HearandPlay.com Monthly Newsletter --- November 2004!
http://www.Hearandplay.com
Serving 111,876 Musicians Worldwide!
 
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Contents:
I. Welcome
II. Announcements
III. Online Classroom:
       "The Power of Using Superimposed Chords"
             
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Dear Subscriber,
 
     Welcome to my November newsletter on using superimposed chords in your piano playing! We have received an overwhelming amount of questions regarding "superimposed" chords so we've decided to focus on them for this month's online classroom. I'll tell you right now...  they aren't as complicated as they sound. It's a really simple concept to grasp -- once you know it! It's just like any other concept you've learned from our monthly newsletters this year.
 
     By the way... the year has passed by so fast hasn't it? It seems like January was just yesterday.
 
     In fact, the last four years have passed by at lightening speed! I remember a time when HearandPlay.com would only get about 10 e-mails per day asking questions about various scales, chords, progressions, tips, and tricks. Four years and more than 110,000 students later, we're receiving hundreds of e-mails per day with tons of relevant musical questions that become the focus and topics of these monthly newsletters and other e-mail lessons.
 
     So if you benefit from these monthly lessons, thank the "regulars" who look to HearandPlay.com for daily discussions on the message board, weekly interactions with me in the live chat room, and monthly newsletters like the one you're reading!
 
... But remember, "reading" is not enough! You have to put into action what you learn! You have to ask questions, learn from other students, and stay motivated! So I encourage you to stay connected with HearandPlay.com by using our discussion board and chatroom. You won't regret it!
 
     Back to superimposed chords...
 
     Chances are that you've already played a superimposed chord but didn't even know it. If you've bought the GospelKeys 202 video course: "Mastering Worship Chords", then you've definitely played tons of them. On the other hand, if you're still playing basic triads and three-fingered chords, then chances are that you haven't ventured into these "expanded" chords yet...
 
 ...Now don't get me wrong --- there are many purposes for basic triads. Big is not always better. But, for the most part, if you want to contemporize your music, then using superimposed chords will definitely do the job!
 
     I'm going to get you started forming superimposed chords in this newsletter, but if you're truly serious about "spicing" up your piano playing, you have to check out my new GospelKeys 202 video course: "Mastering Worship Chords".
 
Also, considering that the holidays are quickly approaching, GospelKeys 202 is a wonderful gift for any aspiring Gospel musician. In fact, since chords and progressions are used across different genres of music, there are tons of chords and voicings in GospelKeys 202 for R&B, jazz, and blues musicians!
 
In the GospelKeysTM 202 video course:
 

Discover my seven sets of couples and how to use them to play absolutely any worship song you want. I reveal seven different categories with several chords in each. Once you've mastered these chords and how to connect them together, your piano playing will never be the same! Click here for more information...

  Learn how to form tons of different couples by just knowing a few select chords. You don't have to know hundreds of chords to play gospel music. In fact, all you really have to know is a few major, minor, dominant, and diminished chords, and let the power of "patterns" take over from there. Think about it? If told you to rearrange the numbers "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5" as many ways as you could, you'd have more than 120 combinations. Well, the idea of "couples" is the same way. More information...

How to predict what chords will come next while learning a new worship song. Again, chords don't occur randomly. You'll learn exactly how to predict what chords to play next based on what you've already played. This won't require lots of thinking once you catch on to the concept! It's really simple. More info...

How to contemporize the chords you already know by adding "ninths" and "thirteenths" to your bag of tricks. There always seems to be this "x factor" that no one can explain. "If I'm playing the same major chord as this other musician, then why does he sound better than me?" There's a little finger trick you'll learn that will instantly modernize all of your major chords. You don't want to miss this one --- trust me. More info...

Several "licks" and "tricks" that are ready-to-use the minute you turn off the tape. If you've always felt like you're repeating yourself or that you lack creativity, worry no more. I'm going to show you all types of little "licks" and "tricks" that will be sure to enhance your slow worship songs. Click here for more information...

Learn what I call my "7-couple" formula to playing tons of worship songs by ear! Just like you learned 5 steps to playing praise songs in GospelKeysTM 300, I will show you easy-to-understand steps to understanding how worship and slow songs are arranged! Click here for more information...
 
Discover my "3-4" principle to playing literally any worship chord progression by ear ... INSTANTLY! Chord progressions don't occur randomly. Certain chords lead to others and with this 3-4 calculation that I'm going to reveal, you will never ever have to guess where to go next! This has never been taught this way before!  More information...
 
