I Have Moved!!!

Dear All,

I have moved out of WordPress.com effective today.

I apologize for any technical problems in the last 24 hours if you have difficulty reaching my site.

I will not be updating playpiano.wordpress.com any more.

From now onwards, please reach me at one of the following URLs (they point to the same place):

www.PianoShortcuts.com or  www.PianoCheats.com

Thank you for visiting!

Les Hmye

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Suspension (part 3)

Remember Sus4? Check out my previous posts on ‘Suspension (part 2)’ and ‘Improvising Sus4’ if necessary. Now, Sus4 is often applied to the II, III and VI major chords, particularly in the ‘Chord Association’ context. Let’s use the following notation for the Sus4 of these 3 chords:

· Let the Sus4 of the II major chord be II4

· Let the Sus4 of the III major chord be III4

· Let the Sus4 of the VI major chord be VI4

The following lists how the II, III and VI major chords associated with other chords from the previous post:

· Chord III –> Chord VIm (i.e., III major chord usually leads to VI minor chord)

· Chord VI –> Chord IIm

· Chord II –> Chord V

Often, however, Sus4 is used before each of the above pairs. For example, Chord III4 –> Chord III/M –> Chord VIm. In the key of C, that means:

· Esus4 –> E/G# –> Am

(That is because Esus4 is the III4 chord in the C key, G# is the M bass of E major chord, and A minor is the VIm chord in the C key)

Therefore you will often encounter such progressions as below in a lot of songs:

· III4 –> III/M –> VIm

· VI4 –> VI/M –> IIm

· II4 –> II/M –> V

Let’s go back to the examples in C. In the C key, the above progressions are translated as:

· Esus4 –> E/G# –> Am

· Asus4 –> A/C# –> Dm

· Dsus4 –> D/F# –> G

I will illustrate this using a song (and to include a video) on my next post. The following shows how to play E4, A4 and D4:

Figure 1: Esus4

Figure 2: Asus4

Figure 3: Dsus4

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Chord Association (part 2)

Let’s recap the chords in ‘Chord Association (part 1)’ post:

· Chord IIIm usually leads to Chord VIm

· Chord VIm usually leads to Chord IIm

· Chord IIm usually leads to Chord V

· Chord V usually leads to Chord I

· Chord I usually leads to Chord IV

The following are often associated with one another in the same way (You will see from here the reason to be familiar with II, III, and VI major chords):

· Chord III usually leads to Chord VIm

· Chord VI usually leads to Chord IIm

· Chord II usually leads to Chord V

In the key of C, that means:

· E usually leads to Am (i.e., E –> Am)

· A usually leads to Dm (i.e., A –> Dm)

· D usually leads to G (i.e., D –> G)

Before I proceed with video illustration of these associations, let’s revisit Suspension (Sus4).

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Chord Association (part 1)

Very often, a certain chord would naturally lead to another chord. You can find this in many songs. I call this ‘Chord Association’, i.e., associating one chord with another. The following are some examples:

· Chord IIIm usually leads to Chord VIm

· Chord VIm usually leads to Chord IIm

· Chord IIm usually leads to Chord V

· Chord V usually leads to Chord I

· Chord I usually leads to Chord IV

You must have noticed that the above makes use of pretty much all “the 3 basic chords” and “the 3 minor chords”. In the key of C, the above translates to:

· Em usually leads to Am

· Am usually leads to Dm

· Dm usually leads to G

· G usually leads to C

· C usually leads to F

They don’t happen all the time, of course, but they do occur often enough that I feel it a useful tip to know.

