Learn To Play the Keyboard by Ear A “From Scratch” Guide For Beginners
A Manual for Beginners
Version 34 (Updated Thursday, 25 February 2016, 6:36 PM) Acquire the Foundational Skills Needed to become at least a novice keyboardist Get the basics so learning from the Super-professionals will become easy Start playing the keyboard even before you take advanced lessons from the super professionals Teach others To play
Written by
Kwabena Adomako Adjapong
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This Manual Is A Free Copy Not For Sale
DEDICATION This book is dedicated to the many people who have been a blessing in our lives: GOD ALMIGHTY For His unending kindness and mercy and giving us the ideas to write this book
Our Parents, Parents-In-Law, Siblings, Children and Family Members Who keep showing us love
Bishop Dag Heward-Mills - Founder and Presiding Bishop of Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI), for being a blessing unto us Lady Reverend Adelaide Heward-Mills – Wife of Founder and Presiding Bishop of LCI. Our wives are loving wives because you allowed God to use you as a role model for them.
The Bishops Council - LCI
Bishop Edwin & Lady Reverend Marian Ogoe (LCI, Bread of Life Cathedral, Adenta, Ghana)
Reverend Edward & Lady Pastor (Mrs) Nana Yaa Nyarko (LCI, La-Nkwantanang & Libya Quarters Branches, Ghana)
Shepherds & Members (LCI, La-Nkwantanang Branch, Ghana)
Our Wives, Linda and Gifty, for being blessings unto us
A Little About The Authors The authors of this book are both keyboardists (Ebow doubles as a bass guitarist) and more importantly, Church workers of Lighthouse Chapel International, La-Nkwantanang Branch, located at Madina, in Accra, Ghana.
About This Book In the year 2012, our Pastor, Reverend Edward Owusu Nyarko tasked us to start a music school so we can pass on skills to Church Members who were interested in learning to play musical instruments purposely for service to God. Today, Kobby (short for Kwabena) and Ebow have been able to put their notes and experience together to teach others, what they learnt both formally and informally about playing the keyboard. The definitions and explanations of principles are down-to-earth and described as much as possible in simple language for “musical laymen” to understand. Due to the style of teaching, readers will find this book less “academic” and more of practical. This book is therefore not an academic publication on music.
Our Recommended Pace of Studying This Book:
Spend a minimum of one (1) hour a day/session
Spend a maximum of 20 minutes for each lesson
This enables you to cover a minimum of three (3) lessons a day/session
You’ll need only eight (8) (plus or minus) sessions/hours/days to cover entire book.
Spend the rest of your life as a keyboardist practising.
We have recommended some world-class tutors who have a lot of their tutorials available on youtube, etc. We encourage you to make use of them.
A Few Words (paraphrased) From Reverend Edward Owusu Nyarko, General Overseer, Kabzeel Diocese of Lighthouse Chapel International, La-Nkwantanang, Accra, Ghana:
Every chorister or instrumentalist should have a gospel musician who he or she sees as a mentor and is following closely
You must have a device with which you are listening to songs, especially those of your mentor. A phone (this is the least you should have)
When you learn a song, listen to it a minimum of fifty (50) times so it will be “a part of you”
You must be a person of prayer, discipline and excellence if you want you to succeed in your passion for music
May God Richly Bless You As You Serve Him
Contents Lesson Lesson 1 1.1 1.2
Topic All About Notes (Not Your School Notebook) Notes: The “Building Blocks” of a Song How The Keyboard Looks Like
Page 1 1 2
Trying Our Hands on The Keyboard The “Do – Re – Mi” Song Ear Training Exercise 1: “Completing” A Song How Notes “Behave”
3 6 7 7
Lesson 2 2.1
How Does The Keyboard Look Like? Structure of The Keyboard
8 8
Lesson 3 3.1 3.2 3.3
Keys – The Different Colours of a Song The “Natural” Keys Same Song, Different Keys Spot the Differences in Key
9 10 11 12
Lesson 4 4.1 4.2
The White Keys Another Look at the Keyboard How do we Get the Names of the White Keys?
13 13 13
Lesson 5
Adjacent Keys
15
Lesson 6 6.2 Lesson 7 7.1 7.2
Tones (Full-steps) and Semitones (Half-Steps)
17
Sharps (#) and Flats (♭) Sharps and Flats: How to Get the Names of the Black Keys How to Get the Names of the Black Keys
20 21 22
Lesson 8 8.1
Another Look at the Keyboard!! A Third (3rd) Look at the Keyboard
25 25
Lesson 9
Notes of Keys “C”, “F” and “G”
26
Lesson 10
Placing Your Fingers on the Keyboard
27
Lesson 11 11.1 11.2
Pitch and Octave Octave (not Octopus) Pitch (Not the Hockey Pitch)
28 28 29
Lesson 12
Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secret formula) the Secret (well.....not-so-secret) formula: Solfa Notes of All Keys
1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
12.1 12.2
30 32 36
Lesson 13 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4
Preparation For Your First Practical Lesson The Fingers and Numbers An Introduction To the Key of C Finger Movement Training Your Musical Ears (Identifying Notes)
37 37 39 40 46
Lesson 14 14.1
Learn Your First Song as a Keyboardist!! Lyrics for “Surround Me” by Clint Brown
49 50
Lesson 15
Steps To Getting the Structure of a Song
51
Lesson 16 16.1
Breaking Down a Song into Syllables (step 1) Break-down for “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
52 52
Lesson 17 17.1 17.2
Finding the Key of a Song (Step 2) The Simple Steps For Finding the Key of a Song Learn from Minister Jermaine Griggs
53 54 55
Lesson 18 18.1 18.2 18.4
Melody – Turning the Breakdown into Individual Notes (Step 3) Basic Finger Movement (Right Hand) Finding The Melody Notes for “Mary Had A Little Lamb” The Melody Notes for “Surround Me”
56 56 57 61
Lesson 19 19.1 19.2 19.3
Adding the Bass Line (Left Hand) (Step 4) Steps to Getting the Bass Line Bass Note Markings for “Surround Me” (Step 5) Bass Line for “Surround Me”
62 63 64 66
Lesson 20 20.1 20.2
Training Your Ears to Recognise Bass Notes The “do – fa – so – la” Method: The New (Beginner) Instrumentalist’s Friend Hearing and Recognising Bass Notes
67 68 69
Lesson 21 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.4A 21.4B
Harmony: Understanding Chords The Three (3) Common Types of Chords The Root Chord Root Chords of “Amazing Grace” Inverted Chords First Inversion Second Inversion
74 75 76 80 88 88 90
Lesson 22 22.1 22.2
Chord Practice With Both Hands Playing Root Chords on the Bass Playing Octave Intervals on the Bass
91 92 93
The Sustained 2nd (Sus 2) Chord Some Irregular But Cool Chords Chord Progressions Chord Progression Drills
102 103 104 105
22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Lesson 23
Lesson 24
Melody Note Patterns: A New Experiment to Playing A Song That’s New To Your Ears (CHANGE TO: TRAINING YOUR EAR PART 2) What We’ll Learn in This Chapter: The “Behavioural Patterns” of the Basic Notes Parts of a Song The “do – fa – so – la” Method: The New (Beginner) Instrumentalist’s Friend Melody Patterns Common Melody Note Patterns and Applicable Chords Melody Pattern Exercises Advanced Chords 2-5-1 Chord Progression ( Using Minor 9th (m9), Dominant 13th (Dom 13), and Major 9th (M9)
107 107 108 108 109 115 118 123 127 132
It is my hope that you’ll play far better than me. That’s my dream....and may God give you that anointing...... may God bless you with a supernatural talent as you desire to serve Him............ ..........in Jesus’ Name, Amen!!
Very Useful and Important Information/Advice (DON’T limit yourself to these only) A: Work on Yourself 1. Build and sustain a relationship with Jesus Christ through a. Prayer b. Quiet Time (A lover of God’s Word) c. Worship 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Pray to God for a heart of worship Have a listening device with which you’ll store songs and listen to them Always listen to a song for a minimum of fifty (50) times Have a musician or group of musicians you want to be like Learn to copy until you’re a mirror of the musicians you’re copying Always associate yourself (networking) with other gospel instrumentalists who are better than you. 8. Be willing to teach other people to become better than you – that’s the mark of a true teacher. B: Gospel Musicians Worth Following (Please ignore the order; they are all anointed 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Danny Nettey Terry MacAlmon LP Aida (Lighthouse Chapel International) Michael W. Smith Nii Okai KODA Eugene Zuta Kirk Franklin Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Hellen Baylor Don Moen Israel Houghton
C: Movies Which Every Lover of Music Must Watch 1. 2. 3. 4.
Sound of Music Sister Act I & II Drum Line Fighting Temptations
D: Persons/Tutors to search for on Youtube 1. Jermaine Griggs of www.hearandplay.com 2. Greg Hannon 3. Quaverbox (www.quaverbox.com ) E: Website(s) with Additional Resources 1. www.pianochord.com 2. www.calebhugo.com
LESSON 1: All About Notes (Not Your School Notebook) 1.1
Notes: The “Building Blocks” of a Song
Let’s imagine that your “song” is a “house”. The main components of the house are the “blocks”. In music, “notes” are the “building blocks” of a “song”.
The common notes are: “do”
“re”
“mi”
“fa”
“so”
“la”
and
“ti”
Other (“uncommon”) notes are: “di”,
“maw”,
“fi”,
“zi”,
and
“taw”
We’ll encounter more of the “uncommon” notes in later lessons
This system of naming notes is called the “solfège” or “solfa”. Today, most keyboardists use numbers in place of notes. But you’re at liberty to use whichever one you find comfortable. With time you’ll be able to tell which note is being referred to as soon as a number is mentioned, or vice versa.
Common Notes Key
do (1)
re (2)
mi (3)
fa (4)
so (5)
la (6)
ti (7)
do
Number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Uncommon Notes Key
di
maw
fi
zi
taw
Number
1.5
2.5
4.5
5.5
6.5
Location
Between “do” and “re”
Between “re” and “mi”
Between “fa” and “so”
Between “so” and “la”
Between “so” and “ti”
1|Page
1.2
This is How The Keyboard Looks Like
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
or
or
or
or
or
or
or
or
or
or
D♭
E♭
G♭
A♭
B♭
D♭
E♭
G♭
A♭
B♭
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
The keyboard is made up of black keys and white keys.
The black keys are arranged in groups of two (2) and three (3).
A white key get its name from the group of black keys it is placed by
A white key get its name from the group of black keys it is placed by
This sign:
A
B
# is called a “sharp”.
It affects the name of the letter by which it is placed. For instance, C
This sign:
G
# is called “C – Sharp”
♭ is called a “flat”. ♭ is called “E – Flat”
It affects the name of the letter by which it is placed. For instance, E
Confused? Don’t worry!! I don’t expect you to get the names of all the keys now. (I bet that’s a relief, huh?) But if you already have, Hallelujah!! However, I believe in the principle of understanding before “memorisation” There is a principle from which these names were derived. We’ll learn about this principle in Lesson 7. I want you to understand it so you can teach someone who might not be able to memorise this diagram immediately. 2|Page
1.3
Trying Our Hands on The Keyboard
We’re supposed to be studying the structure of the keyboard in Lesson 2. However, there are certain principles which are explained with songs. This means that there has to be a keyboardist available. But my aim is to enable you study the material this book on your own (as much as possible) even when there is no keyboardist available. So this means that there are things you need to “do yourself”. So let’s be a little “bold”.
The solfege in the Key of “C” On this keyboard, the solfa notes have been arranged in the key of “C”.
di
fi
maw
zi
taw
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
As you can see on this diagram, our “do” begins on the white key closest to the left of the two black keys. The name of this key is “C” as seen on the keyboard. The solfa notes (do – re – mi – fa – so.....) of a particular key are made up of other keys. For instance, as seen in this table, you can notice that the key of “C” is made up of other keys as seen in the table above. do
ti
la
so
fa
mi
re
do
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
If you flip to the next page, you’ll notice that the key of “F” is also made up of other keys. We’ll learn the names of the black keys soon. The “do” note of a particular key is the same key. Okay... what I’m saying is: for instance, the “do” note of “C” is “C”..... similarly, the “do” note of “F” is “F”, etc. 3|Page
The solfège in the Key of “F” During her first lesson, my wife, Linda, asked, “Can we also play the common notes using the white keys close to the three-grouped black keys?” I’ll tell you exactly what I told her: “Yes, we can. But as a beginner, it is much easier to play the solfa notes arranged with the two-grouped black keys”. I was referring to the key of “C”; at that time, I hadn’t taught her the names of the keys as you’ve just learnt. She also asked another intelligent question: “How do I know the note which each key is playing?” Then I told her (paraphrased), “Sweets, there are a few things we need to learn to be able to answer your question. That’s what we’re working on now. Just relax. We’ll soon get there”. Just to satisfy your curiosity, this is the solfege in the Key of “F”.
di
C
D
E
fa
maw
zi
taw
do
re
mi
fi
so
la
ti
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
do F
G
A
B
I’m sure you’re wondering why “fa” is being played on a black key and “fi” is being played on a white key, right?
