Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before
Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning some basic music theory and chord formations, you can have the time of your life playing music like you've always wanted to.
Every musician has a different method of arranging. Some start with the bass, some start with the melody, some just arrange everything all at once. You'll eventually discover the process that works best for you, but here's a basic guideline list to get you started.
- Play the song as written. Pay careful attention to the melody and harmonies so you understand how the song is supposed to sound before altering it. Make sure you can play the song very well before moving on to an arrangement.
- Analyze the song's chord structure and form. Know all the chord changes and any key changes. Separate the piece into parts using the letter system discussed in this course; often, you'll be able to add some spice to an arrangement by simply knowing where a verse switches into a chorus.
- Look at the song's context to determine the appropriate sort of arrangement. For instance, if you're working on a classical lullaby or wedding song, you probably won't want to add western bass or a march beat. Of course, there's no rule saying you can't do that if you're going for a comical effect. Just be aware of the effect every sort of arrangement technique will have on a song.
- Change the bass chording pattern based on the just-analyzed song's context. Working with "Git Alone Little Dogies"? Try a western bass. A classical romantic song? Give upward inversions or arpeggios a go. Just keep switching the bass pattern until you find something you like. After awhile, you'll acquire the ability to naturally know what to do. Until then, try it all.
- Add fillers to the melody. Again, be aware of what's appropriate. If you're playing a western bass, try grace notes and twangs. If the song is in Alberti bass, add some glissandos or delicate octave harmonies. Remember that certain fillers, like runs or straddle-downs, work best when you're holding a half note or higher in the melody.
- Add dynamic variation. This is where the form analysis comes in handy. If you know a key or part change is coming up, consider the ways in which you can take the dynamic up or down to create a textured, interesting effect. Try not to make the whole song extremely loud or extremely soft. Remember, variety is the spice of life!
The piano arrangement you create is bound only by the limits of your imagination. Try everything and don't get discouraged -- you'll get the hang of it eventually. Now pick a song and get to it!
Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at http://www.chordpiano.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Piano Chord Progressions" with over 56,650 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com.
 Google News Updated : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:06:59 GMT Ready, set, go! Real race gets underway - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Minneapolis Star Tribune - By NEWS SERVICES, Washington Post McCain has turned this election into a soap opera about Sarah Palin and her family. Is this what we need to be talking about during these … read more critical times when people are losing their jobs, their homes, ... Palin intrigues Chinese public Annette John-Hall: Pit bull of a hockey mom leading war on diversity Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:17:06 GMT Machinists Go on Strike Against Boeing - New York Times
New York Times - By MICHELINE MAYNARD The union that represents machinists struck the Boeing Company early Saturday, crippling its aircraft production in the United States and potentially delaying the development of an important new plane, the Dreamliner. Contract talks fail; machinists strike Boeing Co. Boeing machinists walk off the job as talks fail Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:28:42 GMT Electronic Arts spawns Spore -- which may be a benevolent god - Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times - Spore is one of the most-talked-about video games in years, and it was masterminded by Will Wright, the same game developer who was behind the blockbuster Sims franchise. Spore reviewed EA's 'Spore' Set For Earthwide Launch Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:01:47 GMT SanDisk Shares Soar on Samsung Interest - BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek - by Arik Hesseldahl Battered by a year of flagging prices for flash-memory chips and by an inability to get traction in sales of digital media devices, SanDisk (SNDK) may soon get scooped up by South Korean electronics giant Samsung Group. Samsung Weighs Buying SanDisk SanDisk Shares Surge as Samsung Considers Acquisition (Update3) Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:28:25 GMT Seinfeld ads only part of Microsoft push - United Press International
United Press International - REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) says it's banking on a new US marketing campaign to fix the image problems of its Vista Windows operating system and connect with customers. Windows Vista: The OS About Nothing Microsoft Works to Perfect Windows Vista Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:01:13 GMT Federal Highway Fund About to Run Out of Money - New York Times
New York Times - By DAVID STOUT WASHINGTON - An important account in the federal Highway Trust Fund will run out of money this month, which could hamper completion of road and bridge construction projects across the country, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said ... Highway Trust Fund Is Nearly Out of Gas Bush reverses course, backs road fund bailout Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:04:00 GMT 'True Blood': Undead On Arrival - Washington Post
Washington Post - By Tom Shales You need a very good excuse to dig up the subject of vampires yet again, and filmmaker Alan Ball seems to have one. His "True Blood" is an audacious, outrageous, playfully grisly comic drama (or dramatic comedy) in which vampirism is ... Vampire tale deserves chance to suck us in 'Blood' lacks that dramatic HBO bite Publ.Date : Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:49:55 GMT Increase Online Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be... Read More A lot of new age piano music consists of repeating... Read More All of us know what jazz is when we hear... Read More For the self-promoting independent artist, the idea of taking on... Read More One of the things that makes New Age piano so... Read More There are 88 keys on the piano keyboard. Most pianists... Read More Introduced in 1982, the compact disc was intended to provide... Read More One of the reasons I picked up the violin was... Read More Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the... Read More Music and musical instruments are an extremely important part of... Read More Everyone talks about the negative impact of the Internet on... Read More We all have so many critical voices in our heads.Telling... Read More Buying a guitar is an important decision that my students... Read More Steven: Maybe more than any other guitarist ever, you're inextricably... Read More There are a lot of factors to writing a hit... Read More Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes... Read More Remember when radio stations played great music?OK, before you accuse... Read More While Richard Nixon's diplomatic visit to China may have created... Read More Those of you who have been reading my articles for... Read More A student once asked me; "How come sometimes the music... Read More Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in... Read More I was listening to NPR the other day when they... Read More Do you remember finger-painting as a child? How fun it... Read More Frustrated in a gridlocked?Job got you stressed out?The children have... Read More Here are six very good reasons to learn how to... Read More
Adsense
websites
Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It!