I have entitled this post as ‘part 1’. There is a ‘part 2’ to come but before that, we will have to shift to the ‘Advanced’ gear. Please buckle up. 🙂

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Chord Mixing (part 2)

If you remember “the 3 minor chords”, and how we play them by substituting them with the 3 basic chords, and simply combining each of these 3 basic chords with a different bass note, then the summary is as below:

Chord VI m = Chord I (right hand) + Bass 6 (left hand), i.e., the “la” note

Chord II m = Chord IV (right hand) + Bass 2 (left hand)

Chord III m = Chord V (right hand) + Bass 3 (left hand)

To recap the chord mixing from part 1, see the summary below:

Chord I + Chord V

Chord IV + Chord I

Chord V + Chord IV

Now, since the 3 minor chords are made up of the 3 basic chords, we can actually mix them with the same chords as above too. I.e.,

Chord VI m + Chord V

i.e., Chord VIm can be mixed with Chord V. Afterall, to start with, we actually play Chord I on the right hand with a different bass note (the 6^th note, i.e., “la”) to implement Chord VIm. In the key of C, that means the Am chord can be mixed with a G chord.

Similarly,

Chord II m + Chord I

i.e., Chord IIm can be mixed with Chord I. Afterall, to start with, we actually play Chord IV on the right hand with a different bass note (the 2^nd note, i.e., “re”) to implement Chord IIm. In the key of C, that means a Dm chord can be mixed with a C chord.

However, here is the exception. We can’t exactly mix Chord IIIm with Chord IV. You can try. I have tried it, but I don’t like the resulting sound. 🙂 That means, in the key of C, I usually do NOT mix Em with an F chord.

I will show an example of chord mixing as soon as I can with the song “How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin using a video.

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Chord Mixing (part 1)

This is about playing 2 different chords alternately while playing the same bass note(s). And the technique comes in very handy quite often.

In general, this is how I mix chords…

When the chord you are supposed to play is Chord I, you may mix Chord V to it, i.e.,

Chord I ( + Chord V )

Similarly, you may mix Chord I to Chord IV, i.e.,

Chord IV ( + Chord I )

And to Chord V, you may mix Chord IV, i.e.,

Chord V ( + Chord IV )

Let’s use the C key as an example again. It’s always easier to use the C key. 🙂

If you are supposed to play C (Chord I of C key), then try playing two chords instead, i.e., first play C (Chord I), and followed by G (Chord V), while the bass continues to stay on C. In terms of sequence, you may also do it the other way round, that is, to play G first, and followed by C. (That depends on the melody that is supposed to go with the chords. Use you own discretion.)

Similarly, if you are supposed to play F (Chord IV of C key), then try playing F (Chord IV) and C (Chord I) alternately instead.

As for G (Chord V), try playing the two chords: G (Chord V) and F (Chord IV) alternately instead.

Here is an illustration on video…

In fact, if you haven’t noticed, what we are doing to Chord I by mixing it with Chord V is essentially producing a Chord I2 (i.e., Sus2 of Chord I) sound.

That’s what we have done to Chord IV as well. That is, by mixing Chord IV with Chord I, we have produced Chord IV2.

Well, they are indeed the Sus2 chords that we have learned in my “Improvising Sus2” post. The point, however, that I would like to make here is, whenever you see a Chord I and Chord IV on your music score or chord chart, try to have it in your mind that you can always mix those chords with their corresponding “pairs” above. You will be surprised how much enhancement you can make to the music by doing so (appropriately, of course).

As for Chord V, by mixing it with Chord IV does NOT give you a Chord V2. So, this is slightly different. However, the same point needs to be made, i.e., whenever you see a Chord V on your music score or chord chart (especially if the chord following it is Chord I), do remember that you can mix that Chord V with a Chord IV. You will like the sound! 🙂

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Improvising Sus2

Sus2 are usually used only on Chord I and Chord IV, so there is no need to learn Sus2 for other chords in a scale.

So if you play in the C scale, all the sus2 chords you need to know are only C2 and F2.

And this is how you can play C2 and F2 with the 3 basic chords, without having to learn C2 and F2 from scratch.

