Our last radio show was awesome! We took several callers, gave away tons of prizes, and delved into some more music theory concepts!

One of our callers had a question about a particular altered chord and I spent some time unraveling it with her. In this post, I just want to take some time to review what I told her on the air. I think this will be extremely helpful for people in the same situation.

Her question had to do with playing a C diminished 7 chord over F bass. She wanted to know what type of chord it was.

So we broke it down…

F on bass
C diminished 7 on right hand: C Eb Gb A

Note: I’m using “A” on purpose. If you were taking a music theory exam, you’d make that “B double flat” (Bbb). But let’s just keep it informal so I can make my point easier. That disclaimer is just for my theory heads. Most people can careless (just being honest).

Here’s something to help you out…

Whenever you don’t know the name of a chord, try starting with the 3rd and 7th tones of the keynote. In this case, the keynote is “F,” our bass.

(This is when knowing all your scales as numbers is important. If you can know the 3rd and 7th of virtually any key without having to think much about it, then finding the names of chords will be super easy for you. So work on that in the meantime).

Notice there is an “A” and “Eb” in the chord. Immediately when I see that, I think “F dominant 7 chord.” I don’t even think about it. Unless there’s something crazy going on with the other tones we haven’t analyzed yet, this chord has a very high probability of being some kind of dominant seventh chord… but we’re not done yet!

So that’s the kind of the thought process I go through. I find and hold on to the best match until it is dethroned. Make sense?

Notice the “C” in this chord. What is its relation to the keynote?

The “C” is simply the perfect fifth. From past lessons, you know that the fifth isn’t really as helpful as the other tones because you’ll find it equally in major, minor, and dominant chords. So it can’t really be the deciding factor when trying to differentiate among those chords.

In this case, the “C” doesn’t change our answer. It just further confirms we’re on the right track by adding another note to our F dominant 7 chord, which is “F + A + C + Eb.”

Back to the chord that was posed on the show…

F on bass
C diminished 7: C Eb Gb A

There’s just one more tone left… the “Gb.” And that’s what makes this chord more than an “F dominant 7″ chord.

So what we do from here is figure out what tone of the scale Gb is based on.

First off, there’s no Gb in the F major scale so we know it’s not a tone directly out of the major key of F. Something is either going to be sharped, flatted, augmented, or diminished — we just haven’t figured out what it is quite yet.

“G” is the 2nd or 9th tone in the F major scale.

Yes, I know that may sound confusing but here’s where the numbers come from.

If you play an F major scale only using one octave and number each tone as you play it, “G” will undoubtedly be the 2nd tone of the scale. This is the norm. You probably already know this.

However, if you extend the scale another octave (basically keep going), “G” will be the 9th tone in the next octave. You don’t stop counting… you basically keep going.

1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 7 > 8 > 9 > 10 > 11… and so on.

So that’s where 9s, 11s, and 13s come from.

But here’s the thing…

Just think of:

• 9 as 2
• 11 as 4
• 13 as 6

It will be so much easier.

Now, there does come a time when you use 2, 4, or 6 and this is usually when you’re playing simple triads with added notes. Like if I play an F major chord (F+A+C) and just add the “G” in between the “F” and “A,” I could simply say “add 2″ (F + G + A + C).

However, when you start getting into dominant seventh chords and your chords start reaching across octaves, that’s when the higher numbers come in. For example, some will say if you add “G” in the next octave and still maintain that regular F major triad (F + A + C + G), then you can reference it as “add 9.” Chord naming is very ambiguous like that but as long as you’re in the right neighborhood, people will know what you mean!

So, indeed, “G” is the 9. But “Gb” is what’s in the chord so we have to say “flat 9″ (a.k.a. - “b9″).

In other words, this is an F dominant 7 chord with a lowered 9.

Big picture thinking

Now how can you easily play this chord in every key?

Here’s what I like to do.

I try to find some commonality that I can turn into a “rule” that works any time.

Also, “rules” (in the way that I’m defining them) don’t use specific notes or else they wouldn’t be rules. They use universal numbers so that they can be applied to any situation.

There’s several ways to approach coming up with your own internal rule for this chord.

Let’s try a few…

1) I can think of this chord as the keynote plus a diminished 7 chord played on the 5th tone of the keynote’s scale. Yes, I know it sounds complex but it really isn’t. Basically, I’m telling myself that whenever I want to play a dominant chord with a flat 9, all I have to know is the diminished seventh chord a fifth up from my bass note and I’m good to go!

