HearandPlay.com Monthly Newsletter --- April 2005!
http://www.Hearandplay.com
Serving 159,655 Musicians Worldwide!
 
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Contents:
I. Welcome
II. Announcements:
        
"8 Video Lessons (Urban and Contemporary Chords)"
 Click here to view the video clip lessons...
 
III. Online Classroom:
       "Exploring Urban and Contemporary Worship Music"
             
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Dear Subscriber,
 
I'm so excited about this newsletter because I'm literally sharing with you over 10+ minutes of contemporary worship video clips. Actually, it's over 25 minutes of footage when you count all the older video clips I shared back in October of 2004. I've realized that over 35,000 new musicians have joined our community since then so I've included those clips too!
 
...So needless to say, you're in for a treat!
 
And like I said back in October: Just because I say "contemporary worship" doesn't mean these examples can't be explored in other ways. Chords are indeed recyclable and used over and over again in different genres.
 
In fact, urban and contemporary worship is actually a blend of jazz, rhythm & blues, and gospel all combined into one style. Utilizing tritones, chordal stacking (or superimposition), and substitutions, one can literally turn traditional sounds into modern, contemporary, and unique voicings!
 
... Let's dive in, but first:
 
Keep in mind that the techniques below are just a small sample of what you're going to learn in GospelKeys X "Urban and Contemporary Worship," which was released back in February. Combining gospel with a pinch of jazz and r&b, the "urban and contemporary" feel is sure to spice up anyone's playing (no matter what style of music you prefer).
 
If you haven't seen the interactive demo and some of the sound examples yet, you visit https://www.hearandplay.com/gkworship.html to be literally blown away (seriously).
 
 
... I'm talking about learning:

How to play urban and contemporary worship patterns in Ab that'll have people turning their heads the minute you sit down to the piano. More info

How to manipulate the major 7th chord to make your playing sound urban and contemporary like today's gospel songs (just like what we're talking about in this month's classroom lesson below)...

The secret behind using the Circle of Fifths to your advantage when applied to contemporary worship piano playing. This one is a must. More info

Worship movements in Ab that other musicians don't want you to know! Learn famous chordal movements that form the basis of urban and contemporary worship music --- once you understand this, you're piano playing will never be the same.

Learn "licks" and "tricks" in F#. These are tricks that you can begin adding to your musical toolbox the minute you pop in these DVDS! After hearing some of these contemporary runs, your family and friends will know you've been up to something... I PROMISE! More info

Discover the KEY PRINCIPLES behind Ab runs (upward and downward movements). If you're not playing these runs, then you're definitely in for a treat.

Learn how to drive the worship service. This is known as Warfare and High Praise moments of the service (especially during the prophetic). More info

Dive into various worship vamps like "Lord I Worship You, I Worship You." These examples are geared towards teaching you how to play the vamps of tons of other contemporary worship songs.

Discover the hidden secrets behind "pretty-ending chords." The ending of a song is just as important as the beginning. Learn how to end your songs the right way! More info

How to implement "Disney" sounding chords into your gospel piano playing! Yes, I said "Disney." These techniques will blow you away! 

Delve into classical movements in Eb! Just when you thought the DVD only focused on modern playing --- Learn classical progressions that can be applied to your gospel playing ASAP. More info

Learn real-life songs along with real-life vocalists!

... and much much more! Read about other techniques...

 

 *** Additional Material ***

A full 12-pg online report on GospelKeysTM X is available at hearandplay.com/gkx. An interactive demo along with tons of sound files and examples are also available at the website above. If you're serious about learning modern styles, be sure to visit https://www.hearandplay.com/ordergkx.html  to claim your copy before they run out. Supplies are limited with this offer (you'll see why when you get to the website) so be sure to take action fast, if you're serious.


https://www.hearandplay.com/gkx

Enjoy this month's online classroom.


"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300pg Course - Learn the secrets to playing literally any song on the piano with a few simple, "easy-to-understand" techniques and principles! Join Jermaine Griggs in learning tons of music theory, concepts, and tricks that will help you to learn piano by ear! Thousands of musicians have already taken advantage of this excellent program ... why not you?

"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" is full of easy-to-understand tricks, tips, techniques and secrets to playing piano by ear! For this month only, I've also been able to throw in a few bonus items (3 additional piano software programs). Click here to learn the secrets to playing absolutely any song on the piano in virtually minutes! You won't regret it!