Don’t worry!! We’re going to learn about that soon. Just relax!!
Linda, who’s a teacher, always asked very simple but intelligent questions. It’s in answering these questions that led to the updating of this chapter to include the names of the keys, etc.
4|Page
The Notes Make up The Song!!
Play these notes from the right to the left:
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
You’ll end up singing it like this: do
ti
la
so,
fa
mi
re
do
On their own, they may not sound like any particular song that you know. Guess what!! They are the same notes (building blocks) which make up the old Christmas Carol: “Joy to the World”
Now, try playing the same notes again. Just replace the words with the notes.
Joy do
to ti
the la
world, so,
the fa
Lord mi
is re
come do
So you see? All we needed to do was to sing the notes at a slower pace and we had a song. I’ll come for my Christmas gift later!!
5|Page
1.4
The “Do – Re – Mi” Song
Have you ever watched “Sound of Music”? This is one of the most enjoyable movies I’ve ever watched. This is a little bit of the movie: The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music, composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The film's screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman, adapted from the stage musical's book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, the film is about a young Austrian woman studying to become a nun in Salzburg in 1938 who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to be governess to his seven children. After bringing love and music into the lives of the family through kindness and patience, she marries the officer and together with the children find a way to survive the loss of their homeland through courage and faith. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_%28film%29 In one of the scenes, Maria, the main character, teaches the von Trapp children about notes and how they are used to compose songs (or melodies). This song will help you understand all that we’ve been talking about. If you are viewing a softcopy of this manual, you can click on the link below to view this video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RW3nDRmu6k If you have a smartphone, scan the QR code to watch it. You’ll need to download and install a QR code scanning software on your smartphone if you don’t yet have one.
To download the audio, copy the link and log on to www.youtube-mp3.org Paste the link in the box and follow the instructions to download the audio
But do your best to look for the full movie. You’ll love it!!
6|Page
1.5
Ear Training Exercise 1: “Completing” A Song
If there is a keyboardist available (oh wait!!, that’s you!!), let him or her play the following: Set 1: do
–
re
–
mi
–
fa
–
so
–
la
–
ti
1
–
2
–
3
–
4
–
5
–
6
–
7
Set 2: do –
re
–
mi
–
fa
–
so
–
la
–
ti
–
do
1 –
2
–
3
–
4
–
5
–
6
–
7
–
8(1)
Which of them sounds “complete”? It’s certainly the second (set 2). This is because the “1” note has come to make the song “complete” Most songs end in the 1 note because it is the “point of rest”. In a majority of songs, most notes move towards “do” or away from it
1.6
How Notes “Behave”
Play the notes on the solfège slowly. As you do, listen and see if you’ll notice the following:
This note:
sounds like like it’s
do re mi fa so la ti
“ended” or “starting” “climbing” or “resting” “marching forward” “paused” “jumping to end” “pretending to end” “close to finish”
It’s closely related to:
mi fa do re do la so
so
la
7|Page
LESSON 2: How Does The Keyboard Look Like? 2.1
Structure of the Keyboard
The keyboard is made up of black keys and white keys.
The black keys are arranged in groups of two (2) and three (3).
A white key get its name from the group of black keys which is adjacent to it
A white key get its name from the group of black keys which is adjacent to it
We’ll learn more about the keyboard later.
8|Page
LESSON 3: Keys – The Different Colours of a Song Let’s imagine that your song is a “house”. Let’s say Brother Elorm and Sister Victoria are singing the “same song”. This means
Their houses will be the same style Same size Their will sing the same notes since they are singing the same song
But there’s a difference. Elorm decides to paint his house “blue” since he’s a guy.
Elorm’s House
Blue Colour
Victoria decides to paint her house “hot pink” since she’s a lady. (She is likely to plant some flowers too)
Victoria’s House
Pink Colour If there is a keyboard available, please play “Joy to the World” in “C – Major” and listen Play the same song in “F” and listen. (Please note: “C” and “F” are two of the “keys” or “colours” that a song can be sang. We’ll learn about that shortly)
You’ll notice that though the songs are the same, the second one sounds “higher” than the other. We’re going to play the same song in different keys and determine if they sound the same or different.
9|Page
3.1
The “Natural” Keys
In music there are seven (7) common keys in which a song can be played. They are called the “Natural Keys”. “A”
“B”
“C”
“D”
“E”
“F”
“G”
There’s no “H”.
Why are they called “natural keys”? First, we should know that there are some keys which we can describe as “unnatural” since they were not part of the alphabets which we learnt in school. These unnatural keys are:
“A – Flat”
“B – Flat”
“C – Sharp”
“E – Flat”
“F – Sharp”
A song played in A – Flat will sound very different when played in another key such as B
Let’s give it a try. Play the notes of “Joy to the World” in “C” and play again, this time in “F”. Do you notice a difference?
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3.2
Same Song, Different Keys
Have there been times when you listened to two people singing the same song (called a “duet), but they sound terrible? Sometimes it’s not because one or both of them has a terrible voice, but it’s because they are singing in different keys. These are a few known causes: 1. Unrehearsed Songs The song was not rehearsed with instrumentalists (especially keyboardists and guitarists). In some cases, there were no rehearsals at all. Most of the culprits in of such occurrences are unplanned solos as well as praise and worship sessions. 2. Froggy Voice Somehow, a chorister’s voice becomes “froggy”. Naturally a keyboardist would begin to play the intro to usher in the ministration. When the chorister begins to sing in a different (sometimes totally different) key, the keyboardist has to stop to find the new key. This makes it so obvious to the congregation that something has gone wrong. 3. Vocalists Not Paying Attention The vocalists may have good voices, but sometimes, fail to pay attention to the keyboardist and other instrumentalists. They begin to sing before them or just fail to pick the key. 4. Vocalists Fail to Pick the Key The vocalists may have good voices and also might have rehearsed the song several times before the day of ministration. But sometimes, they may get nervous and go off key. 5. Keyboardists (and other instrumentalist) Not Paying Attention Sometimes, the instrumentalists may also get distracted by certain things they see in the congregation.
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3.3
Spot the Differences in Key
This section requires two (2) students to do this........or perhaps you can text your ambidexterity (your ability to use both left and right hands. Let’s try to understand the principle of “keys” by illustrating some good sound and bad sound We’re going to play the first line of “Joy To The World” in C and F as we learnt in Lesson 1.
Exercise 3A Play the song in the key of C Play it again in the key of F Do you notice the difference? Now play the song in both keys simultaneously (at the same time). This is where you’re testing your ambidexterity. But if you can’t let one of your fellow students help you.
Do you notice how terrible the two sound when played together? It’s the same song (same house design), being sang with the same notes or tune (same arrangement of building blocks)......so why are they sounding so terrible? Simple – each house was painted in a different colour from the other Each tune on its own sounds very lovely. But terrible when paired
This is what happens sometimes at Church....... between keyboardist and singer, or two singers ministering a duet.
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LESSON 4: The White Keys 4.1
Another Look at the Keyboard
To help save paper, trees and the environment, I have deleted the text in this section and reduced the diagram size since we’ve already seen it in Lesson 2.
4.2
How do we Get the Names of the White Keys?
There are two (2) main methods of getting the names of the white keys. These are:
Method 1:
Using the two (2) grouped black keys to find “C”
Method 2:
Using the three (3) grouped black keys to find either “F” or “A”
Method 1:
Using the two (2) grouped black keys to find “C”
1
2
3
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
1. Identify any two (2) grouped black keys 2. Place your finger on the first black key on the left 3. The white key to the left of that black key is “C”
We’ll learn the how to name the black keys in lesson 7 13 | P a g e
Method 2:
Using the three (3) grouped black keys to find “F” or “A”
1
1
2
2
3
C
D
E
F
3
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
Finding Key “F” 1. Identify any three (3) grouped black keys 2. Place your finger on the first black key on the left 3. The white key to the left of that black key is “F”
Finding Key “A” 1. Identify any three (3) grouped black keys 2. Place your finger on the last black key on the right 3. The white key to the left of that black key is “A”
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Lesson 5: Adjacent Keys
KOBBY FAFA
JAMES
Two people or objects are adjacent to each other, if they are touching each other. Fafa and Kobby are adjacent each other because they are touching each other at the shoulder. Same applies with Kobby and James. Fafa and James are not adjacent because they are not touching each other.
2
1
4
3
5
The adjacent keys (numbered ones) on this keyboard are:
1 and 2
2 and 3
3 and 4
4 and 5
***Because “1” and “3” are touching each other at the bottom, we might be tempted to say that they are adjacent. They are not Remember that they are not touching each other at the top (shoulder)....always use top portions of the keys; not the bottom.
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Exercise 5.1: Fill in the spaces below
2
1
4
3
7
5
6
11
9
8
10
12
1. The keys adjacent to key number 2 are__________ and ___________
2. The keys adjacent to key number 7 are__________ and ___________
3. The keys adjacent to key number 4 are__________ and ___________
4. The keys adjacent to key number 8 are__________ and ___________
5. The keys adjacent to key number 5 are__________ and ___________
Exercise 5.2: Accuracy and Speed Test
Let your study partner hit a key
You will hit the two (2) keys which are adjacent to it
Work on accuracy first, and then develop your speed later
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LESSON 6: Tones (Full-steps) and Semitones (Half-Steps)
If you ever studied basic music theory in school, you may have heard your music teacher mention these words quite a lot at school, or perhaps your keyboardist at Church, mentioning it in a conversation with your music director during a rehearsal.
A “half-step” (also called a “semitone”) is the distance between two (2) adjacent notes. Two (2) half-steps make a “full step” or “tone”. Full
Full
1/2
1
C
1/2
1/2
2
D
Full
1/2
3
E
F
1/2
4
G
1/2
5
A
B
C
D
The distance from keys “C” and “black key 1” is a semitone because they are adjacent keys. The distance from “E” to “F” is a semitone. Same applies with “B” to “C”.
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Let’s determine the distance from “D” to “F”: Full
1/2 1
C
1/2 1/2 2
D
3
E
4
F
G
5
A
B
C
D
Let’s determine the distance from “D” to “F”:
full-step
1/2
“D”
1/2
1/2
- “2”
-
“E”
-
“F”
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Let’s move three (3) full-steps from “F” Full
1/2
1
2
C
D
Full
1/2 1/2
3
E
F
-
F
G
1/2
5
A
B
C
full-step
1/2
3
1/2 1/2
4
full-step
1/2
Full
-
1/2
G
-
full-step
1/2
4
D
-
1/2
A
-
1/2
5
-
B
Exercise 6.1 1. What is the distance from “G” to “C”? 2. Which key is seven (7) tones after “E”?
The distance (or interval) from “C” to “C” is twelve (12) half-steps. Take your time and count. 19 | P a g e
LESSON 7: Sharps (#) and Flats (♭) Before we begin this lesson, there’s an important lesson you should learn. It may not seem so significant, but it’s still worth learning.
As you move from one point to the right you’re going “higher”, and “Sharp” (
#) (increasing)
♭
As you move from one point to the left you’re going “lower”, and “Flat” ( ) (decreasing)
♭
Left Low/Flat/Decrease
Right High/Sharp/Increase
#
You can also imagine this as the sword drawn below: The right side is “Sharp” (
♭
The left side is “Flat” ( ) This may sound funny, but say this at least ten (10) times like a “nursery poem”: Stretch your right hand and say:
“Right means an increase; this is a “Sharp”
Stretch your left hand and say: “Left
means a decrease; this is a “Flat”
“Right means an increase; this is a “Sharp”..................Left means a decrease; that is Flat” As mentioned earlier, the person who prepared this manual is not your regular “professional professor” in music. As a result, you may not get the professional definition of certain terminologies. However, you’re guaranteed of down-to-earth explanations for every topic.
20 | P a g e
#)
7.1 Sharps and Flats: How to Get the Names of the Black Keys ***When you get the time, please read about “accidentals” on Wikipedia.***
As a chorister, you may have often heard your instrumentalists, especially keyboardists and guitarists, mentioning words like “C – Sharp” or “A – Flat”. These are actually the names some of the black keys
Let’s go back to our rhyme:
“Right means an increase; this is a Sharp..................Left means a decrease; that is Flat”
So what is a Sharp?
A sharp “raises” or “increases” the value of a note or key by one (1) semitone
The symbol for sharp is
#
♭
So what is a Flat ( )?
A flat “lowers” or “decreases” the value of a note or key by one (1) semitone
The symbol for flat is
♭
21 | P a g e
7.2 How to Get the Names of the Black Keys As we learnt in lesson 3, the names of the black keys are derived from the two white keys which are adjacent to them
1
C
2
D
3
E
F
4
G
5
A
B
So How Do We Get Names of the Black Keys? A black key always has two (2) names. It gets its names from the two (2) white keys which are adjacent to it All you need to do is to fill in the spaces. See page 17 for examples
Using the white key on the left of the black key: The black key is on the right of white key ________.
