HOW to PLAY the KEYBOARD by EAR - A Guide for Beginners_by Kwabena Adomako Adjapong & Samuel Ebow Koomson

8/18/2019 HOW to PLAY the KEYBOARD by EAR - A Guide for Beginners_by Kwabena Adomako Adjapong & Samuel Ebow Koo…

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Learn To Play the Keyboard by Ear

A “From Scratch” Guide For Beginners

A Manual for Beginners

Version 34

(Updated Thursday, 25 February 2016, 6:36 PM)

Written by

Kwabena Adomako Adjapong

Copyright © 2016 Kwabena Adomako Adjapong

FREE COPYThis Copy Is Not For Sale

Acquire the Foundational Skills Needed to become at least a novice keyboardist

Get the basics so learning from the Super-professionals will become easy

Start playing the keyboard even before you take advanced lessons from the super

professionals

Teach others To play


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This Page Was Intentionally Left Blank

If you are viewing a PDF Version of this

book, we recommend that you make use of

the BOOKMARKS to enable easynavigation through this document.


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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Copyright © 2016 Kwabena Adomako Adjapong.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by

any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior consent of the

authors.

All rights reserved under international copyright law. Written permission must be secured from the authorto use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

This Manual Is A Free Copy

Not For Sale


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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the many people who have been a blessing in our lives:

GOD ALMIGHTY

For His unending kindness and mercy and giving us the ideas to write this book

Our Parents, Parents-In-Law, Siblings, Children and Family Members Who keep showing us love

Bishop Dag Heward-Mills - Founder and Presiding Bishop of Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI),

for being a blessing unto us

Lady Reverend Adelaide Heward-Mills – Wife of Founder and Presiding Bishop of LCI. Our wives are

loving wives because you allowed God to use you as a role model for them.

The Bishops Council - LCI

Bishop Edwin & Lady Reverend Marian Ogoe

(LCI, Bread of Life Cathedral, Adenta, Ghana)

Reverend Edward & Lady Pastor (Mrs) Nana Yaa Nyarko

(LCI, La-Nkwantanang & Libya Quarters Branches, Ghana)

Shepherds & Members

(LCI, La-Nkwantanang Branch, Ghana)

Our Wives,

Linda and Gifty,

for being blessings unto us


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A Little About The Authors

The authors of this book are both keyboardists (Ebow doubles as a bass guitarist) and more importantly,

Church workers of Lighthouse Chapel International, La-Nkwantanang Branch, located at Madina, in Accra,

Ghana.

About This Book

In the year 2012, our Pastor, Reverend Edward Owusu Nyarko tasked us to start a music school so we can

pass on skills to Church Members who were interested in learning to play musical instruments purposely

for service to God. Today, Kobby (short for Kwabena) and Ebow have been able to put their notes and

experience together to teach others, what they learnt both formally and informally about playing the

keyboard.

The definitions and explanations of principles are down-to-earth and described as much as possible

in simple language for “musical laymen” to understand. Due to the style of teaching, readers will find

this book less “academic” and more of practical. This book is therefore not an academic publication on

music.

Our Recommended Pace of Studying This Book:

Spend a minimum of one (1) hour a day/session

Spend a maximum of 20 minutes for each lesson This enables you to cover a minimum of three (3) lessons a day/session

You’ll need only eight (8) (plus or minus) sessions/hours/days to cover entire book.

Spend the rest of your life as a keyboardist practising.

We have recommended some world-class tutors who have a lot of their tutorials available on

youtube, etc. We encourage you to make use of them.

A Few Words (paraphrased) From Reverend Edward Owusu Nyarko, General Overseer,

Kabzeel Diocese of Lighthouse Chapel International, La-Nkwantanang, Accra, Ghana:

Every chorister or instrumentalist should have a gospel musician who he or she sees as a mentor

and is following closely

You must have a device with which you are listening to songs, especially those of your mentor. A

phone (this is the least you should have)

When you learn a song, listen to it a minimum of fifty (50) times so it will be “a part of you”

You must be a person of prayer, discipline and excellence if you want you to succeed in your

passion for music

May God Richly Bless You As You Serve Him


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Contents

Lesson Topic Page

Lesson 1 All About Notes (Not Your School Notebook) 1

1.1 Notes: The “Building Blocks” of a Song 1

1.2 How The Keyboard Looks Like 2

1.3 Trying Our Hands on The Keyboard 3

1.4 The “Do – Re – Mi” Song 6

1.5 Ear Training Exercise 1: “Completing” A Song 7

1.6 How Notes “Behave” 7

Lesson 2 How Does The Keyboard Look Like? 8

2.1 Structure of The Keyboard 8

Lesson 3 Keys – The Different Colours of a Song 9

3.1 The “Natural” Keys 10

3.2 Same Song, Different Keys 11

3.3 Spot the Differences in Key 12

Lesson 4 The White Keys 13

4.1 Another Look at the Keyboard 13

4.2 How do we Get the Names of the White Keys? 13

Lesson 5 Adjacent Keys 15

Lesson 6 Tones (Full-steps) and Semitones (Half-Steps) 17

6.2

Lesson 7 Sharps (#) and Flats (♭) 207.1 Sharps and Flats: How to Get the Names of the Black Keys 217.2 How to Get the Names of the Black Keys 22

