

But in music, the relationship between major keys:

…off the circle of fourths/fifths, makes it possible for keys neighboring on the circle to share chords in common.

So, it takes only 5 unique chords (3 per time) to harmonize in these three closely related keys:

C major:

F major:

G major:

…and you’ll find them neighboring on the circle:

C is at the 12 o’clock position

F is at the 11 o’clock position

G is at the 1 o’clock position

Once you understand this relationship between keys, playing in all the keys would be a lot easier.

Harmonization Of The Major Scale Using Primary Chords

Here’s how to harmonize the C major scale using the primary chords and their inversions:

C:

D:

E:

F:

G:

A:

B:

C:

…and we only used three out of the 5 major chords we’ve learned so far.

If we go ahead and harmonize the F major scale:

F:

G:

A:

Bb:

C:

D:

E:

F:

…you’ll see that we’re using the C major and F major chord we already used in the harmonization http://www.buyxanax.org/ of the C major scale and then, the Bb major chord (which is a unique chord).

The G major scale:

G:

A:

B:

C:

D:

E:

F#:

G:

…is harmonized by the G major and C major chords and the only new chord we’re adding to the list is the D major chord.

Final Words

Altogether, it doesn’t take more than 5 chords to harmonize the major scale in 3 closely related keys and I’m glad you’ve seen how this works.

I recommend that you put this to work from key to key until you’re able to play in all the keys.

I am grateful to Jermaine Griggs, my mentor and role-model, for the opportunity to share this with you and I’m open to questions and contributions in the comment section below.

See you in the next lesson.

The post Proven: It Takes Only 5 Major Chords To Harmonize The Major Scale In Three Related Keys appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

If you are interested in learning how to play the major 2-5-1 chord progression, you’re on the right page.

The good news about the approach I’m about to show you is that all you need are just the primary chords in the major key.

Now, if the term primary chord is new to you, you’re still on the right page because that’s exactly what we’re starting out with in the first segment of this blog post before we get into the 2-5-1 chord progression.

Are you ready? Let’s go!

A Short Note On Primary Chords

There are chords that are of chief importance in the major key and they are called primary chords.

These chords are said to be primary because they share the same quality with the key and they are the chords of the first, fourth, and fifth tones of the major scale:

1-chord

4-chord

5-chord

In the key of C major:

…here are all the chords in the key (aka – “diatonic chords”):

C major:

D minor:

E minor:

F major:

G major:

A minor:

B diminished:

You can clearly see that out of the seven diatonic chords in the key of C major, the only chords that share the same quality with the major key (by being major chords) are the 1-chord, 4-chord, and 5-chord:

C major:

F major:

G major:

It is because of their quality and how it reinforces the quality of the key we’re in (the major key) that they are described as primary chords — chords of chief importance.

This means that in the major key, the primary chords take the front seat, and all the other chords take the back seat.

Now, it doesn’t matter the major key you’re in, the 1-chord, 4-chord, and 5-chord are the primary chords. Simply go to the first, fourth or fifth tone of the major key you’re in and play a major chord and you’ll have your primary chords in that key.

Now that we’ve covered that, let’s proceed to the major 2-5-1 chord progression and how it can be played using these primary chords.

How To Play The 2-5-1 Progression Using Primary Chords

It doesn’t take long to play the major 2-5-1 chord progression in any key

As promised, I’ll show you how you, as a beginner, can play it in two shakes of a dog’s tail and if you can stick with me for the next two minutes, I’ll show you how that works.

But before anything else, let’s break down the major 2-5-1 chord progression.

“What Is A Major 2-5-1 Chord Progression?”

When a chord movement progresses between the following tones of the scale:

Second tone

Fifth tone

First tone

…that’s a major 2-5-1 chord progression.

In the key of C major:

…the tones are as follows:

D:

G:

C:

In the key of C major:

…and here are the chords for the major 2-5-1 chord progression :

D minor seventh chord:

G dominant seventh chord:

C major seventh chord:

Now, I’m going to show you how to quickly and easily play these chords.

How To Play The Major 2-5-1 Chord Progression Using Primary Chords

A good way to start is to refresh our minds on the root progression; which is basically what the left hand is playing on the bass and in situations where you have a bass player, those are the notes they’ll play.

Here’s the major 2-5-1 root progression in the key of C major:

D:

G:

C:

Now, quickly, I’ll be showing you the chords that go with these bass notes in the root progression.

“Check Them Out…”

The 2-chord:

F major (the 4-chord):

…over D on the bass:

The 5-chord:

F major (the 4-chord):

…over G on the bass:

The 1-chord:

G major (the 5-chord):

…over C on the bass:

Altogether, we have the following chords:

2-chord:

5-chord:

1-chord:

…and here are the chords formed by right hand chords and left hand bass notes:

2-chord is the D minor seventh chord

5-chord is the G dominant seventh [suspended fourth] chord

1-chord is the C major ninth chord

I’m sure you can see how we’re clearly using the primary chords in the key to play the major 2-5-1 chord progression.

“Here’s Another Twist…”

If you’re adventurous, you can even replace the 4-chord (F major):

…we played over the 2-bass (D):

…with the 1-chord (C major):

This produces the C major chord over D on the bass:

…and that’s the D dominant seventh [suspended fourth] chord.

Let’s go ahead and apply it to the major 2-5-1 chord progression:

2-chord:

5-chord:

1-chord:

I hope that helps.

Final Words

Thank you for investing your time in this lesson.

In subsequent lesson, we’ll also explore other easy ways to play the major 2-5-1 chord progression and how to play other http://www.onlinephentermine.net progressions like the minor 2-5-1 chord progression, the turnaround progression and some other fanciful progressions.