Right means “increase”; that is a “sharp”
This means that the value of white key_________ has been “increased”
This means that the black key is called __________ - sharp
This is written as ____
#
22 | P a g e
1
C
2
D
3
E
F
4
G
5
A
B
Using the white key on the right of the black key: The black key is on the left of white key ________.
Left means “decrease”; that is a “flat”
This means that the value of white key_________ has been “decreased”
This means that the black key is called __________ - flat
This is written as ____
♭
This means that the black key is called _______
# or _______ ♭
23 | P a g e
Let’s find out the name of black key two (2) together:
1
C
2
D
3
E
F
4
G
5
A
B
Using the white key on the left of the black key:
D The black key is on the right of white key ________. Right means “increase”; that is a “sharp”
D has been “increased” This means that the value of white key_________ D This means that the black key is called __________ - sharp D This is written as ____
#
Using the white key on the right of the black key:
E The black key is on the left of white key ________. Left means “decrease”; that is a “flat”
E This means that the value of white key_________ has been “decreased” E This means that the black key is called __________ - flat
♭
E This is written as __
#
D This means that the black key is called ___
or
E __
♭
Use the same procedure to find the names of the other black keys. 24 | P a g e
LESSON 8: Another Look at the Keyboard!! 8.1: A Third (3rd) Look at the Keyboard We’re going to take another look at the keyboard Don’t Worry This is the Last Look...for now
I hope you’ve been studying the names of the keys. Because gradually you’re going to see diagrams of the keyboard without the names written down!!
-
C
Left Hand (BASS) “Hoarse and Deep”
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
or
or
or
or
or
D♭
E♭
G♭
A♭
B♭
D
E
F
G
Right Hand (TREBLE) “Sweet and Lovely”
Middle C
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
+
A
B
The “Middle C”
The “Middle C” can be described as the “C” Key which is closest to the middle of the keyboard
The Left-Hand-Side of the keyboard is the bass, played with the Left Hand
The Right-Hand-Side of the keyboard is the treble, played with the Right Hand
25 | P a g e
LESSON 9: Notes of Keys “C”, “F” and “G” Before we begin our practical lessons, we need to know the keys which make up the notes of key C and perhaps F.
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
or
or
or
or
or
D♭
E♭
G♭
A♭
B♭
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
Notes
Key
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
F
F
G
A
C
D
E
F
G
G
A
B
D
E
F#
G
B♭
C
Go behind the keyboard (or piano) and strike the keys as you see in this table. As you can see, key “C” is the only key whose notes are made up entirely of white keys. For the key of “F”, you may be wondering why we hit B
♭ as “fa” instead of “B”.
Similarly, for the key of “G”, you may be wondering why we hit F# as “ti” instead of “B”. There’s a very simple formula we’ll soon learn to help us find the notes of each key.
26 | P a g e
LESSON 10: Placing Your Fingers on the Keyboard One skill which is necessary in becoming a professional keyboardist is your ability to place your fingers properly on the keyboard. To save paper and the environment, I have decided that you go on the internet to learn how to this. One such place you can find this information will be wikihow.com. If you are viewing a softcopy of this book you can click on the link below.
http://www.wikihow.com/Place-Your-Fingers-Properly-on-Piano-Keys
If you have a smartphone, scan the QR code to watch it. You’ll need to download and install a QR code scanning software on your smartphone if you don’t yet have one.
However, if you are using a hardcopy, please go to Google.com and type the following in the search box:
How to place your fingers properly on piano keys - Wikihow
27 | P a g e
LESSON 11: Pitch and Octave
11.1: Octave (not Octopus) Layman’s definition: When you move from one key to the same key either to the left or to the right, the distance you’ve covered is called an “octave”. The word “Oct” is more like eight (8). A keyboard is normally described by the number of octaves it has. The keyboard below has three (3) octaves C – C, or D – D, or F# - F#, etc.
One (1) Octave
C D E
One (1) Octave
One (1) Octave
F G A B C1 D1 E1 F1 G1 A1 B1 C2 D2 E2 F2 G2 A2 B2
Exercise 11.1A 1. How many octaves does this keyboard have?
C D E
F G A B C D E F G A B
2. Draw a five (5) – octave keyboard 28 | P a g e
11.2: Pitch (Not the Hockey Pitch) Imagine that the notes on the keyboard are the voices of choristers. A voice which is in a key one (1) octave higher than another voice of the original key will require more screaming, while a voice one (1) octave lower will require less screaming. A pitch is the difference in “screaming strength” when a note is played an octave higher (to the right) or lower (to the left). On the keyboard below, C2 is one (1) octave higher than C1. This means that C2 will require more screaming. So C2 is higher in pitch than C1. If your electronic keyboard has “choir” in its voice bank, you can use it to explain
-
Low or Decreasing Pitch “Less Screaming”
One (1) Octave
Middle C
High or Increasing Pitch “More Screaming”
One (1) Octave
+
One (1) Octave
C 1 D E F1 G A B C 2 D E F2 G A B C 3 D E
F G A B
You can use the following formula to understand the difference in pitch between two (2) notes: _______ is on the left/right of ________ _______ means <“low” or “decreasing”> / <”high” or “increasing”> ________ is one octave “lower”/”higher” than _________ This means that ______ has a “lower”/”higher” pitch than _________
Let’s use the formula to find that of F1 and F2. The correct choices have been double underline _F1_ is on the left/right of __F2__ Left means <“low” or “decreasing”> / <”high” or “increasing”> __F1__ is one octave “lower”/”higher” than __F2__ This means that C1 has a “lower” / “higher” pitch than C2 29 | P a g e
LESSON 12: Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secret formula) Finally, we’re going to learn how to construct scale of other keys.
C#
D#
F#
G#
A#
or
or
or
or
or
D♭
E♭
G♭
A♭
B♭
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
Notes
Key
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
F
F
G
A
C
D
E
F
G
G
A
B
D
E
F#
G
B♭
C
Go behind the keyboard (or piano) and strike the keys as you see in this table. As you can see, key “C” is the only key whose notes are made up entirely of white keys. For the key of “F”, you may be wondering why we hit B
♭ as “fa” instead of “B”.
Similarly, for the key of “G”, you may be wondering why we hit F
#
as “ti” instead of “F”.
There’s a very simple formula we’ll soon learn to help us find the notes of each key.
30 | P a g e
Let’s take a look at Key C
T
T
C#
E♭
S
T
T
T
F#
A♭
B♭
S
C#
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
Finding “do” The “do” of any key is “the same key” In the key of C, our “do” is “C”
Finding “re”: In the key of C, our “do” is “D” and our “re” is “E” The interval from “C” to “D” is a tone. This means that “do” to “re” is a tone
Finding “mi”: In the key of C, our “re” is “D” and our “mi” is “E” The interval from “D” to “E” is a tone. This means that “re” to “mi” is a tone
31 | P a g e
T
T
C#
E♭
S
T
T
T
F#
A♭
B♭
S
C#
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
Finding “fa”: In the key of C, our “mi” is “E” and our “fa” is “F” The interval from “E” to “F” is a semitone. This means that “mi” to “fa” is a semitone
Finding “so”: In the key of C, our “fa” is “F” and our “so” is “G” The interval from “F” to “G” is a tone. This means that “fa” to “so” is a tone
Finding “la”: In the key of C, our “so” is “G” and our “la” is “A” The interval from “G” to “A” is a tone. This means that “fa” to “so” is a tone
32 | P a g e
T
T
C#
E♭
S
T
T
T
F#
A♭
B♭
S
C#
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
Finding “ti”: In the key of C, our “la” is “A” and our “ti” is “B” The interval from “A” to “B” is a tone. This means that “la” to “ti” is a tone
Finding “do”: In the key of C, our “ti” is “B” and our “do” is “C” The interval from “B” to “C” is a semitone. This means that “ti” to “do” is a semitone
33 | P a g e
12.1: the Secret (well.....not-so-secret) formula: Tone
–
Tone –
do
Semitone
re T
__
–
mi T
__
Tone
fa
Tone
so
S
__
–
Tone – Semitone
la
T
__
–
T
__
ti T
__
do S
__
__
Notes
Key
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
F
F
G
A
C
D
E
F
G
G
A
B
D
E
A♭
G
ti
do
B♭
C
Below is the construction of the scale for key F
do
re T
F
mi T
G
fa S
A
so T
B♭
la T
T
C
D
so
la
S
E
F
Below is the construction of the scale for key C#
do
re T
C#
mi T
E♭
fa S
F
T
F#
T
A♭
ti T
B♭
do S
C
C# 34 | P a g e
Exercise 12.1 Use the formula to find the notes of the other keys in the table below
do
re T
__
mi T
__
fa
so
S
__
T
__
la T
__
ti T
__
do S
__
__
Notes
Key
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C C# D E♭ E F F# G A♭ A B♭ B When you’re done, do the finger movement exercises in all the keys. Every good keyboardist must know how to play a song in all the keys. 35 | P a g e
12.2 Solfa Notes of All Keys The formula below was used to find the notes of all keys
Every good keyboardist must know how to play a song in all the keys. Do the finger movement exercises in all the keys.
Practice each scale 50
Be humming or singing out the notes as you play
do
re T
__
times (at least) mi
T
__
ANAGKAZO
fa S
__
so T
la
ti
T
__
__
do
T
__
S
__
__
Notes Key
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
C#
C#
D#
F
F#
G#
A#
C
C#
D
D
E
F#
G
A
B
C#
D
E♭
E♭
F
G
A♭
B♭
C
D
E♭
E
E
F#
G#
A
B
C#
D#
E
F
F
G
A
B♭
C
D
E
F
F#
F#
G#
A#
B
C#
D#
F
F#
G
G
A
B
C
D
D
F#
G
A♭
A♭
B♭
C
C#
D#
F
G
A♭
A
A
B
C#
D
E
F#
G#
A
B♭
B♭
C
D
D#
F
G
A
B♭
B
B
C#
D#
E
F#
G#
A#
B
36 | P a g e
LESSON 13: Preparation For Your First Practical Lesson
YES!!! The moment you’ve been waiting for!!!! ......well......one of the moments
13.1: The Fingers and Numbers When you’re learning keyboard we’ll use our fingers (all of them). You’ll need to know which finger is playing a particular key. So each finger is represented by a number. A: The Right Hand The right hand plays the treble notes of a song.
3 2
4
5
1
1:
The Thumb
2:
Index Finger
3:
Middle Finger
4:
Ring Finger
5:
Little Finger
37 | P a g e
B: The Left Hand The left hand plays the bass notes of a song.
3 2
4
1
5
1:
The Little Finger
2:
Ring Finger
3:
Middle Finger
4:
Index Finger
5:
The Thumb
The BASS – a very important part of a song Have you noticed that whenever songs are being played, you usually hear s deeper tune which seems to be “backing” the melody? That’s the bass. If the notes which play the tune are the building blocks of the house (song), then we can say that the bass notes are the foundation blocks of the house (song).
38 | P a g e
13.1: An Introduction To the Key of C Before we begin our practical lessons, we need to know the keys which make up the notes of key C.
C#
D
di
maw
fi
D♭
G
A#
zi
taw
A♭
B♭
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
Notes
Key
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
C
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
Go behind the keyboard (or piano) and strike the keys as you see in this table. As you can see, key “C” is the only key whose common notes are made up entirely of white keys.
It is also the easiest key to play, especially for a beginner.
39 | P a g e
13.2: Finger Movement As a keyboardist, you need to move your hands and fingers easily and comfortably on the keyboard
We will perform finger movement exercises in key C, and later you’ll do it on other keys (by yourself)
As you see on the keyboard below, beneath each note is the finger with which you’ll play that note.
Practise at least one (1) of the exercises before and after each lesson Work on accuracy first ............ speed later.
40 | P a g e
Practise Exercise 13A: This exercise will help you to comfortably move the fingers on your right hand Exercise i:
do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with right hand)
Exercise ii:
do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with right hand)
do
re
mi
fa
so
1
2
3
4
5
3 2
4
5
1
41 | P a g e
Practise Exercise 13B: This exercise will help you to comfortably move the fingers on your left hand Exercise i:
do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with left hand)
Exercise ii:
do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with left hand)
do
re
mi
fa
so
1
2
3
4
5
3 2
4
1
5
42 | P a g e
Practise Exercise 13C: This exercise will help you to comfortably move both sets of fingers
Exercise i: do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with both hands)
Exercise ii: do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with both hands)
do
re
mi
fa
so
do
re
mi
fa
so
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
3 2
3 4
2
1
4 5
5
1
Work on accuracy first and develop your speed later. 43 | P a g e
Practise Exercise 13D: An Experiment Let’s see if you can play “Joy to the World” with Both Hands!!
See if you can play “Joy to the World” with Both Hands Words:
Joy
to
the
world,
the
LORD
is
come
Melody:
do
ti
la
so,
fa
mi
re
do
Bass:
do
so
do
Place the tip of your fingers on the keyboard as seen in practice exercise 13C Let the tip of your fingers be between the bottom of the black keys and the bottom of the white keys First, play the melody (right hand) about 20 times (slowly)
Now we’re going to attempt playing with both hands: You’ll notice that “joy” has a “do” for its melody and a “do” bass note below it LORD has a “mi” for its melody and “do” bass note below it “Come” has a “do” for its melody and “do” bass note below it
Where you see a bass note beneath a melody note, it indicates that they should be played (simultaneously) at the same time.