Lesson 8 Another Look at the Keyboard!! 258.1 A Third (3rd) Look at the Keyboard 25

Lesson 9 Notes of Keys “C”, “F” and “G” 26

Lesson 10 Placing Your Fingers on the Keyboard 27

Lesson 11 Pitch and Octave 28

11.1 Octave (not Octopus) 2811.2 Pitch (Not the Hockey Pitch) 29

Lesson 12Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secretformula)

30

12.1 the Secret (well.....not-so-secret) formula: 3212.2 Solfa Notes of All Keys 36

Lesson 13 Preparation For Your First Practical Lesson 37

13.1 The Fingers and Numbers 3713.2 An Introduction To the Key of C 3913.3 Finger Movement 4013.4 Training Your Musical Ears (Identifying Notes) 46

Lesson 14 Learn Your First Song as a Keyboardist!! 49

14.1 Lyrics for “Surround Me” by Clint Brown 50

Lesson 15 Steps To Getting the Structure of a Song 51


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Lesson 16 Breaking Down a Song into Syllables (step 1) 5216.1 Break-down for “Mary Had a Little Lamb” 52

Lesson 17 Finding the Key of a Song (Step 2) 5317.1 The Simple Steps For Finding the Key of a Song 5417.2 Learn from Minister Jermaine Griggs 55

Lesson 18 Melody – Turning the Breakdown into Individual Notes (Step 3) 56

18.1 Basic Finger Movement (Right Hand) 56

18.2 Finding The Melody Notes for “Mary Had A Little Lamb” 5718.4 The Melody Notes for “Surround Me” 61

Lesson 19 Adding the Bass Line (Left Hand) (Step 4) 6219.1 Steps to Getting the Bass Line 6319.2 Bass Note Markings for “Surround Me” (Step 5) 6419.3 Bass Line for “Surround Me” 66

Lesson 20 Training Your Ears to Recognise Bass Notes 6720.1 The “do – fa – so – la” Method: The New (Beginner) Instrumentalist’s Friend 6820.2 Hearing and Recognising Bass Notes 69

Lesson 21 Harmony: Understanding Chords 74

21.1 The Three (3) Common Types of Chords 7521.2 The Root Chord 7621.3 Root Chords of “Amazing Grace” 8021.4 Inverted Chords 88

21.4A First Inversion 8821.4B Second Inversion 90

Lesson 22 Chord Practice With Both Hands 9122.1 Playing Root Chords on the Bass 9222.2 Playing Octave Intervals on the Bass 93

22.3 The Sustained 2nd (Sus 2) Chord 10222.4 Some Irregular But Cool Chords 103

22.5 Chord Progressions 10422.6 Chord Progression Drills 105

Lesson 23Melody Note Patterns: A New Experiment to Playing A Song That’s New To Your Ears(CHANGE TO: TRAINING YOUR EAR PART 2)

107

What We’ll Learn in This Chapter: 107The “Behavioural Patterns” of the Basic Notes 108Parts of a Song 108The “do – fa – so – la” Method: The New (Beginner) Instrumentalist’s Friend 109Melody Patterns 115Common Melody Note Patterns and Applicable Chords 118Melody Pattern Exercises 123

Lesson 24 Advanced Chords 1272-5-1 Chord Progression ( Using Minor 9th (m9), Dominant 13th (Dom 13), and Major 9th(M9)

132


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It is my hope that you’ll play far better

than me.

That’s my dream....and may God give youthat anointing......

may God bless you with a supernatural

talent as you desire to serve

Him............

..........i n Jesus’ Name, Amen!!


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Very Useful and Important Information/Advice

(DON’T limit yourself to these only)

A: Work on Yourself

1. Build and sustain a relationship with Jesus Christ through

a. Prayer

b. Quiet Time (A lover of God’s Word)

c. Worship

2. Pray to God for a heart of worship

3. Have a listening device with which you’ll store songs and listen to them

4. Always listen to a song for a minimum of fifty (50) times

5. Have a musician or group of musicians you want to be like

6. Learn to copy until you’re a mirror of the musicians you’re copying

7. Always associate yourself (networking) with other gospel instrumentalists who are better

than you.

8. Be willing to teach other people to become better than you – that’s the mark of a true

teacher.

