SYNTH ZONE
Visit The Bar For Casual Discussion
Topic Options
#499721 - 07/04/20 07:20 PM Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano
Taike Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 03/28/02
Posts: 2814
Loc: Xingyi, Guizhou (China)
Piano accompaniment is a wide and deep subject, but I tried to cut corners and make it look like it’s doable in the following eight steps. I made a two-minute video that demonstrates these steps using the beginning of “Amazing Grace” as an example.
Starting point: you’re able to play songs so that you play basic root position chords with your left hand and single-note melody with your right hand.

Step 1: Break the chords to both hands so that with your left hand you only play the chord’s bass note and with your right hand you play the whole chord. Focus only on learning these roles for your hands for playing chords, don’t try to play the melody.

Step 2: Combine with melody! Play the melody with the rightmost two or three fingers of your right hand, and on the "one" of each bar (or if the chord changes in the middle of a bar) add two chord tones below the melody note with your thumb and index finger (or middle finger). If this is too difficult at first, even one chord tone is fine. (By stacking chord tones below the melody note, you’re in a sense playing “chord inversions”.) The left hand plays bass almost like in the previous step, but playing a new note or repeating the previous one at the beginning of every bar, creating a very basic rhythmic pulse.

Step 3: Play chords with a rhythm pattern. Leave out the melody again, and play just chords with a rhythm pattern with both hands. Your left hand is like the kick drum and the bass, playing on “one”. The right hand is like the snare drum, hi-hat or guitar back-beat.

Step 4: Combine with melody! Even one harmony note is enough for the rhythm pattern, if you can’t do more. Emphasize the beginning of each bar, and each chord change, by play the whole chord at least lightly, regardless of the chosen rhythm pattern.

Step 5: Make the chord progression more interesting by adding movement and leading tones. Make the bass walk along chord tones e.g. at bar boundaries. (Later on as you get more skilled, you can do walking bass, boogie-woogie, funk bass, many other things, but simple chord tones are easy to start with.) For example, make the plain F major an F7 before going to Bb. Focus on harmony, don’t play melody or rhythm patterns. (This is an endless journey - there’s always more harmony tricks to add, when you get too used to the ones you already know.)
Step 6: Combine with melody! Don’t play a rhythm pattern. Combining the more advanced chords with the melody should be enough.

Step 7: Make your rhythm playing more interesting. Add weaker notes to the pattern. Add swing whenever you can. (I love swing) Don’t play melody, focus on rhythmic comping. Groove!

Step 8: Add everything together! Add melody, harmony, and rhythm embellishments as you learn them. You’re the whole band now. Listen to pop records and try to identify the essential “hummable” elements in each song and arrangement. What’s happening with the rhythm pattern? How could you do it on the piano? How’s the bass walking? Are there some interesting riffs and hooks you could imitate? How to do Bossa Nova comping? Funk? Ballads?

As you learn these steps, play songs together with someone. Get accompaniment gigs. Sing and play songs with family, friends, neighbors, random people. Make your playing serve a purpose - I've noticed that that's a very important motivation booster, and it makes the world better too.

_________________________
最猖獗的人权侵犯 者讨论其他国 家的人权局势而忽略本国严重的人权 问题是何等伪善。

Top
#499749 - 07/05/20 08:18 PM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: Taike]
Bachus Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 03/02/06
Posts: 7143
Lovely video, been on this track for like 5 years now..

The biggest problem for me is still the left hand..and had independancy..

Now this mthode is very recognisable.
Its what you see in most piano arrangements for solo playing a modern song.
And it works great for me with my still underdeveloped left hand..


Thank you for the video
_________________________
Yamaha Genos, Roland Jupiter 80, Ipad pro.

http://keyszone.boards.net

Top
#499759 - 07/06/20 03:20 AM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: Taike]
Bernie9 Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 09/21/02
Posts: 5507
Loc: Port Charlotte,FL,USA
Very good, A relatively easy,stepped approach. Thanks for sharing.
Bernie
_________________________
pa4X 76 ,SX900, Audya 76,Yamaha S970 , vArranger, Hammond SK1, Ketron SD40, Centerpoint Space Station, Bose compact

Top
#499760 - 07/06/20 05:05 AM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: Taike]
Taike Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 03/28/02
Posts: 2814
Loc: Xingyi, Guizhou (China)

Lots of very cheap piano courses to be found here:

https://www.udemy.com/topic/piano/

Some are better than others so it pays to read the reviews.
_________________________
最猖獗的人权侵犯 者讨论其他国 家的人权局势而忽略本国严重的人权 问题是何等伪善。

