KEYBOARD LESSONS: Advanced Methods to Keyboard Mastery

By Green Light Studios

Have you ever wondered why learning the basics of playing a keyboard is not enough? Why do we need to take advanced lessons and hone our skills even further? How can advanced keyboard lessons push your hobby into something more serious, possibly as far as a career in music? This book will explore why advancing your keyboard learning journey is s

• Language: English
• Publisher: Green Light Studios
• Release date: Jul 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088002506

Book preview

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why learning the basics of playing a keyboard is not enough? Why do we need to take advanced lessons and hone our skills even further? How can advanced keyboard lessons push your hobby into something more serious, possibly as far as a career in music? This book will explore why advancing your keyboard learning journey is so important and how it can help you reach greater heights in the music industry.

First off, what exactly do advanced keyboard lessons entail? Many keyboard books provide basic tutorials on playing chords, scales, and other simple sounds, but these are too rudimentary for those who wish to take their music to the next level. Advanced keyboard lessons delve into more complex topics such as trills, textures, leaps, and even jazz and blues music. Through chapters 1-2, readers will learn about advanced chords to play on the piano. Chapter 3 explores melodic and harmonic scales, while chapter 4 delves into trills, textures, and leaps. It’s important to practice what you have learned and find ways to apply it within various musical genres and settings. In Chapters 5 and 6, we look at jazz and blues music as well as honing techniques to become a better player. We will look at how classical music can benefit from keyboard-playing techniques and explore jazz, pop, rock, and blues styles. With this knowledge under your belt, you will be in a position to bring creative energy into any performance.

At this point, many readers may be asking, ‘why bother with all this additional complexity’? The answer is simple: advances in keyboard playing open up an entirely new world of possibilities for enthusiasts. It allows them to truly express themselves through their instrument instead of relying on preprogrammed sounds or repeating the same chords over again. It will help you create unique pieces of work that stand out from the rest and be recognized for their musicality rather than just instrumental knowledge.

Moreover, polishing one’s skills with advanced playing techniques opens up opportunities in the music industry which were previously unavailable before you’d mastered specific techniques or understood particular musical styles better. For example, somebody skilled in jazz music may be headhunted by a group looking for a new member or be asked by an artist to collaborate with them on an album to fit in with their unique style; you might even be offered contracts by labels looking for new talent! These are some of the benefits that come with taking serious courses after mastering the basics of keyboards.

Whether you are an experienced musician or a novice just starting out, mastering the advanced techniques of keyboard playing can be complex and difficult. This book seeks to explore all aspects of the instrument in-depth, guiding readers through each topic with clear instructions and helpful tips. By the time you have finished reading, you will have a comprehensive understanding of the instrument and be able to play with skill and confidence.

Chapter 1

New Chords Part 1

A chord establishes the harmony of a song by combining multiple notes played simultaneously. This means that multiple keys must be pressed simultaneously to create a chord on the piano, and they can be categorized into different types.

The number of notes within a chord is the distinguishing factor between chords. Examples include the most common three-note piano chord, the triad, as well as four-note, five-note, six-note, and even seven-note chords.

All piano chords consist of a root note and one or more additional notes. The name of the chord is derived from its root note. The simplest piano chords consist of only two or three notes, whereas more complex chords frequently contain additional keys.

Minor Chords

This type of chord is created using the scale’s root note, flat third, and fifth notes. It is represented by the symbols mi, m, or -. For example, G minor is written as Gmi, Gm, or G-. Gm is the most common of these.

The minor chords chart is represented as follows:

C minor – C E♭ G

C sharp minor – C♯ E G♯

D minor – D F A

E flat minor – E♭ G♭ B♭

E minor – E G B

F minor – F A♭ C

F sharp minor – F♯ A C♯

G minor – G B♭ D

A flat minor – A♭ B E♭

A minor – A C E

B flat minor – B♭ D♭ F

B minor – B D F♯

Major Chords

The three notes that make up a major chord are the root note, the third note, and the fifth note. It is arguably the most fundamental piano chord. It is denoted by Maj. For example, C major is written as C Maj.

The following make up the major chords and the notes which form them:

C major – C E G

C sharp major – C♯ E♯ G♯

D major – D F♯ A

E flat major – E♭ G B♭

E major – E G♯ B

F major – F A C

F sharp major – F♯ A♯ C♯

G major – G B D

A flat major – A♭ C E♭

A major – A C♯ E

Bb major – B♭ D F

B major – B D♯ F♯

Minor and major chords make up the triad. The triad is a three-note chord composed of the scale’s root, third, and fifth notes. If the chord is a minor triad, you play a flat third.

