Back with another weekly clip from the Gospel Music Training Center. For more information on GMTC, click here.

For more information on GMTC, click here.

Here’s another weekly Gospel Music Training Center clip from Jonathan Powell. This time, he’s playing “Jesus Is Real.” To learn the same chords and patterns found in this song, check out the Gospel Music Training Center.

In the past year, we’ve made history by releasing several breakthrough tools specifically for “ear-musicians.”

While technology is no replacement for good old practicing, it undoubtedly makes the job infinitely easier.

For example, Song Robot was released around this time last year and totally revolutionized how musicians learn their favorite songs.

It essentially makes the internet one’s playground by accepting special files called “midi.” And it just so happens, there are tens of millions of free midi files spread across the internet.

Song Robot was so instrumental in changing the way musicians started learning songs because for the first time ever, one had every song learning feature in a single application.

-Every note played in the song lights up on a keyboard.

-Notes in the song can be slowed down to as low as 10% of actual speed.

-The left hand can be separated from the right. Left in blue, right hand in red.

-Any section of the song can be looped to focus on the exact chords and progressions of choice.

-The key of the song can be changed at any time. If it’s originally in C major, it can be moved to F major with the click of a button.

-It can show flat or sharp names only or simply default to the key of the song.

-And a host of other features.

(If you don’t have this tool, you owe it to yourself to at least check out the website.)

Visit: http://www.hearandplay.com/2012robot

The next tool we released finally allowed musicians to start practicing with a real-sounding band… in any key… at any tempo.

After years of hearing from frustrated musicians who had access to the knowledge but couldn’t find practical ways to apply it, we stepped to the plate.

The end result: “Back Pocket Band.”

It features over 300 tracks spread across several styles, tempos, and even major keys.

And it’s the perfect complement to Song Robot because after the notes and chords have been revealed, one can simply open BPB and find the right drum or bass track to practice with.

-Access to over 350 real-sounding backing tracks.

-Practice and live performance files are played in all 12 keys.

-Choice between multiple speeds: slow, medium, and fast.

-3 different sections, 9 styles of music, & drums-only option.

-Instant streaming playback and automatic downloading to computer for burning to cd, transfer to ipod, and editing.

For more information on this tool, visit:

http://www.hearandplay.com/2012band

Lastly, we released a tool that finally made it practical to learn and document things in all 12 keys.

Prior to this software, I would recommend that musicians buy notebooks and come up with a way to organize chords in all 12 keys by pages, sections, tabs, etc.

Instant Transposer not only takes a single chord and transposes it to every key (in any color combination chosen), but it allows saving, opening of past files, and sharing with others.

It allows one to punch in a number of chords (say 3 chords from a progression recently learned) and with the click of a single button, it displays those chords in all 12 keys. (In this case, a total of 36 chords in a single click).

From there, the session can be saved, printed, exported, and even copied to desired word processor to create workbooks or simply kept for records.

It’s perfect for the organized student and a game-changing tool for teachers.

For more information, check out:

http://www.hearandplay.com/2012transposer

As you can see, 2011 was the “Year of Innovation” for us and I appreciate all our “Early Adopters” for embracing these tools.

Thousands have been helped by one or two of these tools and hundreds have sent in messages reporting the benefits of having ALL THREE in their arsenal.

Whether you need one or two, or all three, I recommend watching the videos and seeing how these tools can be put to work for you this year.

Gone are the days where you ‘must’ take the long road. Technology has connected the world, made life easier and more enjoyable… and there’s no reason it shouldn’t help your music playing.

Here are the links for all three again:

Song Robot – http://www.hearandplay.com/2012robot

Back Pocket Band – http://www.hearandplay.com/2012band

Instant Transposer – http://www.hearandplay.com/2012transposer

Here’s your weekly clip of Jonathan Powell from the Gospel Music Training Center playing another gospel hit, “Expect The Great.” Enjoy!

For more information on the Gospel Music Training Center, click here.

Here’s the problem with any activity, skill, hobby, or craft that takes a considerable amount of time to master…

You might even find this counter-intuitive but it’s: “memory.”

Here’s why:

The first time you do something is always a journey of discovery. You’ve never done the activity before so your mind is taking in all the minute details and making lots of connections. Your receptivity to learning is at its height.

There are no labels or memories or comparable experiences to prejudge the new experience and thus learning is at its highest.

However, after the hundredth time of doing something, the experience is usually different.

For most people, the repetition brings about unconscious competence. This is when you really don’t have to think about what you’re doing. Like Nike, you “just do it.”

In fact, we engage in many activities in an unconscious way, unaware of details that once fascinated us. We, instead, rely on our memories, labels, shortcuts, and experiences from the first time we did it. Unfortunately, this is when learning and discovery drops to zero because memories of past experiences take over.

But if you live “TODAY” based on your memory of yesterday, you miss the gift of the present moment totally!

“The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present!”
-Bill Keane

When you sit down to the piano, do you sit down with a fresh mind, open to learn new things? Or have you gotten stuck in what you “already” know?

It’s great to have mastered things “unconsciously” but it could also be holding you back from mastering new things! In fact, the world changes so much that if you’re living based on a memory of the 70s, you keep from seeing things as they truly are.

The next time you’re at the piano, try an exercise where you “forget” what you’ve learned about a particular chord or progression or key, and just approach it with a newness and freshness like never before.

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS!

You’ll discover a whole new world. You’ll grow a whole lot faster and improve a lot quicker.

It’s called “BEING IN THE NOW.”

This clip comes from the Gospel Music Training Center. It features the “Professor of Phatness” (Jonathan Powell) playing “Praise Him In Advance.”

For step by step gospel music instruction, visit the Gospel Music Training Center.

If you haven’t heard, Instant Transposer is my new software tool that transposes chords and progression to all 12 keys in literally seconds.

And instead of teaching you this “major 9″ chord in C major alone, I’ve decided to kill two birds with one stone by showing you the power of Instant Transposer and giving you the chords in all 12 keys at the same time!

