In yesterday’s lesson, I talked about couples.

The premise was basically to look at chord progressions as small little “couples.”

(When I say “couple,” I’m specifically talking about a pair of chords… just two.)

When you think in terms of “couples,” you focus on two things:

1) What chord does this current one strongly pull to?

2) What chord pulls strongly to this current one?

This understanding is based on the circle of fifths.

Every chord has a chord that leads strongly to it (a fourth down) —or— a chord that it strongly leads to (a fourth up).

In other words, either something is coming at it or it’s going somewhere! I hope you get that…

If you look at the circle above, focus on going counter-clockwise — that is, from C to F to Bb and so on. If this were a clock, you’d focus on going the direction of “12 o clock” to “11 o clock” to “10 o clock” and so on.

This is the direction music commonly flows in! Understand this and you understand music!

So if you look at “C,” ask yourself two questions:

1) What does C pull strongly to?

and…

2) What pulls strongly to C?

That is the idea of “coupling.” It’s my “micro” way of understanding bigger chord progression. (I actually introduced this little concept several years ago in my GospelKeys 202 course. I just thought I’d revisit it.)

Now the answer to the above questions are found right on the circle…

If you’re going counter-clockwise, then the answer to the question, “what does C lead to” is simple… “F” because that’s the next key on the circle. In fact, if you compare the major scales of C and F, you’ll notice only a single note difference. That’s right, they share all the same notes except for one. So the first answer is “F.” That is the key most C chords will lead to.

To answer the second question, just look on the other side of “C.” That is the key that most likely leads to C. So the answer is G.

Just like C has a huge tendency to lead to F — G has a strong tendency to lead to C (and if you compare their major scales, they also share all but one note).

So here’s what I’ve done. I’ve created this little exercise below. It quizzes you on all the different keys and helps you to become quicker at answering these two “magic” questions. I’ve done the first one for you. Just put your cursor in each box and type in what you think the answer is. Once you’re done, scroll down and compare your answers with mine.

(It’s much easier to press the “tab” button in between questions. This will make your cursor automatically go to the next box).

Also, try using this stopwatch tool to see how long it takes you. Post your time in the comments area!

chronme

The "What leads to" Game
What leads to G?	What leads to Db?	What leads to C?
What leads to A?	What leads to A#?	What leads to C#?
What leads to D?	What leads to B?	What leads to E?
What leads to F?	What leads to F#?	What leads to Gb?
What leads to Ab?	What leads to Bb?	What leads to Eb?
What leads to D#?	What leads to G#?	What leads to B#?
What leads to Cb?	What leads to D?	What leads to E?
The "What it leads to" Game
What does D lead to?	What does A lead to?	What does C lead to?
What does Bb lead to?	What does Db lead to?	What does E lead to?
What does F# lead to?	What does Ab lead to?	What does Db lead to?
What does E lead to?	What does F lead to?	What does G lead to?
What does B lead to?	What does C# lead to?	What does G# lead to?
What does E# lead to?	What does Eb lead to?	What does C lead to?
What does E lead to?	What does F lead to?	What does G lead to?

————–

I will post the answers in the comment section.

Hope this exercise helps!

Time for some rest! I’ve only had 4 hours of sleep today due to our latest launch…

Until next time —

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In 2004, GospelKeys 202 got a lot of buzz because I introduced a concept I call “coupling.”

The premise was basically to look at chord progressions as small “couples.”

A couple or pair is 2!

When you think in terms of “couples,” you to focus on two things:

1) What chord does this current one strongly pull to?

2) What chord pulls strongly to this current one?

And truth be told, it’s all centered around the “circle of fifths.”

Back in 2004, I called it the “3-4″ principle.

Basically, you just take the tone of the scale you’re on and either go up 3 scale tones or down 4 scale tones.

So if you’re in C major, and you’re trying to find out what chord is most likely to come after a “D minor” chord, you just start at “D” and go up 3 scale tones:

D — E — F — G

So E is the 1st scale tone up, then F, then your destination, G.

You can also go down 4 scale tones (thus the name “3-4″ principle).