B: Gospel Musicians Worth Following (Please ignore the order; they are all anointed

1. Danny Nettey

2. Terry MacAlmon

3. LP Aida (Lighthouse Chapel International)

4. Michael W. Smith

5. Nii Okai

6. KODA

7. Eugene Zuta

8. Kirk Franklin9. Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

10. Hellen Baylor

11. Don Moen

12. Israel Houghton

C: Movies Which Every Lover of Music Must Watch

1. Sound of Music

2. Sister Act I & II3. Drum Line

4. Fighting Temptations

D: Persons/Tutors to search for on Youtube

1. Jermaine Griggs of www.hearandplay.com

2. Greg Hannon

3. Quaverbox ( www.quaverbox.com )

E: Website(s) with Additional Resources1. www.pianochord.com

2. www.calebhugo.com

http://www.hearandplay.com/http://www.hearandplay.com/http://www.hearandplay.com/http://www.quaverbox.com/http://www.quaverbox.com/http://www.quaverbox.com/http://www.pianochord.com/http://www.pianochord.com/http://www.calebhugo.com/http://www.calebhugo.com/http://www.calebhugo.com/http://www.pianochord.com/http://www.quaverbox.com/http://www.hearandplay.com/


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LESSON 1: All About Notes (Not Your School Notebook)

1.1 Notes: The “Building Blocks” of a Song

Let’s imagine that your “song” is a “house”.

The main components of the house are the “ blocks”.

In music, “notes” are the “ building blocks” of a “song”.

The common notes are:

“do” “re” “mi” “fa” “so” “la” and “ti”

Other (“uncommon”) notes are:

“di”, “maw”, “fi”, “zi”, and “taw”

We’ll encounter more of the “uncommon” notes in later lessons

This system of naming notes is called the “solfège” or “solfa”.

Today, most keyboardists use numbers in place of notes. But you’re at liberty to use whichever one

you find comfortable.

With time you’ll be able to tell which note is being referred to as soon as a number is mentioned, or

vice versa.

Common Notes

Key do (1) re (2) mi (3) fa (4) so (5) la (6) ti (7) do

Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Uncommon Notes

Key di maw fi zi taw

Number 1.5 2.5 4.5 5.5 6.5

LocationBetween “do” and

“re” Between “re”

and “mi” Between “fa”

and “so” Between “so”

and “la” Between “so”

and “ti”


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1.2 This is How The Keyboard Looks Like

The keyboard is made up of black keys and white keys.

The black keys are arranged in groups of two (2) and three (3).

A white key get its name from the group of black keys it is placed by

A white key get its name from the group of black keys it is placed by

This sign:

# is called a “sharp”.

It affects the name of the letter by which it is placed. For instance, C# is called “C – Sharp”

This sign: is called a “flat”.

It affects the name of the letter by which it is placed. For instance, E is called “E – Flat”

Confused? Don’t worry !!

I don’t expect you to get the names of all the keys now. (I bet that’s a relief , huh?)

But if you already have, Hallelujah!!

However, I believe in the principle of understanding before “memorisation”

There is a principle from which these names were derived.

We’ll learn about this principle in Lesson 7.

I want you to understand it so you can teach someone who might not be able to memorise this

diagram immediately.

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B

C# D# F# G# A#

or or or or or

D♭ E♭ G♭ A ♭ B♭

C# D# F# G# A#

or or or or or

D♭ E♭ G♭ A ♭ B♭


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1.3 Trying Our Hands on The Keyboard

We’re supposed to be studying the structure of the keyboard in Lesson 2. However, there are certain

principles which are explained with songs. This means that there has to be a keyboardist available.

But my aim is to enable you study the material this book on your own (as much as possible) even

when there is no keyboardist available. So this means that there are things you need to “do yourself ”.

So let’s be a little “ bold”.

The solfege in the Key of “C”

On this keyboard, the solfa notes have been arranged in the key of “C”.

As you can see on this diagram, our “do” begins on the white key closest to the left of the two black

keys.

The name of this key is “C” as seen on the keyboard.

The solfa notes (do – re – mi – fa – so.....) of a particular key are made up of other keys.

For instance, as seen in this table, you can notice that the key of “C” is made up of other keys as seen

in the table above.

do ti la so fa mi re do

C D E F G A B C

If you flip to the next page, you’ll notice that the key of “F” is also made up of other keys. We’ll learn

the names of the black keys soon.

The “do” note of a particular key is the same key . Okay... what I’m saying is: for instance, the “do”

note of “C” is “C”..... similarly, the “do” note of “F” is “F”, etc.

di maw fi zi taw

do re mi fa so la ti doC D E F G A B C D E F G A B


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The solfège in the Key of “F”

During her first lesson, my wife, Linda, asked, “Can we also play the common notes using the white

keys close to the three-grouped black keys? ”

I’ll tell you exactly what I told her: “Yes, we can. But as a beginner, it is much easier to play the solfa

notes arranged with the two-grouped black keys”.

I was referring to the key of “C”; at that time, I hadn’t taught her the names of the keys as you’ve just

learnt.

She also asked another intelligent question: “ How do I know the note which each key is playing?”

Then I told her (paraphrased), “ Sweets, there are a few things we need to learn to be able to answer

your question. That’s what we’re working on now. Just relax. We’ll soon get there”.

Just to satisfy your curiosity, this is the solfege in the Key of “F”.