If I want to play an Ab 7 (b9) chord, all I do is put Ab in my bass and go up to the 5th tone (Eb) and play its diminished seventh chord (F on bass + Eb diminished 7).

If I want to play a D7 (b9) chord, I do the same thing. Play D on my bass, go up to the 5th tone of D and play its diminished seventh chord (D on bass + A diminished 7).

If I want to play a C7 (b9) chord, my rule works there too (because my rule works in EVERY situation). I just play a G diminished seventh chord over C bass and “BAM,” there it is!

But this isn’t the only rule. If thinking of the “fifth” on the spot works for you, then go for it! But maybe I can get closer…

2) There’s something unique about diminished 7 chords. Take that C diminished 7 chord (C + Eb + Gb + A) and play it with Eb on the bottom. It still sounds like a diminished 7 chord right? That’s because it is a diminished 7 chord… Eb diminished 7 (Eb + Gb + A + C). Do the same thing with Gb… play the same exact notes starting on Gb — Gb + A + C + Eb. So basically, once you know 1 diminished chord, you know the other 3 in the group because they all share the same notes. So if that’s the case, maybe I don’t have to play the C diminished 7 because I have three other choices that will pretty much give me the same sound (…now if you want your melody to be on top, you’ll have to pick the chord that does that). With that said though, I’m going to use Gb diminished 7 (Gb + A + C + Eb). Keep in mind that the ONLY difference in this chord and the C diminished 7 is the order of notes. That’s all.

Now that I’ve figured this out, I can change my rule a little bit. I can simply think of this chord as the diminished 7th chord RIGHT ON TOP of my bass. Get it?

My bass is F right? Now, I’ve figured out that my C diminished 7 chord can actually be Gb diminished 7 if I want it to. And Gb is just one half step higher than F right? So that means instead of having to think of this chord as the keynote plus the 5th tone’s diminished chord, I can ease my mind a little bit by simply thinking of this chord as the keynote plus the diminished 7 chord a half step up!

Bam!

So let’s compare:

Rule #1
Keynote plus 5-diminished7 chord
F + C diminished 7
F + (C + Eb + Gb + A)

or

Rule #2
Keynote plus diminished 7 chord half step up
F + Gb diminished 7
F + (Gb + A + C + Eb)

Up to you!

But that’s the idea.

It’s not always about having to do a lot of thinking. For me, at least, it’s about finding universal rules I can apply on the spot. Heck, your rules are your rules… even if they don’t make sense to others! :)

So try taking some of your favorite chords and come up with some numerical rule that you can apply to easily take these chords to any key you want on the spot (assuming you know the underlying chords you’ll be using — if your rule includes playing a big 9th chord with smaller major chords, then you had better know all your major chords or even the rule won’t do you any good).

Well, this post was a little long but I hope it helps!

All the best —

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So this isn’t going to be easy but if you’re committed, you can learn to play in ALL 12 keys… not just one.

I’ll lay out 2 ways to do it. One way, I learned about 16 years ago and still use at times.

The other way is more involved, but will help your understanding of music a lot better.

So the shortcut vs the long road (that’s worth the trip).

The shortcut

Ok, so you have four chords that you picked up online and you want to learn them in the other 11 keys.

The first way is pretty simple.

Just take out a notebook and reserve a few pages for each major key. Better yet, get a folder, 12 tabs, and label them according to the major keys.

Now, take the chord progression you just learned in one key, let’s say “C major,” and get to work with these steps below…

(Oops, before I present the steps, let’s lay out our basic chord progression)…

Chord progression:
C major - G major - A minor - F major (repeat)

(Again, this is in the key of “C major”).

Reference:
C major = C+E+G
G major = G+B+D
A minor = A+C+E
F major = F+A+C

1) First, we’re going to move this chord progression up a half step. Remember that half steps are from key to key with no keys in between. So a half step up from C is Db.

2) Literally, you just move EVERY finger you have held down up a note. It’s that simple. And because you’re moving everything equally, the chord names stay the same.

So the “C major” chord becomes “Db major”
The “G major chord” becomes “Ab major”
The “A minor chord” becomes “Bb minor”
The “F major chord” becomes “Gb major”

(Now, I chose to go to the key of Db rather than C#. Had I said “C#”, these chords would be C# major to G# major to A# minor to F# major… which looks just like the C major progression but with sharps. But Db major is much more common than C# so I went with Db.)

