I’m often asked the best way to learn all 12 keys and while I’ve advocated many methods in the past, the most practical way is to adapt my “3 x 12″ rule.

Simply put: Take 3 songs you know and learn them in all 12 keys.

It helps if they are songs that utilize a variety of different chords. That’s why picking 3 is important because between them, you should get a good mix of chords off every tone of the scale.

And since most songs follow the same patterns, you’d be surprised how few chords you really need to know to play in all 12 keys. Taking 3 different styled songs and learning them in all 12 keys usually gives you plenty.

The easiest way is to simply start at the original key of the song and move every note up a half step.

So if a song is in Eb major, you’ll attack E major next by literally taking every note in every chord and moving it up a half step.

Transposing a song to a new key is no more than moving every note up the appropriate amount of notes.

If the next key is a half step up, every note of every chord simply moves a half step up.

However, if you’re trying to move to a new key 4 half steps up, then you need to move every note of every chord 4 half steps up. As long as you move the same distance for every note in every chord, the end result will be the same song in a new key.

Exercise:

Move these chords in F major to Gb major.

Hint: Gb major is a half step higher than F major. That means every note is moved up a half step.

F major 7: F + A + C + E

D minor 7: D + F + A + C

G minor 7: G + Bb + D + F

C 7: C + E + G + Bb

F major 7: F + A + C + E

To move this to Gb major, just take every note up a half step, thus giving you the equivalent chords in Gb major:

Gb major 7: Gb + Bb + Db + F

Eb minor 7: Eb + Gb + Bb + Db

Ab minor 7: Ab + Cb + Eb + Gb

Db 7: Db + F + Ab + Cb

Gb major 7: Gb + Bb + Db + F

Is it hard work in the beginning? Sure it is.

Does it get easier over time? Definitely.

Because songs repeat the same chords and patterns over and over so as you start seeing the same chords and memorizing them in all 12 keys, you need not work out the transposition from scratch each time; rather, you’ll pull from your memory bank.

So make this your next goal: 3 x 12

3 songs in 12 keys.

It seems simple but it’s quite a hard thing to do. If you can master this, you’ll get to pro status in no time.

Until next time —

Last year, I released a breakthrough system that took what I believe to be the entire “playing by ear” process and broke it into a step-by-step system.

It included 5 parts: Fundamental Fluency, Chordal Command, Pattern Paradise, Song Solidity, and Ear Efficiency.

We now make every new member of the Gospel Music Training Center complete the online Musician Transformation training (9+ hours of video training, over 300+ exam questions, etc).

In this post, I want to cover the first part of the system: Fundamentals Fluency.

This part of the system is essential because it lays the foundation.

There are 5 important elements in this section:

Scales

It all starts with scales.

And to be honest, this is just one of those things you just suck it up and learn!

I’ve made it easy by coming up with a mnemonic: “Why Won’t He Wear White When Hot”

This basically helps you to remember the whole step / half step formula for major scales.

Half steps – are from key to key with no keys in between.
Whole steps – always skip a key with one key in between.

For example, C major scale:

1) Start with C
2) Refer to formula which starts with W (whole step). C to D is a whole step. D is next note.
3) Another W needed. D to E is a whole step. E is third note.
4) Formula calls for a half step now. E to F is a half step. F is next note.
5) Another W needed. F to G is a whole step.
6) Another W needed. G to A is a whole step.
7) Another W needed. A to B is a whole step.
8) The formula ends with H. B to C is a half step.

Doing this creates the C major scale:

C D E F G A B C

It helps to go through this entire process with all 12 scales. Of course, I’ve done it for you in other areas of this blog.

Number System

After you learn all 12 scales, the next step is to number EACH scale.

So instead of just thinking of C major as: C D E F G A B C.

You think of it as:

C is 1
D is 2
E is 3
F is 4
G is 5
A is 6
B is 7

This is essential as everything you do from this point out will refer back to the number system.

Things like “2-5-1″ chord progressions or “6-2-5-1 Turnarounds” all depend on the number system. A 2-5-1 is simply a chord progression that uses the 2nd tone of the scale, the 5th tone of the scale, and the 1st tone of the scale.

So guess what a “6-2-5-1 Turnaround” is? Just a bigger version of the 2-5-1. It all goes back to the number system.

Lucky for you, I made this free guide that includes flash cards you can print out to quiz yourself on the number system of EVERY key.

Hanon Finger Exercises

While the first two areas were highly conceptual, this one focuses on execution.

This one makes sure those fingers are being exercised properly so when it comes time to play big chords and progressions, your fingers won’t be fumbling all over the place.

Hanon exercises were developed in the 1800′s by a man named Charles-Louis Hanon. His entire system is comprised of about 60 exercises that each focus on different sets of fingers. The end goal being increased speed, strength, agility, independence, coordination, and dexterity.

The only problem is they are written in sheet music… very intimidating sheet music. At first glance, most ear-musicians wouldn’t know what to do. So what we did was put them in video format at HanonByEar.com. In fact, the first lesson is on me. Check out the free video sample on that page.

Intervals

The word “interval,” in music simply means distance.

Whenever you have two notes, there is an interval created between them.

This is how chords are formed… even melodies (harmonic intervals [chords] vs melodic intervals [melodies]).

Luckily, there is an easy way to think of intervals, if you’ve mastered the number system.

Simply start on the first tone of any scale. Let’s say C major:

From C to itself (C) is called: Unison

And if you think about it, if you’ve ever heard a choir director say “let’s sing this in unison,” that means everyone sings the same notes. So when you compare the same note to itself, it’s called Unison.

From the 1st tone of the scale to the 2nd tone of the scale is called a… you guessed it, Second interval.

From 1st to 3rd is a Third interval.
From 1st to 4th is a Fourth interval.
From 1st to 5th is a Fifth interval.
From 1st to 6th is a Sixth interval.
From 1st to 7th is a Seventh interval.
From 1st to the 8th tone is an Octave.

*An octave would be “C” to the next higher “C” 8 notes up.

That’s assuming you were only playing C chords. That’s why it’s important to do this same thing in all 12 keys so if you see these two notes “F + A,” you could immediately go to the key of F and know this is a third interval.

Now it gets a little more detailed than this. What I’ve taught you is the generic interval concept. To learn more about SPECIFIC intervals, click these links to see other lessons: Intervals Lesson 1 | Intervals Lesson 2

Rhythm

This is a hard one to write about but I can give you a few pointers.

Practice with a metronome and slow EVERYTHING you learn down to “turtle speed.”

There is an online metronome I love to use. It’s free and you can set it to any speed you want. Check out http://www.metronomeonline.com

Rhythm is a big part of our lessons in the Gospel Music Training Center.

And if you’re interested in joining the Gospel Music Training Center (GMTC), I’m soon to be opening back up membership. Check out our latest project Musician Breakthrough as we will be making a very important announcement on how you can rejoin GMTC and take advantage of our Musician Breakthrough collection at the same time!

Until next time —

In this post, I figured I’d switch things up by showing you how easy it is to pick out Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never Piano Chords.

For years, I’ve been preaching how most popular songs use extremely simple chords and the same recurring patterns over and over.

My 4-year old daughter, Jadyn, like many other young girls is a huge fan so she pulled me to the piano and made me learn Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never chords.

Sarah joined us a few minutes later and was surprised I was already playing it while Jadyn was singing.

“Wow, daddy learned that fast, huh?” She says to Jadyn.

What they don’t know is the song is only 5 unique chords.

As you listen to this video of the song below, I want you to try to follow the bass.

The bass is KEY.

The song is in the key of A minor in the beginning but switches to C major for the chorus. For beginners, you can really just think about this being in C major the whole time if you want. No need to confuse yourself.

The only difference is you’ll find things centered around the “A minor” chord (which is the 6th tone of C major) in the verse of the song. You’ll find “A minor” starting the song and chords always coming back to it. That’s how you know it’s in “A minor” — because how it is functioning.