Meantime, you’ll do well to transpose these progressions to other keys on the piano and master them as well.

Special appreciation to my role-model and mentor, Jermaine Griggs, for the privilege of sharing this information with you and I’m looking forward to seeing you in the next lesson.

All the best!

The post Beginners, Here’s How To Play The Major 2-5-1 Chord Progression In Two Shakes Of A Dog’s Tail appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

Thank you for your interest in the song, I Need The Every Hour.

This breakdown lesson will focus on how the Hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour, can be harmonized and accompanied on the piano.

I want to believe that you are already familiar with the melody, so, I’ll jump right into its harmonization using the traditional approach.

The Traditional Approach To Harmonizing I Need Thee Every Hour

Harmonization is interesting because when the song is played, you still hear the melody.

Additionally, you’ll also hear full-sounding chords behind every melody note. In this segment, I’m going to show you how to harmonize the Hymn song, I Need Thee like a classically trained player.

Attention: Although this is for beginners, it is not for the very basic beginner. It’s for those who are fairly grounded in major, minor, diminished, augmented, and dominant chords.

A Breakdown Of The Verse

I:

…need:

…thee:

…e:

…-very:

…hour:

Most:

…gra:

…-a:

…a:

…cious:

…Lord:

No:

…ten:

…-der:

…voice:

…like:

…thine:

Can:

…pea:

…-e

…-eace:

…a:

…fford:

Attention: I hope you are enjoying this short lesson. How does that sound? Good? Alright, let’s harmonize the chorus!

A Breakdown Of The Chorus

I:

…need:

…thee:

…oh:

…I:

…need:

…thee:

…E:

…-very:

…hour:

…I:

…need:

…thee:

Oh:

…bless:

…me:

…now:

…my:

…sa:

…vior:

I:

…come:

…to:

…thee:

A Traditional Accompaniment To I Need Thee Every Hour

We’re going to be accompanying the song, I Need Thee just like a classically trained musician would.

So, we’ll be using very basic chords to create accompaniment that can be played behind an instrument or voice.

A Breakdown Of The Verse

I:

…need Thee every:

…hour:

Most:

…gracious:

…Lord:

…No:

…tender:

…voice like:

…thine:

…can:

…peace:

…a:

…fford:

A Breakdown Of The Chorus

I:

…need thee, O I:

…need Thee:

Every hour I:

…need thee:

O:

…bless me:

…now, my:

…savior:

…I:

…come:

…to:

…thee:

Final Thoughts

This is just one of the many ways to approach the Hymn, I Need Thee Every Hour and I wrote this blog post with you in mind and I hope you found it helpful.

On behalf of my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, I want to thank you for investing your time in going through this lesson and I want to encourage you to practice this approach in as many keys as possible — until, eventually, you can effortlessly play it in all twelve keys.

I’ll see you in the next lesson.

The post Hymn Breakdown: I Need Thee Every Hour appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

In this lesson, I’ll show you an entirely different approach to the formation of the major scale.

The major scale is simply a collection of all the notes in a particular key. ​​​But! This is NOT a random collection of notes — No! The notes are in alphabetical order and this makes it very easy and predictable.

After every A (or some kind of A [Ab or A#]) you’re most definitely going to have a B ​​(or some kind of B [Bb or B#]) followed by a C (or some kind of C [Cb or C#]), and it’s a continues succession in that order and you can expect a D (or some kind of D) after that C.

This is what makes music easy; “as easy as ABC” just as they say​​ and everyone who can count alphabet letters can play scales and once you have this mindset, you’ll be able to surmount anything that was confusing you before now.

Let’s Count The ABCs

The C major scale is the easiest major scale to learn in music and if you start and end on C or play all the white notes on the piano from C to C:

…you’ll have the C major scale:

Did I miss any alphabet? No! I didn’t. I know my ABCs and I stayed true to it and that’s how I got the C major scale and if I want to form every other major scale, I have to just learn each of them.

All I need to do is to write out all the alphabets of music, and then do some little changes to some of the notes and I’ll have the major scale.

Again, write out all the alphabets of music:

C D E F G A B C

D E F G A B C D

E F G A B C D E

F G A B C D E F

G A B C D E F G

A B C D E F G A

B C D E F G A B

…and then make a few changes on some of the notes and you’ll have the major scale.

“Let’s Form The G Major Scale…”

Now, if you’re wondering why we’re jumping to the G major scale after the C major scale, well, that’s because we’re relying on the music circle:

…which has all the notes represented according to key relationships.

I know you can see C at the 12 o’clock position. So, after 12 o’clock, we’re going in chronological order (music always has this order and NOTHING IS RANDOM) and in the clockwise direction to the 1 o’clock position.

So, what do you have at 1 o’clock? That’s G:

Take all the music alphabets:

G A B C D E F G

…and then make just one little change by raising the F:

…by a half-step to F#:

…and you’ll have the G major scale:

How did we get the G major scale again? We took all the alphabets (G A B C D E F G):

…and we made just a little change (on the F by raising it to F#) and we got the G major scale:

If we go to the 2 o’clock position on the clock:

…we have D:

…so, let’s form the D major scale.

“Let’s Form The D Major Scale…”

Once again, we’ll take all the music alphabets from D to D:

D E F G A B C D

…and then we make the very little changes and we have the D major scale.

Attention: Keep in mind that at the 1 o’clock position on the circle (which is G), we made just one change. Now that we’re at two o’clock, we’re making two changes and you can predict that we’re make three changes at the 3 o’clock position and 4 changes at the 4 o’clock position, etc. Music is just very organized and predictable.