I’m sure you’re wondering why “fa” is being played on a black key and “fi” is being played on a

white key , right?

Don’t worry!! We’re going to learn about that soon. Just relax!!

Linda, who’s a teacher, always asked very simple but intelligent questions. It’s in answering these

questions that led to the updating of this chapter to include the names of the keys, etc.


di maw fa zi taw

do re mi fi so la ti do


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The Notes Make up The Song!!

Play these notes from the right to the left:

do re mi fa so la ti do

You’ll end up singing it like this:

do ti la so, fa mi re do

On their own, they may not sound like any particular song that you know.

Guess what!! They are the same notes (building blocks) which make up the old Christmas Carol:

“Joy to the World”

Now, try playing the same notes again.

Just replace the words with the notes.

Joy to the world, the Lord is comedo ti la so, fa mi re do

So you see? All we needed to do was to sing the notes at a slower pace and we had a song.

I’ll come for my Christmas gift later!!


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1.4 The “Do – Re – Mi” Song

Have you ever watched “Sound of Music”? This is one of the most enjoyable movies I’ve ever

watched. This is a little bit of the movie:

The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise

and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is an adaptation of the 1959

Broadway musical The Sound of Music, composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by OscarHammerstein II. The film's screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman, adapted from the stage

musical's book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp

Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, the film is about a young Austrian woman studying to become a

nun in Salzburg in 1938 who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to be governess

to his seven children. After bringing love and music into the lives of the family through kindness and

patience, she marries the officer and together with the children find a way to survive the loss of their

homeland through courage and faith.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_%28film%29

In one of the scenes, Maria, the main character, teaches the von Trapp children about notes and

how they are used to compose songs (or melodies).

This song will help you understand all that we’ve been talking about.

If you are viewing a softcopy of this manual, you can click on the link below to view this video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RW3nDRmu6k

If you have a smartphone, scan the QR code to watch it.

You’ll need to download and install a QR code scanning software on your smartphone if you don’t

yet have one.

To download the audio, copy the link and log on to www.youtube-mp3.org

Paste the link in the box and follow the instructions to download the audio

But do your best to look for the full movie. You’ll love it!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Andrewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Andrewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Plummerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Plummerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_theatrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_theatrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rodgershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rodgershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Hammerstein_IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Hammerstein_IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Hammerstein_IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lehmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lehmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librettohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librettohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librettohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Lindsayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Lindsayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Lindsayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russel_Crousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russel_Crousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russel_Crousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Trapp_Family_Singershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Trapp_Family_Singershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Trapp_Family_Singershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Trapp_Family_Singershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Trapphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Trapphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Trapphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_%28film%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_%28film%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_%28film%29http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RW3nDRmu6khttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RW3nDRmu6khttp://www.youtube-mp3.org/http://www.youtube-mp3.org/http://www.youtube-mp3.org/http://www.youtube-mp3.org/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RW3nDRmu6khttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_%28film%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Trapphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Trapp_Family_Singershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_the_Trapp_Family_Singershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russel_Crousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Lindsayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librettohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Lehmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Hammerstein_IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Hammerstein_IIhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Rodgershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_theatrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Plummerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Andrewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drama_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_film


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1.5 Ear Training Exercise 1: “Completing” A Song

If there is a keyboardist available (oh wait!!, that’s you!!), let him or her play the following:

Set 1:

do – re – mi – fa – so – la – ti

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7

Set 2:

do – re – mi – fa – so – la – ti – do

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8(1)

Which of them sounds “complete”?

It’s certainly the second (set 2). This is because the “1” note has come to make the song “complete”

Most songs end in the 1 note because it is the “point of rest”.

In a majority of songs, most notes move towards “do” or away from it

1.6 How Notes “Behave”

Play the notes on the solfège slowly . As you do, listen and see if you’ll notice the following:

This note: sounds like like it’s It’s closely related to:

do “ended” or “starting” mi so la

re “climbing” or “resting” fa

mi “marching forward” do

fa “paused” reso “jumping to end” do

la “pretending to end” la

ti “close to finish” so


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LESSON 2: How Does The Keyboard Look Like?

2.1 Structure of the Keyboard

The keyboard is made up of black keys and white keys.

The black keys are arranged in groups of two (2) and three (3).

A white key get its name from the group of black keys which is adjacent to it

A white key get its name from the group of black keys which is adjacent to it

We’ll learn more about the keyboard later.


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LESSON 3: Keys – The Different Colours of a Song

Let’s imagine that your song is a “house”.

Let’s say Brother Elorm and Sister Victoria are singing the “same song”. This means

Their houses will be the same style

Same size

Their will sing the same notes since they are singing the same song

But there’s a difference.

Elorm decides to paint his house “ blue” since he’s a guy.

Victoria decides to paint her house “hot pink ” since she’s a lady.

(She is likely to plant some flowers too)

If there is a keyboard available, please play “Joy to the World” in “C – Major” and listen

Play the same song in “F” and listen.