For C2, play C as your bass note with the left hand, accompanied by a G chord with your right hand. That resulting sound is very much like C2. (This combination is also referred to as G/C, read “G on C”)

Figure 1: C2

For F2, play F as your bass note with the left hand, accompanied by a C chord with your right hand. That resulting sound is very much like F2. (This combination is also referred to as C/F, read “C on F”)

Figure 2: F2

In general, in any key, you can do the same thing. That is, to implement Chord I2 (i.e., sus2 of Chord I), simply play note 1 (the “doe” note) as your bass and accompany it with Chord V on your right hand.

And to implement Chord IV2 (i.e., sus2 of chord IV), simply play note 4 (the “fa” note) as your bass and accompany it with Chord I on your right hand.

See? Most songs can be played using the 3 basic chords!

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Improvising Sus4

Note: I have cut-and-pasted the following text from my earlier version of “Suspension (part 1)” post, so that each of my postings will not appear under more than 1 category (Now, “Suspension (part 1)” is under the “Cheat Theories” category, and “Improvising Sus4” is under the “Cheat Tricks” category). At the same time, I have added illustration photos on the “Suspension (part 1)” post (if you haven’t seen them), and do likewise on this post.

If you find learning a Sus4 chord a challenge, don’t worry. This is where another Cheat Trick comes in. 🙂

To improvise Chord I4, try this: Play the “doe” note with your left hand. And with your right hand, instead of playing Chord I, play Chord IV. That sounds pretty much like Chord I4 to me. (In the C key, that means playing the C note with your left hand, and the F chord with your right hand. The resulting sound is very much like C4)

Figure 1: C4 (by combining F chord with C bass)

As for Chord V4, try this: Play the “so” note with your left hand. And with your right hand, instead of playing Chord V, play Chord I. Again that sounds pretty close to Chord V4 to me. (In the C key, that means playing the G note with your left hand, and the C chord with your right hand. The combination sounds very close to G4).

Figure 2: G4 (by combining C chord with G bass)

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Changing The Bass Notes (part 3)

When you can see a pattern in the bass notes, you can then recognize a chord progression (or a pattern of chords) a whole lot easier.

For example, the chords on the right hand in the sample progression in my previous post (“Changing The Bass Notes (part 2)”) may seem rather random, but the bass notes reveal a pattern of walking down the scale, i.e., 1 (doe), 7 (ti), 6 (la), 5 (so), 4 (fa), 3 (me), 2 (re).

In fact, the easier way to recognize a chord pattern is by recognizing the bass note pattern.

To play freely by focussing on bass notes, however, you have to know which chords to accompany each bass note, and be familiar with their association.

Rule number 1: In general, use Chord I to accompany bass note 1 (do), Chord IV to accompany bass note 4 (fa), and Chord V to accompany bass note 5 (so). That’s easy enough. 🙂

Rule number 2: For the 2 (re), 3 (me), and 6 (la) bass notes, try accompanying them with Chord IV, V, and I respectively. That gives you the 3 minor chords.

Rule #2 applies only when the sound you are to produce is a minor chord, i.e., if you see on your music sheet that the chords are 2^nd, 3^rd or 6^th minor chords. In the key of C, that means, Dm, Em and Am chords.

Rule number 3: If Rule #2 doesn’t apply, then try Chord I for bass note 3 (me), Chord IV for bass note 6 (la), and Chord V for bass note 7 (ti),

Usually such chords are indicated on the music sheet, e.g., in the C key, they would look like C/E, F/A and G/B respectively.

