Playing Popular Piano & Keyboards

Overview

This book is for all those who just want to play, who find staves incomprehensible and scales depressing. It provides a simple but effective method that will enable users to play whatever they want – pop, classical, rag or jazz – now!

Set out in straightforward lesson form, the book provides an easy-to-follow method of understanding chords and using them to play from sheet music, by ear and improvisation. It can also be used as a teaching aid.

Content

Preface

How to use this book

Introduction

Chords and what they can do

1. The Basis of music
2. Taking a song apart
3. Familiarity with certain fundamental chords and playing by ear
4. Personal experience
5. Summary

Lesson 1
Basic chords
1. Major chords
2. Minor chords
3. Diminished chords
4. Augmented chords
Summary
Exercises

Lesson 2
The remaining chords
1. The Sixth chord
2. The major seventh chord
3. The seventh chord
4. The ninth chord
5. Remaining chords
6. Summary

Lesson 3
Inversions; the three chord tricks; transposing
1. Inversions
2. The three chord trick
3. Transposing
4. Summary

Lesson 4
12 bar blues
1. Introduction
2. What is 12 bar blues?
3. Exercises
4. Summary

Lesson 5
Playing by chords; from music
1. Introduction
2. The method
3. Practical illustrations
4. Summary

Lesson 6
Playing chords; by ear; jazz
1. Introduction
2. A review of common chords
3. Chord progressions
4. Playing by ear
5. Jazz or improvising
6. Summary

Appendices
1. Basic revision course
2. Chord symbol chart
3. Transposing chart
4. Chord examples

Index