(Please note: “C” and “F” are two of the “keys” or “colours” that a song can be sang. We’ll learn

about that shortly)

You’ll notice that though the songs are the same, the second one sounds “higher” than the other.

We’re going to play the same song in different keys and determine if they sound the same or different.

Elorm’s House

Blue Colour

Victoria’s

House

Pink Colour


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3.1 The “Natural” Keys

In music there are seven (7) common keys in which a song can be played. They are called the

“Natural Keys”.

“A” “B” “C” “D” “E” “F” “G”

There’s no “H”.

Why are they called “natural keys”?

First, we should know that there are some keys which we can describe as “unnatural” since they

were not part of the alphabets which we learnt in school.

These unnatural keys are:

“ A – Flat” “B – Flat” “C – Sharp” “E – Flat” “F – Sharp”

A song played in A – Flat will sound very different when played in another key such as B

Let’s give it a try. Play the notes of “Joy to the World” in “C” and play again, this time in “F”.

Do you notice a difference?


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3.2 Same Song, Different Keys

Have there been times when you listened to two people singing the same song (called a “duet),

but they sound terrible?

Sometimes it’s not because one or both of them has a terrible voice, but it’s because they are singing

in different keys.

These are a few known causes:

1. Unrehearsed Songs

The song was not rehearsed with instrumentalists (especially keyboardists and guitarists). In

some cases, there were no rehearsals at all. Most of the culprits in of such occurrences are

unplanned solos as well as praise and worship sessions.

2. Froggy Voice

Somehow, a chorister’s voice becomes “froggy”. Naturally a keyboardist would begin to play

the intro to usher in the ministration. When the chorister begins to sing in a different

(sometimes totally different) key, the keyboardist has to stop to find the new key. This makes

it so obvious to the congregation that something has gone wrong.

3. Vocalists Not Paying Attention

The vocalists may have good voices, but sometimes, fail to pay attention to the keyboardist

and other instrumentalists. They begin to sing before them or just fail to pick the key.

4.

Vocalists Fail to Pick the Key

The vocalists may have good voices and also might have rehearsed the song several times

before the day of ministration. But sometimes, they may get nervous and go off key.

5. Keyboardists (and other instrumentalist) Not Paying Attention

Sometimes, the instrumentalists may also get distracted by certain things they see in the

congregation.


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3.3 Spot the Differences in Key

This section requires two (2) students to do this........or perhaps you can text your ambidexterity (your

ability to use both left and right hands.

Let’s try to understand the principle of “keys” by illustrating some good sound and bad sound

We’re going to play the first line of “Joy To The World” in C and F as we learnt in Lesson 1.

Exercise 3A

Play the song in the key of C

Play it again in the key of F

Do you notice the difference?

Now play the song in both keys simultaneously (at the same time). This is where you’re testing your

ambidexterity . But if you can’t let one of your fellow students help you.

Do you notice how terrible the two sound when played together?

It’s the same song (same house design), being sang with the same notes or tune (same arrangement of

building blocks)......so why are they sounding so terrible?

Simple – each house was painted in a different colour from the other

Each tune on its own sounds very lovely. But terrible when paired

This is what happens sometimes at Church....... between keyboardist and singer, or two singers

ministering a duet.


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LESSON 4: The White Keys

4.1 Another Look at the Keyboard

To help save paper, trees and the environment, I have deleted the text in this section and reduced the

diagram size since we’ve already seen it in Lesson 2.

4.2 How do we Get the Names of the White Keys?

There are two (2) main methods of getting the names of the white keys. These are:

Method 1: Using the two (2) grouped black keys to find “C”

Method 2: Using the three (3) grouped black keys to find either “F” or “ A ”

Method 1: Using the two (2) grouped black keys to find “C”

1. Identify any two (2) grouped black keys

2. Place your finger on the first black key on the left

3. The white key to the left of that black key is “C”

We’ll learn the how to name the black keys in lesson 7

1

2

3



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Method 2: Using the three (3) grouped black keys to find “F” or “ A ”

Finding Key “F”

1. Identify any three (3) grouped black keys

2. Place your finger on the first black key on the left

3. The white key to the left of that black key is “F”

Finding Key “ A ”

1. Identify any three (3) grouped black keys

2. Place your finger on the last black key on the right

3. The white key to the left of that black key is “ A ”


1

2

3

1

3

2


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Lesson 5: Adjacent Keys

Two people or objects are adjacent to each other, if they are touching each other.

Fafa and Kobby are adjacent each other because they are touching each other at the shoulder.

Same applies with Kobby and James. Fafa and James are not adjacent because they are not

touching each other.

The adjacent keys (numbered ones) on this keyboard are:

1 and 2

2 and 3

3 and 4

4 and 5

***Because “1” and “3” are touching each other at the bottom, we might be tempted to say that

they are adjacent. They are not

Remember that they are not touching each other at the top (shoulder)....always use top

portions of the keys; not the bottom.