D — C — B — A — G

You’ll end up at the same place.

—-

Take a look at the circle. Notice that “D” and “G” are neighbors. So using the “3-4″ principle inside of a major key and referring to the circle will give you the same result.

Note: When referring to the circle, you’re focusing on the counter-clockwise direction of the keys. So rather than going from C to G to D, you’re going from C to F to Bb and so forth. Imagine your clock working backwards!

Now here’s the thing…

If you focus on mastering “couples,” you can kill two birds with one stone.

Not only are you learning how music works but you’re learning how to play in all 12 keys without even knowing it!

Because D to G has major functions in more than 7 keys, if you really think about it. So by learning all the different possibilities between D and G, you’re actually prepping yourself to use this combination whenever you need it.

I guess learning entire keys at once (which I advocate as well) is the “macro” technique and focusing on very small couples and all the possibilities between them is the “micro” way of doing it.

But imagine if you just took one day to focus on as many chords and situations that involve D going to G?

In the key of C major, you’d find that “D” to “G” operates as a “2-5″ progression (because D is the second tone of the scale and G is the fifth tone of the scale).

In the key of D major, “D” to “G” operates as a “1-4″ progression.

In the key of Eb major, “D” to “G” operates as a “7-3″ progression (or couple).

In the key of F, “D” to “G” operates as a “6-2″ couple.

In the key of G, “D” to “G” is a “5-1″ progression.

In the key of Ab, although “D” isn’t in the major scale, it has a very common function. “D” to “G” operates as “b5-7″ progression. You’ll find this in many songs.

And in the key of Bb, “D” to “G” operates as a “3-6″ progression.

When you combine these various couples, you get bigger progressions like the “6-2-5-1 turnaround.” (But at the end of the day, these can be broken down to smaller parts and focused on until you’ve committed them to memory).

Another important thing to note is that you’ll play the same exact chords on “D” and “G” across different keys. So the “6-2″ couple that occurs in the key of F will use the same EXACT chords as the “3-6″ progression in Bb major. No difference at all. So if you play well in F major but “suck” in Bb major, it’s because you haven’t made “the connection” yet. Many of those same chord progressions or “couples” will repeat in other keys. It’s just that we don’t realize it because we’re blinded by a “new key” to learn.

Since this is what you call an “introductory” lesson to a rather new concept on the blog (or should I say “reintroduced” concept), it may not gel right away. But I’ll continue this series of posts.

For now, start taking the circle of fifths and start pairing two neighbors at a time finding out their roles in as many keys as you can.

Soon you’ll know all the neighbors and you’ll feel comfortable hanging out with all of em! :-)

Until next time—

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If you’ve been following me for some time, you know that I love to teach students how to master systems and patterns.

This lesson is no different.

We’re going to explore various chords from my newest GospelKeys^TM 202 course (…don’t worry if you don’t have this course yet — I’ll post the chords I want to use below).

But first, let me recap what you need to know to understand this lesson.

I believe that “repetition is the mother of skill” and that if you repeatedly hear the same thing over and over, you’ll begin to act on it! So if you’ve heard me discuss the number system in the past, just think of this as a refresher.

I’ll use the key of Db major simply because that’s the major key I focus on in the GospelKeys^TM 202 course:

When I say “number system,” that is simply understanding a major scale like this:

Db major:

Db — Eb — F — Gb — Ab — Bb — C — Db

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

These are also known as “tones” or “scale degrees.”

Basically, the idea is to be able to recall, for example, the “7th scale degree” of Db major in a few seconds! Yes, you want to be that fast with all your major scales.

You don’t want to have to recite your entire scale just to know that the 7th tone of Db is “C.” You should know that without having to remember what comes before or after “C” in the scale. Still following me?

It’s a mind game.

At least if you want to be a fast-learner of songs! You see, like I’ve always said, “learning songs occurs in the mind” and then you just transfer what you’re already thinking to the piano.”

Now, I could go deep into “melodic” and “harmonic” intervals but I won’t cover that here. You can find that in my 300pg home study course or in my newsletter archives at http://www.pianoweekly.com.