Here’s how easy it is…

Step 1 – Just choose your colors and create your chord by clicking on the appropriate notes.

Step 2 – Press one button and that chord is transposed to all 12 keys. That simple.

So I did this simple process with a fancy major 9 chord. Here it is:

I love this voicing!

Whenever you’ve got a melody with the “3rd” on top (in this case “E”), pull out this chord.

Now, let’s put Instant Transposer to work. Here’s this chord in all 12 keys:

If you’re interested in using Instant Transposer to make playing in all 12 keys easier than ever before, click here.

My brother in law was over during the holidays and it’s become a tradition for us to dust of my xbox 360 and enjoy a game of Nba 2k or Madden Football. (I can’t stand playing the computer so the only time I engage in video games is when I can play a real person… “in person.”)

Well, every year is the same. He tends to beat me by about 40 points in Madden Football.

And while he’s whooping on me, he loves to talk “mess” too! He’ll look over and say “ready to throw in the towel?” … “ready to give up?” … “want to start over?” … “you suck!” … “give up already!”

And my answer is always the same. “NO.”

And Sarah and I make sure to teach our kids to “NEVER GIVE UP… no matter how the odds are stacked against you.”

NEVER GIVE UP.

In fact, we have this little motto: “The Griggs’ Never Give Up.”

(Jadyn, our oldest is so funny when she says it. She lowers her chin and puts on this deep voice… “Griggs Nevaaaa Give Up!”)

I don’t care if it’s the biggest decision of my life… or a video game — the concept is the same.

Being a musician ain’t easy. Learning to train your fingers takes time. Things don’t come overnight. But I want to encourage you to NEVER GIVE UP.

Something led you to this. You want to do this. It may be a lifelong dream of yours, a passion. And like my brother in law, you may hear these whispers encouraging you to take an early defeat.

Don’t throw in the towel.

As they say, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Remember that.

Wayne Dyer said: “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

It’s true in music too. Quite literally.

Take, for example, suspended chords.

If you ever see a suspended 4 chord (or “sus4″), it simply means to play the fourth instead of the third in a major chord.

Here’s a regular C major chord:

The “third” in this chord is “E.” (If you haven’t learned your intervals, you can use the search box in the upper right corner to find lessons on the topic).

Instead of playing “E,” you’d simply play “F” (which is the fourth).

This is a Csus4. Or Csus for short (if you ever see “sus,” automatically assume sus4).

There’s also such a thing as a suspended 2 chord (aka – “sus2″). The concept is similar except you’re replacing the third with a second interval.

So instead of playing the “E” in the C major chord:

…you’d play “D”:

Now, here’s where things get interesting with these two chords.

How would you play a Gsus4?

Step 1: Take a G major chord

Step 2: Replace the third degree (B) in the chord with the fourth (C)

Does this chord look familiar?

Let me give you a hint.

(Take the G off the bottom and put it on the top)

It’s a Csus2 but has the same exact notes as Gsus4.

That means, if you know your sus4 chords, you sort of automatically know your sus2 chords. They’re inversions of each other.

Csus4 (C F G) = Fsus2 (F G C)

Fsus4 (F Bb C) = Bbsus2 (Bb C F)

There are many coincidences and tricks like this in music.

It’s all in how you look at it!

P.S. – What’s God’s Favorite Chord?

Answer: Gsus!

You’ve heard it before… “Practice Makes Perfect.”

You may have heard it this way as well: “Perfect Practice Makes Perfect.”

I prefer the latter because you can definitely practice something incorrectly and get “perfect” at doing it WRONG.

But at the end of the day, it’s about making and putting in the time.

In other articles, you’ve probably seen me talk about the 10,000 hour rule. It’s true – it takes about 10,000 hours to get to a master-level at something.

And sure, you can spend time reading materials, watching dvds, listening to cds, engaging in discussions, etc… and these things all have a role in your success. But according to the study below, none of them trump “PRACTICE BY DOING.”

What this chart tells us is how effective each of the modes are at helping us retain information (“learn”).

When we’re lectured on something, we only remember 5% of what’s told to us.

When we read something, we only remember 10%. Ever read a book and a week later, can’t even remember most of what you read?

When you hear and see something, it doubles your effectiveness to 20%. When you’re demonstrated something, you’ll remember 30% of the information shared with you.

When you discuss something in a group, you’ll remember 50%. That’s why college courses often require a separate discussion meeting.

See what happens when you practice by doing? It takes your retention of what you’re practicing up to 75%.

(And there’s even a level that beats practicing. That’s when you get to the point where you can teach others. That’s when information really sticks. When you’re teaching, just remember this study and to mix up these modalities because if you stick to merely lecturing, your recipients will only remember 5% of what you say while you will be retaining 90% of what you’re teaching. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that teaching is more beneficial to the teacher than the student. Most professors that get the big bucks get paid for their research… not for teaching us in the study hall. But when they’re teaching us, it’s only making their research that much easier. Interesting. Thus, why I love doing it so much!)

So we’re back full circle…

Ya gotta practice.

Yup, I said all that to encourage you to make a commitment to practice.

And not just practice but on a consistent basis.

One of my “6 Ps To Productive Practice” deals with “Planned Practice.”

Psychological studies prove that if you do a routine at the same time everyday, you’re more likely to stick with it. You’ve made it a habit. It’s a ritual and a part of your life.

On the other hand, if you sit down to practice whenever you want – here and there – you’re most likely to break the commitment and be unsuccessful at sticking to it.

Experts say habit formation takes about 21-30 days. And the most difficult of those days are the first 10. This is where you have to literally defy gravity.

There’s so much gravity trying to push you down. Gravity of “the way things are.” Gravity of “old ways.”

And like a space shuttle needs most of its fuel at takeoff, you’ll need most of yours to get past your current “atmosphere.”

In the beginning, do what it takes to keep the commitment. Most likely, this will be pure “will power.” But as time progresses, getting yourself to sit down and practice will become a way of life… a habit… and thus, easier to stick with.