KOBBY

FAFA JAMES

1

2

3

4

5


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Exercise 5.1: Fill in the spaces below

1. The keys adjacent to key number 2 are__________ and ___________





Exercise 5.2: Accuracy and Speed Test

Let your study partner hit a key

You will hit the two (2) keys which are adjacent to it

Work on accuracy first, and then develop your speed later

1

2

3

4

5 6

7

8

9

10

11

12


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LESSON 6: Tones (Full-steps) and Semitones (Half-Steps)

If you ever studied basic music theory in school, you may have heard your music teacher mention

these words quite a lot at school, or perhaps your keyboardist at Church, mentioning it in a

conversation with your music director during a rehearsal.

A “half-step” (also called a “semitone”) is the distance between two (2) adjacent notes.

Two (2) half-steps make a “full step” or “tone”.

The distance from keys “C” and “ black key 1” is a semitone because they are adjacent keys.

The distance from “E” to “F” is a semitone. Same applies with “B” to “C”.

1 2 3

C D E F G A B

1/21/2

Full

4 5

C D

Full

1/21/2

Full

1/21/2


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Let’s determine the distance from “D” to “F”:

Let’s determine the distance from “D” to “F”:

“D” - “2” - “E” - “F”

1 2 3

C D E F G A B

4 5

C D

1/21/2

Full

1/2

1/21/2

full-step

1/2


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Let’s move three (3) full-steps from “F”

F - 3 - G - 4 - A - 5 - B

Exercise 6.1

1. What is the distance from “G” to “C”?

2. Which key is seven (7) tones after “E”?

The distance (or interval) from “C” to “C” is twelve (12) half-steps. Take your time and count.

1 2 3

C D E F G A B

4 5

C D

1/21/2

Full

1/21/2

full-step

1/21/2

Full

1/21/2

full-step

1/21/2

full-step

1/21/2

Full


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LESSON 7: Sharps (#) and Flats ( ) Before we begin this lesson, there’s an important lesson you should learn. It may not seem so

significant, but it’s still worth learning.

As you move from one point to the right you’re going “higher”, and “Sharp” (#) (increasing)

As you move from one point to the left you’re going “lower”, and “Flat” (♭) (decreasing)

You can also imagine this as the sword drawn below:

This may sound funny, but say this at least ten (10) times like a “nursery poem”:

Stretch your right hand and say: “Right means an increase; this is a “Sharp”

Stretch your left hand and say: “Left means a decrease; this is a “Flat”

“Right means an increase; this is a “Sharp”..................Left means a decrease; that is Flat”

As mentioned earlier, the person who prepared this manual is not your regular “professional

professor” in music. As a result, you may not get the professional definition of certain terminologies.

However, you’re guaranteed of down-to-earth explanations for every topic.

The right side is “Sharp” (#)

The left side is “Flat” (♭)

Left

Low/Flat/Decrease

Right

High/Sharp/Increase # ♭


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7.1 Sharps and Flats: How to Get the Names of the Black Keys

***When you get the time, please read about “accidentals” on Wikipedia.***

As a chorister, you may have often heard your instrumentalists, especially keyboardists and guitarists,

mentioning words like “C Sharp” or “ A Flat”. These are actually the names some of the black keys

Let’s go back to our rhyme:

“Right means an increase; this is a Sharp..................Left means a decrease; that is Flat”

So what is a Sharp?

A sharp “raises” or “increases” the value of a note or key by one (1) semitone

The symbol for sharp is #

So what is a Flat ( )?

A flat “lowers” or “decreases” the value of a note or key by one (1) semitone

The symbol for flat is


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7.2 How to Get the Names of the Black Keys

As we learnt in lesson 3, the names of the black keys are derived from the two white keys which are

adjacent to them

So How Do We Get Names of the Black Keys?

A black key always has two (2) names.

It gets its names from the two (2) white keys which are adjacent to it

All you need to do is to fill in the spaces. See page 17 for examples

Using the white key on the left of the black key:

The black key is on the right of white key ________.

Right means “increase”; that is a “sharp”

This means that the value of white key _________ has been “increased”

This means that the black key is called __________ - sharp

This is written as ____ #

1 2 3

C D E F G A B

4 5


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Using the white key on the right of the black key:

The black key is on the left of white key ________.

Left means “decrease”; that is a “flat”

This means that the value of white key _________ has been “decreased”

This means that the black key is called __________ - flat

This is written as ____

This means that the black key is called _______ # or _______

1 2 3

C D E F G A B

4 5


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Let’s find out the name of black key two (2) together:

Using the white key on the left of the black key:

The black key is on the right of white key ________.

Right means “increase”; that is a “sharp”

This means that the value of white key _________ has been “increased”

This means that the black key is called __________ - sharp

This is written as ____ #

Using the white key on the right of the black key:

The black key is on the left of white key ________.

Left means “decrease”; that is a “flat”

This means that the value of white key _________ has been “decreased”

This means that the black key is called __________ - flat

This is written as __

This means that the black key is called ___# or __

Use the same procedure to find the names of the other black keys.