Learn over 60 new voicings, chords, progressions, and fancy arrangements to playing worship music! From fancy inversions of the ninth chord to the secret "Quartal" chord (which sounds very very smooth), you'll learn how to replace all of your basic triads and 3-fingered chords with full-sounding 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, and altered chords! Believe me when I say: "Others will notice!" Click here for more information...
 
Learn contemporary and alternative ways to playing worship favorites like "Hallelujah," "Thank You Lord," and others! While you'll be taught, step-by-step, how to play various songs by the end of GospelKeysTM 202, you'll be equipped with the right chords, progressions, and "couples" (see below) to play over 95% of gospel worship songs by ear! But what you have to realize is that most songs use the same progressions over and over in different ways. GospelKeysTM 202 will show you how to recognize these changes in songs! Click here for more information...
 
Learn patterns (or what I'm calling "couples") like: "1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7, 2-5, 2-6, 3-6, 3-4, 4-5, 4-3, 4-6, 4-7, 5-1, 5-2, 5-4, 6-2, 6-7, 7-3, and many more! Don't be intimidated by the numbers. They are simply taken from major scales. The power in understanding all of these couples is that once you know them all, there will be absolutely NO SONG you won't be able to learn! These patterns are in 95% of all gospel worship songs and you'll know them after studying this course! More information...
 
Train your ear to recognize these small "couples" with specially designed ear-training sections of the video course (one-on-one with me)! Once you've mastered all of the "couples" above, then you must be able to recognize them in songs! I will constantly test you right there on the screen without you seeing the notes that I am playing in an effort to help you build your ear skills! Click here for more information...
 
 
For a 15-pg informational report, click here or visit www.GospelKeys202.com
 
"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300pg Course - Learn the secrets to playing literally any song on the piano with a few simple, "easy-to-understand" techniques and principles! Join Jermaine Griggs in learning tons of music theory, concepts, and tricks that will help you to learn piano by ear! Thousands of musicians have already taken advantage of this excellent program ... why not you?

"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" is full of easy-to-understand tricks, tips, techniques and secrets to playing piano by ear! For this month only, I've also been able to throw in a few bonus items (3 additional piano software programs). Click here to learn the secrets to playing absolutely any song on the piano in virtually minutes! You won't regret it!
 
2004 Newsletter Archive Available at https://www.hearandplay.com/newsletters.html
 
* If you didn't catch last month's newsletter (October), visit https://www.hearandplay.com/newsletters.html to get access to over 20 minutes of online video lessons!
 
 
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Online Classroom:
 
"The Power of Using Superimposed Chords"
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Note: You might want to print this lesson out for easier
reading...
 
 
At first look, the word "superimposition" may sound like a complex concept... but I assure you, it is easier than it looks!
 
For a chord to be superimposed on top of another chord means just that! Usually, you'd play one particular chord on your left hand while playing another chord on your right (both at the same time).
 
Major, Minor, and Dominant Chords
 
You'd be surprised how many superimposed chords you already know how to play.
 
In fact, any 7th, 9th, 11th, or 13th chord can be considered two chords superimposed on top of one another. You've probably heard the term "polychords" to describe these chords as well. Basically, polychords consist of two or more chords that are stacked to create one larger chord.
 
Think about it...
 
What does a Cmaj7 chord consist of? (I don't know my maj7 chords)
Cmaj7 = C + E + G + B
 
Well, obviously a Cmaj triad: C + E + G
 
But you could also play an Emin triad: E + G + B
 
Combine them together, and you have one C, two E's, two G's, and one B.
 
Cmaj: C + E + G   /// Emin: E + G + B
 
... Now get rid of any duplicate notes and you have: (C E G B)
 
So playing an Emin over a Cmaj creates a Cmaj7 chord.
 
 
...Moving on...
 
What about major ninth chords? What two chords do they consist of?
(I don't know my maj9 chords)
 
Let's look at Cmaj9.
 
Cmaj9 = C + E + G + B + D
 
If you look closely, you'll see one major chord superimposed on top of another.
 
If you see Cmaj on the bottom and Gmaj on the top, then you're absolutely correct!
 
Cmaj + Gmaj = Cmaj9
 
 
What about major eleventh chords? (I don't know my maj11 chords)
 
Cmaj11: C + E + G + B + D + F
 
There are several smaller chords in this huge polychord. It just depends on how you look at the chord.
 
How many different chords do you see?
 
Cmaj, Cmaj7, Emin, Emin7, Emin9, Gmaj, G7, Bdim
 
 
How many different superimposed relationships?
 