But remember, you’ve got to do it consistently for 30 days at the same time every day to start building this momentum.

This is the key to real growth this year.

-JG

I’ve been fortunate and blessed to see 28 new years in my lifetime.

And while I probably didn’t understand what was going on for the first 5 (my daughter’s kindergarten class is currently studying time relationships… i.e. – today, yesterday, last week, last year, next year, tomorrow, next week), I’ve been cognizant of at least 20 of them.

And so, for at least 20 years, I’ve seen how excited we get about the New Year. We make resolutions. We make goals. We make decisions to cut off or cut out things that are not good for us. We set out to lose weight, increase our productivity, make more money, reach a lifelong dream, etc.

And that’s all good and fine. It’s certainly better than not having a recurring reminder.

But I’ve noticed each and every year, this excitement wears down. Momentum slows. And soon, we’re back to our old self.

So ponder this question:

“It’s a New Year but what are you CURRENTLY doing to ensure a New You?”

And more importantly, what needs to happen to ensure the New You sticks?

One thing I know for sure is that time operates with or without us. Every year, every day, every hour, every minute — heck, every second is a unique miracle you’ve never seen before… an opportunity to make a decision to be a “NEW YOU.”

A NEW YOU that is always “becoming.”
A NEW YOU that is always “progressing.”
A NEW YOU that is always “growing.”
A NEW YOU that is always “learning.”
A NEW YOU that is always “loving.”
A NEW YOU that is always “forgiving.”
A NEW YOU that is always “striving.”

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.
-Ezekiel 36:26

It starts with a decision.

A real decision.

What’s a real decision?

It’s when you make it hard to revert back to before the decision was made.

The word “decision” comes from the latin word dēcīsiō, which literally means “a cutting off.” Or decidere, which means “to cut off.”

When you make a real decision, you literally cut off all other options.

If that decision is to stop smoking, you throw away anything remotely related to smoking. Any item that will cause you to recidivate or relapse. You even go as far as to proclaim to other individuals that you’ve stopped smoking and if they ever see or smell the scent on you, they are free to embarrass, call you out, scorn you, etc.

If that decision is to improve your piano playing, you tell a spouse or friend that if you have not completed a predetermined goal (that can easily be described or perhaps demonstrated to them on youtube so they know what to expect), you will either give them your piano or keyboard or sell it and give the proceeds to them or charity. Or worse, book yourself a gig in front of a “real” audience months into the future with a penalty for not being able to perform when the time comes.

I know these examples sound silly but the point is — make it hurt.

When have you known for a “cut” not to hurt? If you accidentally cut yourself with scissors (which is related to the same decision word… like “incision”), it’s likely gonna hurt.

Cuts hurt.

And so when you make real decisions, they hurt.

Not necessarily in the physical realm. But it may be emotional, spiritual, psychological, mental.

As humans, we don’t like change. The elements that operate the body like maintaining homeostasis (it’s vital). We’d rather keep things the same. That’s how we are.

So when you make a real decision, it hurts.

Fake decisions or delusional “New Year” hype won’t hurt… and therefore won’t last.

Real decisions are about cutting off all other options. Heck, Will Smith said it best: “There’s no reason to have a Plan B because it distracts from Plan A.” Now, that’s a real decision!

In closing, a quote from the the 1937 classic, “Think and Grow Rich”:

A long while ago, a great warrior faced a situation which made it necessary for him to make a decision which insured his success on the battlefield. He was about to send his armies against a powerful foe, whose men outnumbered his own. He loaded his soldiers into boats, sailed to the enemy’s country, unloaded soldiers and equipment, then gave the order to burn the ships that had carried them. Addressing the men before the first battle, he said, “You see the boats going up in smoke. That means that we cannot leave these shores unless we win! We now have no choice—we win—or we perish!”

They won.

Decide and you will win too.

I have a treat for you!

After being away for 5 years, I caught up with James Wrubel (from our jazz courses) and invited him to do some helpful lessons for you.

The first one is 17 minutes and available at: http://www.hearandplay.com/jazzlesson

You don’t want to miss this lesson as he shows you how to spice up chord progressions. This concept can be applied to just about ANYTHING you play.

Visit: http://www.hearandplay.com/jazzlesson

And if you like what you see, please leave a comment. Would love to hear what you think!

Visit: http://www.hearandplay.com/jazzlesson

Everyone talks about how important it is to learn all 12 keys as a musician.

Not only does it give you the flexibility and fluidity to play any song you hear on the radio (as you’ll find songs spread across all 12 keys), but it ensures you’re never caught in a situation where you’re dumbfounded because you can’t follow along in the unfamiliar key.

This tool does for music what the calculator does for math — plain and simple.

It makes playing in all 12 keys a breeze. Before this tool, playing songs in all 12 keys was reserved for the most serious… the most dedicated musicians. But now, NO ONE has any excuses anymore because playing in all 12 keys is easier than ever before.

Click here to watch my newest video presentation

Let’s just say if anyone had this tool when they were first coming up, they’d be miles ahead.

This video presentation won’t be up for long so I recommend you watch it. I’m doing something VERY special that I can’t keep going for too long so check it out.

Click here to watch my newest video presentation

What if you could learn virtually any song you wanted? A childhood or pastime favorite?

Sounds too good to be true right?

Well, it’s now a reality with our new Song Robot software we released earlier this year.

http://www.hearandplay.com/learnanysong

Here’s how it works:

Song Robot accepts a file type called “midi.”

If you google “midi,” you’ll find 384 million results. (To get through all those results in a year, you’d have to visit 1+ million pages per day).

But this file is different from any other typical audio file because it actually carries information… not just sound.

And what we did was hire a team of developers to build the best program on the planet for “reading” this information and giving it to you in a simple interface that teaches you unlimited songs by:

-lighting up the notes of the piano in red and blue
-slowing down the song to as low as 10% of actual speed
-changing to any key you want, no matter how far
-looping certain parts repeatedly
-displaying only sharps or only flats or both
-allowing full rewind, fast-forward, & pause controls
-accepting up to 16 instruments at one time
-and much more…

For more details, visit: http://www.hearandplay.com/384million

So essentially, when you make a one-time investment in Song Robot, you get an evergreen system where the sky’s the limit.