Don’t worry if you’re not getting it; like I’ve mentioned, this is an experiment.
44 | P a g e
Practise Exercise 13E: Exercise i: (with left hand) do –
mi
–
so
–
do
re
mi
fa
so
1
2
3
4
4
do
la
–
ti
so
–
mi
do 5
2
3
–
do
fa
so
4
5
3 4 1
5
45 | P a g e
Practise Exercise 13F: The purpose of this set of exercises is to enable you play without “crisscrossing” your fingers When you get to “mi”, just move finger number “1” towards and use it towards “fa” whiles “1” and “2” are still resting Let go of “1” and “2” as soon as you’ve hit “fa” The diagrams for this set of exercises are not yet available. You will also play each exercise backwards. Please ask your keyboardist to help you
Exercise i: (with right hand) do –
re
–
mi
–
fa
–
so
–
la
–
ti
-
do
1
2
–
3
–
1
–
2
–
3
–
4
-
5
–
Exercise ii: (with left hand) do –
re
–
mi
–
fa
–
so
–
la
–
ti
-
do
1
2
–
3
–
1
–
2
–
3
–
4
-
5
–
Exercise iii: (with both hands) This particular exercise is very tricky. But with time, you’ll get it perfectly (even with your eyes closed)
do –
re
–
mi
–
fa
–
so
–
la
–
ti
-
do
1
2
–
3
–
1
–
2
–
3
–
4
-
5
–
Remember!! accuracy first ............ speed later.
46 | P a g e
13.3 Training Your Musical Ears (Identifying Notes) As a keyboardist, one of the skills you must acquire is hearing and recognising the different sounds of notes.
We will go through some exercises which will train your ear so you’ll be able to achieve this
You’ll need to practise each set of exercises everyday for looooooong hours. I really wish there was a shortcut to this. But there’s none.
As you play each note do this counting sloooooowly.........well, not like a snail: 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
Start each the first note of each exercise at the count of “1”, except for set five (5).
Please Note:
Practise each set of exercises for a whole day for long hours on your own
As you hit each note,
o
Listen to the note
o
memorise the sound of each note
Let someone else play each note and as he or she plays, do the following: o
Listen carefully to the note
o
Identify the note
If there is a keyboardist available let him or her play each exercise in different keys
Practise at least one (1) of the exercises before and after each lesson .......accuracy first ............ speed later. 47 | P a g e
Set 1: Full Solfege Scale: do 1 and 2 and
do
re
mi
fa
3
and
4
and
re 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
mi 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
fa 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
so 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
la 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
ti 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
do 1
and
2
and
3
and
4
and
-
ti (4)
Set 2:
do-
do (5)
ti-
-
do 1
so
2
and
3
and
ti
ti-
do
do
do (5)
doand
la
4
and 1 and 2 and 3 and4and
Pay close attention to this particular set as that’s we’re going to use it as a technique in identifying the key or “colour” of a song
Sing along as you play the notes Do this particular exercise 100 times (i’m not kidding) 48 | P a g e
LESSON 14: Learn Your First Song as a Keyboardist!! Yep!! You’re soon going to play your first song ever. But before then....you’ll do the following:
Listen to the song 50 times (for our class, we’ll sing along as the song plays) Practise your finger exercises
Practise Exercise 14A (Repeat): Exercise i:
do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do (with both hands)
Exercise ii:
do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with both hands)
do
re
mi
fa
so
do
re
mi
fa
so
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
3 2
3 4
2
1
4 5
5
1
Work on accuracy first and develop your speed later.
49 | P a g e
14.1 Lyrics for “Surround Me” by Clint Brown We are going to learn how to play “Surround Me, Oh Lord” by Clint Brown. First, get the song, listen to it and learn it all week till it becomes a part of you.
Surround me oh Lord Surround me oh Lord Surround me oh Lord Let Your presence Fill this place
In the early 2000s, this was one of the songs which Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, Founder of Lighthouse Chapel International used to sing before he preached. It must be one of his favourites It’s one of the easiest songs to learn as a keyboardist
Listen to these songs too
Let the Rain of Your Presence Fall On Me I Want More of You by Sinach
Please ensure you’ve learnt the songs (lyrics, tune, etc) before the next class
Listen to the songs with the lyrics
Sing along as you look at the lyrics
Sing along without the lyrics
Sing without the song
Give an offering of Worship to God as you sing this song
50 | P a g e
LESSON 15: Steps to Getting the Structure of a Song Step 1 Break down the words into their syllables as you’re hearing them in the song. A syllabus is a groups of letters mentioned separately in a word. Examples
The word “Bible” is made up of two (2) syllables: o “Bi” and “ble”
The word “anointing” has got three (3): o “a”, “noin” and “ting”
Please note always make sure that the names: God, Father, Jesus Christ, Son, Holy Spirit, Lord or any name which addresses these three important persons are always written in CAPITAL LETTERS whenever you are writing down the lyrics of a song.
Step 2 Find the key in which the song is being sung
Step 3 Work out the melody notes beneath the broken down words
Step 4: The BASS Listen to the bass section of the song. Have you noticed that whenever songs are being played, you usually hear s deeper tune which seems to be “backing” the melody? That’s the bass.
Step 5 a. Look at and study the breakdown you’ve created b. Mark out the section of the break down where you hear bass notes
Step 6 Figure out the bass notes (or chords....we’ll learn what that means later) which you’re hearing In advanced lessons you’re going to learn the sound of each bass note. 51 | P a g e
Lesson 16: Breaking Down a Song into Syllables A melody of a song is the individual words turned into individual notes played with your right hand (treble). Breaking down a song means you are writing out the words according to the way they sound in the song.
Do you remember “Mary Had A Little Lamb”? This is one of the easiest songs to learn as a beginner. We are going to map out the melody notes for this song on our own.
Below are the lyrics:
Mary had a little lamb Little lamb Little lamb Mary had a little lamb Its fleece as white as snow
16.1 Break-down for “Mary Had a Little Lamb” Ma mi
-
ry re
-
had do
-
a re
-
li mi
-
ttle mi
-
lamb mi
li re
-
ttle re
-
lamb re
li m
-
ttle s
-
lamb s
Ma mi
-
ry re
-
had do
-
a re
-
li mi
-
ttle mi
-
lamb mi
Its
-
fleece -
as
-
white -
as
-
snow
Exercise 16.1 (Homework) Listen to the following songs and write down the breakdown:
Let It Rain (Sonnie Badoo)
Honhom Kronkron, Y3 Hea Wo 52 | P a g e
LESSON 17: Finding the Key of a Song (Step 2) As a keyboardist or any other instrumentalist such as guitarist, saxophonist, etc, you are supposed to play in the same key as vocalists.
As we got to know in LESSON 13: Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secret formula), every good keyboardist must know how to play a song in all the keys.
You should never be “comfortable” in only one particular key; whenever you learn any song, play it in all the twelve (12) keys from A, A – sharp, ......all the way to G
Even if you have a “favourite” key, you must know how to play a song in all keys with your eyes closed - literally (yep...I’m serious)
53 | P a g e
17.1 The Simple Steps For Finding the Key of a Song I’ve found a simple and easy to find the key of a song on piano. 1. Listen to the song
2. Sing along as the song is playing (or as the chorister is singing)
3. Sing along till your voice is singing in the same key as the song a. If you’re not good at singing, please let your music director help you, because as a keyboardist, your ability to sing (not necessarily like a pro) is very important
4. Sing the this do
-
ti
-
doooooooooooo
You remember this exercise from Practical Exercise, 4.4 Training Your Musical Ears found in Lesson 4: Preparation For Your First Practical Lesson Set 5:
do (5) - ti (4) - do (5):
do- ti- do
do-
1
and
2
and
3
and
ti-
doooooooooooooo
4
and 1 and 2 and 3 and4and
5. As you “stretch” the last note, strike the keys beginning with C until you find a key that matches the do note
E♭
C#
C
D
E
F
B♭
A♭
F#
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
G to
A
Starting at “C”, move to C#
to
to
B
D
to
E♭
to
E
to
F
to
F#
to
♭
54 | P a g e
17.2 Learn from Minister Jermaine Griggs
Alternatively, Minister Jermaine Griggs, one of the best teachers of playing the keyboard by ear has a great method which he painstakingly explains for anyone to understand.
If you are viewing a softcopy of this manual, you can click on the link below to view this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zm9-YtDGqA If you have a smartphone, scan the QR code to view the video. You’ll need to download and install QR code scanner software on your smartphone if you don’t yet have one.
55 | P a g e
LESSON 18: Melody – Turning the Breakdown into Individual Notes (Step 3) Layman’s definition: A melody of a song is the individual words turned into individual notes played with your right hand (treble).
The rhythm of the notes sounds the same as the words of the song.
As mentioned earlier, the first step to finding the melody notes of a song is to first break down the words the way you hear them and separate the syllables (word parts) The next thing left to do is to determine the melody notes We’re going to learn how to get the melody notes in the next few (or more) exercises. We’ll be using common and simple songs we (or most of us) already know.
18.1 Basic Finger Movement (Right Hand) Let’s practise the basic right hand finger movements again
Exercise i:
do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with right hand)
Exercise ii:
do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do
(with right hand)
do
re
mi
fa
so
1
2
3
4
5
In the manual, the diagrams will be in the key of C. But you must practise this exercise in the key in which your song was being played. By now, you should be able to play the scales for all the twelve (12) keys Keep your fingers on the keyboard 56 | P a g e
18.2 Finding The Melody Notes for “Mary Had A Little Lamb” This is one of the easiest songs to learn as a beginner. We are going to map out the melody notes for this song on our own.
Below are the lyrics:
Mary had a little lamb Little lamb Little lamb Mary had a little lamb Its fleece as white as snow
Proceed with Step 1: Break Down the Song into Syllables Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
re
-
re
-
re
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
m
-
s
-
s
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
Its
-
fleece -
as
-
white -
as
-
snow
mi
-
re
re
-
mi
re
-
do
-
-
57 | P a g e
Step 3: Map Out The Melody This is a very important skill you need to develop. You and your keyboardist are going to do it together. With time, you’ll be able to do this on your own. This has been very difficult to explain in writing. But amazingly, I’ve been able to teach Reuben, my first most c0mmitted student, this, through practical demonstration.
Sing the song two (2) syllables (or notes) at a time
As you sing, hit keys on your keyboard. You’ll make some mistakes on the way, but don’t give up. Keep trying till you get the key that sounds exactly as the syllable you’re singing
Under each syllable, write down the best note that fits it.
Whenever you get the first two(2) notes, sing the syllables from the beginning to the next note you’re trying to find For instance after Reuben and I got the notes for Ma – ry. We played and sang those notes to help us get the note for “had”........try it
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi 58 | P a g e
Below is the Full Melody Note Map for Mary Had A Little Lamb Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
re
-
re
-
re
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
so
-
so
Ma
-
ry
-
had
-
a
-
li
-
ttle
-
lamb
mi
-
re
-
do
-
re
-
mi
-
mi
-
mi
Its
-
fleece -
as
-
white -
as
-
snow
mi
-
re
re
-
mi
re
-
do
-
-
Exercise 18A Map out the melody notes for these songs
I Wanna Be More Like You Here I Am To Worship (Light of The World) Homhom Kron Kron, Ye Hia Wo I Want More of You by Sinach
The Melody Note Combination will be dealt with in Lesson 21 59 | P a g e
Exercise 18B Map out the melody notes for these songs
I Want More of You by Sinach
I Just Want To Be Where You Are by Don Moen
I’m Forever Grateful by Juanita Bynum
You Deserve The Glory by Juanita Bynum
As We Gather May Your Spirit Dwell Within Us
Homhom Kron Kron, Ye Hia Wo
Ye Be Maa aa Wo So
Moko Be by Nii Okai
I Wanna Be More Like You
Let the Rain of Your Presence Fall On Me
Here I Am To Worship (Light of The World)
Your Presence Is Heaven To Me by Israel Houghton
Let It Rain (If This is Your Power) by Sonnie Badoo
When you’re done, play the song in all the twelve (12) keys.
Recap!!
Go back to LESSON 13: Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secret
formula)
60 | P a g e
18.4 The Melody Notes for “Surround Me” The numbers indicate the fingers (not the notes) with which you are to play each note.