So again, C+E+G (C major) becomes Db+F+Ab (Db major)
G+B+D (G major) becomes Ab+C+Eb (Ab major)
A+C+E (A minor) becomes Bb+Db+F (Bb minor)
F+A+C (F major) becomes Gb+Bb+Db (Gb major)

3) Basically, you take this approach all the way up the piano. But don’t forget to write these chords down in your notebook under the appropriate major key. If you’ve separated the major keys by tabs, even better so you can flip back very quickly when you need it.

4) The key is to not only write them down (because it’s true, if you write something, you’ll remember it a lot more than just reading it)… but you also want to play it in the new key about 10 times. If you think writing helps you to remember, “doing” takes memorization to a whole new level.

For some, all it will take is writing and playing it a few times and you’ll remember the chords forever. Others may have to refer back to the notebook a few times to warm up the memory.

(For my more experienced players, obviously you’ll replace these simple major and minor chords with more intricate ones but the process and rules for memorization will apply to you as well.)

At the end of the day, you’ll end up with 12 pages of chords, all written out in their respective keys.

5) Go in this order and use the “flat names” for the black keys (trust me, it will be much easier. Later on, you’ll use the sharp names of the black keys when playing in minor keys):

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

The more involved way

The other way is to really understand “what’s going on,” as Marvin Gaye would say.

Let’s look at this C major chord progression again.

Chord progression:
C major - G major - A minor - F major (repeat)

Now what’s really going on here?

Using numbers can really allow us to see what’s going on without confining us to one particular key. It’s the universal language.

1) Convert the major key into numbers. Take the scale and put a number under each tone.

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

2) Figure out which numbers go with the chords you’re using in the progression

C major - G major - A minor - F major

C major = 1
G major = 5
A minor = 6
F major = 4

See where I got the numbers?

Straight from the scale. C is the first tone of the scale, G is the 5th tone of the scale, A is the 6th tone of the scale, and F is the 4th tone of the scale.

3) Write your progression out using numbers instead of letters. Letters help you to play in ONE key. Numbers help you to play in ALL keys.

1major - 5major - 6minor - 4major

All I did was replace the letters, not the chord type. The chords stay the same.

4) So now, before this can work like magic, you need to make sure that you know all your major and minor chords. You can learn them by following the lessons on this page.

5) Lastly, you just go to your new major key and apply the formula: 1major - 5major - 6minor - 4major. Of course, this requires that you also know your scales as numbers. But by doing it this way, you’re actually understanding how music works rather than just moving everything up a half step (which can work too, obviously).

6) Feel free to follow the circle of fifths pattern going counter-clockwise while learning your progressions in new keys. In other words, you learn your new keys in this order: C major, then F major, then Bb major, then Eb major (rather than in half steps like we did in the first method). See the circle of fifths chart for details.

Why? Because you’ll notice that by learning the chords in C major first, then moving to F major — you’ll actually play majority of the same chords because major keys that are neighbors on the circle are closely related and share majority of the same notes (in fact, the difference in the C major scale and the F major scale is actually just ONE note so it’s not surprising that playing the chord progression in F major almost feels the same as playing it in C major).

Let’s see…

C major:

C major - G major - A minor - F major

F major:

F major - C major - D minor - Bb major

(We actually already know 2 of the chords from our previous key. And truth be told, “D minor” is also in the key of C so had our chord progression been a little more intricate, we might’ve had that chord in common too)

Summary

So there you have it… two ways to learn your favorite chords and songs in all 12 keys.

Now, I only demonstrated this with 4 chords. Your songs will certainly have more chords. That’s why it’s important to take it step by step, chord by chord, and make sure to write and rehearse what you’re writing on the piano so you can ingrain it in your memory and you’ll be just fine! :)

Until next time,
Jermaine

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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.

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If you haven’t recognized already, the concept I’ve been discussing is called “transposition.” You’ve probably heard it said another way … like “transposing” or “take it up!”

If you have the 300pg course, you can find detailed information on transposing songs in chapter 20 (pgs 295-298). If you don’t have the course yet, just keep reading as I’ll define key terms below.

Transposing a song is basically moving it from one key to another. For example, if you’re playing a song in the key of C major, to transpose it simply means to take it from C major and play the same exact song, but in terms of a new major key.

Anything can be transposed … not just songs. You can transpose chords, melodies, scales, and more!

Let’s get right to work…

Ok, let’s say you know a basic song (for the purposes of this lesson, let’s play “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers). This song will be easy for anyone to catch on to (whether beginner or advanced). Plus, most people know this classic!