If you can find the song you want out of 384 million “midi” search results (and most likely you WILL), Song Robot does the rest!

It’s never been easier than this.

To see it in action, visit: http://www.hearandplay.com/384million

(And just to let you know, I’ve never failed at finding the midi file of a song online. In fact, my blog features videos of me finding files to “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” “The Entertainer,” “Hero,” and more).

Why do so many midi files exist online why are they easily accessible on google?

Simple.

Other common folk put out midi files to show off their playing, just for fun, to share with fellow musicians, to allow conversion to sheet music, and simply because they can. Think 384 million web pages. That’s a lot.

I’ve created a full-length video presentation detailing everything. Check it out at:

http://www.hearandplay.com/384million

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reply.

Talk soon.

After getting an e-mail from a concerned student who bought Jazz 101 and was questioning why it focused primarily on the “12 bar blues” instead of “jazz,” I wanted to shed some light on blues’ connection to jazz and how there wouldn’t be jazz as we know it without blues.

This article by the “Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz” puts it perfectly.

“From the perspective of musical structure, jazz as we know it would not exist without the blues. The
twelve-bar blues chorus, with its familiar harmonic structure and narrative form, was the single most
popular template for early jazz improvisation, as compact yet profound in its way as the sonnet proved to
be in the realm of poetry.”

Did you hear that?

Blues is to jazz what the sonnet proved to be to poetry.

(Note from Wikipedia: A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines using any of a number of formal rhyme schemes, in English typically having ten syllables per line… popularized during Shakespeare’s lifetime.)

Go check out the article here

If you’re interested in Jazz 101, check out the information site here.

JG

P.S. – I recommend looking some of these songs up on youtube to really bring to life what the article is referencing.

This question comes from Gospel Music Training Center member Larressa:

Hi Jermaine, my name is Larressa. I go by mrslsj in GMTC.

I am a beginner. I am taking on the challenge of transforming the song “I Give Myself Away”-Take 1. However, after listening to JP I decided as a learning experience to transpose the chords to all 12 keys, which has been great. I have done this but I have a few questions. I hope this is clear.

1. From previous study in GMTC I understand that the VII is usually diminished or half diminished. Here is the 7 chord in this song “FGAC/A” (KEY Bb) which is listed as a F Major Add 9. Can you tell me why this chord does not follow that rule? What type of chord would go on the 7?

2. Here is the 7 chord in this song “FGBbEb/C” which is listed as an “Eb Major Add 9 / C.” Can you tell me why this is a major chord on the 3 and not a minor chord as I thought it should be?

3. The passing chord in the song is on the 3 which is D “GbBbCF/D’. It is listed as a D7 #9#5 chord. When are these types of chords used? Is the 3 not always minor as I thought.

Thank you for your help. GMTC has been great for me and a few thinks are starting to click for me thanks to you guys. Larressa

Larressa,

These are great questions.

And you are correct, the 7th tone is usually diminished or half-diminished 7 when looking at the diatonic chords.

But let’s keep in mind that the 1, 4, and 5 are the primary chords of the key and will occur the most.

The first chord you are referring to is really a 5-chord, not a 7-chord. Because you’re in the key of Bb, F major is the chord naturally created on the 5. All we’re doing in this song is inverting that 5 chord so that A is on the bottom… and adding the “9″ (G) for some flavor… that’s all.

We’ve chosen the 1st inversion of F major because it puts A on the bottom.

So in this case, you want to analyze the “WHOLE” chord and label it according to the true scale degree of the chord. The bass in this case is a little misleading only because it is inverted. If you can’t truly call this some type of “A” chord, then it is another chord simply “rearranged” so that A is on the bottom.

Not to confuse you but you will hear musicians still calling this the 7th tone because of the bass, “A.” And that’s fine as the bass usually establishes the patterns of the song. But when it comes to really analyzing what’s going on (as I suspect you’re doing), this is a 5 chord.

As for the second chord, this is really a minor chord. Sometimes chords are listed as split chords but when you truly analyze them, you find out they can be labeled something else:

FGBbEb/C (a.k.a – Eb major add 9 “over” C)

Is really:

C + Eb + G + Bb + F (when you lay it all out)

That’s “C minor 7 add 11″ if I’ve ever seen one.

*Note: The reason we said “add 11″ and not just “C minor 11″ is because the “9th” degree (D) is not present. If this chord had a “D,” then we could flat out call it C minor 11. But in order for it to be a true 11th chord, it must have a 9th. And say it were just a 9th chord… it would need a 7th. It’s like building blocks — one thing stacks on top of another.

The third chord (dominant 7 #9#5) is a perfect example of “alterations.” If all songs only followed the “rules,” we’d have a lot of same-sounding stuff out there. So at some point, you will introduce altered chords that add flavor to the regular diatonic chords you’re used to hearing. In this case, the dom7 #9#5 works great as a substitute for minor chords on the 3rd (especially), 6th, 2nd, and even “flatted 5″ tone (to lead to the 7).

But even if you analyze this chord, the #9 creates the same sound as the minor 3rd so it’s really not that “far” away from a minor chord. Just also has the major third in it, which is why we label it this way.

#9 in C, for example is, D#
b3 in C (which creates C minor chord) is Eb.

Eb and D# are enharmonic (make same sound, spelled differently). That’s why these altered chords work so great.

So “learn the rules” for majority of songs, but also be prepared to break them because after all, this is music. :-)

I hope this clarifies things.

If you haven’t signed up for the 4 free video lessons, I highly recommend it. Click here.

After watching the 4 videos, student Tosyn Omojola had these touching words for me:

Aug 12 2011 03:37 PM tal******yne@yahoo.com
================================

Subject: TOO MUCH WORDS FOR YOU.