Now, that you understand the basics of this numbering system and how to apply numbers to every major scale, we can move on…

Basically, the first disc (1 hour, 25 min) of the worship course covers dozens of chords to play on each tone of the major scale. Since the major scale we are learning in is Db major, the chords taught in this newsletter all center around these seven tones:

Db — Eb — F — Gb — Ab — Bb — C

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Why not 8 tones? Because the eighth tone is Db and those chords are basically the same as the 1st tone of the scale (also “Db”).

So the idea is to be able to take chords from tone #1 and play them with chords from tone #4.

…Or chords from tone (or set) #2 and play them with chords from set #5. Or chords from the 3-group and play them with chords from the 6-group.

Notice that I phrased each example a different way (…”tone,” “set,” “group”). They all mean the same thing in this lesson.

So obviously, in order to make this happen, you have to have knowledge of the chords in each group. That is what I’m going to help you with below.

Traditionally, each tone of the major scale is associated with a certain type of chord.

For example, the 1st tone of the scale is usually associated with the major seventh chord while the 6th tone, for example, is associated with the minor seventh chord.

That is not to say you’ll always play a Dbmaj7 chord and never play a Dbmin7 chord in the key of Db major. You have several options to choose from, depending on the mood and feel of the song.

 

Below, I’ll list potential chords for each tone of the scale just like I teach it in the GospelKeys^TM 202 course. After that, I’ll show you how to group these chords together to make full sounding progressions (or “chord changes”).

 

 

Format: (Chord *right hand* / Bass *left hand*)

 

 

1st tone of the scale: Db

Potential chords to play:

 

 

Dbmaj triad: Db + F + Ab / Db

 

Dbmaj7: C + F + Ab / Db

 

Dbmaj (add 9): Db + Eb + F + Ab / Db

 

Dbmaj9: C + Eb + F + Ab / Db * more info

 

 

2nd tone of the scale: Eb

Potential chords to play:

 

 

Ebmin triad: Eb + Gb + Bb / Eb

 

Ebmin7: Bb + Db + Gb / Eb

 

Ebmin9: Gb + Bb + Db + F / Eb

 

Eb9: G Bb Db F / Eb * more info

 

 

 

3rd tone of the scale: F

Potential chords to play:

 

 

Fmin triad: F + Ab + C / F

 

Fmin7: Eb + Ab + C / F

 

Fmin7 (b5): Ab + B + Eb / F

 

F7 (#9#5): A + Db + Eb + Ab / F * more info

 

F7 (b9#5): A + Db + Eb + Gb / F * more info

 

 

 

4th tone of the scale: Gb

Potential chords to play:

 

 

Gbmaj triad: Gb + Bb + Db / Gb

 

Gbmaj7: Gb + Bb + Db + F / Gb

 

Gbmaj7: Db + F + Gb + Bb / Gb

 

Gbmaj (add 9): Gb + Ab + Bb + Db / Gb

 

 

 

5th tone of the scale: Ab

Potential chords to play:

 

 

Abmaj triad: Ab + C + Eb / Ab

 

Ab7: Ab + C + Eb + Gb / Ab

 

Abmin9: Gb + Bb + B + Eb / Ab

 

Ab13: Gb + Bb + Db + F + Ab / Ab * more info

 

 

 

6th tone of the scale: Bb

Potential chords to play:

 

 

Bbmin triad: Bb + Db + F / Bb

 

Bbmin7: Db + F + Ab / Bb

 

Bbmin9: Ab + C + Db + F / Bb

 

Gb maj / Bb: Db + Gb + Bb / Bb * more info

 

 

 

7th tone of the scale: C

Potential chords to play:

 

 

Cmin7 (b5): Bb C Eb Gb / C

 

Cmin11: Eb + G + Bb + D + F / C

 

Ab maj / C: Eb + Ab + C / C * more info

 

 

 

 

Moving on…

 

 

Now, that you have just a sample of chords to play on each tone of the scale, we can move on to making chord progressions.

