Piano for Life

All of the music in lesson 4 comes from the chords below even though the symbol may not always be displayed on your screen.

Our ability to learn new music efficiently is directly related to our ability to see the continual relationship between the melody and the chords that support it.

A suspended chord (sometimes sus 4) has a temporary unfinished sound until it resolves back to a major or minor triad.

You are much closer than you think to being able to interpret any chord symbol! Even the most complicated chords are built with a few simple building blocks.

These progressions are so easy to understand and play that we can concentrate on the even flow of the rhythm.

Advanced sounds with a flexible sequence. Start and end with the first chord in the group. Other than that you may play this group of chords in any order you wish. They all connect musically!

There are two chord symbols for the di- minished chord. The symbols Cdim and Co mean exactly the same thing. This lesson includes insights that will save you countless hours of practice!

There are two chord symbols for the augmented chord. The symbols Caug and C+ mean precisely the same thing. Like diminished chords the inversions leap frog over the top of each other. Learning four augmented chords actually teaches us all twelve augmented chords.

A comprehensive scheme that combines physiological (kinesthetic) knowledge of the keyboard with emotional power. Imaginative application will lay a solid foundation for musical playing.

Many regard Josef Hofmann as the greatest keyboard “technician” of all time. He recommended a simple exercise that will greatly improve our physical abilities.

Franz Liszt taught all of his students that all complex musical structures can be divided into simple parts. Becoming familiar both mentally and physically with the simple components of music is the most efficient means to rapid progress.

Many of the special keyboard skills can be learned before we run across them in music. Each hand should learn this run in both directions - up and down the keyboard.

Learning music notation is really no different than learning the meaning of new vocabulary words. The difference is the amount of material involved. The number of symbols necessary in order to read music is microscopic in comparison with the amount of information that must be learned for any language.

Playing both by chord charts and written arrangements is one of the secrets that will ensure continual growth in all areas.

Musicians over the centuries have weighed the relative importance of certain tones in relation to the central tone of a piece and have come up with a group of scales...