Jermaine,

Throughout the period of this special video release, I’ve been preparing for a professional certification, but I ensured that I watched and learned from the videos.

My soul keeps blessing you each time.

Let me tell you what you’ve achieved in me…

I never had problems picking the key to a song. I sort of have ears for music (even before I started playing Lead and Bass guitars), but in all of the four videos I learnt these two crucial lessons that I will always be grateful to you for.

1.
I have always known there are 3 major (1,4,5) , 3 minor (2,3,6) and 1(7) diminished chords in a scale. You know what the puzzle is over the years? I never knew what makes a major chord major, nor what makes a minor chord minor let a lone a diminished chord. I used to think those were the names given those chords by the inventors of musical theory.
Now in this video series I learnt and now understand why a major is a major and why a minor is so called, likewise a diminished (7th) chord.

2.
I have read books talking about the cycle of fifths or fourths and, somehow, I always carry the image around in my head trying to figure out its meaning and application. Recently, I started playing keyboard in church and, because I promised myself not to ever transpose but play any song on its natural key (which I’ve been faithful to, with some challenges of course, for a starter). When I play bass accompanyment, I placed my left hand on the keys such that my little finger and thumb rest on the key octaves while my index finger rests(automatically) on the 5th note of the octave. This has been part of me such that I dont have to look at my left hand. I just know once I locate my target note, the 5th note will harmonise it and others would follow depending on how I choose to play.

So I’ve been trying to find a relationship between each root note I play and the corresponding 5th tone. After I watched this video four…I almost cried…I felt you’ve been spying on me. I felt like shouting. The Circle (or cycle) of 5ths just sank deep in me. That is what I’ve been looking for.

You made it happen. I don’t know what to say to you. You transformed my understanding. Now my playing will be impacted in a BIG way.

T.H.A.N.K. Y.O.U. GOD BLESS AND INCREASE YOU. You have been megaly helpful. I will always treasure you.

My response:

Tosyn,

While I’ll take credit, you’re the true hero here because you temporarily suspended any thoughts of “I already know this” and continued to study the videos anyway. And your breakthrough came in the minor details that eluded you in times past. I applaud you for your eagerness to learn and I appreciate your kind and encouraging words. They’ve made my day and I just had to share them with the rest of the community.

Keep up the great work and continue to excel. Applied knowledge is power.

All the best,
JG

This edition of “Ask Jermaine” was posted by Ronald Verwer in our Free Lessons area. He writes:

Hi Jermaine,

How fabulous the way you are explaining the composition of the various chords. Your flash cards are a great help. It becomes so easy to follow. By just sitting on the piano and practicing with the flashcards improves my playing tremendously. Even after 60 years of playing!

You are a legend.

The thing I want to know is how to create that Jazzy sound, not the rhythm but the Jazz chords. I have not been able to figure that out as yet. I look forward to your last and may be following videos. God Bless you and your family.

Kind regards, Ronald

Here’s what I replied to Ronald with inside the free video area:

Hey Ronald,

Thanks again for your kind words.

You create the really jazzy chords from the same old fantastic four chords from video 3: major, minor, diminished, augmented.

Try some of these out and let me know what you think:

C major 9
(C major) + (G major)
(C + E + G) + (B + D + G)
(C + E + G) + (D + G + B)
*Using numbers: 1-major + 5-major

C major 9 (#11)
(C major) + (B diminished)
(C + E + G) + (B + D + F#)
*Using numbers: 1-major + 7-minor

C minor 11
(C minor) + (Bb major)
(C + Eb + G) + (F + Bb + D)
*Using numbers: 1-minor + b7-major

C minor 11 (b5) — really dissonant but nice-sounding. Many places to put this:
(C diminished) + (Bb major)
(C + Eb + Gb) + (Bb + D + F)
*Using numbers: 1-minor + b7-major

I can go on and on. But it goes back to video 3 on the “magic chords.” That’s why I think those flash cards for the basic chords are so important. The rest is memorizing and retaining formulas like above.

-JG

I find it surprising the number of musicians who don’t understand or haven’t mastered the number system.

It is one of the single, most important elements of playing by ear.

On a grander level, it allows musicians to speak on a “universal level.” We can describe what we’re doing in a song without relying solely on letters. It’s not, “D minor to G dominant 7 to C major 7″ anymore. Now it’s, “2-5-1″ in C!

Better yet, because we’re using numbers to describe a string of chords (aka – “chord progression”), we can take this same progression to ANY key by simply “recalibrating” our numbers to the new key.

In other words, sure, in C major, a 2-5-1 is a chord on D moving to a chord on G, ending with a chord on C.

(Taking this further, we even know what chords are most likely to be played because each tone naturally creates a particular chord. In this case, the 2nd tone of the scale [D] is usually minor, the 5th tone [G] is usually dominant, and the 1st tone [C] is usually major).

To take this to a new key if you understand numbers is pretty simple.

In F major, this same progression is:

G minor 7
C dominant 7
F major 7

In Bb major, it’s:

C minor 7
F dominant 7
Bb major 7

How did I do this?

By simply numbering the major scales of each of these keys.

For example, the C major scale is: C D E F G A B C.

But I don’t stop there. I simply number this scale starting at 1.

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

That’s it. Pretty simple.

The more difficult part is doing this in all 12 keys and memorizing each tone.

Luckily, you’ve got me!

I’ve created a free video tutorial emphasizing the importance of numbers. It’s the second video in a free series I’m giving away.

Simply sign up at this link and go through each of the videos.

While I haven’t talked about “finding the key of a song,” that’s what you’ll be studying first and foremost since that’s the MOST important skill you’ll need as an ear musician.

Then once you finish that video, the next video on the number system will be unlocked.

As a free bonus, I also throw in flash cards to help you study the number system. Lots of people have marveled over this method.

So sign up at this link to get started.

Until next time -

I’m so excited to announce the first Back Pocket Band Update… over 60 professional bonus drum machine loops added to the software! (see video).