But if you’ve followed me for some time, you know A minor and C major are relatives. They share the same key signature… the same number of sharps and flats (in this case, zero), and practically live in the same house (one upstairs, the other downstairs). So this is no surprise.

So those are two hints for you. We’re in C major (or A minor in the beginning and C major for the chorus). And the first chord is A minor (A + C + E).

You do the rest. Follow the lowest bass note. And remember your C major scale (C D E F G A B C). If you’re more experienced, you can rely on the A minor scale (which, again, has the same notes in a different order – A B C D E F G A).

Remember, most songs use notes of the scale and don’t move far. So if your first chord is on “A,” you should ask yourself if the chords have gone “down” or “up” in pitch. If you say down, move over right next door and see if that sounds right. If not, keep moving over. Use the notes of the major scale because 80% of the time, that’s what’s being used. If something sounds a little different, it may be outside the scale but I can already tell you this song doesn’t do anything crazy. It’s very straightforward.

Also keep in mind the circle of fifths. Songs like to move in the counter clockwise direction of this chart (e.g. – “C to F to Bb to Eb” and so on around the circle). This song is no exception. If you find the notes right next door aren’t working, try the neighboring notes on this circle of fifths chart.

Good luck with Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never! I’ll give you the chords below.

Never Say Never Piano Chords – Exercise

Justin Bieber Never Say Never Chords

Verse:

A minor
C Major
G Major
D Major

(repeat)

*This is the part (above) that can be considered “A minor” but there’s no harm in ear-musicians thinking of this as C major.

If thinking in terms of “minor,” the numbers are:

1-minor
3-Major
7-Major
4-Major

If you’re going to think about this as “major,” the numbers are:

6-minor
1-Major
5-Major
2-Major

(When you understand numbers, you can take this to any key. Just apply the appropriate scale number and chord and you’re all set!)

When they get to main chorus (“I will never say never”)

F Major
C Major
G Major

(repeat x 2)

“Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up”

Just hang out at A minor doing the same rhythmic pattern til’ the song repeats back at the beginning (which starts on “A minor” again).

Never Say Never Piano Chords – Conclusion

See how easy that was?

There’s literally 5 unique chords in this song. Just arranged in various patterns that are hardly new to you.

This is how 80% of songs work too!

Until next time -

After yesterday’s post, I received an awesome comment from Chris Johnson.

I quickly replied and after re-reading our exchange, thought it appropriate to share with you.

Chris wrote:

Well you’ve done it again Jermaine. You know how close I am to my goals! I pretty much do all of this already but I still struggle at times and I always struggle with the bass.

I have all of these skills under my belt except for picking out those darn bass notes!

I think I’m still trying to do it all in 10 minutes… Trying to do it too fast ya know.

When I get home tonight, I’ll pick a song and really bare down on the bass because I know this is where I get lost.

Example: I’ll pick a few out and then I’ll get lost somewhere along the line and that’s usually the end of my personal training as far as understand a song in full. :)

But I just gotta stick with it like I did with everything else. I’m so close… so close….. But I’ll get there. You know I’m not giving up, not at this point!

My reply to him:

Thanks for your comment Chris.

The cool thing about it is the more you pick out songs, the bigger repertoire of patterns you build. The same patterns are going on over and over.

It’s not a random picking of bass notes. Once you’ve found your key, you’re down to 7 notes that will most likely occur. That’s not to say others won’t because we use bass notes outside the scale to take us to various places. If a chord outside the scale is present, you’ll hear it… like the b7 or the b6. Those are borrowed chords.

Also don’t forget about the circle of fifths. Majority of movements will be to next door neighbors on that circle of fifths chart. Search for “circle of fifths” in the search bar above for more pointers. If you remember this order of notes, you’ll find more often than not, your bass moving in this direction (there are exceptions as there are with anything in life):

C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G C

And if the bass isn’t moving like that, it’s moving relatively close… from one tone of the scale to the next tone of the scale up or down… maybe leaping over a note or two at most (if not moving in circle of fifths flow).

Use your ear to hear up —or— down. Ask this ONE question first:

“EAR, did the bass go up or down?” Answer that question internally, then remember what I’ve said about:

-circle of fifths movement
-next door “scale tone” movement
-very close movements (at most, usually 2 notes of scale)

And you’ll be golden. Perfect practice makes perfect. Repetition is the mother of skill. Just keep at it. And retain what you learn because it will most certainly come up again. All songs draw from the same pool of patterns.

After learning a couple dozen songs across different genres (or probably way less), you’ll probably have every chord and progression you’ll ever need.

Keep up the great work Chris,
JG

Let’s not kid ourselves.

The whole point of learning all these theories, principles, and shortcuts isn’t because we’re in love with this stuff (well, some of us are). But for most, learning this stuff is a means to an end.

And without a doubt, the ultimate “end” (at our website at least) is to hear a song and in a matter of minutes, be able to play it.

There’s a lot that goes into it, don’t get me wrong. But here, I want to give you a really concise blueprint… a series of steps that, if followed, can produce you results very quickly.

I call it the “GO-TO CHORDS” principle.

These are chords you can always rely on when you’re on certain tones of the scale. Many of you know them as diatonic chords.

In this post, I’m going to show you how they fit into my quick system.

But first, let me give you all the steps to playing a song or pattern quickly.

GOAL #1 – Be able to find the key quickly

When you’re an ear-player, everything starts here.

You don’t have sheet music in front of you.
You have no grand staff with a key signature telling you the key.

You must rely on your ear.

Luckily, I’ve done a 30-minute free video lesson on this topic that has helped tens of thousands. And if you’re really serious, you’ll invest a few bucks in the 80-minute audio course I put together on this same subject.

GOAL #2 – Know your scales & numbers

Finding your key puts you on the right planet.

Now you must speak the language of the planet you’re on.

The major scale (and minor for that matter) is the language. Not only must you know your scales but you must know them as numbers.

C major: C D E F G A B C.

C is 1, D is 2, E is 3, F is 4, G is 5, A is 6, B is 7.

Luckily, I made a free guide that helps you with this as well. Click here to check it out.

GOAL #3 – Master the “go-to chords”

Once you know your scales as numbers, there are certain chords that happen naturally on certain numbers. If you’re on the 1st tone of the scale, there’s a “GO-TO chord” you can almost always rely on. Same with every other tone of the scale.

Here’s a quick list of them but check out this free guide I created on chords. It will break all of this down in all 12 keys.

1st tone = Major Chord
2nd tone = Minor Chord
3rd tone = Minor Chord
4th tone = Major Chord
5th tone = Major Chord
6th tone = Minor Chord
7th tone = Diminished Chord

Goal #4 – Learn to pick out bass notes

Once you come into a world (by determining the key in step #1), you automatically have 7 notes before you that will occur most often.

When you’re trying to pick out bass notes, you’re not being random. You’re relying on what you know about the major scale to guide you. Those 7 notes are key.

And to take it just a step further — even within those 7 notes are keys that occur most often. The first, fourth, and fifth tones are what we call “primary.” Out of the 7 notes that make up the scale, look for these 3 to occur most often. The others (aka “secondary”) support the primary ones.

Newbies: When I say bass notes, I mean the root of the chords. Most likely, you’ll be listening to a band playing. The bass player is holding down the root note while everyone else is playing chords, melodies, licks, and patterns. You’re really trying to key in on what the bass player is doing.

Having bass boost headphones can help. Turning up the bass may also help.

But from experience, it’s not really ONLY what the bass is doing but when you get good, you can just hear overall what’s going on. Your excuse will never be “the bass isn’t loud” because even if you can’t hear the bass itself, you can hear everything else and that should still hint you in the right direction.

Say you hear these 5 bass notes in the key of C major:

C >>> A >>> D >>> G >>> C

Good job, you picked them out!

Now all you gotta do is put this system all together:

Goal #5 – Put it all together

If you’ve picked out these notes in the bass:

C >>> A >>> D >>> G >>> C

…all you do now is backtrack.

You’ve already used step 1 to tell you the key (hopefully).

If you’ve listened to me, you’ve also used step 2 to key in on the major scale and limit your choices to the 7 notes of the scale (which will occur majority of the time; outside notes can occur too but they are not the norm).

Now you’ll use step 2 to also make sure you know your numbers for these bass notes:

C is 1
A is 6
D is 2
G is 5
C is 1

Now that you have the numbers, you can use the “go-to chords” in step 3.

I’m not saying these will always be your final chords. But they should always be your “GO-TO CHORDS.” The only exception to this rule is when you’ve developed your ears so well that you know without a doubt what chords are occurring.

If not, start with your go-to chords. And at least, if one or two don’t work, you can try other chords on those tones (like if one tone usually has a minor chord, try a major chord).

If your go-to chords sound right, then you focus on finding the right voicings or inversions.

Sure, you may be correct in knowing that C major is played off the 1st tone of the scale. But which C major?

C + E + G (root position)?

E + G + C (first inversion)?

G + C + E (second inversion)?

And if you’ve gotten the right inversion, have you got the right voicing?

Maybe the composer put two “E’s” in the chord (e.g. – E + G + C + E). It doesn’t change the fact that it’s a C major chord but it definitely accentuates the E’s (aka – “3rd tone”)… which sounds very good by the way when playing major 7 chords (E + G + B + E over “C” bass).

That’s basically the system.

Find key >>> identify major scale and numbers >>> determine bass >>> put correct go-to chords on each bass tone >>> tweak.

It seems long but each step is pretty short. And you get better and better over time.

For me, this all happens in about 20 seconds after turning a song off. For a beginner, it may take several hours. That’s ok. It’s better than sheet music because you’re FREE and liberated with this method. And as you get better and better, you’ll add stuff to the song. As Paula Abdul on American Idol used to say, “you’ll make it your own.”

Well, I’m done for today. This lesson has quite a few gems in it. Save it, print it, read and re-read it. Tack it up on your wall.

This is it right here. Follow it, hone it, and you’ll do really well.

Until next time.

Enjoy this video of me reading an e-mail update from passionate member, Danny Simplay from the U.K.

Today’s post is about a young musician I can’t stop marveling over. His name is Jayden Arnold and he reminds me so much of myself at that age (except he’s several miles ahead of where I was).

He’s proof there is no age limit to this thing.

Jayden Arnold

I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Jayden’s mom and she says he is completely self-taught. Never had a lesson, never had a teacher. He just listens to things and is able to pick it out. This is a perfect example of giftedness at a young age.

If you observe his clips, he’s got two-hand chord voicings… he’s got runs… he’s got timing and rhythm… he even has the facial expression of a musician who knows he knows what he’s doing! Kinda like a mini Mike Bereal (if you don’t have the course we did with Mike Bereal, one of the best gospel musicians/producers in the world, click here to check it out.)

So I want you to do a few things today:

1) First, go subscribe to our youtube channel over at http://www.youtube.com/hearandplay

2) Next, go subscribe to Jayden’s channel, which is ran by his mom, at http://www.youtube.com/Diannafaith

3) Watch these videos below:

Jayden Arnold can play anything!

Let me know what you think of the wunderkind Jayden!

Chords & Enhancements

>NOTE: To learn ALL the chord techniques and chord strategies to take your playing to the next level, go here:

http://www.hearandplay.com/products

Several months back, I tried out a new format where I took really good questions from students and not only answered them personally but sent the answers to our entire mailing list.

And you really seemed to enjoy that. But due to a busy production season (which I’ll tell you about very soon), I haven’t sent out any in a while.

Today, I’m back.

Not only with these helpful “Question & Answer” articles but with consistent blog updates as well. So stay tuned!

(If you have a question you’d like to see me answer in this format, visit http://www.hearandplay.com/askjermaine…)

—————-

*** Comment From Jamal Howard ***

Jermaine, I have been with you since 2004 and I give you the credit for getting me started. Now, I play for 2 churches and started a singing group a couple years ago that is really blessing our area.

My question is on easy ways to enhance my chords. Everyone tells me I sound good but I’m always hungry for more tips. Anything you can pass my way will be appreciated.

Keep up the great work my brother. You are an inspiration to many. Thank you.

—————-

>>> My comments and explanations to Jamal

Hey Jamal,

First off, thanks so much for your dedication! Wow, 2004! That’s a long time ago in internet years.

I’m glad to hear it paid off for you too. Playing for one church these days is enough but you’re playing for TWO. Keep it up!

Your question is, no doubt, a great one and I get asked this all the time.

There are many ways to approach enhancing and altering your chords.

Here’s a short list:

1) Inversions
2) Chord Additions
3) Chord Omissions
4) Chord Suspensions
5) Chord Arpeggios
6) Chord Extensions
7) Chord Reaches
8) Chord Dissonance
9) Chord Substitutions
10) Polychord voicings
11) Grace notes

Many of these chord concepts are covered in GospelKeys 202 and Urban Pro 600 in full detail, but I’ll cover them here and in my next e-mail.

CHORD INVERSIONS:

=============

You’d be surprised how far mastering inversions will take you.

In fact, many musicians don’t pay attention to inversions.

They learn their major, minor, diminished, and augmented chords (what I call the “Fantastic Four” in my Monthly Music Mentor series) and never look back.

And sure, these 4 chord types can take you a long way but what separates a GREAT musician from a good one is ones attention to details.

The melody will often times determine what inversion of a chord you play. I say “often times” because this isn’t the case all the time… but usually.

If you don’t know what an inversion is, here’s my simple definition.

“INVERSIONS are just different ways to play the same chord.”

Basically, every note gets its turn on the bottom. If you remember that, you’ll never forget how inversions work.

If I had 4 odd numbers:

1 3 5 7

And you had to rearrange these numbers in as many different ways as possible with each one getting its turn in the front, it would look like this:

1 3 5 7
3 5 7 1
5 7 1 3
7 1 3 5

Now, imagine these numbers are notes like:

C E G B
E G B C
G B C E
B C E G

There you have it! You’ve mastered the “inversions” game.

So when you’re playing a particular chord and you think it can sound better, the first thing to do is try different inversions.

After hitting a chord, you can even follow up with other inversions of the same chord up your piano.

Hands down, it’s the easiest, lowest hanging fruit for enhancing your sound.

ADDITIONS
============

The second thing you can do is add single tones to your chords.

When playing major and minor chords, the easiest thing you can do is add the “9th” tone to your chord.

“9″ sounds all fancy doesn’t it?

Don’t sweat it because it’s basically the same thing as the 2nd tone of your scale.

If you’re in the key of C major, here’s the scale:

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Now, imagine we kept going and we never stopped counting:

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

What tone is the 9th?

It’s “D” right?

“D” also happens to be the 2nd tone of the scale too.

Now technically, you can reserve “9″ for times when you’re really going to add the “high D” from the next octave and “2″ for the instances where you use the low “D.”

But to be honest, this is “playing by ear” and it really doesn’t matter how you look at it. As long as you arrive at “D” for this C major or C minor chord, you’re fine.

High D, low D… they both will enhance your chord and you can choose the one you like for the situation at hand.

So instead of boring C major and C minor chords like this:

C E G
C Eb G

You’ll play:

C D E G
C D Eb G

OR

C E G D
C Eb G D

But I prefer the first version where the notes are closer.

Another tone that works well in these situations is the “6th tone” (or “13th,” as described above).

I like adding this tone when I’m already playing a major 7th chord.

So if you’re playing a C major 7 chord:

C E G B

Adding the “6th” tone, “A” works well in most instances.

C E G A B

“Additions” don’t always have to be new notes. You can double up on existing notes.

Usually the “3rd” tone of the scale is a great note to double up on.

For example, in the last chord, you could double up on the “E.”

C E G A B

becomes:

C E G A B E

Because this is 6 notes, you simply play the C on your left hand and the “E G A B E” on your right.

C on left /// E G A B E

“Additions” are a great way to enhance your chords.

OMISSIONS
==========

Opposite of additions, sometimes less is more.

For example, the chord above:

C on left /// E G A B E

I’d probably take out the “G” which is the “5th” of the chord.

Usually, if there’s something to take out, it’s the “1″ or the “5″ of the chord.

Let me explain:

First, you need to know your numbers for the key you’re in.

In our case, C major:

C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

So when I say the “5″ or the “1″ or the “6″ or the “7,” I’m referring to the tones of the scale, as shown above.

I’m NOT talking about the order of the chord as in the “3rd” note that’s played. It all relates back to the scale. Just thought I’d clarify that.

The reason you can take out the 5th is because it’s present in both major, minor, and dominant chords. Taking it out doesn’t alter these chords whatsoever.

On the other hand, you don’t want to mess with the “3rd” or “7th” tones of a chord because they are critical. They determine what type of chord you’re playing usually.

But unless the chord is diminished or augmented (which, in those cases, the 5th is either lowered a half step or raised a half step), you can take out the 5th because it’s just there for support.

For power, some people prefer to play it on their left hand and leave it out of their right hand. Some people leave it alone.

Let your ear be the final judge. Sometimes I keep the 5, sometimes I omit it.

Another tip is to omit the “1″ of the chord.

Why? Because it’s usually covered in the left hand bass. If you’re playing a C major chord, you’re usually playing C on your left hand anyway so there’s no need to play it again on your right hand.

And most of the time, it sounds better to NOT play it on your right hand. Try it:

Compare:

C on left /// C E G B

versus:

C on left /// E G B

Doesn’t the second one sound better?

Plus, it lets you invert easier (tip #1 above).

It’s far easier to invert “E G B” (which is basically an “E minor” chord) than it is to invert “C E G B.”

Now compare:

C on left /// G B C E

versus:

C on left /// G B E

If the melody is “C”, then I’d keep C and question whether “C major 7″ is the right chord altogether.

Maybe the chord just calls for “E G C” instead of “E G B C.”

The closeness between “B” and “C” as the highest notes create tension and if that’s not what you’re looking for, perhaps the “B” should be gone.

So this is the thought process going on when it comes to omissions.

SUSPENSIONS
=============

This is when you hold on to a particular tone (usually a tone not originally in the chord) and it resolves down to the real tone.

You hear it a lot at the end of songs.

Say your song ends on a typical C major chord:

C E G

If you wanted to change this to a suspended chord, you’d get rid of the “3.” That’s E.

Instead, you’d replace it with the tone a half step higher — the “4.”

So, instead of:

C E G

It’s:

C F G

The “F” (which is the 4) creates a dissonance that must resolve. It’s begging to resolve down to “E” and eventually it will.

C F G

resolves to:

C E G

This is would we call a “suspended 4″ chord.

There are also “suspended 2″ chords.

Instead of the 4th tone replacing the 3rd tone, we use the “2nd” tone to replace the 3rd tone.

Notice in both cases, the “3rd” of the key is the target.

So now it’s:

C D G (C sus 2 chord)

This is similar to the “C major add 2″ chord we studied above.

The key difference is one has the “E” in it and the other doesn’t.

C major add 2 C D E G

C sus 2 C D G

Corny joke: They say God’s favorite chord is “G sus”

Assume sus4 if you don’t see a number after sus.

So if this is true, God’s favorite chord is what?

G C D (G sus chord)

Interesting Observation:

Inverting a “sus2 chord” gives us another type of chord I talk about in GospelKeys 202, the “Quartal chord.”

C D G (Csus2)

Now, take the “C” off the bottom and put it on top:

D G C

(“D G C” = quartal chord).

Unlike major, minor, diminished, and augmented chords that are built off third intervals, quartal chords are built entirely with fourth intervals.

What’s the interval between “D” and “G”… answer: a fourth! The interval between “G” and “C”? … answer: a fourth!

So turning your sus chords into quartal chords is another way to enhance your sound.

Compare:

C on left /// C E G

to

C on left /// D G C

What sounds better?

Here’s one final insight I’ll leave you with:

Inverting a sus4 will eventually give you a sus2.

Csus4 is:

C F G

Now put the C on top:

F G C (now you have Fsus2)

Now put the F on top:

G C F (a “quartal chord”).

All this stuff’s related! If you learn one, then take the time to explore how to get the others, you’ll cut your learning time in half!

Well, I think I’ve given you enough to think about for now.

I’ll be back soon to finish that list.

================

================

Talk soon,

Jermaine Griggs
Hear and Play Music

http://www.hearandplay.com

Here’s a “beginner” video tutorial of me teaching Kirk Franklin’s “Imagine Me.”

It was from a past product launch so ignore any events I announce at the end. Enjoy the 40+ minute video!

Join the Gospel Music Training Center for more in-depth, personalized tutorials like this.

Instantly Download My FREE Groundbreaking Guides, "MUSICIAN TRANSFORMATION^" Right Now!

(UPDATE: Just added… 37-pg Follow-Up Guide, "THE BIGGEST SECRET."
Download all three today! FREE!)

"FINALLY EXPOSED! The Hidden, Underground System Advanced Gospel Musicians Have Been Hiding From You… That Will Instantly Propel Your Playing To The Next Level Today!"

INSIDE! Discover how you can use this chart to easily find and fix your most frustrating problems hindering you from getting to the next level in your gospel playing.

(Hint: You must have all 5 elements above to succeed. Missing just one element will lead to the problems listed on the right side of the chart.)

Report #1: http://www.hearandplay.com/mtreport.pdf
Report #2: http://www.hearandplay.com/missingchapter.pdf
Report #3: http://www.hearandplay.com/bigsecret.pdf

(Update: Get TWO additional 29-pg and 37-pg guides, "THE MISSING CHAPTER" & "THE BIGGEST SECRET")

Over 100 pages in total across 3 FREE reports!

I’m very interested in your comments. Please leave them below.

Enjoy the material!

Talk soon,

Jermaine Griggs

Big Surprise… Important Video

Report #1: http://www.hearandplay.com/mtreport.pdf
Report #2: http://www.hearandplay.com/missingchapter.pdf
Report #3: http://www.hearandplay.com/bigsecret.pdf

Happy New Year!

Yup, it’s been that long since I’ve written in my blog… but for good reason…

You’ll probably remember I promised I’d go on vacation after the launch of my latest 12-disc “Musician Transformation” & Gospel Music Training Center resources in December 2009 (which sold out, btw).

But that’s not the only reason I’ve been gone…

On December 15, 2009 at 3:41 a.m. (just a lil over 3 hours after my wife’s birthday ended on the 14th), God blessed us with another little angel, Layla Ann Griggs… 8lbs, 11oz, 20 inches.

Here’s a pic of her and my wife:

If you remember the birth of my first daughter, Jadyn Olivia Griggs, on June 8, 2006, you’ll know they practically look like twins!

I never thought I’d be one of those types that forget the names of my kids… “Now take this bottle Jadyn… I mean LAYLA!!!” (And I’m only 26…!!!)

I’m also so proud of my beautiful wife Sarah because just some weeks after giving birth to Layla, she was back up and glamorous! Here’s a pic I snapped of her just before our “date night” to a nearby comedy show.

And since I’m revealing pics, I guess I’m next…

NOT!

You’ll have to wait to see my transformation! I’ll reveal myself in June (maybe on my birthday????)…

Let’s just say JP (from GospelKeys Urban Pro 600) and I have been working out every morning at 6am… yup 6am! (If you got a goal or dream, GO GET IT! And go STRONG! Will Smith says it best here)

With that said, I want to reintroduce you to over 2 hours of free video content and over 50 pages of written material I created early in 2009. I realize that a lot of people have joined the hear & play family since then and have never seen these free resources.

Others have been on board a while and still missed these.

And the rest clicked the links when I originally posted them but FAILED to do anything with the information. So here’s another opportunity!

(If you did make good with this information, congrats… you’re in the top 10% of action-takers! Take this time to review…)

This is a series. They all go together.

VIDEO LESSON #1 – “Finding the key to any song”

If you ask any ear-musician, this skill will be at the center (or maybe the “center” of the “center” like in hit movie, Slumdog Millionaire).

If you can’t determine what key a song is being performed in just by listening, you’ll have many problems down the road (at least when it comes to playing by EAR in situations where you need to “think on your feet.”)

This is the most “intuitive” of all the skills and knowledge you’ll attain. It’s not like reading sheet music where you look at the grand staff and determine what key the piece is in by the number of flats or sharps that appear at the beginning of the music.

YOU DON’T HAVE MUSIC IN FRONT OF YOU.

No reference.

Just your ear.

This video will make it plain…

Note: If you really like what I talked about, I have an 80-minute course that covers finding the key to any song. You can find it here.

VIDEO LESSON #2 – “The KEY to getting to the next level in your piano”

This next lesson reveals a very important STRATEGY you MUST have as an ear-musician.

Again, if you’re reading sheet music, this probably isn’t emphasized as much… but when it comes to playing by ear, “NUMBERS” rule.

And your ability to know your numbers “inside” and “out” will determine how far you get… and how fast you get there.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out the next lesson below. There is also a 28-pg report that goes along with it.

(You may also find my “core fundamentals” courses helpful)

RESOURCE: Click here to download the free 29-pg report that goes along with this video lesson.

VIDEO LESSON #3 – “The SECRET to playing ANY and EVERY chord you want in SECONDS”

This next lesson will take you even further…

It borrows a very familiar concept from the car industry (popularized by Henry Ford in the early 1900′s) and adapts it to music!

It’s the very next logical step in the process and you’ll get it laid out for you plainly in this video…

(there is a 14 page report included at the bottom of the video)

If this topic interests you, then you may like my “hear & play chords” series.

RESOURCE: Click here to download the free 14-pg report that goes along with this video lesson.

VIDEO LESSON #4 – “The MISSING PIECE OF THE PUZZLE to playing almost any song out there”

This last video could arguably be the MOST IMPORTANT part when it comes to learning real songs and understanding just how closely related songs are (yes… all songs follow the same general patterns and principles — this video will reveal all of this to you…)

There’s also a 12-pg report that goes along with it…

RESOURCE: Click here to download the free 12-pg report that goes along with this video lesson.

(If you’re into gospel music, GospelKeys 202 really breaks down the idea of “patterns.” 70 to 80% of songs have the same common movements in them. This course is revolutionary in that it breaks down all these patterns and covers the “how,” “what,” and “why.” Click here for more information)

————

Wow, so there you have it! A good way to start off the year!

I look forward to your comments about our new addition and/or the videos above. I read each and every one of them.

(My last blog post got over 750 comments when I was giving away my FREE 12-disc “Musician Transformation” course … which will be back in a couple of months, don’t worry!)

Take care,

Jermaine Griggs
Founder

>NOTE: To learn ALL the techniques and strategies to take your playing to the next level, go here:

http://www.hearandplay.com/products

Wow, what can I say…

I think I’ve started something here…

The last few weeks, I’ve been trying out a new format by taking really good questions from students and not only answering them personally, but sending them to our entire mailing list.

This has resulted in a lot of love — and even MORE questions from dedicated students all around the world. I’ve received at least a good couple hundred questions that could easily keep me busy sending responses like this for years…

But here’s one that made the top of the list. I think you’ll really be helped by my reply to Tyler. It’s long but packed with details. About 5 lessons in one.

PRINT THIS OUT because it really is *that* important.

——————–

***Comment From Tyler N***

Hi Jermaine,

Dude, you are incredible. Your knowledge of theory is on another planet. Thanks for what you do man, for real.

I’m trying to learn all 12 keys and I happen to be a member of the Gospel Music Training Center where you talked about using the circle of fifths to learn every key.

I do know the circle of fifths but I don’t think I totally understand how to use it to learn every key. Do you mind shedding some light on this in the next Q&A teleclass?

Again, thanks man. Tell JP and all the staff they are doing an awesome job.

Tyler

——————–

>>> My Comments and explanations to Tyler (Lots of good info… read carefully)

Yo Tyler!

Thanks for the e-mail! Glad to hear you’re enjoying the material!

I believe you’re referring to our last Gospel Music Training Call that just past, where Jon and I talked about the circle of fifths and how it can help you to learn any song in all 12 keys…

I can definitely help you with that.

But before we delve in, let’s back up a bit and talk about the ‘circle of fifths’ concept itself.

The circle of fifths is a very powerful discovery in music because it pretty much describes HOW MUSIC WORKS in one simple chart.

If you want to see an example of the circle, here’s an example: http://www.musiccirclechart.com

You see, music moves in fifths and fourths. And if you really think about it, there’s a fine line between “fifths” and “fourths.” (that’s why you hear some people calling it the “circle of fifths” and other folks calling it the “circle of fourths.” Let me demystify this first.

Both names are correct. Here’s why:

If I ask you to go up a fourth interval, that essentially means to move up 5 half steps from whatever note you’re on. (There are many ways to think about it but this is the most straightforward…)

And for folks that don’t know what half steps are, remember this poem:

“Half steps are from key to key with no keys in between, Whole steps always skip a key with one key in between.”

So basically, if you’re going from one key directly up or down to the key directly next door, that’s a half step. Doesn’t matter if it’s a white key, a black key, a purple key, a broken key (some of you haven’t fixed your piano in years)… if it goes from one key right next door, it’s a half step. [C to C#], [E to F], [G to Ab], [Bb to B]… all of these pairs are half steps. [C to D], [E to F#], [Ab to Bb]… these are whole steps because they are skipping one key. Easy.

Back to fourths. So if I start on C and want to go up a fourth, I simply count 5 half steps up…

C to Db is 1 half step… Db to D is another… D to Eb is the 3rd half step, Eb to E is 4, and finally E to F. So “C” to “F” is a fourth.

Now, on the other hand, a fifth uses 7 half steps. So if you do the same thing starting at C — except, this time using 7 half steps — you’ll arrive at G.

So “C” to “G” is a fifth.

“C” UP to “F” is a fourth. “C” UP to “G” is a fifth.

Here’s the tricky part. Notice I used the word “UP” because if you count the same number of half steps down, you’ll get different answers.

If you count 5 half steps DOWN from C, you’ll get G. And if you count 7 half steps DOWN from the same C, you’ll get F.

In other words, C up to F is a fourth. C down to F is a fifth.

And in the same way, C up to G is a fifth but C down to G is a fourth.

Basically, they are ‘inverses’ of each other. Opposites. One does one thing going up and another going down. The other does the exact opposite.

Any time you take a fourth interval and “flip” it, you’ll get a fifth. If you do the same to a fifth, you’ll get a fourth.

Try it. Hold down C and the higher G together. That’s a fifth. C is the lowest note and there are 7 half steps between C and G. But if you take the C off the bottom and put it on the top (and now “G” on the bottom), now you’ve got yourself a fourth interval. Just that easy.

Oh and I should add… these are called “PERFECT 4ths” and “PERFECT 5ths.” Sometimes, for short, folks leave off the “perfect” part but if you want to be very specific, add that.

Why did I choose to tell you all this?

Because, there are two ways to look at the circle of fifths chart. Go to http://www.circlemusicchart.com and print it out…

If you thought of this circle as a clock, “C” would be at 12 o’ clock.

G is at 1 o’ clock. D is at 2 o’ clock.

Get it?

That means on the other side, F is at 11 o’ clock, Bb is at 10 o’ clock, Eb is at 9 o’ clock and so forth…

And like I said, there are 2 ways to look at this circle. You can look at it going clockwise from C to G to D to A… and so forth.

Or you can look at this chart going counter-clockwise, from C to F to Bb to Eb… and so forth.

Some people say when you go counter-clockwise from C to F to Bb to Eb… that you’re going in “fourths.” But, of course, now you know better. You’re going in fourths only if you’re looking at this as going UP from C to F. And UP from F to Bb… and UP from Bb to Eb.

But as you just learned, going from C down to F is a fifth too! That’s why some people still choose to look at this WHOLE circle as a relationship of fifths because if you go clockwise, C up to G is a fifth. And if you go counter-clockwise, C down to F is also a fifth.

Put another way, “G” is the fifth of C. And “C” is the fifth of “F” — and so on.

But either way, here’s the golden nugget.

Go counter-clockwise! This is the flow of music. This is how 80% of songs move.

What do I mean?

THAT’S WHAT I MEAN!

If you analyze the chord patterns of songs, you’ll find them moving like this:

Some kinda “C” chord to some kinda “F” chord to some kinda “Bb” chord to some kinda “Eb” chord, depending on the key you’re in.

If you’re in a key like “G” major, you’ll find the same counter-clockwise movement at work — just at the other end of the circle with chords moving from some kind of “A” chord to some kind of “D” chord to some kind of “G” chord to some kind of “C” chord (just to give an example).

I say “some kind of chord” because depending on your key, some chords will be major, some minor, some dominant, some diminished, etc… and we really don’t have time to talk about that right here. Easily another 5 pages if I go there.

So the circle really explains the flow of music.

Ever heard of a “2-5-1″ progression? Guess what? Highlight any 3 notes on the circle that are neighbors and there are the keynotes of your “2-5-1″ progression! BAM!

Don’t believe me? What’s a 2-5-1 progression in the key of C? Well, the 2 is “D”… the 5 is “G” and the 1 is “C.” Where do those notes just “happen” to appear on the circle of fifths chart?

D is at 2 o clock. G is at 1 o clock. C is at 12 o clock. Counter-clockwise! Neighbors too!

Like pulling back time (ever wish you could pull back time, counter-clockwise???) Lol, get out of the past!!!!!!!!!!!! Except in music, that is! Cuz moving against the clock, when it comes to the circle, is how you will find most of your songs arranged. Counter-clockwise…

EXERCISE: Take songs you already know and compare them to the circle of fifths. For example, if the song you know goes from C major to A minor to D minor to G major to C major, then compare where those notes C, A, D, G, C appear on the circle and the type of movement you notice.

So, here’s the entire circle but in a counter-clockwise arrangement:

C > F > Bb > Eb > Ab > Db > Gb > B > E > A > D > G (repeat)

WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO LEARN THIS, DO IT!

Memorize it, chunk it, tape it to your dashboard. If you can say this in one breath really fast, you won’t believe how helpful it can be to you.

Why? Because all songs move in this direction. You can literally highlight any 3 or 4 notes straight off this circle and find many chord progressions that use those same exact notes in the same exact order. You can find entire songs using this order of notes… and just repeating over and over. Wash, rinse, repeat.

And since chords and patterns move like this, it makes sense to learn and practice chords in this same order. When you learn chords in this order, you further reinforce the circle.

Plus, when it comes time to play real songs that move in fourths anyway, you’ve already done it so much in your own practicing so it’s not that hard to apply it when needed.

(Oh, by the way, I’ve been saying ‘circle of fifths’ AND ‘circle of fourths’ up until this point. But now, I’m going to choose to call this “fourths” since most people consider C to F a fourth, unless you tell them C “DOWN” to F. But from now on, to keep things consistent, I will mainly say FOURTHS to represent the counter-clockwise direction of the circle.)

I realize this could still be over some folks’ head so let me break it down. (My fingers are getting tired but I’ll keep going, as long as you’ll keep reading)…

You can either learn chords by fourths like I’m advocating, or you can learn them chromatically in half steps.

Let’s talk about the latter method first.

To learn chords chromatically means to master chords one half-step at a time. In other words, you learn a “C” major chord first, then you take every note up a half step to learn the “C#” or “Db” major chord. Then once you learn that chord, you take every note of your chord up another half step to learn the “D” major chord. And so on…

In real life, this looks like this:

CHORD = G + B + C + E (which is a C major 7 chord in 2nd inversion by the way).

Say I wanted to learn this chord chromatically. All I gotta do is take every finger up a half step and that will give me the SAME chord in the next key up.

A half step up from C is Db so by taking EVERY tone of the chord up a half step, I’m essentially learning that SAME chord in the key a half step up. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck… it’s a duck.

So let’s do it…

G + B + C + E.

Move G up a half step to Ab.

Move B up a half step to C.

Move C up a half step up to Db.

Move E a half step up to F.

The new chord is Ab + C + Db + F. And since the old chord was a “major 7″ chord in 2nd inversion, that means THIS IS ALSO A MAJOR 7 CHORD IN 2ND INVERSION.

Nothing changes about the quality or quantity of the chord. If it’s major, the quality will be the same. If it’s a seventh, the quantity will also be the same. So, if the first chord was a C major 7, this new chord up a half step is simply a Db major 7. Got it?

So you could essentially learn every chord this way. It’s the easiest because it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to move every finger up one note. But it’s limiting because music doesn’t move chromatically like that. I mean it CAN, but it isn’t commonplace like fourths and fifths.

FOURTHS and FIFTHS are everywhere. They are the most common movement.

So remember the circle of fifths order I told you to memorize?

C > F > Bb > Eb > Ab > Db > Gb > B > E > A > D > G (repeat)

If you want to really get the “flow of music,” learn chords in fourths and also practice them in fourths.

Let’s take this same example:

G + B + C + E.

This is a C major 7 chord in 2nd inversion. If I were taking my own advice and learning this same chord in fourths, I would seek to learn an “F major 7″ chord next…

Why? Because it’s a fourth up from C when using the circle order above.

So it’s simple… let’s take each of these notes and determine what’s a fourth up from each one.

G + B + C + E.

This is easy because a fourth up is whatever note is “NEXT” in the circle. Just do this with EACH note.

A fourth up from “G” is “C” A fourth up from “B” is “E” A fourth up from “C” is “F” A fourth up from “E” is “A”

We’ve just learned the F major 7 chord by taking each note up a fourth.

So essentially, the same circle we use to play chord patterns is the same circle we use to learn CHORDS. That’s why I said to do whatever it takes to memorize the circle. These shortcuts are everywhere.

C + E + F + A is an F major 7 chord in 2nd inversion.

(for my beginners, yes, I know C is on the bottom but when you invert a chord, you basically change the order of notes.)

This same chord is F + A + C + E in the normal “root” inversion. If you take the “F” off the bottom and put it on the top, you get “A + C + E + F,” which is 1st inversion. If you then take the “A” off the bottom and put it on the top, you get “C + E + F + A,” which is 2nd inversion — the one we just learned.

So here’s your homework.

Take these chords below and learn them in fourths using the same steps I took above. You can also start all over and learn them chromatically too but the real “connection” comes in learning them in fourths.

C major = C + E + G

C major 7 = C + E + G + B

C minor = C + Eb + G

C minor 7 = C + Eb + G + Bb

EXTRA CREDIT: Invert the chords by taking the current note off the bottom and putting it on the top. Do this again to get the next inversion. If the chord has 4 notes, do this AGAIN to get the final inversion.

Post your answers below as a comment.

Again, you’re taking all 4 chords above and learning each one in all 12 keys USING the circle I talked about above. If you can’t do this, you need to print out this lesson and re-read it. This will result in you knowing 48 chords by the end of this exercise. If you’re serious, you’ll do it. If you get this one concept, you’ll skip at least 6-8 months worth of lessons… and that’s only if your teacher knows how important the circle is to playing BY EAR. Sight readers use this to figure out key signatures and ‘sharps & flats’ but all that stuff is NOTHING compared to the real value of the circle. The real value of the circle involves patterns, song movement, and stuff like that, if you’re an “ear” player.

If you want to get a real good introduction to all this, my $17 course is a steal. If you’re a reader, you have everything here. I sure didn’t hold back. If I wanted to hold back, I would have stopped 4 pages ago. The $17 starter course just takes it further by giving you 2 hours of instruction in my own voice with live demonstrations and examples.

So if my written words are cool for you, then I can promise you my voice is easily 3 times better. And at $17, you have nothing to lose. Check it out at:

http://www.hearandplay.com/17dollarcourse

If you were a bit helped by the words I’ve written here, then this audio course will REALLY be helpful because you’ll hear me talking about all this stuff for 2 whole hours, reinforcing every little concept over and over. You’ll like it.

Go to:

http://www.hearandplay.com/17dollarcourse

(You can even get the downloadable digital version and start learning right away).

Talk soon,

Jermaine

P.S. – Got questions? Comment below and I’ll answer right away:

P.P.S – If your budget allows, my 300pg course is your next best bet. It has 20 chapters, tons of exercises, and covers everything, step by step:

http://www.hearandplay.com/core

>NOTE: To learn ALL the techniques and strategies that you’ll need to start learning songs on your own, sounding flavorful, and being comfortable playing anything you want, go here:

http://www.hearandplay.com/products

In reading through some of my recent e-mails, I found a message from someone who REALLY gets it.

***Comment From A Reader Who GETS IT***

Jermaine, doc, where have you been all my life? Since I purchased your GospelKeys 202 and have been reading through your online blog lessons and resources, they have really opened my mind up to the whole world of “numbers.”

I was one of those folks who thought music was about letters. I thought chords used letters. UNTIL God led me to your website. And now everything I thought I knew about music has been challenged and I’ve gotten to the next level because now I know how to think in terms of numbers.

I don’t think about a C major 7 chord going to an F major 7 chord anymore (well I still do but it’s not the dominant thought like it used to be). Now I think about the 1st tone of the scale going to the 4th tone of the scale if I’m in the key of C or the 5th tone of the scale going to the 1st tone of the scale if I’m in the key of F major.

And when I do this, I find that I can take the same patterns to basically any major key because I’m not stuck thinking about C going to F liked I used to be. Now I’m thinking a totally different way and with the numbers I can just fill in the blank as the cliche goes and be free to play anywhere I want. It’s really changed the way I do “thangs” and I gotta give you the credit for it.

Keep it up man. I’ll see you at the top.

Terrell S.

>>> My Comments (and explanations):

Well Terrell, it looks like you TRULY get it.

You’ve stumbled on to one of the greatest secrets of “playing by ear.” It’s numbers.

When most people think about music, they think about “creative” stuff like notes and letters and sharp “(#)” signs and flat “(b)” signs. But music is highly mathematical too.

NUMBERS rule in music and when a musician truly “GETS” this, their playing explodes.

I remember one of my earlier students – Royzell – and how fast it took him to start learning real songs on his own. I mean this guy was up and playing in like 6 weeks. He was hungry for it, YES, but one thing I made sure he understood out the gate was the number system (i.e. – taking every major scale and learning each tone as numbers… “C” is 1, “D” is 2, “E” is 3… and so on).

Then I taught him how to play chords using the same numbers (i.e. – “combine tones ’7′ + ’3′ + ’5′ to play a nice-sounding major 7 chord in ANY key”). No, that isn’t the “regular” default way to play a major 7 chord. We were killing two birds with one stone by learning nicer voicings of the chords using the numbers so that we could literally take the same voicing to all 12 keys in minutes.

Then we naturally did patterns and chord progressions next (i.e. – “6-2-5-1 chord pattern” … very common pattern). It’s the same numbers at work but this time entire chords are moving from one to the other using the numbers. Songs came easy after that.

Fast forward several years and let’s just say he’s passed me up! And I don’t mind. He realized just how IMPORTANT numbers were in the beginning and now there’s virtually nothing he can’t pick up in minutes (and take to a new key without practicing). He’s even played for celebrities and filled in at West Angeles, the mega church where the hit producers and musicians, Jason White and Michael Bereal, play. And to think, it all started with NUMBERS (I don’t want to discount him either because he had a lot of drive and passion and was serious about his craft).

>REMEMBER – You can do almost anything by understanding the number system. And most importantly, it’ll allow you to play in any key because you’re essentially not memorizing any of the specific chords of a song… you’re not really memorizing ANYTHING. You simply understand that a pattern, for example, is a chord off the 1st tone of the scale moving to a chord off the 3rd tone of the scale… then to the 6th tone, then 2nd tone, then 5th tone, then back home to the 1st tone again.

AND GET THIS — once you realize that about 1 in 3 songs have that same pattern occuring in some way, shape, or form, then it really gets easy to learn and play songs off the top of your head because they all use the same patterns. Numbers allow you to do all this… and “then some” as mom would say.

To learn other unique techniques and strategies you can use to take your playing to the next level, go here:

http://www.hearandplay.com/products

Talk soon,

Jermaine

Ok, so maybe you took piano lessons when you were young and still remember some chords — or better yet, you sound really good right now because some friends or fellow musicians have showed you how to play some songs. Perhaps you play the songs by memory but have no idea what’s going on.

Or maybe you do know what’s going on but you’re limited in how many songs you can learn on your own. You’ve reached this glass ceiling and it doesn’t seem like you can get passed it.

Regardless of where you are, we all want to get to the next level.

Here are some things you can master to take you there!

1) Pattern Recognition:

I talked about this briefly in the “5 tips to getting started” article and it is very important on all levels. All songs follow various patterns.

“2-5-1″ chord progressions, 6-2-5-1 turnarounds, opening progressions, and closing progressions are patterns that you eventually hear over and over in songs.

(Don’t worry if you don’t understand where the numbers come from, I’ll talk more about this later).

But basically, certain patterns are used to begin songs… other patterns are used to close songs. If you’re more on the beginner-intermediate side, then you probably struggle with determining patterns altogether. That is, being able to recognize them in songs.

If you’re past this point, now it’s a matter of what kind of patterns you’re playing.

I heard this interesting saying once that said “you’re the average of the 5 people you hang around the most.” Now I certainly don’t know if the actual specific number is spot on, but I do know that you’re the average of the people you hang around the most.

I’ve found in the musician community… if you hang around professional-sounding musicians, eventually you’ll catch on to their sound. Not only because you see the various chords, progressions, and “licks” and “tricks” they play, but because your ear gets used to hearing this enhanced way of playing.

See, most of the time… people can’t get to the next level because they don’t know personally what the next level sounds like. They don’t have people around them playing that way, so it’s hard to hear and pick out “next level” chords and progressions.

Trust me… there are tons of 2-5-1 progressions to end songs and you’re probably only playing a good dozen of them. There are hundreds of ways to end songs. Some on the 1-2-3/A-B-C side and others on the ultra-advanced/professional side.

Your ability to recognize and pick out these chords depends on how much you’re exposed to them. Pick up as many albums and study them… until you’re sick and tired of them. Pick up courses and learn bits and pieces from them. Become committed to a life time of learning.

2) Number System:

Thinking in terms of numbers is very powerful. It’s the universal language.

I can say play Cmajor11 but that only tells you one chord to play in a specific situation. But if I say, play the 1-chord of Ab, now we’re talking about a systematic way to understand music.

Because every key has a 1-chord… (or the first tone/chord of the scale). Every key has a 2-chord, and so forth.

When you hear people say “2-5-1″ progression, they are simply talking about a chord from the 2nd tone of the scale, “progressing” to a chord from the 5th tone of the scale, finally ending at a chord from the 1st tone of the scale.

So if you know your scales in a numerical way, you can play a “2-5-1″ and any other pattern for that matter, in all 12 keys —INSTANTLY!

3) Transposition:

“The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear” talks about transposition in chapter 20. It basically means moving a song (or notes, scales, chords) to a different key. If you’ve messed around with any type of keyboard, you know that they feature a “transpose” function, which does this automatically for you.

Believe it or not, the keyboard “transpose” button is probably the #1 enemy to growth for a musician. Nowadays, a musician masters one good key like C major, and without ever having to think about another major key (or learn the chords of a new key), they simply hit the transpose button either up or down and it outputs their song in the new key. No effort… automatically.

So you get a lot of musicians out there who are “pros” on a keyboard but when it comes time to improvise on an acoustic piano or B3 organ with no transpose button, they break down. Don’t be this way!