Cmaj + G7
Cmaj + Bdim
 
 
What about major thirteenth chords? (I don't know my maj13 chords)
 
Cmaj13: C + E + G + B + D + F + A
 
Cmaj7 + Dmin
Cmaj + B half diminished
Cmaj + G9
 
 
Here is a "cheat" chart for all the major, minor, and dominant chords covered above:
 
 Type  9 11 13
Major 1maj + 5maj 1maj + 7dim 1maj7 + 2min
Minor 1min + 5min 1min + b7maj 1min7 + 2min
Dominant 1maj + 5min 1maj + b7maj 1dom7 + 2min
 
 
In order to read the chart above, you will have to know your major scales. I will demonstrate how to use this chart in the key of C major, but feel free to check out my 300-pg course to learn all twelve major scales along with tons of major, minor, dominant, and diminished chords like the ones above!
 
C major scale
C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- A -- B -- C
1 --- 2 -- 3 --- 4 -- 5 --- 6 -- 7 --- 8
 
 
If you wanted to play a Cmaj9 chord, you would use the row titled "Major" and the column titled "9."
 
Notice the formula for a maj9 chord is 1maj + 5maj.
 
If you know your major scales, then this will be very simple.
 
The number in front of "maj" corresponds to the major scale. The "1" of C major is obviously C. So you'd play Cmaj on your left hand. The right hand chord, according to the formula, needs to be the 5maj chord of the scale.
 
Count up the C major scale...
 
C is 1 ... D is 2... E is 3... F is 4... G is 5. Ding Ding Ding!
 
So on your right hand, you'd play Gmaj.
 
Cmaj9 = Cmaj + Gmaj
 
 
*Follow these same steps for all the other types of chords.
 
 
Altered Chords
 
In my GospelKeys 202 video course: "Mastering Worship Chords", I cover a number of chord progressions that are used in worship music.
 
If you already have the course, you will know that one of my favorite progressions is the "7-3-6".
 
 
This is a bit more advanced but certainly relevant for this section.
 
Instead of playing a major or minor chord on the left hand as I've demonstrated above, we will play a tritone on our left hand and a major chord on our right hand.
 
We've covered tritones in other newsletters but here is a brief summary:
 
1) Tritones are made up of diminished 5th intervals.
  • From C to Gb would be a tritone interval.
2) Tritones are 3 whole steps apart.
  • C to D (1 W) ... D to E (2 W) ... E to Gb (3 W)
3) Tritones split the piano in half.
  • From C to Gb is the same distance as Gb to C. Gb is exactly the middle of C and the octave C.
4) Tritones also create the shell of dominant chords (3 + b7).
  • C + Gb is the shell of an Ab7 chord (Ab + C + Eb + Gb). C is the 3rd of Ab and Gb is the b7.
 
There are twelve tritones but really only six unique ones because they start to repeat. Let me explain...
 
C to Gb
Db to G
D to Ab
Eb to A
E to Bb
F to B
 
--- repeating starts ---
 
Gb to C
G to Db
Ab to D
A to Eb
Bb to E
B to F
 
* Notice that the bottom sets of tritones are the same as the top but backwards.
 
Now... back to the 7-3-6 progression:
 
Normally, in the key of Db, I'd play a 7-3-6 like this:
 
Cmin11  ---> F7 (#9#5)  ---> Bbmin9
 
Cmin11 = C on bass /// Eb G Bb D F on right hand
F7 (#9#5) = F on bass /// A Db Eb Ab on right hand
Bbmin9  = Bb on bass /// Ab C Db F on right hand
 
 
For the F7 (#9#5) altered chord, you can actually substitute the shell of F7. Remember, we are calling a "shell" the 3rd and b7th notes of any 7th chord. So the shell of F7 would be A and Eb. This is also called an upper structure voicing.
 
You should also know from above that A + Eb is a tritone!
 
So... on your left hand, play the A + Eb tritone.
 
On your right hand, simply play a Dbmaj chord (or the major chord of the key that you're in). Wasn't that simple?
 
 
Moving on...
 
Since the A + Eb can be played either way (with A on top or bottom), let's switch our left hand to Eb + A instead. I like this sound better.
 
Left hand = Eb + A.
 
Now, here's the trick with any 7-3 progression. We've covered the superimposed substitution for the F7 (#9#5) above. But what about the Cmin11 chord right before it? Can that be substituted?
 
It sure can!
 
Just take the:  Eb + A /// Dbmaj and move it up one-half step.
 
E + Bb on left /// Dmaj on your right hand. This will take the place of your Cmin11 chord.
 