 
2004/05 Newsletter Archive Available at https://www.hearandplay.com/newsletters
 
 
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Online Classroom:
 
"8 Video Lessons (Urban and Contemporary Chords)"
 Click here to view the video clip lessons...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Note: You might want to print this lesson out for easier
reading...
 
 
In this month's online classroom, I'm going to share with you a few video clip lessons from the GospelKeysTM X video course. I've selectively pulled out clips that I think you'll benefit from, whether you consider the entire course or not.
 
 
Before I introduce the video clips, it is important that you understand some of the key chords and concepts used in urban worship:
 
1) Major Seventh Chords
2) Minor Seventh Chords
3) Minor Ninth Chords
 
and...
 
4) How to superimpose chords
 
 
Past newsletters deal in depth with many the concepts above, but I'll briefly cover each one below. While the free video clips will keep you busy for a while, knowing these concepts (if you're a beginner) will assure that you don't get lost or fall behind like many others.
 
 
Major Seventh Chords
 
Major seventh chords are very easy to form (aka - "maj7, M7). If you know all twelve major scales, then you won't have a problem knowing major seventh chords.
 
 
All 12 Major Scales
 
C major

C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C


D major

D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D


E major

E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E


F major

F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E - F


G major

G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G


A major

A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A


B major

B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B


C# / Db major

Db - Eb - F - Gb - Ab - Bb - C - Db


D# / Eb major

Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C - D - Eb


F# / Gb major

F# - G# - A# - B - C# - D# - F - F#



G# / Ab major

Ab - Bb - C - Db - Eb - F - G - Ab


A# / Bb major

Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G - A - Bb

 
You've probably heard me say this before...
 
It's very important that you understand major scales in a numerical way. What do I mean?
 
Simply put: Don't memorize scales like toddlers memorize their ABC's.
 
It's easy to "play" a scale, memorizing note after note, in relation to one another. Here's something to think about...  If you can't start a major scale from the middle OR have to start from the beginning in order to play it correctly, you probably have the "toddler's ABCs" issue.
 
In other words, you only know how to play the scale because your fingers have memorized what to play. While this is good for practicing and fingering, it does you know good when trying to understand how music works.
 
So how do I learn scales correctly?
 
By understanding that each tone represents a number in the major scale. The first note is the "first tone" or "first degree" of the scale. For example, here's the C major scale:
 
C major:  C   D   E   F  G  A   B   C
 
Here's how you should be thinking of this scale:
 
C major: C(1)   D(2)   E(3)   F(4)   G(5)   A(6)   B(7)    C (the same as "1")
 
 
If I were to ask you: "What is the 2nd tone of the C major scale," you should be able to answer immediately: "D."
 
The sixth tone of Ab? You should be able to answer F
 
The third tone of D? You should be able to answer F#
 
You shouldn't have to "play the scale" in your mind or even use a real piano. Each tone of the scale should be associated with a number and that number should be easily recallable, whenever needed.
 
Does that make sense? This will really help you to understand all your chords and how chord progressions work.
 
 
 
Forming Major Seventh Chords:
 
To form a major seventh chord, simply take the first, third, fifth, and seventh tones of any major scale and play them all at the same time.
 
(I told you knowing the scales as numbers would be helpful ... not only now but for a 'number' of things).
 
 
For example, the C major scale is:
 
C D E F G A B C
 
The 1+3+5+7 of this scale is:
 
C   E   G    B  =  C major seventh chord
 
 
Here are all the other major seventh chords:

All 12 Major Seventh Scales

Cmaj7 = C + E + G + B

Dmaj7 = D + F# + A + C#

Emaj7= E + G# + B + D#

Fmaj7 = F + A + C + E

Gmaj7 = G + B + D + F#

Amaj7 = A + C# + E + G#

Bmaj7 = B + D# + F# + A#

Dbmaj7 = Db + F + Ab + C

Ebmaj7 = Eb + G + Bb + D

Gbmaj7 = Gb + Bb + Db + F

Abmaj7 = Ab + C + Eb + G

Bbmaj7 = Bb + D + F + A
 
 
Minor Seventh Chords
 
Once you know major scales as "numbers," forming ANY chord (whether major or minor) is really simple.
 
To form any minor seventh chord, simply use this formula:
 
1 + b3 + 5 + b7
 
 
Note: The "b" symbol is used to indicate a note that is flatted or lowered a "half step."
 
Let's look at our C major scale again.
 