If you’ve already invested in Back Pocket Band, simply open your software and a new folder called “Free Drum Machine Loops (Bonus)” will automatically appear. From there, you’ll see 60 new files (20 loops at 3 tempos each).

Watch my video below for details and click here to check out Back Pocket Band (if you haven’t invested yet).

Also, I received an e-mail and video success story from Mike Deiure over at RockGuitarPower.com who’s been using Back Pocket Band with the guitar. Check him out jamming with BPB!

Here’s a quick 2-minute video lesson from our Jazz Piano 201 program taught by James Wrubel.

It’ll show you a quick and easy way to play altered dominant chords — the #11 (aka – “sharped 11th”) to be exact!

Hear and Play Jazz 201: Chords, Licks, and Soloing

Not knowing how to improvise and being stuck in a box playing the same old chords feels bad. It's boring. It feels redundant. And you're not the only one who notices it — others know that you're playing the same, dull stuff over and over too.

With Hear and Play Jazz 201, no longer do you have to guess. We're finally revealing a step-by-step method to soloing, improvising, and playing jazz licks over any chords. It's a whopping 5 hours and loaded with tons of signature moves, licks, tricks, progressions, and real-life application. This is truly what thousands of would-be jazz musicians have been waiting for! Click here to learn more  | Buy now

What if you could turn your computer into a complete practicing machine?

What if you could pull a real-sounding band out your “back pocket?” (…so to speak).

Sounds crazy but with the power of technology, I’m going to show you how to finally make practicing fun, productive, and effective.

Click here to watch a new video presentation

(I only wish I had this little magic tool when I was young!)

I call it “Back Pocket Band” because it literally puts a band at your fingertips.

I’ve put together a full video demonstration at: https://www.hearandplaymedia.com/backpocketband

Here’s what it does:

* It gives you access to over 350 real-sounding backing tracks.

* Practice and live performance files are played in all 12 keys.

* You can choose between multiple speeds: slow, medium, and fast.

* 3 different sections, 9 styles of music, & drums-only option.

* Instant streaming playback and automatic downloading to your system for burning to cd, transfer to ipod, and editing.

* And much more…

Visit: https://www.hearandplaymedia.com/backpocketband

For a limited time, I’m making you an unbeatable deal on everything.

Once you get your hands on this, you’ll see why so many are excited about it.

Visit: https://www.hearandplaymedia.com/backpocketband

A lot of questions have come in recently about our vocal course… especially since the video has blown up on youtube.

So I’ve decided to post these sample audio clips from the 10-disc course below. For more information about this course, click here.

For more information about this course, click here.

If you’ve read my story about being born severely bowlegged with little chance of walking properly, then perhaps you’ll understand why mom and grandma kept me away from sports.

(To be honest, I think my grandma would’ve kept me from sports regardless. She had some very unfortunate lethal tragedies with BOTH of her sons, my would-be uncles, at very young ages so I can understand her fear of “EVERYTHING.”)

But somehow, pop warner football slipped through the cracks and I found myself playing tackle football for the first time in my life. I was 12 and boy was I thrilled!

Prior to that, the closest I ever got to football was stuffing my pants with socks and towels like they were real pads… all while putting on a bicycle helmet. I’d go “heads up” against my sofa like it was William “The Refrigerator” Perry.

While I was banned from ever thinking about playing football (or any other sport) for years, the ironic part was that my family, especially grandma, LOVED football. After all, her daughter’s boyfriend was Gary Jeter from the former Anaheim Rams, among other NFL teams.

So now I was the real deal. I had real pads. A real helmet. A real uniform. No more prancing around in home-made articles.

Instead of going “heads up” against my sofa, I went heads up against my teammates… and ultimately against my opponents, come game day. (Oh yeah, “heads up” just means lining up in the classic football stance and ramming into another person, or in my case, object!)

But apparently, I didn’t understand you weren’t supposed to solicit your classmates and go “heads up” in the back of your 7th grade English class while the teacher wasn’t looking (Yes, I was quite a character… more on my class-clownishness in another post).

There we were. My already 6 foot friend, Travis and I going heads up in the back of the class.

“Down.”
“Set.”
“Hut.”

I ram forward as hard as I can and he unexpectedly goes really low. Really low.

What happened next changed my life.

I literally flew over his back into the corner of the wall… face first, splitting my upper lip into two.

All I could feel was numbness. Blood poured out of my lip. I vividly remember my shirt soaked in blood.

I don’t even think the teacher fully discovered how I busted my lip. Everyone was sworn to secrecy. In fact, I don’t think I ever told my mom the whole truth. She knows I ran into a wall… just not how!

(Incidentally, she reads this blog so I guess I’m busted now. Sorry mom!)

That whole ordeal ended in several stitches, a week out of school, 3 missing football games, and a permanent scar above my upper lip that will forever remind me of my audaciousness.

I bet you’re wondering how I’ll tie this to music?

(Gosh, why do I always have to tie my stories to music anyway? Can’t I just tell a story to tell it!?!)

Haha, I’m joking. I don’t mind because there *IS* a message here.

The message is there’s always a time and place for everything.

Yes, I was excited to finally be playing real tackle football. To the next kid who had been playing since 7, it was perhaps just another year of ball. For me, it was something I wanted to do for years!

Going “heads up” isn’t a bad thing… WHEN ON THE FIELD, UNDER SUPERVISION!

Going heads up without the proper equipment and in the wrong setting is BAD. It wasn’t the time nor place to be engaging in such a thing, and unfortunately I paid the price. Everyday, I see the manifestation of “bad time and place” on my lip (although, now disguised a little bit by my mustache.)

Undoubtedly, as you excel in your music and learn new chords, voicings, patterns, and ideas, excitement is going to overwhelm you.

You’re going to want to play everything you know in the first 20 seconds of your performance. You may even have the urge to be super busy sneaking in a “lick” or “run” after every other chord.