 

Note: If you want ALL the chords for each tone along with 4 more hours of instruction, check out my worship course.

 

 

 

Now, all you have to do is mix and match chords from each group. I’ll demonstrate to you the groups that work best together but feel free to use your practice time to explore this technique!

 

Did you know that by making different combinations among the chords above, that you have literally hundreds of possibilities?

 

Let me explain:

 

What if you took the the first chord from the “Db” group and played it before a chord from the “Ab” group. There’s a combination right there! (… and believe it or not, this progressions is heard in thousands of songs from every genre of music)!!!

 

 

Here are the groups that work best together.

 

===> Try mix and matching chords from group #1 with chords from group #4 and #5. Actually, any group works well with group #1 because of the “home” feeling you get from the 1st group. It’s generally the group of chords that begin and end songs so that’s why it works well with just about any other group. But like I said, the 4th and 5th groups will sound very good played after a chord from the first group.

 

===> Try mix and matching chords from group #2 with chords from group #5. You’ll get a very good connection with chords from these two groups.

 

===> Once you’ve mastered the 1-4, 1-5, and 2-5 group connections, try combining more than one pair. That means, play a chord from group #1 going to a chord from group number 4 — then right after that, play a chord from group #2 going to a chord from group number 5. See how many possibilities can be created? This is just how music works!

 

===> Try mix and matching chords from group #3 with chords from group #6. This creates a very smooth sounding progression.

 

===> Once you’ve mastered the 3-6 combination, try combining a 2-5 pair with a 3-6. For example, play a chord from group #2 to a chord from group #5. Then immediately after that, play a chord from group #3 to a chord from group #6. Then, do it backwards. Play a 3-6 pair immediately followed by a 2-5 pair. Now you’ve created a 3-6-2-5 progression!

===> And the list goes on…

I really wish I had enough time and space to keep going. For those of you who have GospelKeys^TM 202, just pop in disc #1 and you’ll get this entire lecture right on your television. Disc 2 focuses more on where we just left off. It actually demonstrates to you how to combine these chords and what types of sounds various chords make.

 

 

If you don’t have this course yet and you’re serious about learning these concepts, I highly recommend that you check it out at http://www.gospelkeys202.com. It is perfect for gospel musicians wanting to learn slower, worshipful music in the process described above!

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In this month’s online classroom, I’m going to share with you a few video clip lessons from the GospelKeys^TM 202 video course. I’ve selectively pulled out clips that I think you’ll benefit from, whether you consider the entire course or not.

Before I introduce the video clips, it is important that you understand the whole concept of learning worships songs (or any song for that matter) by ear:

It all starts with major scales.

You should already know that there are 12 different major scales. When someone is singing, they’ve either knowingly picked ONE of the twelve keys to sing in (which might be their favorite key or a predetermined key for the song they’re singing) OR they have just started singing in whatever range that is comfortable for them. In this instance, they don’t really know their major key and it is your job to figure out what key they’re singing in.

A singer can’t be in two keys at once. At any given time, you will only be in one major key. Songs may modulate or go to another major key, but will only be in one major key at a time.

We focus on Db major in the GospelKeys^TM 202 video course.

I start the course by teaching you several different chords that you can play on each tone of the major scale. Just to break down the concept for you, here is a Db major scale:

Db major scale

Db __ Eb __ F __ Gb __ Ab __ Bb __ C __ Db __

In other words, I teach you several chords to play on each one of these tones. Since every major key on the piano has its own major scale, these same chords can be applied to all 12 major keys! Always transfer what you learn from ONE key to all TWELVE keys. This is a very very smart and effective habit to develop, especially if you’re just starting out!

Also, it is important to understand each note of a major scale by its corresponding number. In other words:

Db = 1

Eb = 2

F = 3

Gb = 4

Ab = 5

Bb = 6

C = 7

Db = 8 (or the same as 1 basically)

Majority of the time, a song is progressing from one of these tones to another. I’d say more than 80% of the time, you’re playing chords that correspond with notes of the major scale.