1 2 3

C D E F G A B

4 5

D

D

D

D

E

E

E

E

ED


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LESSON 8: Another Look at the Keyboard!!

8.1: A Third (3rd) Look at the Keyboard

We’re going to take another look at the key board

Don’t Worry This is the Last Look...for now

I hope you’ve been studying the names of the keys. Because gradually you’re going to see diagrams of

the keyboard without the names written down!!

The “Middle C” can be described as the “C” Key which is closest to the middle of the

keyboard

The Left-Hand-Side of the keyboard is the bass, played with the Left Hand

The Right-Hand-Side of the keyboard is the treble, played with the Right Hand

C#

or

D♭


D#

or

E♭

F#

or

G♭

G#

or

A♭

A#

or

B♭

The “Middle C”

Middle

C

Left Hand (BASS)

“Hoarse and Deep”

Right Hand (TREBLE)

“Sweet and Lovely” +-


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LESSON 9: Notes of Keys “C”, “F” and “G”

Before we begin our practical lessons, we need to know the keys which make up the notes of key C

and perhaps F.

Notes

Key do re mi fa so la ti do

C C D E F G A B C

F F G AB♭

C D E F

G G A B C D E F# G

Go behind the keyboard (or piano) and strike the keys as you see in this table.

As you can see, key “C” is the only key whose notes are made up entirely of white keys.

For the key of “F”, you may be wondering why we hit B♭ as “fa” instead of “B”.Similarly, for the key of “G”, you may be wondering why we hit F# as “ti” instead of “B”.

There’s a very simple formula we’ll soon learn to help us find the notes of each key.

do re mi fa so la ti do re mi fa so la ti

C#or

D♭


D#or

E♭

F#or

G♭

G#or

A♭

A#or

B♭


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LESSON 10: Placing Your Fingers on the Keyboard

One skill which is necessary in becoming a professional keyboardist is your ability to place your

fingers properly on the keyboard.

To save paper and the environment, I have decided that you go on the internet to learn how to this.

One such place you can find this information will be wikihow.com. If you are viewing a softcopy of

this book you can click on the link below.

http://www.wikihow.com/Place-Your-Fingers-Properly-on-Piano-Keys

If you have a smartphone, scan the QR code to watch it.

You’ll need to download and install a QR code scanning software on your smartphone if you don’t yet have one.

However, if you are using a hardcopy, please go to Google.com and type the following in the search box:

How to place your fingers properly on piano keys - Wikihow

http://www.wikihow.com/http://www.wikihow.com/http://www.wikihow.com/Place-Your-Fingers-Properly-on-Piano-Keyshttp://www.wikihow.com/Place-Your-Fingers-Properly-on-Piano-Keyshttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/google.comhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/google.comhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/google.comhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_1/google.comhttp://www.wikihow.com/Place-Your-Fingers-Properly-on-Piano-Keyshttp://www.wikihow.com/


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LESSON 11: Pitch and Octave

11.1: Octave (not Octopus)

Layman’s definition:

When you move from one key to the same key either to the left or to the right, the distance you’vecovered is called an “octave”. The word “Oct” is more like eight (8).

A keyboard is normally described by the number of octaves it has.

The keyboard below has three (3) octaves C – C, or D – D, or F# - F#, etc.

Exercise 11.1A

1. How many octaves does this keyboard have?

2. Draw a five (5) – octave keyboard

C D E F G A B


One (1) Octave One (1) Octave One (1) Octave

C1 D1 E1 F1 G1 A1 B1 C2 D2 E2 F2 G2 A2 B2


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11.2: Pitch (Not the Hockey Pitch)

Imagine that the notes on the keyboard are the voices of choristers.

A voice which is in a key one (1) octave higher than another voice of the original key will require

more screaming, while a voice one (1) octave lower will require less screaming.

A pitch is the difference in “screaming strength” when a note is played an octave higher (to the

right) or lower (to the left).

On the keyboard below, C2 is one (1) octave higher than C1. This means that C2 will require more

screaming. So C2 is higher in pitch than C1.

If your electronic keyboard has “choir” in its voice bank, you can use it to explain

You can use the following formula to understand the difference in pitch between two (2) notes:

_______ is on the left/right of ________

_______ means /

________ is one octave “lower”/”higher” than _________

This means that ______ has a “lower”/”higher” pitch than _________

Let’s use the formula to find that of F1 and F2. The correct choices have been double underline

_F1_ is on the left/right of __F2__

Left means /

__F1__ is one octave “lower”/”higher” than __F2__

This means that C1 has a “lower” / “higher” pitch than C2

C3 D E F G A BC1 D E F1 G A B C2 D E F2 G A B

One (1) Octave One (1) Octave One (1) Octave

Low or Decreasing Pitch

“Less Screaming”

High or Increasing Pitch

“More Screaming” Middle

C +-


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LESSON 12: Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secret

formula)

Finally, we’re going to learn how to construct scale of other keys.