... So just to recap:
 
What used to be:
Cmin11 = C on bass /// Eb G Bb D F on right hand
F7 (#9#5) = F on bass /// A Db Eb Ab on right hand
Bbmin9  = Bb on bass /// Ab C Db F on right hand
 
Is now:
 
D major superimposed on top of (E+Bb) tritone
Db major superimposed on top of (Eb + A) tritone
 
* For the Bbmin9 chord, I would change the right hand to create:
 
Ab maj over Bb bass.
 
 
Here's an audio example of how this progression should sound:
 
Concluding...
 
We didn't even scratch the surface when it comes to superimposing chords on top of one another.
 
Yes, I covered major, minor, and dominant chords but there are series of other combinations that we couldn't get to because of limits on space in this e-mail.
 
If you are truly serious about learning how to play the piano by ear, I recommend that you check out my newest gospel series: GospelKeys 202 video course: "Mastering Worship Chords"
 
 
Also, considering that the holidays are quickly approaching, GospelKeys 202 is a wonderful gift for any aspiring Gospel musician. In fact, since chords and progressions are used across different genres of music, there are tons of chords and voicings in GospelKeys 202 for R&B, jazz, and blues musicians!

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

 

Well, I hope you enjoyed my November newsletter and I'll be back in December! Take care!

This concludes your November 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:
https://www.hearandplay.com/course
 
 
Enjoy this edition? Visit our message board and let us know!
https://www.hearandplay.com/board
 
Please Let a friend know about HearandPlay.com! PLEASE FORWARD
THIS NEWSLETTER TO YOUR ENTIRE E-MAIL ADDRESS BOOK.
 
 
Yours Truly,
Jermaine Griggs
www.HearandPlay.com
www.GospelKeys.com
 
 
Newsletter Archive - Click here or visit https://www.hearandplay.com/newsletters.html
 
 

Further References

"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300-pg Course

[5] Chords & Progressions: pgs 65-78, 105-130, 147-165, 182-227.

Do you know what a “2-5-1” or "3-6-2-5-1" progression is? Or perhaps the famous 12-bar blues chord progression? In this piano course, you will not only learn how to play gospel, blues, and jazz progressions, but how to recognize them in songs. In addition, you will learn the simple techniques to playing these progressions, hymns, and songs in all 12 major keys! ... Enjoy learning:

The famous "2-5-1" Chord Progression: pgs 114-120, 153-156, 208, 235-236.

I - IV - I - V - I Chord Progressions: pgs 66-70.

I - IV - V - IV - I Chord Progressions: pgs 77-78.

Techniques behind the famous "5-->1" progression: pgs 68-72.

I --> IV,  I --> V Chord Progressions: pgs 74-75.

"Circle of Fifths" Chord Exercises: pg 78.

Major and Minor Chord Progressions: pgs 105-130.

"6 - 2 - 5 - 1" Chord Progressions: pgs 121-122, 157-159.

"3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1" Chord Progressions: pgs 122-123, 160-162.

"7 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1" Chord Progressions: pgs 124-125, 190-191.

Gospel Chord Progressions ... ranging from "up-tempo praise" chord Progressions to "worship-oriented" chord progressions: pgs 65-78, 105-130, 147-165, 182-227.

Various Blues Progressions ... 12-bar, seventh chords, diminished chords ... and others: pgs 163-165, 192.

Jazz Chord Progressions ... using dominant ninth, eleventh and thirteenth chords: pgs 193-240

Study the different types of Root Progressions --- closing, opening, circular and other types of progressions: pgs 121-122.

Study how chord tones and scale degrees relate to each other [which chord progressions are most likely to be compatible]: pgs 122-130.

Learn various "turn-around" progressions [used in gospel music]: pg 213-214.

If you don't have the 300-pg Course, click here to read more about it.
 
 
"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" 300pg Course - Learn the secrets to playing literally any song on the piano with a few simple, "easy-to-understand" techniques and principles! Join Jermaine Griggs in learning tons of music theory, concepts, and tricks that will help you to learn piano by ear! Thousands of musicians have already taken advantage of this excellent program ... why not you?

"The Secrets to Playing Piano By Ear" is full of easy-to-understand tricks, tips, techniques and secrets to playing piano by ear! For this month only, I've also been able to throw in a few bonus items (3 additional piano software programs). Click here to learn the secrets to playing absolutely any song on the piano in virtually minutes! You won't regret it!
 
Newsletter Archive - Click here or visit https://www.hearandplay.com/newsletters.html