Top
#499771 - 07/06/20 10:41 AM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: Taike]
lahawk Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 06/28/01
Posts: 2781
Loc: Lehigh Valley, Pa.
Perfect lesson for me and my lazy left hand habit.
...Gonna practice now smile
_________________________
Larry "Hawk"

Hawk Music
Sadly No More frown

♫ 🎹🎹 ♫ SX-900




Top
#499804 - 07/07/20 11:49 AM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: Taike]
Bachus Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 03/02/06
Posts: 7143
Originally Posted By Taike

Lots of very cheap piano courses to be found here:

https://www.udemy.com/topic/piano/

Some are better than others so it pays to read the reviews.


Where it comes to piano lessons..

www.pianote.com is a nice place for lesson video’s

Also https://pianomarvel.com/ Is a nice place..
Lots of technique excersises to be found..

I found these after being stuck on Alfreds level 6 for more then a year..

These both sources helped me to develop my left hand and hand independency.. and still do... they also reinstated my fun in playing piano..
_________________________
Yamaha Genos, Roland Jupiter 80, Ipad pro.

http://keyszone.boards.net

Top
#499836 - 07/08/20 10:09 PM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: Taike]
rikkisbears Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/22/02
Posts: 6020
Loc: NSW,Australia
Hi,
Might be of interest

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/F-uwG2zGvT8[/video]

3 Patterns by Lisa from Pianote
_________________________
best wishes
Rikki 🧸

Korg PA5X 88 note
SX900
Band in a Box 2022

Top
#499837 - 07/09/20 03:04 AM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: rikkisbears]
bruno123 Online   content
Senior Member

Registered: 06/04/02
Posts: 4912
Loc: West Palm Beach, FL 33417
A guitar player has to deal with chords, it is a large part of how the instrument is used. I took that knowledge to keyboard, (my left hand) – it became my guitar player. Learning a V7-I progression in all the most used keys was my first step. Songs are filled with V7-I progressions.

Key of C – E7 to A or A7, V7-I progression. C7 to F.
When I became comfortable, I added the IIm7 chord to the V7-I progression. V7 to I progression became IIm7 to V7 to I.

I played major scales with my right hand: first one octave, then two octaves.

Ask yourself questions like; Why does C7 to F sound better than C to F? And what happens when get to the F chord? And how does that change effect my right hand.

With 50’s type of music progressions are not a major issue.
Keep it simple, (KISS), John C.

Top
#499871 - 07/11/20 12:49 AM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: bruno123]
Bachus Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 03/02/06
Posts: 7143
Originally Posted By bruno123


I played major scales with my right hand: first one octave, then two octaves.

Ask yourself questions like; Why does C7 to F sound better than C to F? And what happens when get to the F chord? And how does that change effect my right hand.


Keep it simple, (KISS)


The last one also depends on your scale..
Yes C7 to F works perfectly well in the F major scale
However feels out of place in the C scale... ( thats where the G7 works well as V7 )


In general depending on the major scale i learned that playing the I, IV, V7 and VI minor go well together.. so for C major scale, C,F,G7, A minor.. and for F major scale F, B, C7, Dminor.. and then build from there..


This is where my corona time came in and finally got me back to the importance of scales.. and playing them blindly with 2 hands.. this also finally made me make a huge step in hand independency ... i allways hated ( still do) playing scales.. but realise i need to take this step to improve my piano skills... its very much needed here.. where on arranger keyboards i got a very long way witouth forcing me to do them.. and just knowing the chords and play the notes..
_________________________
Yamaha Genos, Roland Jupiter 80, Ipad pro.

http://keyszone.boards.net

Top
#499872 - 07/11/20 01:01 AM Re: Transitioning from arranger keyboard to piano [Re: rikkisbears]
Bachus Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 03/02/06
Posts: 7143
Originally Posted By rikkisbears
Hi,
Might be of interest

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/F-uwG2zGvT8[/video]

3 Patterns by Lisa from Pianote


Lisa’s video’s are fun..
I try to find a new one every day and incorporate that into my own lessons..

To prove John C’s theory...
this is the C scale, playing the G7 sounds indeed much better..

But then this is intended at starters, yet i personaly think even for starters starting out with the G7 in place works better in the long run... some courses do this while others wait till level 3 to introduce 7th chords..
_________________________
Yamaha Genos, Roland Jupiter 80, Ipad pro.

http://keyszone.boards.net

Top

Moderator:  Admin, Diki, Kerry 



Help keep Synth Zone Online