So what is a chord? It might seem simple when you think about it but trying to put it into words can be challenging.
A chord is 3 or more notes arranged in thirds.
A scale is built upon whole-steps and half-steps (seconds) and a chord is built on the interval of a third. What is a third? It is essentially every other note of a scale. So if you were to play a C major scale (or any other major scale) and leave out every other note you would have a chord! It really is that simple; you can make a chord by simply playing every other note of a scale.
There are two types of thirds that are used in chords: major thirds with a total of four half-steps and minor thirds which contain three half-steps. Different combinations of major thirds and minor thirds are the fundamentals of Western harmony. There are expanded chords we can get into in another video but this is the basic information on what exactly a chords is.
And when it comes to chords, you don’t have to start on the first note of a scale, you can start on the second, the third and so on as long as you skip every other note of the scale.
Thanks so much for joining me here. We will be bringing you more videos on this topic very soon. If you have any questions please contact me directly Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.
If you’ve followed my videos you might be familiar with some of my more advanced videos on this subject: How to Play Chords on the Piano Part 1 and Part 2; Diminished 7th Chords Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3, and What are Parallel Chords? as well as s
This is a very interesting topic that has been talked about and debated for years. Can music lessons really improve your thinking and comprehension? Can it really make you a better student? A groundbreaking study from the University of California, Ir
Another odd thing about Asian pianos is that the benches tend to be lower than American piano benches. So, when you take into account the shorter benches and higher keyboards of Asian pianos, there is a substantial difference in your playing position compared to sitting at American pianos. Since most of my height is in my legs, I absolutely need an adjustable artist bench (or something to sit on) when playing Asian pianos. Yet, on American pianos, the height is usually just right!
I hope you found this video helpful. Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729
You would think there would be a standard height of keyboards on pianos. After all, you rarely take your piano with you when you perform, so having a normal height would seem like something you should expect. Sadly, this is not the case when it comes
An early form of jazz music, created just before the turn of the 20th century, ragtime is a popular form of music that you’ve undoubtedly heard many times. Some ragtime music is completely written out (like Classical concert music) and other times it is more of an improvised style of music. You might be familiar with the rags of Scott Joplin who is probably the most famous Ragtime pianist known for The Entertainer as well as other music.
Ragtime is typically associated with a fast and upbeat style of music. However, Scott Joplin himself was quoted as saying, “Ragtime should never be played fast”. Is there a right or wrong speed or tempo of this music? Like most things from different eras, it’s open to interpretation. Some people prefer ragtime slower, while some prefer a faster tempo. The bottom line is enjoying the music and making it your own.
Another common misconception about ragtime is that it should be played with a “swing” feel to the music in which the notes are played with a long-short emphasis on each 2 note group. This style became popular decades later. What does differentiate ragtime music from other genres is the syncopated rhythms which are played off the beat of the music. When you listen to ragtime you’ll find it almost impossible not to move because of the bouncy quality of the syncopation. It makes you want to dance!
What’s fun about ragtime is that you can take nearly any song or piece – old, contemporary, Classical, whatever you can imagine – syncopate the rhythms and play it in a ragtime style. If you have a chance to watch the video provided with this article you’ll see Jonny play some amazing examples of taking popular music from different eras and turning them into ragtime.
The alternating octaves and chords in the left hand in ragtime are one of the biggest technical challenges for most people approaching this style of music. This is a technique rarely used in Classical music with some notable exceptions, such as the end of the 6th Hungarian Rhapsodie of Franz Liszt. So, what advice did Jonny give us? Simplifying the music is a great way to get yourself acclimated to playing ragtime. Jonny recommends using shorter jumps between octaves and chords and possibly leaving out some notes until you get comfortable with the style. Jonny also recommends watching your left hand as opposed to the right hand since the left hand will be jumping from octave to chord back and forth while the right hand stays relatively in the same position.
Another thing that’s so fascinating about ragtime music is that almost every piece contains a melancholy section. No matter how happy the piece is, there always seems to be a section that changes the mood. It’s a great compositional technique that adds depth of emotion to the music.
Ragtime was developed in the late 1800s through the early 20th century and really hit it’s stride around 1898 with the release of Maple Leaf Rag. It was a very popular form of music in it’s day and contemporary composers from that time would sometimes write rags or rag-style music into their pieces – such as Debussy’s Golliwog’s Cakewalk and some music of Gershwin.
Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any topic at all please contact us directly: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729
We are very happy to welcome our guest Jonny May www.PianoWithJonny.com on this video. Jonny is an expert at Ragtime music who will share his music and knowledge with us. An early form of jazz music, created just before the turn of the 20th century,
Stretch tuning is a term you may not be familiar with, but you’ve certainly encountered it if you play piano – or almost any instrument for that matter! Today we are going to talk about what stretch tuning is and why it’s important to you.
Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729
You may have heard the term polyphony before and might have wondered what it meant. Polyphony is intrinsic to almost all the music we listen to today but it wasn’t always that way. So, what does this term mean and why is it important? There was a t
Timing is not only one of the most critical aspects in music; it’s one of the most significant aspects of life itself. Imagine you are going to a party: you know where the party is, you know what it’s celebrating, and you know everything you coul
With slow chords I emphasized the use of the arms. In order to get better clarity and tone out of your slow chords – whether loud or soft – the technique lies in the arms. This is not the case with faster chords.
The secret to playing fast chords is the wrist. There are moments when you simply can’t move your arms fast enough – this is where learning proper wrist technique can be very helpful. I actually produced an entire video called; It’s all in the Wrist which demonstrates more advanced techniques for this method.
Welcome to the second part in my two part series of How to Play Chords on the Piano. Last time we covered How to Play Slow Chords, today I will discuss how to play fast chords. With slow chords I emphasized the use of the arms. In order to get better
Believe it or not, you can get drastically different tones out of the piano simply by pressing the keys a different way. How to approach the keys is a major part of playing the piano and especially important when it comes to chords. In the video exam