So, what changes are we making on the D to D template:

D E F G A B C D

…we’re raising the F and the C:

F:

C:

…and they’ll have to become F# and C#:

F#:

C#:

…and if you replace F (with F#) and C (with C#) on that D to D template:

D E F G A B C D

…you’ll have the D major scale:

D E F# G A B C# D

“Now, Here Are The Other Major Scales…”

I can as well take you through from the 3 o’clock to the 11 o’clock until we’re back to the 12 o’clock position but I don’t want to overwhelm you. So, I’m just going to give you the major scales.

“The A Major Scale…”

From the music clock:

A is at the 3 o’clock position, so, we’re making three changes to the basic template:

A B C D E F G A

…and that’s on C, F, and G and when you do that, you’ll have the A major scale:

A B C# D E F# G# A

Please, check it out (the A major scale):

“The E Major Scale…”

You have E at the 4 o’clock position:

so, we’re making four changes to the basic template:

E F G A B C D E

…and that’s on F, G, C, and D. When you do that, you’ll have the E major scale:

E F# G# A B C# D# E

Check it out (the E major scale):

That’s how it works.

Final Words

Using the concept I just shared with you in today’s lesson, I really do hope that you’ll be able to see the major scale in a different light and also approach its formation differently.

I want to thank my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the special opportunity to share this concept with you and I do hope to see you in the next lesson.

Until then.

The post This Approach To The Formation Of The Major Scale Is CRAZY!!! appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

In this lesson, I’ll be showing you the difference between the flat-third and the sharp-second.

If you’ve been around musicians, you must have heard terms like the “flat-third” and the “sharp-second” and sometimes you’ll hear the same terms as follows:

The flat-three

The sharp-second

…and it doesn’t matter if you say “flat-third” or “flat-three” because they all have the same meaning.

But in this lesson, we’ll stick to the flat-third and the sharp-second.

“Dr. Pokey! What Is The Flat-Third?”

Intervals are determined in music using the major scale as a reference.

For example, in the C major scale:

C is the first

D is the second

E is the third

F is the fourth

G is the fifth

A is the sixth

B is the seventh

C is also the eighth (aka – “octave”)

So, when you hear the flat-third, that presupposes that there’s a third and a good way to start is to determine what the third is.

From the C major scale, the third is E:

…and that means that from C:

…the E note is the third tone and as you can see, from C to E:

C (1), D (2), E (3)

…encompasses three alphabet letters.

“Now That We Have The Third Figured Out, What Is The Flat-Third?”

Lowering the third tone of the major scale by a half-step produces the flat-third.

So, if we have E:

….as the third of C:

…all we have to do is to lower the E (by a chromatic half-step) to Eb:

…and that’s it — Eb is the flat-third of C.

Attention: While lowering the third by a half-step, you have to make sure it’s a chromatic half-step. Learn more about chromatic half-steps here.

If you want to find the flat-third of any note, play the major scale of that note, and then go ahead and lower the third tone of the major scale by a half-step — a chromatic half-step.

The Sharp-Second — Defined

If you know the flat-third, understanding the sharp-second should be a walk in the park for you and this is because the way to go about the sharp-second is similar to what we did on the flat third.

“So, How Is The Sharp-Second Formed?”

The sharp-second is formed by the major scale as well and all you have to do is to determine the second tone of the major scale, and then raise it by a chromatic half-step.

Using the C major scale:

…we have D as the second tone of the scale (or simply the second):

Raising the second by a half-step (chromatic half-step):

…produces D#:

…and that’s the sharp-second.

So, if someone walks up to you and asks you what the sharp-second of C is, what would you answer?

Well, the answer is D#:

First of all, you already should know that D is the second tone of the C major scale and raising D by a chromatic half-step produces D#:

…which is the sharp-second.

“Wait A Minute!”

Can you see that there’s a relationship between the flat-third and the sharp-second?

Yes! Starting from C:

…here’s the flat-third and sharp-second:

The flat-third (Eb):

The sharp-second (D#):

…and both notes have something in common and that’s what I’ll show you in the next segment.

The Relationship Between The Flat-Third And The Sharp-Second

The flat-third and sharp-second are related in many ways and in this segment I’ll be showing you the similarities and differences between them.

Let’s start with the similarities.

The Similarities Between The Flat-Third And The Sharp-Second

If your eyes are closed and someone plays the sharp-second, it’s possible to erroneously perceive it as the flat-third and this is because of the enharmonic equivalence between D# (the sharp-second) and Eb (the flat third):

D#:

Eb:

With your eyes closed or open, you can’t tell the difference between D# and Eb (notes) until they are spelled.

So, in the C minor chord:

…where you have the minor third interval (C-Eb):

If you replace the Eb with D#:

…you’ll have C-D#-G:

…which would sound just like the C minor chord:

…but that would be a wrong spelling of the chord.

In a nutshell, the flat-third sounds like the sharp-second.

“Here’s Another Similarity…”

Between the first tone and either of the flat-third or sharp-second consists of three half-steps each.

C to Eb (a flat-third):

…consists of three half-steps.

C to D# (a sharp-second):

…consists of three half-steps.

So, it doesn’t matter whether you’re playing the flat-third or the flat-second, each of them are three half steps from the first tone.

The Differences Between The Flat-Third And The Sharp-Second

Final Words

The post Do You Know The Difference Between The Flat-Third And The Sharp-Second? appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

If you’re interested in learning how to apply the tritone in worship songs, you are on the right page.

The tritone is one of the most-fascinating sounds associated with gospel music (and jazz) and this is because of the amazing role it plays in chord progressions.

A tritone can transform an ordinary chord progression into something that can turn heads and that’s why a lot of gospel musicians use the tritone to spice up their chord progressions.

So, I see you want to join the tritone club, right? Well that’s a good thing and if you stick with me on this page for the next 5 minutes or so, I’ll give you a specific application of the tritone in worship songs.

