Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions

Piano arranging is the process by which you take a written piece of music and rework it with chords, adding new bass accompaniment, fills, or even slightly altering the song's structure. And while it's a process that takes years to truly master, anyone with a basic education in piano and a working knowledge of a few key techniques can create an inventive, satisfying arrangement. It all boils down to one thing: chord recognition. And anyone who plays a little piano can learn piano chords to add excitement to their piano playing.

Most people learn to play the piano by playing just the written music. Playing by written music is exactly what the phrase says it is -- playing the exact notation on a piece of sheet music. But playing by chord symbol is a little different. Instead of following the harmony note by note, you follow the chord symbols (i.e. C7 or F) written above the harmonies, filling in the gaps with...well, whatever you want as long as it sticks to those chords. Of course, you'll still read the melody (it is, after all, often what makes the song recognizable) but even that is completely open to interpretation. Playing by chord symbol allows you a freedom that playing by written music simply doesn't. The freedom to create. The freedom to invent. The freedom to arrange chord patterns in the way you want.

Does that mean playing by written music is less important than playing by chord symbol? Absolutely not! The ability to play by written music is an extremely valuable skill, one that even some of the most famous musicians don't possess. And while you don't necessarily need to know the skill backwards and forwards to create great arrangements, it's a tremendous help.

Think about it this way. Some of the most revered modern artists create paintings that look very simple, very rudimentary. But the majority of those artists went to art school for years before they began creating that sort of work. They learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting, of color composition and light; they learned to draw or paint something exactly as it actually looks. Only after they mastered those skills did they move on to create the simple, yet often innovative, work that hangs in galleries and museums -- work that still abides by several basic principles. They learned the craft before bringing their imagination into it; after all, you have to understand the rules in order to break them.

So after you have learned the basics of reading piano sheet music, consider learning chords and chord symbols (such as G7, Fm, etc.) and chord progressions. There are many places online where you can learn all about chords ? just type in "chords" or "chord piano" into your search browser, and you will find several to choose from. When you can both read the written sheet music and then add chords and chord progressions to your piano playing, you have the very best of all musical worlds.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at http://www.chordpiano.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Piano Chord Progressions" with over 56,650 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com.

---

Reaching For The Soul Zone

Every searching artist wants to get there. It's that magical... Read More

Story of 50 Cent

G-Units 50 Cent , was born 6th of July 1976... Read More

How Can You Make A Rock Vocal Sound Better?

Admit it... you were expecting a magic answer to this... Read More

How Piano Lessons Benefit Young Children

Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to young... Read More

Music Bytes - Tips For Saving On Professional Software For Musicians, Part I

If you are outraged by the prices software giants demand... Read More

Surf Waves With Jack Johnson

Lately I've been listening to some pretty cool music by... Read More

ADIRONDACK versus SITKA SPRUCE

Both of these timbers make great soundboards on flat top... Read More

How to Compose Using ABA Form

ABA form is like a musical sandwich. You have the... Read More

Piano Playing For Adults: More Fun Than Sex And Not Nearly As Dangerous!

OK, so I lied about the fun part.Maybe piano playing... Read More

Bono: From Music To Fashion To Helping The Poor

U2s lead singer Bono isn't content with being part of... Read More

How to Create a Multi-artistic Piece - Part II

In the last article, the creation of a theme, its... Read More

How to Organise a Gig or a Live Music Event - the Budget

Three times in the last month I've been asked the... Read More

Growing and Keeping Loyal Fan Support

Fan support for musicians is a two way street. You... Read More

Copyright Basics for Songwriters

Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner... Read More

Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It!

Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be... Read More

Creating Stark Atmospheres

One of the things New Age pianist George Winston is... Read More

Music to Echo Your Mood

In what way do the kinds of music (rock, rap,... Read More

Les Paul Vintage Gibson Guitars

Les Paul vintage Gibson guitars were first produced in 1952.... Read More

How to Download Music From The Internet

Most of you have probably heard of the RIAA's quest... Read More

They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano... but When I Started to Play...

Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in... Read More

The Future for Independent Record Labels

Small independent record labels are facing a different fight today... Read More

Hip Hop Clothing

Celebrities now such as Outkast, a fashion wear can be... Read More

RAP Music and Brain Washing Issues

I am not sure if anyone has been watching out... Read More

The Post-rock Revolution (Explosions in the sky)

A lot has been said about the 'post-rock' revolution as... Read More

Guitar Buying - The Pros and Cons of Vintage vs. Reissue

To most people, owning the "genuine article" is the only... Read More

Creating Your Own Compositions

The idea of actually creating a complete piece of music... Read More

Green Day: Punk Rock Masters Taming Mainstream Radio Their Way

Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong,... Read More

Learn to Fiddle the Orange Blossom Special, the Most Popular Fiddle Tune in the World

Learning to fiddle the Orange Blossom Special is not easy,... Read More

The Acoustic Guitar

The steel-stringed acoustic guitar is usually credited with being developed... Read More

How To Play Guitar Like a Pro!

Having taught the guitar for many years, I see the... Read More

The Irish Harp

The harp that once through Tara's halls the soul of... Read More

What is Music?

That's a fair question!Basically, you can call music any noise... Read More

Things To Know When Shopping For A Guitar Amplifier

Guitar amplifiers are a major part of your tone. Some... Read More