• The “Polychord” Game: How Many Chords Can You Spot?

    gameshow.jpgPolychords are huge extended chords that consist of two or more smaller chords.

    As your chords get bigger and bigger, you’ll spot smaller chords within.

    These smaller chords present opportunities to explore other voicings.

    For example, if you spot a C minor triad and an Eb major 7 in the same chord, this gives you countless ways to voice the chord… including two-hand versions…

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    “House Hunters”… Behind The Scenes

    If you’ve been reading my newsletter, you know we’re going to be on the next season of “House Hunters,” a show that has been running on HGTV for over a decade.

    The show is detailing our transition from a smaller home into one that will hold our rapidly growing family — wife, 2 daughters, 1 son, myself… and maybe even another future son, if things work out as planned! :-).

    So needless to say, space, in the search for our next home, was a pretty big deal to us!

    Believe it or not, it takes 5 full days to…

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    The Secret To Chord Mastery

    In my last post, I introduced the 5-part “Musician Transformation” system:

    Fundamentals Fluency, Chordal Command, Pattern Proficiency, Song Solidity, Ear Efficiency.

    We started with the first step, Fundamentals Fluency, which consists of scales, number system, finger exercises, intervals, and rhythm.

    Now, we’ll turn to chords!

    In Chordal Command, we focus on 5 key areas: Triads, Extended Chords, Inversions, Primary vs Secondary, Voicings…

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    How To Transform Your Playing

    Last year, I released a breakthrough system that took what I believe to be the entire “playing by ear” process and broke it into a step-by-step system.

    It included 5 parts: Fundamental Fluency, Chordal Command, Pattern Paradise, Song Solidity, and Ear Efficiency.

    We now make every new member of the Gospel Music Training Center complete the online Musician Transformation training (9+ hours of video training, over 300+ exam questions, etc).

    In this post, I want to cover the first part of the system: Fundamentals Fluency.

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    A Note On Doubt…

    So I just came back from a business conference in Phoenix, AZ where I was honored to be speaking as a finalist for Businessperson of the Year.

    We each had around 30 minutes to present to an audience of 1000+. I went last. The first two speakers were amazing. In fact, the first speaker, Janette, literally had folks in tears. Her story was truly amazing.

    The second speakers (they were partners) were full of energy and very fun. They started a healthy vending machine company that’s poised to do some really great things… very soon. When you see one pop up in your area, you’ll know what I mean!

    I went last. I talked about my story and how I started Hearandplay.com with $70 at…

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    New Song Robot Update: Bigger, Expandable Keys!

    I’m so excited to be making another huge update to Song Robot!

    Now the keys are in HD and can be expanded as big as you want! If you have double monitors, they can span the whole length. Even if you connect to a 50″ plasma tv, it will have the same, crisp, sharp hd look!

    Watch this video for the details.

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    Ask Jermaine: “When To Use Sharps or Flats?”

    Thumbnail image for Ask Jermaine: “When To Use Sharps or Flats?”

    This week’s question comes from Bob Myers in Alabama.

    “Jermaine, I’m loving your lessons but I have one question that’s been on my mind for a while. When are you supposed to use sharps or flats? Sometimes I see flats, other times I see sharps. Thank you in advance for your answer.” My answer…

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