| Most people who took piano lessons as a kid, | | | | than the entire score of the song. Not only that, |
| including me, grew up learning to read music | | | | but that chord progression -- A, G, F, E7 -- |
| exactly as it is written on the printed page. Being | | | | repeats several times during the song, so once |
| able to read music is a valuable skill, and I am | | | | you know the form of the song, you have a |
| delighted I learned that skill at an early age.But | | | | huge advantage over someone who is chained to |
| there is a downside to only being able to read | | | | the written music and has no idea about the logic |
| music without understanding what you are | | | | of the song.So how does a person learn this |
| reading. A couple real-life examples illustrate the | | | | "musical shorthand"? It's no secret -- there are |
| point:What happens when you are playing and | | | | books galore on learning chords, plus web sites |
| your sheet music slips off the piano and onto the | | | | that teach chords, or you could even pick up a |
| floor? Unless your name is Victor Borge and you | | | | chart of chords in your local music store.Then buy |
| can turn the situation into comedy, you will | | | | a "fake book" -- a songbook with hundreds or |
| probably find the situation extremely | | | | even thousands of songs, each song showing just |
| embarrassing. I have seen it happen several times | | | | the melody of the song with the chord symbols |
| to pianists who play well but who don't know how | | | | listed above it. Each song alone would be known |
| to improvise, and it's not a pretty site. It | | | | as a "lead sheet", but cumulatively the collection |
| happened to me once years ago as well. I was | | | | of songs is known as a "fake book". Then every |
| accompanying a singer and someone opened a | | | | day play a dozen or so songs just with the |
| side door, letting a gust of wind sweep into the | | | | melody in your right hand and the chord in your |
| auditorium and right across my piano. The sheet | | | | left hand. It will sound barren at first, but you're |
| music scattered onto the stage and a couple | | | | learning how it works.After a couple weeks of |
| pieces blew off the stage. If I hadn't understood | | | | that, instead of playing the melody in your right |
| the music and had a grasp of it's harmonic form, I | | | | hand, sing the melody (doesn't matter at all how it |
| would have had to stop, pick up the music, get it | | | | sounds) and use your right hand to break up the |
| back in order, and so forth, delaying the soloist | | | | notes of the chord you are playing in your left |
| and the performance. As it turned out I had | | | | hand. Once you get the hang of it, you can start |
| several people ask me how I kept playing without | | | | breaking up the chord in both hands and |
| the music in front of me. I replied that I knew the | | | | experimenting with various rhythm patterns.I am |
| chord progressions of the song, so was able to | | | | not saying it's easy; I am saying it's fun and |
| "wrap the chords around the singer" and | | | | exciting and that it is worth it many times |
| therefore keep the song going.So what are chord | | | | over!Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music |
| symbols, and how do they work?Chord symbols | | | | books and music educational materials such as |
| are a shorthand way of writing what is going on | | | | DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, |
| harmonically in a song. For example, if I were to | | | | musical software, and piano lesson instructional |
| write the chord symbols of the first line of What | | | | courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled |
| Child Is This? (also known as Greensleeves and | | | | To Play Chord Piano In Ten Days!" has sold over |
| several other titles) in the key of Am, I would | | | | 100,000 copies around the world. He holds |
| write:Am G F E7 -- which corresponds to the first | | | | advanced degrees from Southern Oregon |
| line of the song and would appear directly above | | | | University and was the founder of Piano |
| the melody line in the treble clef, so all the pianist | | | | University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of |
| would need to do would be to read the melody | | | | the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter |
| (tune) of the song -- not all the supporting notes.I | | | | titled Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling |
| think you can see that once you know a few | | | | Chord Progressions" with over 70,000 current |
| chords this would be infinitely easier to remember | | | | subscribers. |