How to Play Piano with Feeling: Part 4
As a Reminder: It Comes Down to Chords!
As you can tell from last week’s writing, any way chosen to play arpeggios, slower broken chords, or filler in-between melody notes depends on knowing the chords. I believe that’s the key to knowing how to play piano with feeling. Understanding chord construction shoots you to a higher level of piano performance and composition. It instantly improves sight-reading skills because, if you know the chord, you know what note/s will come next – because they are part of the chord.
As I said (and experienced for myself as a student), it is so enlightening and fun when you understand why and how the composer chose certain chords for a certain song! You truly can know how to play piano with feeling once you know the foundation of chords within a song because knowing the notes used from the chord frees your thinking to concentrate on how with feeling you want to play – not hung up on figuring out note-reading.
It’s Not Hard!
After quite a bit of tedious work, I recently published “Teach Yourself to Improvise with Chords” – available on Amazon. (Please don’t click the link to it yet!)
Using 2 or 3 steps, you will learn to construct the chord you want. Without memorizing chords on a complicated chart, you’ll use this short procedure to improvise playing songs. Expand your artistic ability with this exciting skill that has you playing much more than you are reading – and you’ll be freed from only playing the notes written in front of you!
Next there is the process you will learn in the book about how to use a single-note melody line and chord symbols to create your own accompaniments. But first you learn how to construct the chord you want, just using 2 or 3 steps – not by memorizing an entire chord chart!
From the book:
This is just the beginning point. Once comfortable constructing chords and using this procedure to play a song, then you can much more easily add those arpeggios, dynamics of soft and loud, and a fluid rubato in your touch because your mind is freed from concentrating on note-reading.
I invite you to give this a try! Look over some sample pages to get better acquainted. Click the link or go to the piano4me Home page, BOOKS dropdown, Chords Series. OK, it’s not a series yet, but Book 2 is in the works.
The Thinking Process
You will use a thinking process of a few steps to create a chord.
Only two steps are needed to create the most common type of chord used in music. By adding just one more step, you create various new chords.
You’ll learn 11 key signatures and the 10 types of chords that are most frequently used in songs. That’s 110 chords you create yourself using only 2 or 3 steps. In time, you won’t need the step process – you’ll just play the chord!
By learning the chord foundation for musical compositions, you will be much better equipped to play piano with feeling!
Leslie Young is the author/composer of the Revolutionary Piano Method. She co-founded a K-12th grade charter school in Texas and has been a piano teacher for about 40 years. She has had experience teaching a variety of students tackling piano for the first time or as returning student
She states: “In teaching piano to students of varying ages, what also varies is a commitment of time and the amount of dedication. Children of certain ages may do very well with a parent as teacher; others may need someone who is not family to instruct them. Some older children and adults prefer to make progress on their own, and this method is designed to act as a meticulous guide through new material. Some adults and teens insist on professional teachers, which also encourages continuity. Because these books are self-explanatory, a new or experienced professional teacher will have no trouble using the Revolutionary Piano Method with students. It is an easy way to learn piano.”
Leslie believes that “learning to play the piano is more about diligence and perseverance” – but would add that just as critical to success is the method that is used, the encouragement of critical thinking, and the instructional principles that promote immediate success.
What Would the First Lesson for a Young Student Look Like?
What Would the First Lesson for a 6 to Teen Look Like (video)?
View sample pages of all the books for students
ages 6 to teen:
View sample pages of all the books for students
4 to 5 years old:
View sample pages of all the books for older
teens and adults:
View the books on Amazon:
