Playing songs
by Jermaine Griggs · 15 comments
in Playing songs
I’m off to support my grandma as she has surgery today in Long Beach but I wanted to post this short lesson before I leave.
I just posted a mega 33-minute video so this lesson will just give you an abbreviated version of the video. What I really encourage you to do is stop what you’re doing and head over to view the entire lesson. Dozens of comments have already come in about it since i posted it last night (…don’t forget to leave me one as well!)
The tutorial teaches you how to play a popular song with just 4 chords! And they’re all seventh chords too (major, dominant)… [more]
by Jermaine Griggs · 140 comments
in Latest News,Playing songs
If you’re a beginner, have been studying major and minor chords on this site, and want to put your knowledge to good use, check out this archived 33-minute video lesson I created some time ago.
I cover, step-by-step, how to play a very popular song called “Lost Without You.” I chose this song because it really allows me to show you my song learning process… and I dig the progressions! You’ve probably heard the song… it was a chart-topper for sure!
by Jermaine Griggs · 10 comments
in Playing songs
Today’s post is going to be very exciting because we’re going to finish off our ballad we started a few days ago.
If you remember, we started playing this ballad with just TWO chords. Then it turned into a few more. Yesterday, we actually added a turnaround chord progression. Today, we’re adding seventh chords and even a suspended chord. Check it out…
by Jermaine Griggs · 12 comments
in Playing songs
For the past couple of days, we’ve been talking about slow ballads. If you’re just now tuning in, I recommend you check out both Tuesday and Wednesday’s lesson.
Today, I’m going to show you how to take it even further! Right now, you know how to play a very popular ballad movement from the past two lessons — and the best part is that you’ve only used TWO chords!
So, how do we venture outside of these two chords? I’m glad you asked…
by Jermaine Griggs · 20 comments
in Playing songs
In today’s post, I’m going to show you how to improve your dull, “overused” major chords by adding the “9th” tone. Instant spice!
If you haven’t read yesterday’s post, stop what you’re doing and review it first! This post won’t make much sense as it is a continuation from yesterday.
In my last post, I left you with this nice ballad-style chord progression…
by Jermaine Griggs · 21 comments
in Playing songs
Today’s post will be fun because I’m going to show some of my newbies how to play something you hear all the time.
From Mariah Carey to Fred Hammond and Andre Crouch, every artist has had their share of the slow “ballad” — and more specifically, the type that simple moves down the scale, note for note.
Here are some samples just so you know what I’m talking about…
by Jermaine Griggs · 6 comments
in Playing songs
Learning chords and progressions is just half of it! Learning how to employ various techniques to play them smoothly is the other half! Check it out…
by Jermaine Griggs · 2 comments
in Playing songs
Inversions are key to sounding smooth on the piano and organ. In this lesson, you’ll learn the ins and outs of playing inversions, how to choose the right ones, and how to connect your chords together seamlessly…
by Jermaine Griggs · 2 comments
in Playing By Ear,Playing songs
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 [...]
by Jermaine Griggs · 0 comments
in Playing By Ear,Playing songs
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 [...]