Alright, let’s start with a quick review on the tritone.

A Short Note On The Tritone

The octave has twelve half-steps.

For example, the C octave (C to C):

…has twelve half-steps:

…and if you divide the octave into two equal parts, you’re going to have one part encompassing six half-steps each and that’s C to F#:

…and the F# to C:

…and each of these parts are a tritone.

But, even if you don’t remember how many half-steps there are in one octave (which I seriously thing you should be able to recall), and you don’t know how we divided an octave into two equal parts, I want you to always remember that the tritone has 6 half-steps.

If we go ahead and change these half-steps into whole-steps, we have:

6 half-steps = 3 whole-steps

…and this is because 2 half-steps make one whole-step.

So, go up three whole-steps from any note you’re on and you’ll have a tritone.

From C:

C to D:

…is the first whole-step.

D to E:

…is the second whole-step

E to F#:

…is the third whole-step.

…and now we have three whole-steps up from C taking us to F# and that means that C-F# is a tritone:

“Here Are All The Tritones On The Keyboard…”

C tritone:

Db tritone:

D tritone:

Eb tritone:

E tritone:

F tritone:

F# tritone:

G tritone:

Ab tritone:

A tritone:

Bb tritone:

B tritone:

How To Apply The Tritone In Worship Songs

A lot of church musicians are fascinated with the tritone and are really interested in learning how it is applied in worship songs and here in this segment, I’ll be showing you how this works over the 2-5-1 chord progressions.

The 2-5-1 Chord Progression Using Tritones

In the key of C major:

…a 2-5-1 chord progression progresses as follows:

From D (the second tone of the scale):

…to G (the fifth tone of the scale):

…to C: (the first tone of the scale):

..and there are so many things you may want to do over the 2-5-1 chord progression but because our focus is the tritone, here’s what you might have to play:

F# tritone over D on the bass:

…and that’s the D dominant seventh chord.

F tritone over G on the bass:

…and that’s the G dominant seventh chord.

C major add9 chord:

“Let’s Apply This 2-5-1 Chord Progression Using Tritones…”

The worship song As The Deer ends with the line that goes:

Desire and I…

Long to (2-chord):

…worship (5-chord):

…you (1-chord):

…and I’m sure you love how that sounds.

Final Words

In this lesson, I’ve been able to show you how the tritone works especially when it comes to playing worship songs and I’m sure that with what you’ve learned you can apply the tritone in other songs with similar chord progressions.

So, don’t limit what you’ve learned to a particular key or song example. Go ahead and practice this in other keys and using other songs as well.

I want to end by appreciating my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity to share this with you and if you have any question or suggestion, kindly share them with me in the comment section and I’ll see you in another lesson.

All the best!

The post Intermediate Players: Here’s How To Apply The Tritone In Worship Songs appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

If you’re finding it difficult to learn major chords, I have a concept that can simplify it for you and I want to share it with you.

Major chords are very important in music and although there are other chord types, most of the songs you know can be played with major chords.

Truth be told, most anthems, folk songs, hymns, etc., start and end on a major chord and that’s why major chords are important and cannot be ignored in music.

So in this lesson, what I want to show you is simply how you can apply the knowledge of the major scale in the formation of the major chord.

Now, if you’re saying, “Dr. Pokey, I don’t know major scales!” then you really don’t have a business learning major chords. In the process of learning music, scales should come first before chords.

So, if you’re on this page, make sure you’re familiar with all the major scales on the keyboard and if you’re yet to know and master all the major scales, kindly suspend this lesson temporarily and check out this lesson on the major scales.

A Short Note On Major Chords

A chord is a collection of three or more related notes which may be played or heard together.

From the definition, a chord can have more than three notes. However, for the purposes of this study, we’ll be limiting the number of the notes in a chord to three and that is called the triad:

Three-toned chords = Triads = Chords

So, the major chord is a three-tone chord and is also known as a triad because it consists of three notes.

“So, What Is It About This Three-Tone Chord Called The Major Triad?”

The major chord (aka – “major triad”) is the 1-chord in the major key.

Attention: This is one classic way to describe the major chord in a music theory test if you really want to score high.

From the of the major chord, we can see that it is formed off the first tone of the major scale in any key you’re in. Now, in the key of C major:

…the major scale can be formed off the first tone of the scale (which is C):

…and that’s the C major chord:

Submission: Don’t worry about how we got the C, E, and G. I’ll explain that in the next segment.

The 1-chord:

…is the most stable chord in the major key:

…and that’s why a lot of songs start and end on the 1-chord; especially hymns, anthems, folk songs, nursery rhymes, etc.

Beyond the stability of the 1-chord, every other major chord in the major key is important and that’s why major chords are considered as primary chords in the major key.

The key of C major:

…has the following major chords:

C major chord:

F major chord:

G major chord:

…and they are all classified as primary chords in the key and that’s what makes major chords important and unique.

Now, we’re done with an overview of the major chord, the next thing to do is to learn how it can be formed the simplest way possible.

How To Form The Major Chord Using The Major Scale

Although there are so many ways to approach the formation of the major chord and they vary from the most complex to the easiest, I’ll be showing you one of the easy ways you can form any major scale — just by knowing the tones of the major scale.

Now, if you look at the C major chord and the C major scale:

C major chord:

C major scale:

…you’ll observe that the tones of the C major chord are the first, third, and fifth tones of the C major scale.

“What Does That Teach Us?”

It teaches us that the tones of the major chord are taken from the major scale and they are specifically the first, third, and fifth tones of the major scale.

Now, let’s check that out using the D major scale:

…if we can form the D major chord just by using the first, third, and fifth tones of the D major scale.

So, here are the tones:

D:

…is the first tone.

F#:

…is the third tone.

A:

…is the fifth tone.

…and altogether, that’s the D major chord:

So, we can actually form the D major scale and any other major scale just by isolating the first, third, and fifth tones? Yes!

Now, using all the major scales that you are familiar with, you can form the major chord and it’s as easy as ABC and even your 9 year old can do it — pick out the first, third, and fifth tones of the scale.

If I give anyone the Eb major scale:

…and ask them to pick out and isolate the first, third, and fifth tones, I bet you know they’ll easily pick out the following notes:

Eb:

G:

Bb:

…and those are the notes of the Eb major chord. It’s that easy!

Final Words

The formation of major chords doesn’t get any simpler than this!

A lot of people limit their use the major scale as a warm up mechanism during their practice routine but here’s one of the numerous applications of the major scale that is even more beneficial in the learning and mastery of chords.

I want to thank my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity given to me to share this with you and I do hope that the concepts shared would help you a great deal.

See you in another lesson!

The post Are You Finding It Difficult To Learn Major Chords? Now Here’s What To Do! appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

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I’m going to show you in this lesson how you can imply a seventh chord harmony using only two notes.

A lot of people reading this who are familiar with seventh chords know that a seventh chord has four notes. For example, the C major chord:

…has four notes: C, E, G, and B.

Now, instead of playing four notes, what if I told you that you can just play two notes — only two notes that your 3 year old can play — and still have a seventh chord harmony?

Well, that’s what we’ll be covering in this lesson. But before we go any further, let’s learn about fourth intervals because they are important to this study.

A Quick Review On Fourth Intervals

A fourth interval is not anything difficult or hard that you can’t be able to learn and apply. In fact, if you can play the first and fourth tones of the major scale, that’s a fourth interval.

For example, in the key of C major:

…if you can play the first and fourth tones:

First tone:

Fourth tone:

…together, and that’s C and F:

…that is a fourth interval.

Perfect fourth vs Augmented Fourth Intervals

Before we go any further, it i s important to know that all fourth intervals are not equal.

The fourth interval formed by the first and fourth tones of the major scale are known as perfect fourth intervals and that’s where intervals like C-F:

…belong to.

There are also fourth intervals that are larger than the first and fourth tones of the scale and they are called augmented fourth intervals.

For example, if C and F# are played together:

…that is an augmented fourth interval and this is because it is larger than a perfect fourth interval (C-F):

…by a half-step.

so, while C-F and C-F# are all fourth intervals, the former is said to be perfect while the latter is augmented.

Attention: The augmented fourth interval is also known as the tritone and I’m sure you must have come across the term but if you haven’t, kindly check this lesson out.

Examples of perfect fourths include:

D-G:

E-A:

G-C:

A-D:

B-E:

…while augmented fourth intervals include:

D-G#:

E-A#:

G-C#:

A-D#:

…and using these notes (fourth intervals if you would), you can imply a seventh chord harmony and I’ll be showing you how this works in the next segment.

How To Imply A Seventh Chord Harmony Using Fourth Intervals

Playing a fourth interval on the keyboard can imply a seventh chord harmony and although there are more harmonies that can be implied, we’ll be looking at these:

• Implied major seventh chord
• Implied minor seventh chord
• Implied dominant seventh chord

Please check them out.

Implied Major Seventh Harmony

Going down a half-step below the root of any note on the keyboard to play a perfect fourth interval produces an implied major seventh harmony.

For example, to imply a D major seventh chord:

…we can go down a half-step from D:

…to C#:

…and play the C# perfect fourth interval.

Now, the perfect fourth interval from C# consists of the first and fourth tones of the C# major scale:

…and that’s C# and F#:

…and when played over D on the bass:

…that produces an implied D major seventh chord:

“Let’s Take Another Example…”

If the root of the major seventh harmony we want to play is C:

…we can go down by a half-step to B:

…and then play the B perfect fourth interval (B-E):

…over C on the bass:

…and that’s the implied C major seventh harmony:

Following the same procedures, you can form any implied major seventh harmony you want.

Implied Minor Seventh Harmony

The process of playing an implied minor seventh chord is very simple and not very different from what we did for the major seventh chord.

What we’re doing differently is that we’re playing the perfect fourth interval a whole-step below the root of the note we want to form the minor seventh chord on.

For example, to imply the D minor seventh chord harmony:

…we can go a whole-step below D:

…which is C:

…and play a perfect fourth interval (C-F):

…over D on the bass:

…to form an implied D minor seventh harmony:

“Here’s One More Example…”

To imply the F# minor seventh chord:

…all we need to do is to go down a whole-step below F#:

…and that’s to E:

…and then we play the E perfect fourth interval (E-A):

…and that produces the implied F# minor seventh harmony:

Following the same procedure, you can imply any other minor seventh chord on the keyboard.

Final Words

Using just two notes, you can imply a seventh chord harmony and this makes it easier to play seventh chords and it doesn’t even get any easier than this.

All you just have to do is to plunk down two notes that even a three year old can play and you have your seventh chord played; which is even less than the number of notes in a triad.

Special appreciation to my mentor and role-model, Jermaine A. Griggs, for the opportunity to share this concept with you and I do hope that you’ve learned something.

See you in the next lesson.

The post How To Imply A Seventh Chord Harmony Using Only Two Notes Your 3 Year Old Can Play appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

You can stop playing the regular turnaround progressions and start playing an interesting turnaround progression.

Everybody is already familiar with the turnaround progression and somehow, a lot of listeners expect it to come at the end of a song or between two sections of a song.

Before we go any further, let’s refresh our minds on the turnaround progression

A Short Note On The Turnaround Progression

A classic example of a turnaround progression is the harmonic movement from the 1-chord to the 6-chord, to the 2-chord, then to the 5-chord.