Sur
-
round
-
me
-
oh
-
Looor
-
00rd
do (1)
-
mi (3)
-
re (2)
-
mi (3) -
do (1)
-
re (2)
Sur
-
round
-
me
-
oh
-
Looor
-
00rd
do (1)
-
mi (3)
-
re (2)
-
mi (3) -
do (1)
-
re (2)
Sur
-
round
-
me
-
oh
Lord
do (1)
-
mi (3)
-
re (2)
-
mi (3) -
Let
-
Your
-
pre
-
sence
re (2)
-
mi (3)
-
fa (4)
-
fa (4)
Fill
-
this
-
place
mi (3)
-
re (2)
-
do (1)
-
do (1)
61 | P a g e
LESSON 19: Adding the Bass Line (Left Hand) (Step 4) As a keyboardist, I was able to perfectly play melodies with continuous practise My next target was the bass line. I used to marvel at the way the bass notes added a nice, cool flow to songs
The bass line is perhaps one of the most important components of a song. It determines the “flow” of the song. As an instrumentalist, your ability to recognise bass notes is one of your most crucial skills. It makes the difference between a beautiful song and a “burnt offering”. When you get the bass notes wrong, everyone, even someone without a “musical ear”, can tell that you’re playing the “wrong thing”.
Exercise 19A Let someone sing “We Bow Down and Worship Yaweh” Ask your keyboardist to play along using the following sets of bass lines below:
1st Bass Line: We
bow
down
and
do- ti- fa
worship
Yaweh
so
ti
worship
Yaweh
fa
do
1st Bass Line: We
bow
down
and
do- ti- do
Which one sounds nicer? I’ll leave you to answer this question yourself. As a good instrumentalist, you must know how each note on the solfege sounds on different keys and also be able to identify them when used in a bass line. Go back to Lesson 4, Section 4.4 Training Your Musical Ears (Identifying Notes) and practise again 62 | P a g e
19.1 Steps to Getting the Bass Line Whenever you listen to a song, always listen to the bass. You will usually hear the bass being played with a bass guitar or the bass notes (left hand) of a piano/keyboard.
Steps to Finding the Bass Notes a. Study the breakdown and melody you’ve created b. Play the song again c. Listen out for the bass notes (not the melody notes) (Step
4)
They are mostly played by the bass guitar or bass sound (left hand) of the keyboard d. Replay the song and listen to the bass notes again e. Hum along as the bass notes are being played
f.
Mark out the section of the break down where you hear bass notes (Step
5)
g. Listen to the song again h. Try to identify the notes which are being played
63 | P a g e
19.2 Bass Note Markings for “Surround Me” (Step 5) “R” means Right hand, which plays the melody notes “L” means Left hand, which plays the bass notes Sur R
-
do (1)
L
round
-
me
mi (3)
re (2)
X
X
-
oh
-
mi (3)
Looor do (1) X
- 00rd re (2) X
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sur R
-
do (1)
L
round
-
me
mi (3)
re (2)
X
X
-
oh mi (3)
-
Looor do (1) X
- 00rd re (2) X
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sur round me oh Lord R
do (1)
L
mi (3)
re (2)
X
X
mi (3)
do (1) X
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Let R
-
re (2)
Your
-
mi (3)
L
pre
-
sence
fa (4)
fa (4)
X
X
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fill R
mi (3)
L
X
-
this
-
re (2)
place do (1) X
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Let R
-
re (2)
Your
-
mi (3)
pre fa (4)
-
sence fa (4)
L X -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fill R
mi (3)
L
X
-
this re (2)
-
place do (1) X
Please Note: Some songs may have bass notes appearing before the first melody note or after the last melody note 64 | P a g e
Exercise 19A Insert the bass note markings for these songs
I Want More of You by Sinach I Just Want To Be Where You Are by Don Moen I’m Forever Grateful by Juanita Bynum You Deserve The Glory by Juanita Bynum As We Gather May Your Spirit Dwell Within Us Homhom Kron Kron, Ye Hia Wo Ye Be Maa aa Wo So Moko B3 by Nii Okai I Wanna Be More Like You Let the Rain of Your Presence Fall On Me Here I Am To Worship (Light of The World) Your Presence Is Heaven To Me by Israel Houghton Let It Rain (If This is Your Power) by Sonnie Badoo
When you’re done, play the song in all the twelve (12) keys.
65 | P a g e
19.3 Bass Line for “Surround Me” Sur R
do
L
round
-
me
mi
re
do
mi
-
oh
-
mi
Looor
-
00rd
do
re
fa
so
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sur R
do
L
round
-
me
mi
re
do
mi
-
oh
-
mi
Looor
-
00rd
do
re
fa
so
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sur R
-
do
L
round
-
me
mi
re
do
mi
-
oh mi
-
Lord do la
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Let R
-
re
Your
-
mi
L
pre
-
sence
fa
fa
re
so
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fill R
mi
L
so
-
this
-
re
place do la
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Let R
-
re
Your
-
mi
pre fa
L
-
sence fa
re
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Fill R
mi
L
so
-
this re
-
place do do
66 | P a g e
LESSON 20: Training Your Ears to Recognise Bass Notes Ideally every good keyboardist or bass guitarist should be able to know the exact bass note that is being played: that is, whether it’s a “do” or a “fa” or a “la”, etc.
I’m now able to identify all the bass notes that are being played in almost any song I hear, even the ones I’ve not heard before. Some of you may be able to get the notes immediately. Others may take a while to get it. But just have faith in Jesus and keep practising!!
We’re going to learn two (2) methods of finding the bass notes for a song
“do – fa – so – la” method
Bass Progressions
67 | P a g e
20.1 The “do – fa – so – la” Method: The New (Beginner) Instrumentalist’s Friend This was the technique I used when I started learning how to play the bass section (left hand) of the keyboard. As a beginner, I noticed that the easiest way to get a basically good bass line was to use the following notes:
“do”,
“fa”,
“so”,
and
This note:
sounds like it’s
do re mi fa so la ti
“Ended” or “starting” “climbing” or “resting” “marching forward” “paused” “jumping to end” “pretending to end” “close to finish”
“la”
It’s closely related to:
mi fa do re do do so
so
la
After you’ve marked out the positions of the bass lines, figure out which one best fits into the marking. Though these notes are not always “extremely accurate”, they are the easiest way to start playing simple worship songs as a beginner. As you continue to practise, you’ll begin to discover other notes which are more suitable. With time, I discovered that the other notes are “related” to the “baby bass notes”. As I carefully listen to the songs, I noticed that though the baby notes could fit well into the bass line, the related ones were more appropriate. But for now, let’s stick to the Basic Notes. Trust me, with time, you’ll be able to figure out the appropriate notes by yourself as you practise and continue to listen to more songs. Start with slow worship songs. The idea with this is for you to know exactly how each notes sounds
68 | P a g e
20.2 Hearing and Recognising Bass Notes As beginner keyboardists, it’s sometimes very difficult to recognise the sound of the bass notes. But we’ve got to practise harder and longer to know exactly which bass note is playing, just by listening. We’re going to play the basic notes together with their related notes
We’ll play a simple melody do (5th finger) - ti (4th finger) - do (1st finger) to accompany the bass lines.
At the end of each exercise, let someone play each of the basic and related notes with your eyes turned away from the keyboard. As you listen, try and guess the note being played You might make some mistakes. But keep trying
Rhythms, Beats, Quarter notes Before we begin with learning bass lines, there’s something else we need to study about beats. A beat can be described (for a layman) as the “timings” of a song This is refers to the rhythm (or beat) which a song plays. Please read about them on the internet.
69 | P a g e
We are going to experiment with the “do-fa-so-la” technique with the song “Here I Am To Worship” Verse 1 Light of the World You stepped down into darkness Open my eyes Let me see Beauty that made This heart adore You Hope of a life Spent with You [Chorus:] Here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You're my God You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me Verse 2 King of all days Oh, so highly exalted Glorious in Heaven above Humbly You came To the earth You created All for love's sake became poor [Bridge] I'll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross I'll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross [Chorus X2 Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved
70 | P a g e
Step 1: Listen to the song until you know the lyrics (I’d presume that you’ve done that already) Step 2: Break down the song into syllables Verse 1 Light
of
the
World
You
stepped
down in
-
to
dark
eyes.......
Let
me
see
dore
You
Op
-
ened
my
Beau
-
ty
that
-
ness
made
This
heart
a
-
Hope
of
a
Spent
with
You
Here
I
am
to
wor
Here
I
am
to
bow
down
Here
I
am
to
say
that
You're
my
God
You're
al
-
to
-
ge
ther
lo
life
[Chorus:]
al
-
to
-
ge
-
ther
al
-
to
-
ge
-
ther
won
-
ship
wor
-
thy
-
der
-
-
vely
ful
to
me
Verse 2 King
of
all
Oh,
so
high
-
ly
rious
in
Hea
-
-a-
ted
Glo
-
Hum -
bly
You
To
the
earth You
cre
All
for
love's
sake
days e - xal - ted ven
a - bove
-
came
came be
poor
[Bridge] I'll
ne - ver
know
To
see
sin
I'll
ne - ver
know
To
see
sin
up - on
my my
how up - on how
much it that
cross
much it that
cost cost
cross
Sing Chorus 2X [Ending] Call
up
-
on
the
name of
the
Lord
and
be
saved
Call
up
-
on
the
name of
the
Lord
and
be
saved 71 | P a g e
Step 3: Listen and Mark (in pencil) the Location of Bass Notes Verse 1 X Light
of of
the the
X World
You You
stepped stepped
X in down in
-
to to
-
en en
X ....... eyes.......
Let Let
me X me see
-
of ty
X dore
You
X Op X Beau
my my
the that
X dark
-
ness ness
X made
This
X heart
a
X Hope
of of
the a
Spent
X wiiiith
of You
Here
I
am
to
X wor
Here
I
am
to
X bow
down
to
X say
that
ther
X lo
-
vely
X wor
-
thy
-
ful
to
-
X life
[Chorus:]
Here
I
am
You're
X myyyyyy
God
You're
al
to
al
-
-
-
ge
-
al
-
to
-
ge
-
ther
to
-
ge
-
ther
X won
-
-
der
ship
me
72 | P a g e
Verse 2 X King
of of
the all X high
Oh,
so
-
rious
in
X Hea
X Hum -
bly
You
X came
To
X earth
You
cre
love's
X sake
X Glo
X All
-
the
for
X days of ly -
be
the e
X X -
ven
a
X -a-
ted
-
X caaame
xal
-
ted
bove
poor
[Bridge] I'll
ne
X -
X knoooow
ver
X To
see
I'll
ne
X -
X my
sin
X up - on
ver
X knoooow
how
X To
see
how
X muuuch
X my
X muuuch
X up - on
sin
it
X cooost
that
X cross
it
X cooost
that
X cross
Sing Chorus 2X [Ending] X Call X Call
up
up
-
-
on
on
the
the
name of
name of
the
X Looord
and be
X saaaved
the
X Looord and be
X saaaved
Step 4: Write down (in pencil) the basic notes which best fits each marked location 73 | P a g e
LESSON 21: Harmony: Understanding Chords As you listen to more songs, you’ll notice with time, that the keyboardist hardly plays melody notes. This is because the vocalists (singers) are doing that already. If he or she does, there would be very few. You’ll realise that most of what the keyboardist plays sounds just like the bass notes being played with the bass guitar. This is because the keyboard now plays the bass note with both hands.
The Three Voices In contemporary music, there are three (3) common voices under which choristers are grouped. These are:
Soprano (main melody note) Alto Tenor
Hymn ministrations also add bass vocalists
The soprano vocalists sing the actual melody notes of the song. The Alto and Tenor vocalists add a certain sweet touch to the song.
Adding the Alto and Tenor notes produces what we call a chord or triad. When all three notes are played simultaneously, you still hear the main soprano note The sweet sound produced is called a harmony.
We are going to hardly play melody notes in the future......we’ll actually stop We’ll play the bass notes with their corresponding chords with the right hand.
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21.1 The Three (3) Common Types of Chords As mentioned earlier, chords are centred around one main bass (melody) note. The bass note on which the chords are played is called the root note.
There are three (3) common types of chords under which are played in contemporary gospel music. These are:
The Root Chord
The 1st Inversion
The 2nd Inversion
What differentiates these chord types is the arrangement of the notes. We’re going to learn about them and how to use them in the next few lessons.
We’re going to learn these chords in the key of C.
Identifying the Notes in Diagrams The root notes will be highlighted with an orange circle as follows:
The other accompanying notes will be highlighted with a light green square:
If you’ve printed a grayscale version of this manual, you can use the shapes instead.