Here’s a sample recording of the chorus part that I’ll use:

http://www.hearandplay.com/leanonme.html

If you’re good at finding the key center of a song (see January 2005 newsletter), you already know that the recording above is played in the key of C major. If you’re not good at finding key centers of songs, refer to my 300pg course and the bonus CD-rom which comes along with it. Piano Player Plus v1.0 helps you to train your ear with various sound exercises and tests, all done on the computer.

But back to “Lean on Me”…

Here’s the main chorus:

Major key of C major

Left /// Right hand

C /// E + G + C

C /// E + G + C

D /// F + A + D

E /// G + C + E

F /// A + C + F

F /// A + C + F

E /// G + C + E

D /// F + A + D

C /// E + G + C

Notice how these are just basic triads. As famous as this song is, the chorus is nothing more than basic triads walking up the first four notes of the C major scale and right back down.

Try playing it now.

The left hand uses single notes while the right hand simply plays various three-fingered chords.

… so now that you know a few chords, let’s examine how to transpose this chorus to other major keys.

Transposing:

I’ll cover two methods.

1 ) The first one uses half steps and whole steps.

In music, the distance between any two notes right next to each other is called a “half step.” So the relationship between C and Db, for example, is a half step. The relationship between E and F is also a half step.

A “whole step” is the distance between two notes that are separated by a key. So the distance between C and D is a whole step (because Db is in between them). Just remember this poem and you’ll be alright:

Half steps are from key to key with no keys in between,

Whole steps always skip a key with one key in between.

So with that said, let’s take “Lean on Me” and figure out how to move it into another key.

Major key of C major

Left /// Right hand

C /// E + G + C

C /// E + G + C

D /// F + A + D

E /// G + C + E

F /// A + C + F

F /// A + C + F

E /// G + C + E

D /// F + A + D

C /// E + G + C

Since we’re already in the key of C major, we’ll need to figure out what key we want to move the current song to.

Let’s try D major first.

There’s just two things you have to do to move this song from C major to D major:

1. Ask yourself, how many half steps OR whole steps is D major (the new key) from C major (the old key)

RECAP: Find out the distance between the new key and the old (in either half steps or whole steps, whichever one you prefer).

2. Move each chord up or down that many steps (whatever the answer to question #1 is).

This is best explained by demonstrating exactly what I mean:

Ok, our current major key is C major.

In step one, we need to know how many whole or half steps are in between C major and the new key we want to transpose to (D major in this case).

So……

The distance between C major and D major is 1 whole step.

(that is, C to Db is 1 half step, Db to D is another half step. 2 half steps = 1 whole step).

Now all we need to do is move every one of our chords up 1 whole step:

“Lean on Me” in C major	“Lean on Me” in D major
Left /// Right hand C /// E + G + C C /// E + G + C D /// F + A + D E /// G + C + E F /// A + C + F F /// A + C + F E /// G + C + E D /// F + A + D C /// E + G + C	Left /// Right hand D /// F# + A + D D /// F# + A + D E /// G + B + E F# /// A + D + F# G /// B + D + G G /// B + D + G F# /// A + D + F# E /// G + B + E D /// F# + A + D

Notice the differences between the old key and the new key.

For the first chord, C is the bass in C major but in the new key, D is the bass (or left hand).

D is one whole step higher than C so that makes perfect sense. For every note, this should be the case.

C /// E + G + C

D /// F# + A + D

D is 1 whole step higher than C

F# (the first note in the right hand) is one whole step higher than E

A is one whole step higher than the G from the old chord

D is one whole step higher than C from the old chord.

While this method can surely allow you to transpose all the songs you know into new keys, it is very time-consuming.

2. The second method involves relating the chords and notes of one key to the other. Let me explain:

The first method we used looked at everything independently. That means no matter what you play, whether a chord, scale, 5-fingered chord, or 2-fingered chord, you move everything up 1 whole step (or how many ever steps it takes you to reach the “new” key).

This second method looks at the grand scheme of things. That means, we analyze “WHAT” chords or scales are being played and we just apply those same type of chords to the new key.

In order to master this step, YES, you need to know your scales and chords. I mean, to be an excellent musician, you should know these things anyway, right?

Let’s take a look at our example once again:

Left /// Right hand

C /// E + G + C

C /// E + G + C

D /// F + A + D

E /// G + C + E

F /// A + C + F

F /// A + C + F

E /// G + C + E

D /// F + A + D

C /// E + G + C

In this method, you’d analyze the chords to see “what’s going on” basically.