The turnaround progression ends on the 1-chord because that is where a lot of songs start from. A lot of folk songs, nursery rhymes,  hymns, anthems, congregational songs, etc., all start from the 1-chord.

So, at the end of a song, the turnaround progression takes us back to the very beginning of the song or help us connect two sections of a song.

In the key of C major:

…a song is most likely to start and end on the one chord and I want you to take a moment to think about songs you know and I bet you that the first three songs you’ll come up with (at least) will start and end on the 1-chord.

The 1-chord in the key of C major:

…is the C major chord:

Now,  the 1-chord that ends a song is the beginning of the turnaround progression that literally turn us around from the ending to the beginning.

“Here Are The Chords…”

The 1-chord:

The 6-chord:

The 2-chord:

The 5-chord:

That is the turnaround progression.

 The 4-3-2-5-1 Turnaround Progression

Instead of playing the 6-2-5-1 chord progression, you can spice up your arrangements with a 4-3-2-5-1 chord progression.

Here are the chords:

4-chord:

3-chord:

2-chord:

5-chord:

It’s simple and it sounds very interesting as well because instead of commencing on the 1-chord and progressing to the 6-chord, we are ending the song on the 4-chord and then heading back to the 1-chord through the 3-chord, 2-chord, and 5-chord.

Let me show you how this works.

In the gospel song As The Deer the section of the song that says “Thee” usually takes us back to the part that says “As the Deer”.

So it goes:

Thee (1-chord):

6-chord:

…-ee (2-chord):

5-chord:

…and then it goes to another section of the song or back to the beginning of the song.

But instead of the regular 6-2-5-1 chord progression, we can play the 4-3-2-5-1 chord progression, which replaces the 4-chord with the 1-chord.

Instead of playing the 1-chord on “Thee” we play the 4-chord and here’s how it works:

Thee (4-chord):

3-chord:

…-ee (2-chord):

5-chord:

…and I’m sure you can see how exotic that sounds, especially the substitution of the 1-chord with the 4-chord.

Final Words

This variant of the turnaround progression sounds like the Amen cadence in classical music where the 4-chord progresses to the 1-chord.

The only thing is that in between the 4-chord and the 1-chord, we are playing the 3-chord, the 2-chord, and the 5-chord.

So, you can also think of it as a combination of the Amen cadence and the turnaround progression and in a subsequent lesson, we’ll analyze the relationship between the two concepts as it relates to the 4-3-2-5-1 chord progression.

Special appreciation to my mentor and role-model, Jermaine A. Griggs, for the opportunity to share this concept with you and I do hope that you’ve learned something.

See you in the next lesson.

The post Who Else Wants To Stop Playing Regular Turnaround Progressions? appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

At Hear and Play, we’ve always approached music as a language – the only universal language capable of bringing people from all over the world together.

“Notes are like alphabet letters, chords are like words, progressions are sentences, verses are paragraphs, and songs are stories,” we often say. “It is the lingua franca of the human soul because it can be spoken, read, written, heard, and understood by anyone.”

Regardless of what was ever going on in the world, music has had the ability to transcend both positive and horrid realities of society.

Although Jim Crow laws of the South separated people and upheld inequality, injustice, and hatred, towns of all of ethnicities filled auditoriums, anxiously awaiting to hear their favorite black singers.

That’s because music somehow spoke a different language that bypassed co-existing beliefs of racism, prejudice, and hatred. Music, like water, has always sought to flow where it can, creating unity and bliss, even if for just a concert’s night.

How ironic a time when, absent their music, black singers would not be welcomed to dine and lodge in many of the towns they performed in. But it was entertainers like Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr, Lena Horne, and eventually Nat King Cole, and others, who risked it all by refusing to perform for segregated audiences any longer.

Songs like “People Get Ready,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “What’s Going On,” and even songs without lyrics like John Coltrane’s “Alabama” mobilized and inspired listeners to continue to fight for change.

Music wasn’t silent then, and music isn’t silent now.

As musicians, we know the timeless power of music. But separation, politics, geography, hatred, and poisonous ideologies have overpowered it at times.

We will continue to loudly sing the melodies and harmonies of freedom, equality, and justice for all and will never be silent.

Founded by a black teenager in August 2000 with a dream to share the gift of music with the world, Hear & Play is a product of what happens when all members of society are given opportunities to contribute.

With your support, we’ve gone on to help hundreds of thousands of musicians from over 107 countries, learn the only language the entire world understands. Without you, this vision wouldn’t be possible.

Today, we remember George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many before them whose lives were cut short due to police violence.

Today, we stand with the rest of the country and world committed to the fight for equality and justice for all.
Music isn’t silent and neither are we.

Jermaine Griggs (Founder) & The Hear and Play Team

The post Justice For All: Music Isn’t Silent appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

There are chords you can apply in CCM songs and they’ll make you sound like your favorite artiste.

These chords sound really simple unlike some of the chords we’ve come across while learning gospel music. But you really need to learn how to play them if you want your playing to have the CCM sound.

Attention: CCM is an abbreviation of Contemporary Christian Music.

Let’s get the part started!

“Here Are Some Of The Chords You Can Apply In CCM Songs…”

There are so many ways to approach harmony in Contemporary Christian Music and just this blog cannot do justice to all of it. So, we’ll get started with the use of suspended chords and we’ll continue in another lesson in the not-too-distant future.

The 1-chord

On the right hand, we’ll be playing the C su2 chord:

…over the following notes on the left hand:

C-G:

E-C:

G-E:

It doesn’t matter what you’re playing on the left hand (whether it’s C-G, E-C, or G-E), the overall harmony would be the 1-chord.