Before we begin, let your keyboardist play the chords for the following songs below. Someone should sing along:
Surround Me
Light of the World
Lord Prepare Me, To Be A Sanctuary
Come Holy Spirit, Let Your Fire Fall
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21.2 The Root Chord The root chord is arranged as follows:
Root Note is played with finger number one (1) The second (2nd) note is two (2) common notes away from root note, played with finger number (3) The last note is also two (2) common notes away from the 2nd note, played with finger number (5)
Below is the root chord for “do”
The root note, is “do” played with finger number 1 The 2nd note is “mi” played with finger number 3 The last note is “so” played with finger number 5
do
re
mi
fa
so
1
2
3
4
5
3
5
1
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Below is the root chord for “fa”
The root note, is “fa” played with finger number 1 The 2nd note is “la” played with finger number 3 The last note is “do” played with finger number 5
fa
re
la
fa
do
1
2
3
4
5
3
5
1
Exercise 21A Figure out the root chords for the following notes 1. so 2. la
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Below is the root chord for “so”
The root note, is “so” played with finger number 1 The 2nd note is “ti” played with finger number 3 The last note is “re” played with finger number 5
so
re
ti
fa
re
1
2
3
4
5
3
5
1
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Below is the root chord for “la”
The root note, is “so” played with finger number 1 The 2nd note is “ti” played with finger number 3 The last note is “re” played with finger number 5
la
re
do
fa
mi
1
2
3
4
5
3
5
1
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21.3 Root Chords of “Amazing Grace” Sometimes the best way to teach something in music is to give a practical. We’re going to play the chords for “Amazing Grace”. First, let’s construct the structure (melody notes with corresponding bass notes) of the song using all the steps we’ve learn previously.
do A –
do
maaaaaaa,
zing –
la That –
saved,
–
once,
a
–
wretch
was –
lost,
–
now,
||||| the
– sound
so |||||
like
– meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
fa |||||
but
–
so but
do
how – sweeeeeet
do
fa Was – blind,
fa |||||
fa
do I
graaaace
now
do |||||
am
–
found;
do |||||
I
–
seeeeeeee
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Chord Construction of “Amazing Grace” using Root Chord
do A –
maaaaaaa,
do re mi
do
1
1
2
3
so i5 4
fa
so i5 4
fa
do zing –
do
1
graaaace
do re
1
2
mi 3
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fa how – sweeeeeet
fa re la
fa
1
1
2
3
do i5 4
fa
do the
do
1
do re mi
1
2
3
– sound
so i5 4
fa
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la That –
saved
la
la
3
1
re do 3 2
mi 5 i4
fa
fa a – wretch
fa
1
fa re la
1
2
3
do i5 4
fa
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so like
– meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
so
so re
5
1
2
ti 3
re i5 4
fa
do I –
do
1
once,
do re mi
1
2
3
so i5 4
fa
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do was –
lost
do re
do
1
1
2
mi 3
so i5 4
fa
fa but – now
fa
1
fa re la
1
2
3
do i5 4
fa
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do am –
found
do re
do
1
1
2
mi 3
so i5 4
fa
fa Was – blind,
fa
1
fa re la
1
2
3
do i5 4
fa
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so but
–
now,
so
so re
5
1
2
ti 3
re i5 4
fa
do I
do
1
–
seeeeeeee
do re
1
2
mi 3
so i5 4
fa
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21.4 Inverted Chords Sometimes, the notes in a root chord need to be re-arranged so you can get a better sound. A chord with the notes re-arranged in order of appearance is called an inverted chord.
21.4A First Inversion The root note, is moved One (1) Octave Higher The other notes maintain their positions, but are played with different fingers:
2nd Note is played with finger number one (1)
3rd Note is played with finger number five (5)
Below is the first inversion for “do”
Root note is moved One (1) Octave Higher
do
re
mi
fa
so
2
1
4
2
la
ti
do
re
2
5
4
mi
2
1
5
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First Inversion for “fa”
Root note is moved One (1) Octave Higher
do
re
mi
fa
so
2
1
4
2
la
ti
do
re
2
5
4
mi
fa
2
1
5
Exercise 21B Let’s work out the the root chords for the following notes 1. so 2. la
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21.4B Second Inversion The 2nd Inversion is a modified version of the 1st inversion
The 2nd note (of the original root chord), is moved One (1) Octave Higher
The other notes maintain their positions, but are played with different fingers:
2nd Note (of the original root chord) is played with finger number one (1)
The root note is played with finger number one (1)
3rd Note (of the original root chord)is played with finger number five (5)
Second Inversion for “do”
2nd note is moved One (1) Octave Higher
do
re
mi
fa
so
2
1
4
1
la
ti
do
re
mi
2
3
4
5
1
3
5
Exercise 21C Figure out the root chords for the following notes 1. fa 2. so 3. la 90 | P a g e
LESSON 22: Chord Practice With Both Hands We are going are to practise chord finger movements with both hands. The purpose of these exercises is to help you move your fingers comfortably when playing chords
We’re going to use this chart to play these chord scales Play both hands simultaneously
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
Please note: You are not restricted by the “convenient inversions”; they’re just to help you move your fingers comfortably without crossing your fingers. Feel free to use any inversion you like.
Remember our motto:
Accuracy first, speed later
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22.1: Playing Root Chords on the Bass Place your hands on the keyboard as seen in the diagram below:
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
The Left hand plays root chords of the root notes
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
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C4
22.2: Playing Octave Intervals on the Bass Place your hands on the keyboard as seen in the diagram below:
A: Below is the chord for “do”
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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C4
B: Below is the chord for “re”
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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C: Below is the chord for “mi” (Using 1st inversion of “do”)
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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D: Below is the chord for “mi” (Using 2nd inversion of “so”)
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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E: Below is the chord for “fa”
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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F: Below is the chord for “so”
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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G: Below is the chord for “la”
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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H: Below is the chord for “ti”
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
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C4
I: Below is the chord for “do”
C1
D1
E1 F1
G1
A1
B1
C2 D2
E2
F2
G2
A2 B2
The Left hand plays notes one (1) octave apart of the root notes
C3
D3
E3
F3
G3
A3
B3
The Right hand plays chords on the chart Place your hands on the 1st inversion of “do” to begin
Bass Chord (Left)
Chord to Play on the Right
Convenient Inversion for Right Hand
do
do
1st inversion
re
fa
root chord
do
1st inversion
so
2nd inversion
fa
fa
root chord
so
so
2nd inversion
la
la
2nd inversion
ti
so
2nd inversion
do
do
1st inversion
mi
Play the chords from left to right and backwards for a whole day.......yeah, seriously:
do
re
mi
fa
so
la
ti
do
as always......accuracy first, speed later 101 | P a g e
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22.3: The Sustained 2nd (Sus 2) Chord This is another beautiful chord I discovered by accident. It’s very handy when you don’t know what to play on the left. The formula for this chord is:
1 (do)
2 (re)
5 (so)
Let’s try it in the Key of “C” (which is “do” in the key of “C”)
C D do re
E
F
G so
A
B
....and now in the Key of “F” (which is “fa” in the key of “C”)
F
G
A
B
do re
C
D
E
so
....and finally in “G” (which is “so” in the key of “C”)
F
G A do re
B
C
D so
E
1. When using a continuous voice (like “strings”) on your keyboard, hold all keys. 2. With static voices (like “piano”), press the keys at intervals whiles counting: 1 & 2 & 1 & 2 Strike the notes on the “1” beat 3. You can omit the “1” note when using the static voice; it’s very lovely 4. When you don’t know what bass note to play on the left, just play the do sus 2 on your right
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22.4 Some Irregular But Cool Chords There are some chords which have unusual corresponding chords on the right. For instance, mi on the left would normally have the same “mi” on the right hand. However, it is played with the formula as shown below. Study the other chords and practice them. Noticed how nice they sound? You can practice and see if you can apply them in some of the songs you’ve been practicing.
Actual Root Note
Right Hand Chord “do” 1st Inversion with “mi” changed to “re”
mi
(do – so – re) instead of the regular (do – so – mi)
“do” sus 2 “la” 2nd inversion
fa
“do” sus 2 “fa” sus 2
so la
“fa” root chord “fa” Sus 2 chord “do” 1st inversion “do” sus 2
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22.2 Chord Progressions As you continue to listen to songs and learn their chords, you’ll discover that there are patterns of chord combinations which are common to many songs. These are called chord progressions. Our Pastor, Reverend Edward Owusu Nyarko, always hammers on this, as he believes constantly practicing chord progressions will help every instrumentalist identify chords of songs he or she is hearing for the first time. We’ve managed to put together a number of chord progressions for you to practise.
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Chord Progression Drills Count “1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &” (slooooowly) after each chord ****Always prolong the last chord**** Example: do
fa
soooooooooooooooooooooooooo
1 – 2- 3 – 4
1 – 2- 3 – 4
1 – 2- 3 – 4
1 – 2- 3 – 4
1. Practice each progression 50 times (at least) 2. Be humming or singing out the root note as you play 3. After the 50th time, let someone play each chord and you’ll try to identify which one he/she just played without looking on your keyboard/bass guitar, etc 4. **Notice that each progression has a number of notes. This is something to treat as important
No. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
Chord Progression 1 - 4 - 1 1 - 4 - 5 1 - 4 - 6 - 4 1 - 4 - 6 - 5 1 - 3 - 4 - 5 1 - 4 - 5 - 1 1 - 5 - 4 1 - 5 - 2 - 4 1 - 5 - 6 - 3 1 - 6 1 - 6 - 4 - 5 1 - 6 - 2 - 5 1 - 6 - 2 - 4 1 - 6 - 2 - 3 1 - 7 - 6 - 5 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 2 - 5 2 - 5 - 1 2 - 4 - 5 2 - 4 - 5 - 1 4 - 5 - 1 4 - 6 - 5 5 - 1 5 - 1 - 4 6 - 1 - 4 - 5 6 - 4 - (count 1-2) 6 - 4 - 1 - 5 6 - 7 - 8(1) 6 - 5 - 4 7 - 8(1) 7 - 1 - 4 do - fi - so
4 - 1 - 4 - 5
5 4 - 5 4 - 3 - 2 - 1
5
No. of Notes/Bass Points 3 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 8 2 4 4 5 6 8 4 2 3 3 4 3 2 3 4 3 4 3 3 2 3 3 105 | P a g e
No. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38.
Chord Progression zi - la fi - zi - la di - re taw - so taw fa zi taw - do
No. of Notes/Bass Points 2 3 2 2 2 3
22.3: The “Behavioural Patterns” of Chord Progressions: Getting an idea of which chord follows another After playing the keyboard for a number of years, I’ve come to realize that there’s a possibility that chord progressions follow a certain patterns (but not straight rules). For instance take a look at these two chord progressions: do (1)
-
6 (la)
- 4 (fa) - 5 (so)
do (1)
-
4 (fa)
- 6 (la) - 5 (so)
You’ll notice the trend below even after studying other chord progressions: This chord:
can be followed by…
to create a feeling of
or by
to create a feeling of
do
“marching forward”
fa la so la la ti so do
“a pause”
(again)
mi so mi fa so la fa ti
ti
do
do
(again)
re mi fa so la la,
“jumping to end” “marching forward” “a pause” “jumping to end” “pretending to end” “a pause” “close to finish”
“pretending to end” “jumping to end” “pretending to end” “pretending to end” “close to finish” “jumping to end” “ending” or “starting”
“ending” or “starting”
As you keep practising, you’ll notice that the chord progressions which end with “do” (1) are used for melodies which give an ending. Examples: 2 – 5 – 1 6 – 7 – 8(1) 3 –5–1 4
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Lesson 23 Melody Note Patterns:
A New Experiment to Playing A Song That’s New To Your Ears Updated Tuesday, 01 March 2016, 8:56 PM
What We’ll Learn in This Chapter: 1. How the basic notes (do – re – mi – fa – so –la – ti – do) sound 2. Chord Progression Drills 3. A Study of How Chord Progressions Behave 4. Parts of A Song 5. The “do – fa – so – la” Method - Syllables: Breaking Down the Lyrics Into Individual Notes - Marking the Bass Points 6. Melody Note Patterns (An “Experiment” to Getting Chords)
Before we study this material, I want you to be sure you’ve done the following: 1. Mastered the art of finding the key to a song 2. Develop your skill of mapping out melodies of songs. That is, playing the tune with your right hand 3. Constantly practiced Chord Progressions
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1: The “Behavioural Patterns” of the Basic Notes
This note:
makes a song “behave” like it’s
do re mi fa so la ti
“ended” or “starting” “climbing” or “resting” “marching forward” “paused” “jumping to end” “pretending to end” “close to finish”
It’s closely related to:
mi fa do re do la so
so
la
4: Parts of a Song Before we start, I believe it will be good to study the basic structure of songs. Most songs have about four (4) basic parts: a. Verse: Many verses may have more than one (1) Most songs have the same melody for all verses and therefore the same chord progressions. b. Chorus: This, perhaps, is what the song talks all about c. Bridge: This is usually sung d. Vamp: This is a smaller verse sung at the end of the song and is repeated several times.
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5: The “do – fa – so – la” Method: The New (Beginner) Instrumentalist’s Friend This was the technique I used when I started learning how to play the bass section (left hand) of the keyboard. As a beginner, I noticed that the easiest way to get a basically good bass line was to use the following notes:
“do”,
“fa”,
“so”,
and
“la”
After you’ve marked out the positions of the bass lines, figure out which one best fits into the marking. Though these notes are not always “extremely accurate”, they are the easiest way to start playing simple worship songs as a beginner. As you constantly practice, you’ll begin to discover other notes which are more suitable. With time, I discovered that the other notes are “related” to the “baby bass notes”. As I carefully listen to the songs, I noticed that though the baby notes could fit well into the bass line, the related ones were more appropriate. But for now, let’s stick to the Basic Notes. Trust me, with time, you’ll be able to figure out the appropriate notes by yourself as you practice and continue to listen to more songs. Start with slow worship songs. The idea with this is for you to know exactly how each notes sounds
This is what you should have in mind as you play notes or chords one by one……slowly: This note:
makes a song “behave” like it’s
do re mi fa so la ti
“Ended” or “starting” “climbing” or “resting” “marching forward” “paused” “jumping to end” “pretending to end” “close to finish”
It’s closely related to:
mi fa do re do do so
so
la
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We are going to experiment with the “do-fa-so-la” technique with the song “Here I Am To Worship” Step 1: Listen to the song until you know the lyrics (I’d presume that you’ve done that already) Verse 1 Light of the World You stepped down into darkness Open my eyes Let me see Beauty that made This heart adore You Hope of a life Spent with You [Chorus:] Here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You're my God You're altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me Verse 2 King of all days Oh, so highly exalted Glorious in Heaven above Humbly You came To the earth You created All for love's sake became poor [Bridge] I'll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross I'll never know how much it cost To see my sin upon that cross [Chorus X2 Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved 110 | P a g e
Step 2: Break down the song into syllables Verse 1 Light
of
the
World
You
stepped
down in
-
to
dark
eyes.......