 
C major: C(1)   D(2)   E(3)   F(4)   G(5)   A(6)   B(7)    C (the same as "1")
 
 
Now, take the 1, 3, 5, and 7 tones:  C  +  E  +   G  +   B
 
Since there needs to be a b3 and a b7 in a minor chord, take the "E" and "B" and flat them.
 
E becomes "Eb"
 
B becomes "Bb"
 
 
Cmin7 chord is:  C  +  Eb  + G  + Bb
 
 
Tip: Another way to find a minor chord is to use the minor scale. When you use the minor scale, you simply use the "1-3-5-7" formula because the notes are already flatted for you in the minor scale. I don't want to confuse you or anything, so for now, stick with the method above.
 
 
 
For all twelve minor seventh chords, check out my free chord finder tool at:
https://www.hearandplay.com/pianochords
 
 
 
Minor Ninth Chords
 
 
I love talking about minor ninth chords because they require no more work than learning the major seventh chords. In fact, we can form all twelve minor ninth chords (which sound really good and contemporary) by simply knowing maj7 chords.
 
 
To use this technique, you'll need to understand what relative major and relative minor means. These things are covered in my 300pg course on pages 82-83 and 193-214.
 
For every major key, there is a relative minor key that also shares the same key signature.
 
To find the relative minor key of C, for example, just locate the sixth note in its major scale. There is more theory behind why "A" (the 6th tone) would be the relative minor of C major and how its called the "Aeolian mode" (but we won't cover all that right now).
 
Since "A" is the relative minor of C, then "C" is the relative major of A.
 
See? It works both ways. One key is the relative major and relative minor of another key. For example:
 
While "A" is the relative minor of C  -----------  C is the relative major of "A," but at the same time, C is the relative ***minor*** of Eb (because "C" is the sixth note of the Eb major scale). Don't get all caught up with this one. Here's a chart to help you out below.
 
Relative Major Key Relative Minor
C Major A Minor
D Major B Minor
E Major C# Minor
F Major D Minor
G Major E Minor
A Major F# Minor
B Major G# Minor
Db Major Bb Minor
Eb Major C Minor
Gb Major Eb Minor
Ab Major F Minor
Bb Major G Minor
 
Remember:
 
The relative minor will always be the sixth note of the relative major key. So, if you ever forget about the chart above, always remember the "sixth tone."
 
 
Forming Minor Ninth Chords:
 
Here's the easiest way:
 
1) Identify the minor chord you want to play (whether 'Cmin9' or 'Bbmin9', etc)
 
2) Play the keynote of the minor chord on your left hand (bass). So if you want to play a Bbmin9, then the keynote played on your left hand would be Bb. Another example... if you wanted to play a Cmin9, the keynote on your left hand would be C.
 
3) Lastly, on your right hand, play the relative major seventh chord. So if you're trying to form a Cmin9 chord, you would have already determined your bass to be C (in step 2). Now, simply locate the relative major key of Cmin.
 
What is the relative major key of C minor?
 
By looking on the chart above, it shows Eb to be the relative major key of C minor.
 
So, by playing:
 
C on your left hand   (AND)    Ebmaj7 on your right hand, you form a Cmin9
 
 
Left: C   *   Right:  Eb + G + Bb + D
 
 
This also gives you a broad idea about superimposing chords (stacking one chord on top of another).
 
 
 
Ok, so now that you have a crash course on the basic necessities, we can move on to the video clips.
 
 

Click to watch this video clip

Video Lesson #1
This clip teaches a nice two-handed run usually used to set up a "2-5-1" progression. If you've never played something like this before, then you're definitely going to benefit from adding this nice "church walk" to your toolbox.
Duration: 0:32
 
 
 

Click to watch this video clip

Video Lesson #2
Watch as Mr. H demonstrates how to use the circle of fifths in contemporary worship settings. Coincidentally, I also used these chords in GospelKeys 202. The general flow is from "Bbmin9 --- Eb9/6  --- Abmin9 --- Db9/6 --- Gbmaj9/6 --- Cm11 --- F7 #9#5 --- then repeat the cycle." If you don't know what any of that means, don't worry. Mr. H shows you step-by-step, what to do. Duration: 1:22
 

Click to watch this video clip

Video Lesson #3
This short clip comes from the "Tricks in F#" segment of the course. Watch closely as he shows you a very easy-to-learn trick that you can start using right away. It deals with simply playing every other black key (two at a time, going down the keyboard). Listen to how it sounds...
Duration: 0:25

 

Click to watch this video clip

Video Lesson #4
You'll love this urban worship movement. It speaks for itself. It's in the key of Ab, but if I were you, I'd learn it in all twelve keys. This is a wonderful chord progression to use as you transition from one song to another or towards the end of a particular worship song. Duration: 1:14

 

 
 
Click here for all 8 video lessons (over 10 minutes of content)!
 