This is no different than my desire to go “heads up” all the time, whether against inanimate objects like sofas or in the back of classrooms. Rather than saving and harnessing that energy for the RIGHT TIME, I was like a 2-year old at Chuck E. Cheeses.

There is a time and place for everything.

Veteran musicians know when someone is new and inexperienced because the new guy will “pull out all the stops” right from the beginning. They’ll start the song with the same intensity and dynamics they should instead end with. They’ll be “flipping” and reharmonizing melodies from the first chord! (Don’t get me wrong, “flipping songs” and making things your own is the name of the game but you gradually build up to that.)

The experienced one, on the other hand, will approach their performance thoughtfully and strategically, “keeping their powder dry” until the right time. They may start the song very basic. The next time around, they may add a little something more. And as the song progresses, they’ll include more and more of them at the right time.

They understand the importance of “time” and “place.”

So the next time you feel tempted to act this way, remember my lip.

You’ll have plenty of time to go “heads up,” don’t worry.

Silence is more musical than any song.
Christina Rossetti

And that goes for anything in life!

Balance, my friend, is the key word.

We’ve made many updates to our all-new Song Robot Music Learning software. So I thought I’d show you how to find a song on google (like “Take The A Train”) and play it in Song Robot, taking advantage of all its song-learning features. Enjoy!

Click here for more information on Song Robot (free video presentation)

Over a decade ago, I heard someone say something that has stuck with me ever since.

He said: “You are the average of the 5 people you associate with most.”

That really impacted me on a gut level.

Simply put, if you hang around all “10s,” you’ll be a 10.

If you hang around “3s” and “4s,” you can’t help but to be somewhere in between.

That’s why, at an early age, I made it a point to hang around superstars — people who were “9s” and “10s.” In fact, I didn’t mind being the underdog of the group because in doing so, I was raising my average.

Just do the math:

10 + 9 + 10 + 10 + 9 = 48

48 divided by 5 = 9.6

I don’t know about you but I’ll take a 9.6 any day!

Here’s the problem though:

Most people find it difficult to hang out with people who are smarter, sharper, and more skilled than them. They either get uncomfortable, self-conscious, nervous, not confident, or feel out of place.

Other folks on the other hand enjoy being the top dog… even if they’re just a 6. They’ll purposefully hang out with “3s” and “4s” to make themselves feel better. They have a false sense of confidence.

Now, don’t get me wrong… we all come from different environments and some leave a lot to be desired. This isn’t about forgetting where you’ve come from. Rather, this is about REQUIRING everyone around you to be their best.

Sure, an old friend may be a “5″ in your estimation. The question is do they want to remain at a 5? If so, you can’t afford to have a “5″ bringing you down (sorry, it’s the truth). Because that’s exactly what will happen! Some people bring you up… others tear you down.

There’s a difference between someone who wants to grow and someone who is complacent.

I learned a long time ago: “I don’t mind hanging with someone who doesn’t have anything… but it’s a PROBLEM when I start hanging out with folks who don’t want to BE anything!”

That’s the difference.

When it comes to music, the same applies.

If you hang around mediocre musicians, you’ll be mediocre. There’s no one there to challenge you… to give you the honest truth about your music from their higher perspective.

Likewise, if you’re the best musician in your area, you’ll most likely find your ceiling soon for the same reasons.

That’s why it’s important to get around folks who raise your average. Folks that make you think a totally different way. Folks that cause you to have paradigm shifts.

Sometimes, it’s hard to get to these types of musicians in person. But thank God we have the internet and resources like “Musician Breakthrough.”

Simply put, Musician Breakthrough is a collection of musicians that are “10s.” When you expose yourself to this type of musicianship, you can’t help but to be transformed.

It not only demonstrates what is possible for you (because there’s no difference between them and YOU) but it shows you in vivid detail what you have to do to get there.

I believe it is the best resource available to raise your “musical average.”

(Now, outside of music, I can’t help ya with raising your average directly but my advice above will certainly do you well. But in your music, Musician Breakthrough is your key to becoming a better musician.)

Click here for more information about the program.

So if you don’t remember anything else, remember: “You’re the average of the 5 people you hang around most” (and this can be applied to friends, acquaintances, musicians, etc).

Until next time.

There’s a popular saying I’ve subscribed to for several years: “Don’t reinvent the wheel.”

It means don’t go about overcomplicating things by trying to start from scratch… especially when someone’s already done the work for you.

Long before I started applying it to music, I used this wise advice in other areas of my life. But it didn’t start that way. It took me a while to be cured of my chronic “reinvention” habits.

For example, when I started hearandplay.com, I sought out to learn everything on my own at first. After all, when you start a business, you start from scratch right? You go through the school of hard knocks and learn everything it takes to start, manage, and grow it, right?

At least, that’s what I thought until I met my first business mentor. I quickly learned it wasn’t about doing things on your own. It was about finding out who’s already accomplished what you want to accomplish and piggy-backing on their success. Doing what it takes to learn from them, copying what they’ve done to become successful.

In many cases, they’ve had to invent the “wheel” (or at least started with a smaller wheel and made a bigger one) — but you need NOT do it again. In fact, it’s foolish to do it again unless you simply like creating wheels.

“Modeling” is when you copy the actions, thought processes, and behaviors of someone or something you want to be. And if you model correctly, you’ll surely get there.

In essence, if you want to be “great”, find out what “great” people do and model it.

My new program, Musician Breakthrough is a collection of “great” musicians. And for the first time ever, I’ve assembled a group of 7 musicians ready to let you stand on their shoulders.

Sure, they each went through the school of hard knocks because such a resource like this didn’t exist prior to the internet. But you needn’t go down that road, unless by choice… because what you have in my new Musician Breakthrough collection is a resource that will allow you to reach mastery level by studying the chords, patterns, and thought processes of pro players.

We have taken the 5 dimensions of a church service (praise, shouting, worship, traditional/hymns, and transitional music) and broken them down, step-by-step, from the perspective of 7 world-class pro musicians. That’s 35 segments in all stretched over 14 discs and 16 hours. The first of its kind!

