Introduction Welcome to LivingPianos.com! Today, we’re diving into a crucial subject: the importance of granular practice. This technique is an incredibly productive tool for musicians, and I’ll demonstrate its effectiveness using a simpl
Welcome to LivingPianos.com. Today we’re going to talk about how no piano is above the law. I’m going to give you the Ten Commitments of Living Pianos. This is important information for anyone thinking about getting a piano or already own
What is your opinion of sound design? Electronic music, musique concrète, film music, and the different directions they take, whether symphonic or experimental? I’d love to hear from you!
Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Store.
For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin
Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com
Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today I’m going to talk about sound design. I know many of you are pianists, but this is definitely worth your while. I’m going to show you something you’re already familiar with
Welcome to LivingPianos.com. Robert Estrin here with one of the most fundamental aspects of music and harmony: what is an inversion? In a recent video, I explained triads, the most fundamental chord. I have a future video about seventh chords and expanded chords. But first, let’s delve into inversions.
The Concept of Inversions
In 1722, John Philipp Rameau first articulated that chords can be inverted. But what does this mean? Sometimes you see chords with different intervals, but Rameau stated that all chords are built upon the interval of the third. If it’s not a third, it’s an inversion.
Let’s take a C major triad: C, E, G. What happens if you put the E on the bottom? Now you don’t have thirds. Instead, you have a third (E to G) and a fourth (G to C). This new arrangement is the first inversion.
Identifying Inversions in Music
These inversions are identified differently in harmonic analysis and sheet music. If you invert the chord again, with G on the bottom, you get a fourth (G to C) and a third (C to E), creating a second inversion of the C major triad.
In sheet music, these would be labeled simply:
C major: C
First inversion: C/E
Second inversion: C/G
In harmonic analysis, it’s more detailed:
Root position: C major
First inversion: C major 6 (or 6/3)
Second inversion: C major 6/4
Seventh Chords and Their Inversions
Seventh chords are a bit more complex due to having four notes. For example, a G7 chord (G, B, D, F) in C major:
Root position: G7 First inversion: G7/B Second inversion: G7/D Third inversion: G7/F
In harmonic analysis:
Root position: G7 (or 7) First inversion: G7 6/5 Second inversion: G7 4/3 Third inversion: G7 4/2
Remember, these notations reflect the intervals:
6/5: a sixth and a fifth above the bass note 4/3: a fourth and a third above the bass note 4/2: a fourth and a second above the bass note
Practical Application
Understanding inversions helps in harmonic analysis and playing from lead sheets. For example, a dominant seventh chord, the most popular type, is assumed when you see a notation like G7 without further specification.
Conclusion
Inversions are essential in understanding chord functions. All seventh chords can be inverted and named in the same way, whether they are major, minor, or diminished. You can identify the root of the chord by arranging notes in thirds, giving you insight into chord function and resolution.
I hope you enjoyed this music theory primer. Let us know in the comments if these videos are helpful. This is LivingPianos.com, your online piano store. Thanks for joining me!
For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin
Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you!Robert@LivingPianos.com
Welcome to LivingPianos.com. Robert Estrin here with one of the most fundamental aspects of music and harmony: what is an inversion? In a recent video, I explained triads, the most fundamental chord. I have a future video about seventh chords and exp
Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. The question today is: Is playing practicing? Many of you who have watched my videos know that I have drawn a red line that should not be crossed. You have to know whether you are playing or pract
Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today I’m going to answer a question from a viewer: What is the most common note in music? In the English language, E is the most prevalent letter. Is there a note that is the most common no
Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today I’m going to answer a really interesting question from a viewer: Does it take longer to become a concert pianist or a doctor? Both of these fields obviously require many years of study
Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today I am giving a tutorial on how to play Burgmüller’s The Limpid Stream. I have a bunch of Burgmüller tutorials for you. This is another beautiful piece. What’s great about these
Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today’s subject is: What WAS Living Piano? I recently made videos, “What IS Living Pianos?” and “What ARE Living Pianos?” But What WAS Living Piano? Well, Living Piano actually predates Living Pianos by a number of years. It was a live show that I performed throughout the state of California dozens of times at universities, colleges, art centers, conventions, and even on a cruise in which I presented a historic concert experience showing the entire lineage of the invention of the piano, starting with the harpsichord, going through to the earliest piano of Mozart, the fortepiano, to the modern piano and beyond with cutting-edge technologies including my modular piano system prototypes.
I would dress up in period costumes and play the period styles on the instruments they were actually written for!
What was remarkable about the show is that I performed it for so many different people, from senior citizens to preschoolers, and everybody was fascinated. The piano is so ubiquitous, but most people never have actually experienced the development of the piano that took thousands of people over hundreds of years to achieve. Living Piano allowed people to hear how the piano evolved and what the music written for it at different times sounded like on these instruments. Not only that, but I gave the audience a chance to come up afterwards and inspect the instruments and try them out for themselves. People loved the show!
It was an incredibly impractical show.
When you become an early instrument specialist, you not only have to learn how to play the instruments and transport them, but you also have to learn how to service them. Every time you play a harpsichord, you have to tune it! It doesn’t hold its tuning very well at all. You wouldn’t even believe the complexity of what it takes to do a show like this. But I’m glad I experienced it. It was the impetus for Living Pianos. It gave me a chance to perform in so many different places including annual conventions of the Piano Technicians Guild and the Piano Teachers Association. It was really quite a show. If you’re interested in learning more, you can watch the Short documentary about the Living Piano live show! Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin, here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Store.
For premium videos and exclusive content, you can join my Living Pianos Patreon channel! www.Patreon.com/RobertEstrin
Contact me if you are interested in private lessons. I have many resources for you! Robert@LivingPianos.com
Welcome to LivingPianos.com, I’m Robert Estrin. Today’s subject is: What WAS Living Piano? I recently made videos, “What IS Living Pianos?” and “What ARE Living Pianos?” But What WAS Living Piano? Well, Living Pian