Let
me
see
dore
You
Op
-
ened
my
Beau
-
ty
that
-
ness
made
This
heart
a
-
Hope
of
a
Spent
with
You
Here
I
am
to
wor
Here
I
am
to
bow
down
Here
I
am
to
say
that
You're
my
God
You're
al
-
to
-
ge
ther
lo
life
[Chorus:]
al
-
to
-
ge
-
ther
al
-
to
-
ge
-
ther
won
-
ship
wor
-
thy
-
der
-
-
vely
ful
to
me
Verse 2 King
of
all
Oh,
so
high
-
ly
rious
in
Hea
-
-a-
ted
Glo
-
Hum -
bly
You
To
the
earth You
cre
All
for
love's
sake
days e - xal - ted ven
a - bove
-
came
came be
poor
[Bridge] I'll
ne - ver
know
To
see
sin
I'll
ne - ver
know
To
see
sin
up - on
my my
how up - on how
much it that
cross
much it that
cost cost
cross
Sing Chorus 2X [Ending] Call
up
-
on
the
name of
the
Lord
and
be
saved
Call
up
-
on
the
name of
the
Lord
and
be
saved 111 | P a g e
Step 3: Listen and Mark (in pencil) the Location of Bass Notes Verse 1 X Light
of of
the the
X World
You You
stepped stepped
X in down in
-
to to
-
en en
X ....... eyes.......
Let Let
me X me see
-
of ty
X dore
You
X Op X Beau
my my
the
X made
-
that
This
X heart
a
X Hope
of of
the a
Spent
X wiiiith
of You
X dark
-
ness ness
X life
[Chorus:] Here
I
Here
am
I
am
Here
I
am
You're
X myyyyyy
God
You're
al
al
al
-
to
-
-
-
to
to
ge
-
-
-
to
X wor
to
X bow
down
to
X say
that
ther
X lo
-
vely
X wor
-
thy
-
ful
to
ge
-
ge
-
ther
ther
X X won
-
-
der
ship
me
112 | P a g e
Verse 2 X
of
the
X
King
of
all
days
X
of
the
ly
e
Oh,
so
high
X Glo
-
-
rious
in
xal
-
ted
X
Hea
-
ven
a
-
bove
X
Hum -
bly
You
came
X the
X
earth
You
X All
-
X
X
To
X
cre
-a-
X for
love's
ted
X
sake
be
-
caaame
poor
[Bridge] X I'll
ne
-
X ver
knoooow
X To
see
X my
sin
X I'll
ne
-
see
how
muuuch
ver
X my
sin
it
that
X how
cooost
X
up - on
knoooow
X
X
X
X To
X
muuuch
X it
X up - on
cross
cooost
X that
cross
Sing Chorus 2X 113 | P a g e
[Ending] X Call
X up
-
on
the
name of
the
X Call
Looord
X and be
X up
-
on
the
name of
the
Looord and be
saaaved
X saaaved
Try to use the do-fa-so-la method to see which chord fits. Play until you get a suitable sound
114 | P a g e
Melody Patterns (A New Experiment to Getting Chords) As an instrumentalist, there are times when you’ll have to play songs which you’ve not even heard before. For instance, a person giving a testimony may unexpectedly decide to minister a song you’ve not practiced or even heard before.
This is one of the moments which every instrumentalist dreads: having to play a song you’ve not practiced or even heard before!! The art of knowing which chord to play when you hear a melody has been something extremely difficult to teach; it’s a skill you’ll have to develop on your own with constant practice. One of the common ways which works is constant practice of chord progressions.
A new discovery: I’ve now remembered that I used to do some “trial – and – error”: playing the melodies (either with my fingers or in my mind), whiles learning the “do – fa – so – la” method As you keep practicing your chord progressions very well, you’ll be able to identify almost any chord when you’re listening to a song.
Recently, I have also noticed another principle which I may have used unconsciously: I call them
Melody Patterns.
I’ve come to realize that there are melodies (or tunes) which are common to many Gospel songs. I may have unconsciously “discovered” this principle after I continuously practiced and perfected the skill of mapping out melodies. It’s possible that I may unconsciously combined these “common melodies” with chord progressions so well that with time, I was able to play the chords of many songs without any supervision.
I discovered that these melodies matched with certain bass notes (chords). 115 | P a g e
As at this day (2nd February, 2016), I am yet to experiment this newfound principle of mine. I believe that when you
combine these “common melodies” with the chord progressions
and the “do-fa-so-la” method, you may be on your way to playing chords for new songs with very little help, if any. On the next page is a list of common Melody Note Patterns which appear in a lot of songs. It’s my hope that after practicing each of these patterns and their applicable chords, you’ll be on your way to playing chords (backing) for almost any song you’re which you’ve not practiced before….or even those you’ve not heard before. Practice each pattern for a minimum of fifty
(50) times
Study this hand-in-hand with your Chord Progressions (very important) The chords commonly applied to these patterns have been written as subscripts. They are played with the melody notes adjacent to them. This depends on the timing
If you’ve practiced your chord progressions very well, you’ll also be able to tell which chord should follow after you hear a particular melody.
I can dare say that many song composers use these melody patterns without knowing....... there is nothing new under the sun That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
116 | P a g e
Octavious Octaves Again oo!! Some notes are played in different octaves. Look at this diagram to refresh your mind on octaves. One (1) Octave
One (1) Octave
One (1) Octave
C1 D1 E1 F1 G1 A1 B1 C2 D2 E2 F2 G2 A2 B2 C3 D3 E3 F3 G3 A3 B2
117 | P a g e
Common Melody Note Patterns and Applicable Chords Updated Monday, 08 February 2016; 7:36 PM These are just a few (97) of over a billion melodies which you may have heard in so many songs. The chord for each melody has been written as a subscript (in the brackets) beside the note where it is played.
Remember this: The melody notes will be sang by the vocalist(s) (another word for singer(s)); you will be playing the chords with both hands. You should therefore memorise the tune of each melody as much as you can. To help you achieve this, a number of melody exercises have been created to enable you put the melody patterns into practice.
Play each exercise about two (2) times. Memorise the melody per each chord Sing along by humming or better still, singing aloud (sing in key) the melody notes for each chord as you hear them. (you’ll still play 50 times....)
With time, you’ll be able to identify these melody patterns in songs and predict the chord(s) that go(es) with each melody...even if that’s the first time you’re hearing the song.
118 | P a g e
Melody Patterns Updated Monday, 08 February 2016; 7:36 PM Melody Pattern
Type of Pattern
do - mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
Example of Song
Where it appears
do – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
Hon Hom Kron Kron
Hom-Hom-KronKron
do – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
Makes Me Wanna Shout
When – I – Think
do – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
Only You Are Holy (D. McKlurkin)
On – ly – You
do – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
Will Your Anchor Hold
Will – Your – An
do – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
Let the Rain of Your Presence
Let – the – rain
do – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
You Are My Strength
Are – my – strength
do – la(1st oct) – so(do)
1 - End/Starter
Mogya Ni Mu’oo
Gya – Ni – mu’ooo
do – ti - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
re – do - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
re – do - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
re – do(do) (4 beats between)
1 - End/Starter
re – mi - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
re – mi - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
re – mi - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
re – mi – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – fa – quick pause(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – fa - so(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – fa – so(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – fa – so(do)
1 - End/Starter
Here Am I, Send Me
Here – am – I
mi – mi – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
I Have No Other God But You
Glo – ry – Lord
mi – re – do – re(do) – do
1 - End/Starter
mi – re – do – re(do) – do
1 - End/Starter
mi – re - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – re - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – re - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – re – mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
Fa M’akoma (by Nii Okai) Your Presence Is Heaven To Me (Israel Houghton) Yesu Eeee!! (“Wo So” by E. Zuta)
m’a – ko – ma Face – to - face Ye – Su – eee!!
Ay3yi Wura eee!!
Y3 – yi - Wuraaee
Let the Rain of Your Presence
That – I – go
Mogya Ni Mo oo
Gya – Ni – Mo’oo
Awesome God, How Great Thou Art You’re All I Want (Draw Me Close To You) You Are Awesome In This Place You Are Awesome In This Place
Yesu Eeeee!! I Can Only Imagine
Are – You, - LORD To - You You – are - awe As – I - come
Tu – mi – y3 – Wo di On – ly – i – ma – giiine
Lord Prepare Me
Lord – pre – pare
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Ma – ry – had
Pindukulu (or Ye Yi Woa Y3) Captivate My Heart (T. MaCalmon Shepherd of My Soul
Du – ku – lu Cap – ti – vate She – pherd - of
119 | P a g e
Melody Pattern
Type of Pattern
mi – re – re – do – do(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – so - so(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi1st oct – so1st oct do2nd oct
(do)
1 - End/Starter
fa – fa - mi(do)
1 - End/Starter
so – do – (pause) (do)
1 - End/Starter
so - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
So – re – do - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
so(do) – so - so
1 - End/Starter
so1st oct – mi2nd oct(do)
1 - End/Starter
so1st oct – re2nd oct – do1st oct(do)
1 - End/Starter
so1st oct – re2nd oct – do1st oct(do)
1 - End/Starter
So – ti - do
1 - End/Starter
La - so
1 - End/Starter
la – la(fa) – so – fa - so(do)
1 - End/Starter
la – ti - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
ti - do(do)
1 - End/Starter
mi – so – fa(pause + re)
Example of Song Ancient Words, Ever True You’re All I Want (Draw Me Close To You) I Have No Other God But You
Where it appears
An – cient - Words Draw – me - close Ho – nour - Youuuuu
How Great Is Our God
How – greaaaat
How Great Is Our God
How - Great
I Worship You, Almighty God You Are Awesome In This Place I Have No Other God But You How Great Is Our God
Jesus is Love (by Lionel Richie) I Worship You, Almighty God
I – wor – ship – You Awe – some - in Buuut - Youuuuu Is – our – God
intro Like – You
You Raised Me Up
Raised – me – up
2 - a climb or resting
Captivate My Heart (T. MaCalmon
Vate – my - soul
mi – so – fa(pause + re)
2 - a climb or resting
Shepherd of My Soul
la – fa(re)
2 - a climb or resting
re – mi – fa(re)
2 - a climb or resting
so – fa(re)
2 - a climb or resting
so – fa(re)
2 - a climb or resting
do2nd oct - so(mi)
3 – marching forward 3 – marching forward
la – la(fa) – so – fa - so(mi)
Change My Heart, Oh LORD I Surrender All (W. McDowell) Captivate My Heart (T. Macalmon)
Oh - Looord I – surr - reeen My - heart
Shepherd of My Soul
My - soul
do –ti - la(fa) Re – do - la(2nd oct) (fa) mi – do - la(fa)
4 - A pause
Ansa Na’onipa B3 Y3
An – sa – n’oo - ni
4 - A pause
Ay3yi Wuraa ee
Y3 – yi – Wuraaee!!
4 - A pause
Will Your Anchor Hold
An – chor – hold
mi – do - la(fa)
4 - A pause
mi – re – do - la(fa)
4 - A pause
mi – re - do(fa)
4 - A pause
mi – re - do(fa)
4 - A pause
Only You Are Holy (D. McKlurkin) I Worship You, Almighty God I Worship You, Almighty God Let the Rain of Your Presence
You – are - Hoooo There – is – none – like There – is – none E – v’ry - where
120 | P a g e
Melody Pattern
Type of Pattern
Example of Song
Where it appears
mi – so - fa(fa) so – la(fa)
4 - A pause
so1st oct – do1st oct - do1st oct(fa)
4 - A pause
I Belong To You (W. McDowell)
Loooong - to – You
so1st oct – do2nd oct – ti - la(fa)
4 - A pause
Ansa N’onipa, B3 Y3…..