So you’re faced with two decisions:

1) Either reinvent the wheel and go about reaching mastery level on your own (and this isn’t necessarily bad — it’ll just take you several years… say a decade of continuous practice and discovery to reach where they are now).

2) Or you can model and stand on the shoulders of giants, skipping the years of unnecessary trial & error.

You decide. Click here for more information.

But regardless of what you’re pursuing (whether music or otherwise), remember this lesson. Don’t start from scratch. Find those who have accomplished what you want to accomplish and stand on their shoulders.

Until next time -

I know you’ve probably been wondering what happened to Musician Breakthrough… the 14-disc, 16+ hour project we announced at the end of last year.

In fact, tons of you have been e-mailing, calling, and contacting us on facebook wondering what happened.

Before we postponed it, we had over 16,700 people signed up on the early bird list, over 711 comments, over 5,200 votes, and tons of buzz.

But we had to make it perfect. It’s 12 discs and over 16 hours with 7 different musicians… not an easy task to get right but we did it.

And I’m finally happy to announce the wait is OVER. (I promise this time!)

Musician Breakthrough is releasing Wednesday, April 20 @ 6pm pacific / 9pm eastern. Mark your calendars now because I’ll only have 1000 copies available, period.

But for now, go to the website and check out the new video trailer and round 3 interview clips from these 7 world-class musicians.

http://www.hearandplay.com/breakthrough

I’d also check out round 1 and 2, which feature over 70 minutes of playing and teaching video clips. There’s tons to learn just in that footage:

http://www.hearandplay.com/breakthrough

And don’t forget, by voting and commenting on round 3, you’ll be in the running to win an Apple iPad worth $499.00 (or one of three EVERYTHING PACKAGES we’re giving away, which is every course we have to offer).

So rush over to the page and get involved. Listen to the new round 3 interviews, watch the teaching clips, vote on your favorites, and scroll down to the bottom and comment. And if you’re blessed by the content, press any of the blue “SHARE” buttons on the page to pass this along to your facebook friends.

Visit http://www.hearandplay.com/breakthrough

Until then —

Half-diminished 7th chords are very important.

Not only do they naturally occur on the 7th tone of any major scale, they are used as great preparers for dominant chords on the 5th tone.

If you play gospel, you’ve undoubtedly used a half-diminished 7th chord on the 2nd tone of the scale to lead to the 5th.

Half-Diminished 7th Chord Basics

By going to the 7th tone of any scale and playing every other note, you’ll form the half-diminished 7th chord.

For example, in C major, the 7th tone is B.

Simply play B + D + F + A (every other note of C major scale) and you’ve got yourself a B half-diminished 7th chord.

Other Alternatives to Forming Half-Diminished 7th Chords

The first three notes of a half-diminished 7th chord in root position look identical to the diminished triad. For example, in the chord above (B half-diminished 7th), if you take off the last note, you’re left with B + D + F, which is a B diminished triad.

And diminished chords are formed by simply stacking a bunch of minor third intervals together.

Note: Minor thirds have three half steps between them.

B to D is minor third.
D to F is minor third.

Where the “half-diminished 7th” chord differs is in the last interval. Instead of another minor third like the B diminished 7th chord (B + D + F + Ab), you play a major third, which is four half steps.

F to Ab is minor third.

F to A is major third. <---- This is the one you choose the differentiate the half-diminished 7th from a typical diminished 7th chord.

Compare the two: Half-diminished 7th vs diminished 7th

B diminished 7th

B half-diminished 7th

It’s all in the last interval… and the difference in one tiny half step.

We’ll talk about where to use the half-diminished 7th chord tomorrow.

After reviewing older posts on the blog, I’ve decided to bring back the “What Key Am I In” lessons.

If you understand major scales, the number system, and which chords fall on each tone of the scale (aka – “diatonic chords”), you have what it takes to crack the “What Key Am I In” code (at least analytically in these blog posts… for details on how to do it solely by ear, click here).

But just in case, let’s review.

1) Take all your major scales and number each tone from 1 to 7.

2) Next, simply apply these chords to the appropriate tones:

1st tone = major
2nd tone = minor
3rd tone = minor
4th tone = major
5th tone = major
6th tone = minor
7th tone = diminished

Let’s try one:

Bb major scale = Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Number the scale from 1 to 7:

Bb is 1, C is 2, D is 3, Eb is 4, F is 5, G is 6, A is 7

Now apply the chords to each tone:

1 – Bb major
2 – C minor
3 – D minor
4 – Eb major
5 – F major
6 – G minor
7 – A diminished

That’s basically the name of the game.

The only difference below is that I’m giving you a few chords and you’re trying to figure out which major key contains those chords.

Every key is unique. For example, if you see the chords D minor, C minor, and G minor together, there’s only ONE key that has this unique combination – Bb.

There are no other keys that will have this unique combination of diatonic chords.

Eb major comes close because it has C minor as its 6th tone and G minor as its 3rd tone.

F also comes close with D minor as its 6th tone and G minor as its 2nd tone.

But only Bb major has C minor, D minor, and G minor… all in one key.

So that’s what you’re looking for below.

=========
QUESTION
=========

What Major Key Am I In If I Have These Chords?

B minor
C# minor
E major

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

=========
ANSWER
=========

“A major”

Why?

Look at the diatonic chords of A major:

1 – A major
2 – B minor
3 – C# minor
4 – D major
5 – E major
6 – F# minor
7 – G# diminished

They match up.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find another key that has all 3 chords. Maybe 2 of the 3 but only A major has all 3 diatonic chords in its key.

(Of course that doesn’t mean other keys can’t substitute and use chords outside of the key. This happens all the time. Of course you can use chords from anywhere you want or else music would sound boring with only 7 “diatonic” chords to choose from in every key. All we’re doing with this game is finding the chords that NATURALLY occur in each key. The foundation. What happens before any alterations, substitutions, or additions. The chords naturally created by only using tones of the scale.)

I hope this helps.