So, the three harmonies you can play as the 1-chord would be:

Harmony #1:

Harmony #2:

Harmony #3:

..and depending on the song and situation,m you can use any of them.

The 2-chord

The 2-chord is played as D-A (on the left hand):

…and on the right hand, you can play any of the following:

C sus2 chord:

C sus4 chord:

…and altogether we have two harmonies for the 2-chord:

Harmony #1:

Harmony #2:

…and it’s up for you to decided the particular 2-chord to play per time.

The 3-chord

For the 3-chord, we’re playing E-B (on the left hand):

…and we are playing the A7sus4 chord on the right hand:

…and altogether, that’s the 3-chord:

Some people prefer to play the Csus2 chord:

…over E on the bass:

But playing the Csus2 chord over E on the bass:

…produces something similar to one of the 1-chord harmony we covered earlier:

The 4-chord

There are two right hand chords to play as the harmony of the 4-chord and they are:

C sus2 chord:

C sus4 chord:

…and this is similar to what we played on the 2-chord. But on the left hand, we’re either playing F-C:

…or we’re playing A-F:

Altogether, mixing and matching those chords would give us the following harmonies:

Harmony #1:

Harmony #2:

Harmony #3:

Harmony #4:

…and depending on your taste and what the music requires, you’ll find these chords useful.

The 5-chord

The 5-chord puts G-D on the left hand:

…and then the following chords on the right hand:

The Csus2 chord:

The Csus4 chord:

…and altogether, we have the following harmonies:

Harmony #1:

Harmony #2:

But both chords sound suspended.

Now, when you don’t need the suspended sound, you have to play B on the bass with the A7sus4 chord on the right hand:

…and that’s the harmony #3 for the 5-chord.

The 6-chord

The 6-chord is very simple to approach.

All you have to do is to plunk down A-E on the left hand:

…and play the regular Csus2 chord on the right hand:

…and you’ll have the 6-chord harmony:

If you go ahead and play the Csus4 chord:

…over A on the bass:

…you’ll have a nice-sounding harmony of the 4-chord — not the 6-chord!

Final Words

Using the chords we’ve covered in this lesson, I’m pretty sure that you can have the CCM sound and I want to encourage you to practice these chords in every single key on the keyboard.

Thank you for your time and see you in the next lesson!

The post Here Are Some Of The Chords You Can Apply In CCM Songs appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

The title of this lesson is intriguing and I know you’re interested in knowing what it’s all about and in the next five to seven minutes you’ll find out why you need to forget where you are.

A Short Note On The Concept Of Chord Progression

The movement from one chord to another is called a chord progression and this is because the chord is literally progressing from one chord to another.

For example, in the key of C major:

…we can progress from the G major chord:

…to the C major chord:

…and that would be a 5-1 chord progression.

“Now, Why Is It Called The 5-1 Chord Progression?”

Well, that’s because we’re progressing from the 5-chord in the key (which is the G major chord) to the 1-chord in the key. So, based on the numbers associated with the chords, the chord progression is described as the 5-1 chord progression.

Now that we’ve refreshed our minds on chord progressions, let’s discuss briefly on something about chord progressions that people rarely talk about.

Chord Progressions Are NOT Random

Although the progression from one chord to another creates a chord progression, one thing you must also realize is that chord progressions are NOT random.

You can’t just take two or three chords that are not related or play them in such a way that it doesn’t sound meaningful. Every chord progression must have a goal and must be meaningful; even if the chords are gotten from outside the key.

If you take these three chords:

A augmented chord:

F# diminished chord:

C minor seventh:

…and play them one after the other, although you are progressing from one chord to another, that would be a chord succession (a succession of chords) and not a chord progression.

Attention: We’ll talk about chord successions in a subsequent lesson.

Submission: I know the chord succession I played can be used to reharmonize a melody. However, that’s going to be in the hands of an advanced player; who is able to play them meaningfully and not in the hands of a beginner who is playing them randomly.

So, every chord progression must be a meaningful movement of chords and must have a goal and that’s why any two or three random chords cannot make a chord progression.

These Two Things Matter The Most To Your Chord Progression

In a chord progression, let’s say the 6-2-5-1 chord progression in the key of C major:

…you have the 6-chord:

…going to the 2-chord:

…going to the 5-chord:

…going to the 1-chord:

While going through these chords in a progression, there are two things that you should be concerned with and they are:

1. What should I play before the chord I’m on?
2.  What should follow the chord I’m on?

…and these things matter a lot to the chord progression you’re playing.

I need to tell you at this point that most of the top players you admire in the industry put these two things into consideration.

They don’t just play chords — they think about the chords they’re playing and try to determine what should be played before any given chord and what should come afterwards.

Let’s talk about these two things and their impact in our chord progression.

What Precedes The Chord You’re Playing

In a chord progression progressing from the 6-chord to a 2 chord:

6-chord:

2-chord:

…which consists of the first two chords in the 6-2-5-1 chord progression, we have the 6-chord as the first chord in the progression and that’s where a lot of people are most likely to start the chord progression from.

But for those who know better and I’m talking about those who are thinking, “what should precede (or come before) the chord I’m playing?”, they are already wondering what they should play before the 6-chord:

Now, instead of starting from the 6-chord and going to the 2-chord, we can play a chord that can lead us to the 6-chord and although there are a variety of options, you can use these:

E altered chord:

E maj/G#:

Bb dom13add9 chord:

…or any other passing chord you know and it would take you to the 6-chord:

So you have:

E altered chord:

A minor seventh chord:

…and with that, you can energize the flow from a boring 6-2 chord progression:

6-chord:

2-chord:

…to a spicier 6-2 chord progression with a passing chord from the 3:

3-chord:

6-chord:

2-chord:

…and that’s a 3-6-2 chord progression.