Here’s what I see:

1) The first chord is a C major because C is on the left-hand bass and E + G + C is played in the right hand. Any time the notes C, E, and G are played together, that means you’re probably playing a C major chord or something related to it.

2) The second chord above is also a C major. It’s identical to the first chord.

3) The third chord above is a D minor because D is being played on the left-hand bass while F + A + D is being played on the right hand.

4) The fourth chord is a C major chord with an E bass. Notice that it has the same combination of notes as the first and second chord above ( C E G). It’s simply played in a different order this time (we call that “inversions“)

5) The fifth chord is an F major chord because F is the bass and A + C + F is played on the right hand. While you’re probably used to seeing F A C as an F major chord, A+C+F is just another way to play it (another inversion).

Lastly, the next four chords are just the same chords played in reverse order.

So with this method, you just look at the BIGGER picture.

You say to yourself:

“Hmmm Self”

“The left hand bass is basically the first four notes of the major scale of whatever key I’m in” AND…

“The chords are basically: 1st chord major, 2nd chord minor, 1st chord major with “3″ bass, and 4th chord major … and do the same thing going down.”

With this type of method, you should be able to go to any major key given that you know the major scale of the new key.

Let’s look at the C major scale (the key in which this song is played in):

C D E F G A B C

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

So we used the 1 major chord (C major)

Then we used the 2 minor chord (D is the 2nd tone of the scale and we used it’s minor chord)

Then we used the 1 major chord again (C major) but this time with the 3 bass. What is the 3rd tone of the C major scale? E is the answer so basically we used E as the bass but the same 1 major chord (just played in a different inversion).

Lastly, we used the 4 major chord (which is F major).

With this same pattern in mind, just change the major key:

D major:

D E F# G A B C# D

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

What’s the 1 major chord of D major?

_______________

Answer: D major chord

What’s the 2 minor chord of D major?

_______________

Answer: E minor chord

What’s the 1 major chord of D major with the 3 bass?

_______________

Answer: D major with F# bass (D major played with F# on top as well: A + D + F#)

What’s the 4 major chord of D major?

_______________

Answer: G major chord

And… once again, you should end up with “Lean on Me” now in the new major key of D:

“Lean on Me” in C major	“Lean on Me” in D major
Left /// Right hand C /// E + G + C C /// E + G + C D /// F + A + D E /// G + C + E F /// A + C + F F /// A + C + F E /// G + C + E D /// F + A + D C /// E + G + C	Left /// Right hand D /// F# + A + D D /// F# + A + D E /// G + B + E F# /// A + D + F# G /// B + D + G G /// B + D + G F# /// A + D + F# E /// G + B + E D /// F# + A + D

Now one last time…

Try transposing the song from C major to F major:

F major:

F G A Bb C D E F

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

What’s the 1 major chord of F major?

_______________

Answer: F major chord

What’s the 2 minor chord of F major?

_______________

Answer: G minor chord

What’s the 1 major chord of F major with the 3 bass?

_______________

Answer: F major with A bass (F major played with A on top as well: C + F + A)

What’s the 4 major chord of F major?

_______________

Answer: Bb major chord

“Lean on Me” in C major	“Lean on Me” in F major
Left /// Right hand C /// E + G + C C /// E + G + C D /// F + A + D E /// G + C + E F /// A + C + F F /// A + C + F E /// G + C + E D /// F + A + D C /// E + G + C	Left /// Right hand F /// A + C + F F /// A + C + F G /// Bb + D + G A /// C + F + A Bb /// D + F + Bb Bb /// D + F + Bb A /// C + F + A G /// Bb + D + G F /// A + C + F

See how simple that is?

If you’re really serious about learning all your major scales, chords (like major chords, minor chords, dominant chords, diminished chords, seventh chords, ninth chords, eleventh chords, and more), then I strongly recommend that you check out my 300pg course “The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear.

Chords to study for this 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 and I’ll be back soon! Practice hard until then!

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This concludes this online classroom lesson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you were intrigued by the online classroom lesson above,

then you would definitely benefit from my course!

 

 

*** “The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear” 300-pg Course ***

 

With 20 chapters and over 300 pages, the home piano course provides several resources, techniques, tips, principles, and theories to playing the piano by ear. Along with hundreds of chords and scales, you’ll also learn how to turn them into gospel, jazz and blues chord progressions and better yet, how to use them to play ABSOLUTELY any song you want … IN VIRTUALLY MINUTES! Again, don’t miss this opportunity. I’ve even added an additional bonus if you purchase the course this week — You can read more about the course at:

http://www.hearandplay.com/course

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