Yes, there are times when, in the key of Db, you’ll hit a B major chord. Notice that “B” is not a part of the Db major scale. In this instance, “B” is actually the flat 7 note of the scale. “How do you create a flat 7,” you may ask?

Simply go to the 7th note of the scale (which is “C” in this example) and lower it one-half step (or one note). Remember, only lower it one note. Don’t skip any notes, whatsoever. I say that because some people don’t realize that black keys are a part of the piano just as well as white keys. In other words, when you lower a note, don’t skip any black notes.

In this case, since C doesn’t have a black key behind it, you’d lower it directly to B.

B is the flat seventh of Db major. This is just one example where you’d play a note or chord that may not necessarily align with the notes of your major scale. This will happen but not nearly as much as regular progressions within the notes of the major scale.

Most of the time, you’ll be playing from a 1 chord to a 3 chord, or a 1 chord to a 5 chord, or a 3 chord to a 6 chord, or a 6 chord to a 2 chord, just to give a few examples. Most songs stay with the number patterns.

Now that you understand the number system, I can talk in GospelKeys^TM language.

Patterns like “1-3″, “3-6″, “6-2″, “2-5-1″, and others all come from major scales.

Db = 1

Eb = 2

F = 3

Gb = 4

Ab = 5

Bb = 6

C = 7

Db = 8

Just to make sure you understand, let’s take a short quiz:

1) In the key of Db major, a 1-3 progression consists of what two keynotes?

____ (1) **** ____ (3)

2) In the key of Db major, a 2-5 progression consists of what two keynotes?

____ (2) **** ____ (5)

3) In the key of Db major, a 7-3-6 progression consists of what three keynotes?

____ (7) **** ____ (3) **** ____ (6)

4) In the key of Db major, a 1-4 progression consists of what two keynotes?

____ (1) **** ____ (4)

Ok, now grade yourself:

Answers:

1) Db to F

2) Eb to Ab

3) C to F to Bb

4) Db to Gb

Note: Of course, all of these notes will be connected with chords. But for this example, I just wanted you to know the keynotes involved (the title of the chords).

Ok, so now that you have a crash course on what I call “couples” (just another way of saying very small chord progression), we can move on to the video clips.

Click to watch this video clip	Video Lesson #1 This clip teaches a type of voicing that few musicians have ever heard of. It’s called the “Quartal” chord. It creates a very contemporary sound. Do yourself a favor and learn this chord in all twelve keys! Duration: 1:17
Click to watch this video clip	Video Lesson #2 This clip teaches you multiple “2″ chords to play. Remember, a “2″ chord commonly begins what we call a “2-5-1″ chord progression. If you understand anything about these progressions, you know that they commonly end songs. In other words, even an audience knows when to start applauding when a 2-5-1 approaches. Duration: 1:34
Click to watch this video clip	Video Lesson #3 A continuation of clip #2, you’ll learn some more fancy “2″ chords that are sure to spice up your playing. There is one chord I teach in this clip that you don’t want to pass up! It utilizes all five fingers and I warn you — you have to stretch for this one! Duration: 1:15
Click to watch this video clip	Video Lesson #4 This altered chord is probably one of the most commonly played chords in gospel music. From personal experience, I use it in probably 70% of songs I play. Now, keep in mind that I’m referencing the type of chord (7 #9#5) — remember that this chord can be played in 12 different keys! No matter what song you’re playing, it will show up sooner or later! Duration: 1:13

Click here for all 10 video lessons (over 20 minutes in content)!

Well… obviously I couldn’t fit all 20 minutes worth of video clips in this e-mail. But please do yourself a favor and visit http://www.hearandplay.com/gk202clips.html to see all 10 of them and more!

You’ll find clips ranging from chords to chord progressions, from left-hand bass techniques to right hand “licks”, from simple “grooves” to full songs with vocalists, drums, and live accompaniment. It’s worth taking a look at: http://www.hearandplay.com/gk202clips.html

Explore these chord types along with the GospelKeys 202 video course:

• 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 month’s newsletter and I’ll be back! Take care!

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