Rule number 4: If applying Rule #3 still does not get you the sound you want, then you are very likely looking for the Major chords of II, III and VI. In the C key, that means D major chord, E major chord, and A major chord, for the 2 (re), 3 (me) and 6 (la) bass notes respectively. Now, that is a bit of a leap for those of us who want to learn piano the cheat way. So, I will cover that much later. Anyway, not to worry, because… (please allow me to repeat)… a lot of songs can be played with just the 3 basic chords. 🙂

As for now, there are still some tweaking we can do with the 3 basic chords that I should cover first. These include suspension and superimposition, just to sound sophisticated with the names. 🙂 Anyway, to conclude the 3-part series on “Changing The Bass Notes”, let me show you something interesting…

Let’s bring back the progression earlier… (from part 2):

I –> V/7 –> VI m –> I/5 –> IV –> I/3 –> II m –> IV/5

… and tweak it slightly to become this…

I –> V/7 –> VI m –> –I/5 –> IV –> I/3 –> II m –> IV/5

We have tweaked the 4^th chord (marked red) in the series above to become Chord –I over the 5^th bass note (so). Try playing it. How do you like the sound?

Now try the following shortened version of the above progression with the song “As The Deer”…

I –> V/7 –> VI m –> –I/5 –> IV –> IV/5 –> I

In the key of C, it would look like this:

C –> G/B –> Am –> Bb/G –> F –> F/G –> C

And not to forget the ‘Am’ may be substituted by ‘C/A’ (refer to the theory in ‘The 3 Minor Chords’ post).

Here is the video illustration…

Note: In the video, my left hand started from a C note that is very near to my right hand. This is solely for the purpose of the video shooting. If I were to play my bass notes one octave lower, then I would have to move the camera further in order to capture both of my hands on the screen. For your own practice, please do play the bass notes one octave lower.

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Changing The Bass Notes (part 2)

In fact, by combining the 3 basic chords on the right hand with different bass notes on the left hand, you can pretty much get all the chords you need for most songs (not all, of course).

Here is a very common ‘chord progression’ (or a pattern of a series of chords) used in many songs with what-is-commonly-known-as “walking bass notes”. The progression goes like this…

Chord	I	V	I	I	IV	I	IV	V
Bass	1(doe)	7 (ti)	6 (la)	5 (so)	4 (fa)	3 (me)	2 (re)	5 (so)

The “Chord” part is what you play with you right hand. And the “Bass” part is the bass note you play with your left hand to accompany the right-hand chord. The I, IV and V chords are the 3 basic chords (click on the link to go to the post about the 3 basic chords). The ‘numbers’ for the bass notes are the “doe”, “re”, “me”, etc. on the scale.

Another way to present this is:

I –> V/7 –> VI m –> I/5 –> IV –> I/3 –> II m –> V

The way to read a notation like “V/7” above is “Chord V on 7^th bass”, i.e., the 5^th chord in the key (on the right hand) accompanied by the 7^th note (the “ti” note) in the scale (on the left hand).

You would notice from the above that I/6 is in fact VI m (6^th minor) chord. Similarly, IV/2 is actually II m (2^nd minor) chord. Yes, we have covered that in “The 3 Minor Chords” post previously. You can go back there for revision if necessary.

Let’s tweak the above chord progression slightly to produce a better sound. Remember that F chord and G bass note combination on part 1? This is where it becomes useful. Let’s do that for Chord V (the last chord) in this progression, i.e., let’s substitute V/5 with IV/5. This is what the resulting progression looks like:

I –> V/7 –> VI m –> I/5 –> IV –> I/3 –> II m –> IV/5

Or

Chord	I	V	I	I	IV	I	IV	IV
Bass	1(doe)	7 (ti)	6 (la)	5 (so)	4 (fa)	3 (me)	2 (re)	5 (so)

The part marked red is the only difference (the ‘tweaking’ we are doing).

Below is my illustration on video…

You probably notice that in the video I play Chord I in its 1^st inversion, i.e., in the me-so-doe (3-5-1) position, and Chord V in its 2^nd inversion, i.e,. the so-doe-me (5-1-3) position. As I’ve talked about in the “Inversion” post, this is entirely a personal preference. My reason for using those inversions is purely to minimize my hand movement.

Here is a song in which you can make use of this progression. It is a portion of “There Is None Like You” by Don Moen:

Try that out! Have fun!

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