How to Create Interesting Textures
Jazz: What In The Heck Is It?
College Radio: The Most Important Radio Level for Musicians
New Age Piano Tricks
How to Use the Entire Piano Keyboard
Interested in Improving the Sound of Your Stereo? Consider Records
Quick and Easy Violin Mute
Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano Students!
The History Of Drums - A Journey Of Sound
How the Internet Helps Musicians
Trusting Your Inner Voice - Key to Success at the Piano
Buying A Guitar - Do You Know What To Look For?
An Interview with Angus Young of ACDC - Why He Plays a Gibson SG
Writing Hit Songs
Make Money with Your Music ? the Top 5 Ways
Radio - What?s Happened To It?
Thomas Jefferson and the Chinese Gong
Learning How To Improvise
You Cant Force Play
They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano... but When I Started to Play...
14 Ways Musicians Can Increase Their Tips
The Joy of Spontaneous Expression
Music as Therapy?
Six Reasons to Play New Age Piano
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Improvisation and Musical Form
Do you ramble on endlessly with your improvisations? If so,... Read More
Jazzing Up Your Leadership Style
I met New York jazzman Tim Armacost in college almost... Read More
Oh My Aching Head! Can Music Really Make You Feel Better?
We all know, if only instinctively, that music has a... Read More
How to be Creative at the Piano
So you want to be more creative when playing piano.... Read More
The Music Industry and Its Lack of Talent
So it has come to this... what we see overrides... Read More
Liberate your iPod
When Akio Morita came up with the idea of the... Read More
Inspiration Wanted - Apply Within!
One of the biggest stumbling blocks for music students is... Read More
Tips for a Great Recording Session
You know your songs are great (and so does your... Read More
Dierks Bentley Brings The Heat From Nashville To The North!
Dierks Bentley is more than meets the eye, but what... Read More
Paint Your Own Musical Landscapes!
I don't know why, but I find the idea of... Read More
Breathing Space in Music
While most students want to know when to play certain... Read More
To Record or Not To Record - At Home, That Is
I will be honest. I am addicted to music recording.... Read More
Shopping For Your First Drum Set
Your first drum set purchase is very exciting! You have... Read More
What Works Best in New Age Piano Improvisation
Many students want to know how to improvise. What they... Read More
Micing a Kick Drum
This months tip deals with micing kick drums.You wouldn't believe... Read More
The Record Industry Continues Battle Against Free Music Downloads
Movie and record producers alike are saying file-sharing networks that... Read More
Singing: The Tonic of Life
Most people these days would associate singing with the popular... Read More
Music Downloads: Free & Low Cost Ways For Musicians To Get Their Music Known All Over The World
Music downloads are highly compressed audio files transferred onto a... Read More
Learn to Fiddle the Orange Blossom Special, the Most Popular Fiddle Tune in the World
Learning to fiddle the Orange Blossom Special is not easy,... Read More
Bang on Your Drum All Day Long - Without Annoying Your Neighbors!
Bang! Bam! Bang! Have you always wanted to play the... Read More
Play The Piano Like A Pro
Meet the 12 Major Notes:1. C (do)2. C# - Db... Read More
Who?s Playing What? A Guide To The Guitars Of The Pros
Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with... Read More
12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano
All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why... Read More
Composing for Dummies
When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think... Read More
Legal Free Music Downloads - Songs You Want at No Cost
It's all over the news these days. Download music from... Read More
Music & MP3 |