It’s very easy to master all 12 keys. In fact, the number system helps you to do it. By simply knowing every scale in its numerical form (i.e. – C major scale as “C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7″), you can easily transpose songs in your head. If you’re playing a 2-5-1 progression in the key of C (Dmin, G7, Cmaj7), the endings of those chords will ALWAYS remain the same in new major keys. That is, you’ll always be going from some minor chord to some 7th chord to some major 7th chord in this example. The only thing that would change above is the keynote in front of the quality. So if D, G, and C are the 2, 5, and 1 of C, respectively, then just simply find the 2,5,1 of another key… transfer over the chord qualities (“min,” “7,” and “maj7″) and there you have it!

In G major, a 2-5-1 is: Amin, D7, Gmaj7. It’s that simple.

4) Ear-Training:

Like any sport, hobby, or activity, you must “condition” or develop the inner or outer body part that allows you to excel in whatever you’re doing. For music, it’s the hands/fingers and ears. Of course, there’s some things in between but this is mainly where the next level lies. Just like any thing else, you can build your ear.

Training your ear to recognize both melodic and harmonic intervals is important.

Intervals you need to master include:

• Major/Minor Seconds
• Major/Minor Thirds
• Perfect Fourths
• Diminished / Augmented Fourths
• Perfect Fifths
• Diminished / Augmented Fifths
• Major/Minor Sixths
• Major/Minor Sevenths

All music features intervals like this… distances between notes basically. Intervals create scales. They also create chords and progressions. Using our software can help with this.

Well, that’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed this post.

Step One: Determining the Melody

The first step of the process is to learn how to determine the melody. To be very honest, this concept is very easy to grasp and doesn’t require 300 pages to accomplish. Anyone with a decent ear can eventually find the melody to a song. However, in addition to the other techniques, principles, and concepts taught in our course, there are a few pointers to remember when determining the melody. The following lesson is taken right out of our 300-pg course (pgs 252-254): 

Again, this is just 3 pages on harmonizing melodies. If you are truly serious about taking your piano playing and music knowledge to the next level, I invite you to read more about my 300-pg course entitled, "The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear." Click here for more techniques, principles, concepts, tricks and tips on playing the piano by ear.

Step Three & Four: Altering Chords and Listening for Final Changes

Depending on the style of music you are trying to produce, step three will allow you to alter the harmonizing chords used in step two. To "alter" a chord simply means to modify it. There are several ways to alter a chord: You can raise or lower the 5th tone a half step or perhaps you can raise or lower the 7th, 9th, or 11th tones a half step (the list goes on and on…) However, it is important to make sure that the alteration chosen is in alignment with the mood of the song. For example, in gospel music, it is common to hear dominant and diminished alterations rather than just plain major triads.

The following lesson is taken right out of our 300-pg course (Chapter 16; pgs 229-231):

Here is a quick summarization of the four steps. This is actually page 257 of our 300-pg course:

Again, this is just a few pages on the harmonization process. For further training, I invite you to read more about my 300-pg course entitled, "The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear." Click here for more techniques, principles, concepts, tricks and tips on playing the piano by ear.

Step Two: Harmonizing the Melody

Step two is a continuation of the first step. Once you have determined the melody, you must NOW find the right chords to accompany your melody. For example, if your melody was C – D – E – F – G, you’d need chords to accompany "C", "D", "E", "F" and "G." Hearandplay.com teaches you each and every chord needed to harmonize all tones of a major scale. The following lesson is taken right out of our 300-pg course (Chapter 17; pgs 241-245):

Again, this is just a few pages on harmonizing melodies. If you’ve been helped by any of the free information on this page, you’ll definitely benefit from the content in our full 300-pg course. I invite you to read more about my 300-pg course entitled, "The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear." Click here for more techniques, principles, concepts, tricks and tips on playing the piano by ear.

Keep in mind that as you get better and better, you’ll be able to determine the key center of a song much quicker. When you get really good, you won’t even have to use the tests above because you’ll be 100% confident in your ear. But if you’re using the chart above, it’s pretty simple. If you’re pressing C and you’re pretty confident that C is the key center, then you’re probably correct! Good job! But as one last resort, test it against F (as shown in the chart above). C is the fifth of F. We just want to make sure that we’re not confusing C for the key center when perhaps F might be the correct one. If F doesn’t match, then return back to C, your final answer and key center. GOLDEN RULE: Your ear is always the final judge.

Also, as you get more advanced, it will only take you a few notes before you figure out the key center of a song.

THINGS YOU’LL OBSERVE:

As you get closer and closer to the actual key center of the song you’re listening to, it will feel like a roller coaster. As you play each note, you should hear the notes getting closer and closer to the actual key center. By the time you get within two or three notes of the key center, it should even be predictable at this point.

Let’s say a song that I’m listening to is in the key of G. That means, G is the key center. So, according to the rules above, I’ll start at C like usual. C will obviously sound wrong. Db will sound wrong. When I get to D, it may sound right but not totally (you’ll just have to see what I’m talking about as you sit down to your piano and try this process out because there will be no doubt that you’ve arrived at the key center if you’re listening correctly).

D sounds closer than the rest because it is the fifth tone of the actual key center. Look at the chart above and notice what D is connected to: ***G***. So as I advised above, if you land on a note that you’re not sure about, use the chart to play the other key, which in actuality may be the key center.

Now, let’s assume that you skipped by D and didn’t think twice about it being the key center (which is fine because it’s not the key center anyway). You get to Eb, it doesn’t sound right. E doesn’t sound right but you start feeling the roller coaster effect. In other words, you feel the keys getting closer and closer to the key center. You know it’s coming. If you can’t hear this, then you’re not listening closely enough. Just listen.

So again, E is not correct but it lets you know that the key center is coming. F is not correct but the key center feels closer and closer. F# sounds really really really close and you even go so far as to predict that it is the closest note to the key center you’re going to find — YOU’RE CORRECT because right after F# is G, the correct key center. I know the process above seemed pretty dramatized but this is literally how it is!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOURSELF FIND THE KEY CENTER

When listening to a song, try humming what you think the last chord of the song would be (… the keynote of the chord that is, because you can’t hum more than one note at a time). Eighty to 90% of the time, the last chord of the song will be the major chord of the key center you’re looking for. For example, if the key center of a song is Ab, then most likely the song is going to end on some type of Ab chord (be it an Abmaj7, Abmaj9, Ab13, Ab add9, etc). In some instances, a song will end on another chord of the scale (like the “6″ or “3″) but that won’t be the majority of songs.

If you find it hard to hum what you’d consider to be the last chord of the song, try humming the first chord of the song. Most songs start on key center as well (majority of songs). Don’t be mislead though — there are a few songs that start on the 2, 3, 6, and other tones of the scale. But again, not every method is 100% foolproof. You’ll still have to let your ear be the final judge.

Lastly, just think of the note that sounds like it would fit no matter what chord or melody notes are played. Hum this note out loud (YES, hum with your mouth out loud). Imagine a loud soprano singing this note over the entire song — it should match very well.

Once you are humming what you believe to be the keynote or key center, start at C on your piano and follow the steps above until you arrive at the note that you are humming. All this requires is that your ear match up the note you are singing with ONE note on the piano. There should be a pretty perfect match.

Be careful of humming the right keynote in the beginning but then lowering the pitch of the note you are humming as you try to match it on the piano. Sometimes this will happen but just try to concentrate on humming the same note, consistently and you’ll be fine.

I hope you’ve enjoyed and I’ll see you next month! Don’t forget to check your e-mail on Tuesday if you’re interested in the finger rings!

Next month, we will study “bass line recognition” and how to learn songs by simply determining the bass (or left hand movements) first.

Chords to study for the next online classroom:

• Major triads; see pg chapter 5 of 300pg course
• Minor triads; see pg chapter 8 of 300pg course
• Major sixth chords; see pg chapter 13 of 300pg course
• Minor sixth chords; see pg chapter 13 of 300pg course
• Seventh (dominant) chords; see pg chapter 10 of 300pg course
• Minor seventh chords; see pg chapter 10 of 300pg course
• Major ninth chords; see pg chapter 14 of 300pg course

Well, I hope you enjoyed this newsletter! I’ll be back!