Augmented Chords

As triads, augmented chords consist of the scale’s root note, sharp fifth (#5th), and third. Augmented chords are denoted by the prefix Aug or +. For instance, Caug or C+ are used to represent C augmented.

The notes that make up the 12 augmented chords are listed below:

C augmented – C E G♯

C♯ augmented – C♯(F) A

D augmented – D F♯ A♯

E♭ augmented – E♭ G B

E augmented – E G♯ B♯(C)

F augmented – F A C♯

F♯ augmented – F♯ A♯ CD

G augmented – G B D♯

A♭ augmented – A♭ C E

A augmented – A C♯ F

B♭ augmented – B♭ D F♯

B augmented – B D♯ G

9th Augmented 5th Chord

On a major scale, a 9th augmented 5th chord is formed by combining the root, third, fifth, ♭7th, and ninth notes. The designation is 9#5. For instance, the chord G 9th augmented 5th can be represented as G9#5.

The chart for the ninth augmented fifth chord is shown below:

C ninth augmented fifth – C E G♯ B♭ D

C♯ ninth augmented fifth – C♯ F GA B D♯

D ninth augmented fifth – D F♯ A♯ C E

E♭ ninth augmented fifth – E♭ G B D♭ F

E ninth augmented fifth – E G♯ C D F♯

F ninth augmented fifth – F A C♯ E♭ G

F♯ ninth augmented fifth – F♯ A♯ CD E G♯

G ninth augmented fifth – G B D♯ F A

A♭ ninth augmented fifth – A♭ C E G♭ B♭

A ninth augmented fifth – A C♯ F G B

B♭ ninth augmented fifth – B♭ D F♯ A♭ C

B ninth augmented fifth – B D♯ G A C♯

Diminished Chords

Diminished chords are made up of the root, the flat third (♭3rd), and the flat fifth (♭5th). It is also a triad. The sign dim or ° is used to indicate it. For example, B diminished is represented as Bdim or B°.

The notes of the C major scale are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. To produce the Cdim chord, retain the C minor chord and flatten the fifth note of the scale, G. Play a G flat chord instead of a typical minor chord. A major C-E-G chord can also be played by flattening the third and fifth notes of the scale, resulting in a C - E♭ - G♭ chord.

To produce any diminished chord on the piano, hold the root note, skip two keys each time, and play the key to the right of the two keys skipped.

Root plus three half steps plus three half steps (Root + 3HS + 3HS) is the diminished chord formula.

The following notes comprise the 12 diminished chords chart:

C diminished – C E♭ G♭

C♯ diminished – C♯ E G

D diminished – D F A♭

E♭ diminished – E♭ G♭ A

E diminished – E G B♭

F diminished – F A♭ B

F♯ diminished – F♯ A C

G diminished – G B♭ D♭

A♭ diminished – A♭ C♭ D

A diminished – A C E♭

B♭ diminished – B♭ D♭ F♭(E)

B diminished – B D F

C dim 7 is used to indicate a diminished seventh chord across most music manuals. It is made up of four notes: the root note C, the flat third (♭3rd), the flat fifth (♭5th), and the double flat seventh (♭♭7th) of the scale. A C°7 or Cdim7 chord, for example, can be written as C E♭ G♭ A.

Cdim or C° is produced in some music theory and modern jazz publications by playing the triad without the seventh. When you come across chords like Cm6 (♭5), Cdim7, or C°7, play the seventh.

Below are the diminished seventh chords and the notes that make them up:

C diminished seventh – C E♭ G♭ A

C♯ diminished seventh – C♯ E G B♭

D diminished seventh – D F A♭ C♭(B)

E♭ diminished seventh – E♭ G♭ A C

E diminished seventh – E G B♭ D♭

F diminished seventh – F A♭ B D

F♯ diminished seventh – F♯ A C E♭

G diminished seventh – G B♭ D♭ E

A♭ diminished seventh – A♭ C♭D F

A diminished seventh – A C E♭ G♭

B♭ diminished seventh – B♭ D♭ E G

B diminished seventh – B D F A♭

As shown by the preceding examples,