An – sa – na’o - ni
La – ti - do(fa)
4 - A pause
I Worship You, Almighty God
That – is – what
mi(do) -do – re(so)(sustained)
5 - Jumping to End
Majesty
Maaaa – jes – tyyy
do – do – re – re(so)
5 - Jumping to End
Sing Out (by Ron Kenoly)
The – LORD – is here
do - la(so) do – mi - re(so) do - re(so) re(so) (i.e. “re” on its own) la – so – so(so) la – ti(so) la – ti(so) mi – fa - re(so)
5 - Jumping to End More of You (by Sinach)
As – You – are
5 - Jumping to End
Ansa Na’onipa B3 Y3
B3 – y3
5 - Jumping to End
Light of The World
Of – the – world
mi – fa - so(so)
5 - Jumping to End
mi – mi(re) – mi(so)
5 - Jumping to End
mi – mi(so) – re
5 - Jumping to End
mi – mi(so) – re
5 - Jumping to End
mi – re - do(so)
5 - Jumping to End
I have No Other God
O – ther - God
mi(re) -do – re(so)(sustained)
5 - Jumping to End
I Surrender All (W. McDowell)
To - You
mi – re(so)
5 - Jumping to End
re – mi - re(so)
5 - Jumping to End
so – do – do - ti(so)
5 - Jumping to End
so – re(so)
5 - Jumping to End
so – do – ti(so)
5 - Jumping to End
so – mi - re(so)
5 - Jumping to End
so1st oct – do2nd oct(so) so1st oct – do - re(so)
5 - Jumping to End
How Great Is Our God
How – greeaaaat
5 - Jumping to End
I Give Myself Away
Here – I – stand
so - re(so)
5 - Jumping to End
I Worship You, Almighty
(Oh – Prince) or (Al –Migh)
mi – re - do(la)
6 - Pretending to end
Let the Rain of Your Presence
Fall – on – me
mi – re – re – do – do(la)
6 - Pretending to end
How Great Is Our God
Sing – with – me – how – Great
do - mi(la) fa(sus) – fa - mi(la)
6 - Pretending to end I Surrender All (W.
Reeen – der – all
You – Have – done
4 - A pause
5 - Jumping to End 5 - Jumping to End 5 - Jumping to End 5 - Jumping to End 5 - Jumping to End
6 - Pretending to end
I Belong To You (McDowell) I worship You, Almighty God Let the Rain of Your Presence Your Presence Is Heaven To Me (Israel Houghton)
Let the Rain of Your Presence Fill My Cup Lord (Bread of Heaven) Open The Flood Gates (Sonnie Badoo) Ancient Words, Ever True
I – be – loooong
Your – Pre – sence Your – Pre – sence
Breath – I - breathe Lift – it – up, – Lord
Cause – Your – rain E – ver - true
121 | P a g e
Melody Pattern
Type of Pattern
Example of Song
Where it appears
McDowell)
mi - mi(la) mi – so - la(la) ti - do(la)
6 - Pretending to end
Tell Me, What Do I Do?
Tell – me
6 - Pretending to end
Here Am I, Send Me
Here – am – I
mi – fa - so(ti)
7 – Close to Finish
I Belong To You (McDowell)
I – be – loooong
6 - Pretending to end
122 | P a g e
Melody Pattern Exercises As mentioned earlier (…..i hope I did), it is very difficult to directly teach a student which chord to play when melody notes are being played. It’s something every student has to discover for him/herself. But I believe we are gradually close to making this a possibility through the constant practice of chord progressions, melody note patterns, and the application of the “do – fa – so – la” method. I believe that constant practice (a minimum of 50times) of the techniques we’re learning will enable us become perfect. We’re therefore going to practice a lot of melody tunes with their corresponding chords. With time you’ll be able to play just about any song. As you practice each exercise, you’ll encounter a lot of chord progressions and melody patterns. Most of the tunes are melodies of songs which you may have heard before. Some of them have actually been composed by me.
The Melody Exercises will be your tutor.
updated....
so expect more from
123 | P a g e
Take Action!! Do It Yourself!! There are a billion melody exercises which can be created. But we can’t put all of them in this book. But you can create your own exercises............and even add words to create your own gospel song!! Just follow this step-by-step procedure: Step 1: Look through the chord progression drills and pick a progression you love. For example, let’s take Step 2: Pick any melody which can be played under each chord....be mindful of the timings.
mi – re – mi(do)
so – re(so)
1 & 2 & 3 &
& 3 & 4
do2nd oct so(mi)
do – ti - do(fa)
&
4
3
&
&
1
do - mi(la)
& &
4
&
re(so) –
& 2
& 3
&
1
& 2
-
-
do(do)
4
& 1
& 2&3&4&
Timings: Please go on the internet and read about musical beats (crotchets, quavers, etc)
You should also watch the movie called “Drum
Line”
124 | P a g e
Remember our motto:
practice each exercise 50 times
Exercise M1 Timing: tap your feet slowly like this: 1, & 2, & 3, & 4, &
fa
so
mi2 – so2 – fa2 ;
mi2 re2 do1;
1 & 2 & 4 &
&
3
fa
do
so1 &
so
mi2 – so2 – fa2 ; mi2 – re2 do1; 1 & 2 & 3 & & 4 &
miiiiiiiiiii2
4
&
ti1 – 4 &
1
& 2
& 3
do
dooooooooooo2 1 & 2 & 3
Exercise M2 Timing: tap your feet slowly like this: 1, & 2, & 3, & 4, &
do
fa
mi2 – mi2 – fa2 – so2 ; 1
&
2
&
3
fa2 –
&
4
& 1
& 2
la
so
mi2 – reeeeeeee2 & 3
&
125 | P a g e
&
Exercise M3 Timing: tap your feet slowly like this: 1, & 2, & 3, & 4, &
do
so
mi2 – re2 – do2 ;
do2 -mi2 - reee
1 & 2 & 3 &
fa
& 4 & 2
do2- mi2 - reee
1 & 2 & 3 &
la
&
3
& 4 & 2
so
mi2 – re2 – do2 ;
do2 - mi2 - reee
& 2 & & 3 &
fa
3
& 4 &
so
mi2 – re2 – do2 ; 1 1
3
so
mi2 – re2 – do2 ;
1 2
&
do2 - mi2 - reee & & 2
2 & 3 & 3 &
& & 2
2 & 3 & 3 &
&
4
&
do
mi2 – re2 – do2 ; 1 1
&
4
&
126 | P a g e
Exercise M4 Timing: tap your feet slowly like this: 1, & 2, & 3, & 4, &
do
do – re – mi
1 4
& 2 &
& 3
&
la
do – re – mi(la)
1
& 2
& 3
&
mi
-
4
& 1
so
do
- re(so)
& 2
& 3
&
fa
do
- la(Previous Octave)
4
& 1
& 2
& 3
&
4
&
Exercise M5 Timing: tap your feet slowly like this: 1, & 2, & 3, & 4, &
do
so
do – ti - do
1
so1st oct – do
& 2
& 3
&
re re – mi – fa
1 4
fa
& 2 &
& 3
-
re
4
& 1 & 2
fa
so
-
mi
&
4
- do
-
& 3
&
& 3
&
4
&
re
& 1 & 2
127 | P a g e
Exercise M6 Timing: tap your feet slowly like this: 1, & 2, & 3, & 4, &
do
fa
mi – so – so
1 4
fa
& 2 &
& 3
la
do
mi – so – so
fa
1 4
& 2 &
& 3
-
&
mi
4
- do
so
- re**
& 1 & 2
& 3
&
so -
&
mi
4
- do
-
la**
& 1 & 2
& 3
&
128 | P a g e
Exercise M7 Timing: tap your feet slowly like this: 1, & 2, & 3, & 4, &
Line 1
do
so – re
1
–
-
& 2
do
so
do - do
& 3
so – re
&
4
la
–
- mi - do
& 1 & 2
& 3
&
4
& 1
&
4
&
&
4
& 1
Line 2
fa
mi – re do
& 2
& 3
-
&
do
so
la1st Oct- so
4
& 1 & 2
& 3
Line 3
do
so – re
1
–
-
& 2
do
do - do
& 3
Line 4
fa
la – ti do
& 2
so
& 3
so – re
&
4
la
–
- mi - do
& 1 & 2
do
mi -
& 3
so
-
re
-
-
fa re
&
4
& 1 & 2
& 3
&
4
&
& 3
&
4
&
Line 5: (Repeat Line 1)
Line 6
fa
mi – re do
& 2
& 3
-
&
do
ti1st Oct- do
4
& 1 & 2
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Experimental Tip (Combining the Principles of Chord Progressions, do-fa-so-la” and Melody Patterns) 1. Play the tune in your head 2. Find the Key of the song (be very quick) 3. Listen out for the bass points 4. Put your hand on the “do” and play the Suspended 2nd Chord together with the bass points
below is a quick view of how the suspended 2nd looks like (in C)
C
D
E
F
do re
G
A
B
so
If you’re playing a bass guitar, stay on “do”. Like the keyboard, play according to the bass points One thing you should remember is that “do” is the universal note for all songs. You can play it throughout a song when you’re not sure of what chord to play.
5. Listen out for a Melody Pattern 6. Ask (very quickly): “what chord(s) will fit?” If you’ve been practising the melody patterns and chord progressions, you’ll be able to get the chords almost accurately.....and with time, perfectly. Just keep practicing. 7. What chord will follow that chord? (Look at the Chord Patterns table to practice) 8. When you notice the pattern, you can also ask, “Which possible Chord Progression might apply”?
It’s easier to play chord progressions for the verses since all verses may** have the same tune and therefore the same chord
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Lesson 24 Advanced Chords We’re still preparing notes for this chapter. But don’t wait for us........Take your destiny into your own hands..... Log on to www.pianochord.com You’ll learn everything you need to know over there. When you’ve carefully studied the various kinds of chords, you can also go on Google and download videos from GREGG HANNON one of the world’s best keyboard tutors. Gregg applies these chords a lot. When you’re doing studying these advanced chords, the next few pages contain a few chord progressions in which some of these chords have been applied by Gregg
We have also done our best to disintegrate (break down) each chord to make easier to understand. 131 | P a g e
Instrumentalists’ Toolkit
LIGHTHOUSE CHAPEL INTERNATIONAL La-Nkwantanang Branch Kabzeel Diocese
The 2(re) - 5(so) - 1(do) Chord Progression Using Minor 9th (m9), Dominant 13th (Dom 13), and Major 9th (M9) The “2
– 5 – 1” chord progression is commonly used for ending songs or lines in songs.
There are several chords types (the advanced ones we’re studying) which could be used individually or combined to produce very lovely chord sounds.
In this lesson, we’re going to use the following combination for the 2 – 5 – 1 :
We’ll construct the chords in the key of “C”. However, YOU…… yes you….. are going to: 1. Construct each chord type in all
12 keys
2. Practice each chord type at least 50
times in all 12 keys
3. Go on the internet to find how the different chord types are used in progressions 4. Apply these progressions in songs which you already know how to play in the “old style”
132 | P a g e
Using Minor
9
for the “2” Chord
1
3b
5
7b
9(2)
do
maw
so
taw
re
The squared note is the root note;
the circled notes form the major triad of the key on which “maw” falls
always ask “which key makes the “maw” of the root (main) key?” Let’s try the formula on a few keys C minor 9th Play with Left Hand
Play with Right Hand
Eb
C
Bb
C
D
G
1
3b
5
7b
9(2)
do
maw
so
taw
re
Major Triad of “Eb” which is “maw” D minor 9th In the key of C, our 2 (re) falls on D
Ab
D
D
Eb
F
A
C
E
1
3b
5
7b
9(2)
do
maw
so
taw
re
Major Triad of “Ab” which is “maw” 133 | P a g e
Using the Dominant 1
7b
do
taw
13th for the “5” Chord
9(2)
3
13(6)
re
mi
la
The squared note is the root note;
the last three (3) notes form the suspended 2nd of the key on which “re” falls
always ask “which key makes the “re” of the root (main) key?”
C
D
below is a quick view of how the suspended 2nd looks like (in C)
E
F
do re
G
A
B
so
Let’s try the formula on a few keys
In the key of C, our 5 (so) falls on G G Dominant 13th Play with Right Hand
Play with Left Hand
Jump back one (1) Tone
G
F
1 do
A
B
7b
9(2)
3
13(6)
taw
re
mi
la
“do” and “taw” are 1 tone apart
G
C
D
E
Sus 2 Chord of “A” which is “re” 134 | P a g e
Moving From “2” (re) also “4” (fa) to “5” (so) with ease
Keep your fingers still on the 2 (or 4 if that’s what you’re playing
Move the last-but-one note by one semitone
Play with Left Hand Play with Right Hand
Jump back one (1) Tone
D
F
G
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
The circles indicate the “2” (re) [or “4” (fa)] chord
The diamond shapes indicate the “5” (so) chord
135 | P a g e
Using the Major
1
3
do
mi
9th for The “1” Chord
5
7
9(2)
so
ti
re
The squared note is the root note;
the circled notes form the minor triad of the key on which “mi” falls
always ask “which key makes the “mi” of the root (main) key?”
In the key of C, our “1” (do) falls on C
C Dominant 13th
Play with Left Hand
Play with Right Hand
D
E
F
G
C
C
A
B
C
D
1
1
3
5
7
9(2)
do
do
mi
so
ti
re
Minor Triad of “e” which is “mi”
136 | P a g e