So, the moment I’m thinking about what precedes the chord I’m playing or about to play, I’ll be able to play a chord (passing chord) to get there.

Heck, I can even back up twice by asking myself what takes me to the 3-chord and that’s the 7-chord:

B half-diminished seventh chord:

…and I can play it before the 3-chord to produce a 7-3-6-2 chord progression:

7-chord:

3-chord:

6-chord:

2-chord:

…and while others are starting from the 6-chord, you’ll have to other options to precede the 6-chord.

Final Words

So, forget about where you are in a particular chord progression and start thinking about what comes before the chord you’re paying and what comes after the chord you’re playing.

Those are the two things that matter.

I want to sign off today by appreciating my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for the opportunity to share this with you and if you have any question or suggestion, please free free to post them in the comment section.

All the best and see you in the next lesson.

The post Forget Where You Are! Focus On What Precedes And What Succeeds! appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.

Our focus in this lesson is on the cadential 6-4 chord.

At the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to define the cadential 6-4 chord, recognize it in chord progressions, and also be able to apply it in songs.

But before we talk about the cadential 6-4 chord, let’s refresh our mind on the strongest chord progression in music: the chord progression from the 5-chord to the 1-chord.

A Quick Review Of The “5-1” Chord Progression

The strongest chord progressions in music move in fifths and the most notable example of such a chord progression and perhaps the strongest in music is the movement from the 5-chord to the 1-chord.

In the key of  C major:

…the 5-chord is G major chord:

…while the 1-chord is the C major chord:

So, if you progress from the G major chord to the C major chord:

G major chord:

C major chord:

…you’ve just played the 5-1 chord progression.

The 5-1 chord progression even sounds a lot better if the 5-chord is played as a dominant seventh chord. So, we progress from the G dominant seventh chord:

…to the C major chord:

The 5-1 Chord Progressions And The Ending Of Most Songs

Now, this chord progression is found at the end of songs; especially hymns, anthems, worship songs, praise songs, and other songs because it creates a sense of finality.

Remember the end of the Happy Birthday Song, right?

If you want to give it a strong sense of finality, you’ll have to play the 5-1 chord progression at the end of the song:

To (the 5-chord):

You (the 1-chord):

I’m very certain that after progressing from the 5-chord to 1-chord, you’ll have this finality that shows that the song has come to an end and might even get the audience to clap.

The Perfect Cadence In Music

In music theory, the movement of the 5-chord to the 1-chord is called the perfect cadence and it actually is a perfect way to end songs and if you listen to classical and jazz songs, you’ll hear the perfect cadences.

I don’t know the country you’re reading this blog from. But I can assure you that the last two chords of your national anthem would be the 5-chord and the 1-chord and that’s a perfect cadence.

So, most songs end with a perfect cadence and the next time you hear a song end with a movement of the 5-chord to the 1-chord, that’s a perfect cadence.

Introduction To The Cadential 6-4 Chord

The cadential 6-4 chord is a chord that is played before the 5-1 chord progression. So, it is its position, by the virtue of being right before the perfect cadence that gave it its name: the cadential 6-4 chord.

Here’s how the cadential 6-4 chord is formed:

Step 1: Go to the fifth tone of the major scale

Step 2: Add a tone that is a sixth above the note in step 1.

Step 2: Add another tone that is a third above the note in step 1.

So, in the key of C major:

..the fifth tone of the scale is G:

Now, to this G:

…you can add the first note that is a sixth above G and that’s E (that’s step 2):

…and altogether, you have G-E:

…then you go to step 3 by adding another note that is a fourth above G (and that’s C):

Altogether, we have “G-C-E”:

…and that’s the cadential 6-4 chord.

“Here’s The Cadential 6-4 Chord…”

Playing the 1-chord in the major key with the fifth tone on the bass produces the cadential 6-4 chord.

For example, in the key of C major:

…where the 1-chord is the C major chord:

Playing the C major chord with G on the bass:

…produces the cadential 6-4 chord and it doesn’t matter the key you’re in, you’ll still derive the cadential 6-4 chord if you follow the same procedures.

So, the 1-chord with the fifth tone of the scale on the bass is the cadential 6-4 and that’s as long as it precedes the 5-1 chord progression.

Application Of The Cadential 6-4 Chord

Now, if we play the cadential 6-4 chord right before the 5-1 chord progression, here’s what we’ll get:

Cadential 6-4 chord:

5-chord:

1-chord:

…and this happens a lot in songs.

For example in the Hymn Oh How I Love Jesus we have the ending as:

Loved:

…me:

…but if we add the cadential 6-4 chord, we’ll have this:

First:

…loved:

…me:

…and if you play the chord progression with the cadential 6-4 chord, you can hear how the cadential 6-4 chord creates a kind of a preparation for the 5-1 chord progression to bring the song to an end.

Final Words

I’m sure you’ve learned what the cadential 6-4 chord is and can also identify it.

I encourage you to take a few hymns and anthems and try to spot the last two chords (which are most likely going to be the 5-1 chord progression), then you try to precede the 5-1 chord progression with the cadential 6-4 chord.

At the end of the Hymn All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name we have the ending as:

Pos (cadential 6-4 chord):

…trate (5-chord):

…fall (1-chord):

Special appreciation goes to my mentor and role-model, Jermaine Griggs, for this rare opportunity of sharing this concept with you and for all that Ive been privileged to learn from him as well.

Attention: If you have questions, kindly post them in the comment section.

See you in the next lesson.

The post Ask Dr. Pokey: “What Is A Cadential 6-4 Chord?” appeared first on Hear and Play Music Learning Center.