 
 
Well... obviously I couldn't fit all 10+ minutes worth of video clips in this e-mail. But please do yourself a favor and visit https://www.hearandplay.com/gkxclips.html to see all of them and more!
 
 
Note:
 
If you thought the lesson above was interesting, then you'll definitely benefit from GospelKeys X "Urban and Contemporary Worship," which was released back in February!
 
 

Chords to study for this online classroom:

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed my April newsletter and I'll be back in May! Practice hard until then!


This concludes your April Online Classroom Lesson
 
If you were intrigued by the online classroom lesson above,
then you would definitely benefit from my course!
 
*** “The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear” 300-pg Course ***
 
With 20 chapters and over 300 pages, the home piano course provides several resources, techniques, tips, principles, and theories to playing the piano by ear. Along with hundreds of chords and scales, you'll also learn how to turn them into gospel, jazz and blues chord progressions and better yet, how to use them to play ABSOLUTELY any song you want ... IN VIRTUALLY MINUTES! Again, don't miss this opportunity. I've even added an additional bonus if you purchase the course this week --- You can read more about the course at:
https://www.hearandplay.com/course
 

 
Enjoy this edition? Visit our message board and let us know!
https://www.hearandplay.com/board
 
Please Let a friend know about HearandPlay.com! PLEASE FORWARD
THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR ENTIRE E-MAIL ADDRESS BOOK.

 
 
Yours Truly,
Jermaine Griggs
www.HearandPlay.com
www.GospelKeys.com
 
 

Newsletter Archive - Click here or visit https://www.hearandplay.com/newsletters.html

 
 

Further References

"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300-pg Course

[5] Chords & Progressions: pgs 65-78, 105-130, 147-165, 182-227.

Do you know what a2-5-1” or "3-6-2-5-1" progression is? Or perhaps the famous 12-bar blues chord progression? In this piano course, you will not only learn how to play gospel, blues, and jazz progressions, but how to recognize them in songs. In addition, you will learn the simple techniques to playing these progressions, hymns, and songs in all 12 major keys! ... Enjoy learning:

The famous "2-5-1" Chord Progression: pgs 114-120, 153-156, 208, 235-236.

I - IV - I - V - I Chord Progressions: pgs 66-70.

I - IV - V - IV - I Chord Progressions: pgs 77-78.

Techniques behind the famous "5-->1" progression: pgs 68-72.

I --> IV,  I --> V Chord Progressions: pgs 74-75.

"Circle of Fifths" Chord Exercises: pg 78.

Major and Minor Chord Progressions: pgs 105-130.

"6 - 2 - 5 - 1" Chord Progressions: pgs 121-122, 157-159.

"3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1" Chord Progressions: pgs 122-123, 160-162.

"7 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1" Chord Progressions: pgs 124-125, 190-191.

Gospel Chord Progressions ... ranging from "up-tempo praise" chord Progressions to "worship-oriented" chord progressions: pgs 65-78, 105-130, 147-165, 182-227.

Various Blues Progressions ... 12-bar, seventh chords, diminished chords ... and others: pgs 163-165, 192.

Jazz Chord Progressions ... using dominant ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords: pgs 193-240

Study the different types of Root Progressions --- closing, opening, circular and other types of progressions: pgs 121-122.

Study how chord tones and scale degrees relate to each other [which chord progressions are most likely to be compatible]: pgs 122-130.

Learn various "turn-around" progressions [used in gospel music]: pg 213-214.

If you don't have the 300-pg Course, click here to read more about it.

 

 
"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300pg Course - Learn the secrets to playing literally any song on the piano with a few simple, "easy-to-understand" techniques and principles! Join Jermaine Griggs in learning tons of music theory, concepts, and tricks that will help you to learn piano by ear! Thousands of musicians have already taken advantage of this excellent program ... why not you?

"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" is full of easy-to-understand tricks, tips, techniques and secrets to playing piano by ear! For this month only, I've also been able to throw in a few bonus items (3 additional piano software programs). Click here to learn the secrets to playing absolutely any song on the piano in virtually minutes! You won't regret it!


 

Newsletter Archive - Click here or visit https://www.hearandplay.com/newsletters.html