Notes


C C D E F G A B C

F F G AB♭

C D E F

G G A B C D E F# G


As you can see, key “C” is the only key whose notes are made up entirely of white keys.

For the key of “F”, you may be wondering why we hit B♭ as “fa” instead of “B”.Similarly, for the key of “G”, you may be wondering why we hit F# as “ti” instead of “F”.There’s a very simple formula we’ll soon learn to help us find the notes of each key.

C#

or

D♭


D#

or

E♭

F#

or

G♭

G#

or

A♭

A#

or

B♭


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Let’s take a look at Key C

Finding “do”

The “do” of any key is “the same key ”

In the key of C, our “do” is “C”

Finding “re”:

In the key of C, our “do” is “D” and our “re” is “E”

The interval from “C” to “D” is a tone.

This means that “do” to “re” is a tone

Finding “mi”:

In the key of C, our “re” is “D” and our “mi” is “E”

The interval from “D” to “E” is a tone.

This means that “re” to “mi” is a tone

C# E♭ F# A♭ B♭

mi

E

fa

F

do

C

re

D

ti

B

do

C

so

G

la

A

T T S T T T S

C#


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Finding “fa”:

In the key of C, our “mi” is “E” and our “fa” is “F”

The interval from “E” to “F” is a semitone.

This means that “mi” to “fa” is a semitone

Finding “so”:

In the key of C, our “fa” is “F” and our “so” is “G”

The interval from “F” to “G” is a tone.

This means that “fa” to “so” is a tone

Finding “la”:

In the key of C, our “so” is “G” and our “la” is “ A ”

The interval from “G” to “ A ” is a tone.

This means that “fa” to “so” is a tone

C# E♭ F# A♭ B♭

mi

E

fa

F

do

C

re

D

ti

B

do

C

so

G

la

A

T T S T T T S

C#


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Finding “ti”:

In the key of C, our “la” is “ A ” and our “ti” is “B”

The interval from “ A ” to “B” is a tone.

This means that “la” to “ti” is a tone

Finding “do”:

In the key of C, our “ti” is “B” and our “do” is “C”

The interval from “B” to “C” is a semitone.

This means that “ti” to “do” is a semitone

C# E♭ F# A♭ B♭

mi

E

fa

F

do

C

re

D

ti

B

do

C

so

G

la

A

T T S T T T S

C#


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12.1: the Secret (well.....not-so-secret) formula:

Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Tone – Semitone

Notes


C C D E F G A B C

F F G AB♭

C D E F

G G A B C D E A ♭ G

Below is the construction of the scale for key F

Below is the construction of the scale for key C#


__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

T T T T T SS


F G A B♭ C D E F

T T T T T SS


C# E♭ F F# A ♭ B♭ C C#

T T T T T SS


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12.2 Solfa Notes of All Keys

The formula below was used to find the notes of all keys

Every good keyboardist must know how to play a song in all the keys.

Do the finger movement exercises in all the keys.

Practice each scale 50 times (at least)

Be humming or singing out the notes as you play

Notes


C C D E F G A B C

C# C# D# F F# G# A# C C#

D D E F# G A B C# D

E♭ E

♭ F G A

♭ B

♭ C D E

♭

E E F# G# A B C# D# E

F F G A B♭ C D E F

F# F# G# A# B C# D# F F#

G G A B C D D F# G

A♭ A♭ B♭ C C# D# F G A♭

A A B C# D E F# G# A

B♭ B♭ C D D# F G A B♭

B B C# D# E F# G# A# B


__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

T T T T T SS

ANAGKAZO


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LESSON 13: Preparation For Your First Practical Lesson

YES!!! The moment you’ve been waiting for!!!! ......well......one of the moments

13.1: The Fingers and Numbers

When you’re learning keyboard we’ll use our fingers (all of them). You’ll need to know which finger is

playing a particular key. So each finger is represented by a number.

A: The Right Hand

The right hand plays the treble notes of a song.

1: The Thumb

2: Index Finger

3: Middle Finger

4: Ring Finger

5: Little Finger

1

2

3

4

5


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B: The Left Hand

The left hand plays the bass notes of a song.

1: The Little Finger

2: Ring Finger

3: Middle Finger

4: Index Finger

5: The Thumb

The BASS – a very important part of a song

Have you noticed that whenever songs are being played, you usually hear s deeper tune which

seems to be “ backing” the melody? That’s the bass.

If the notes which play the tune are the building blocks of the house (song), then we can say that the

bass notes are the foundation blocks of the house (song).

1

2

3

4

5


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13.1: An Introduction To the Key of C

Before we begin our practical lessons, we need to know the keys which make up the notes of key C.

Notes


C C D E F G A B C


As you can see, key “C” is the only key whose common notes are made up entirely of white keys.

It is also the easiest key to play, especially for a beginner.

do re mi fa so la ti do re mi fa so la ti

C#

di

D♭


D

maw fi

G

zi

A♭

A#

taw

B♭


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13.2: Finger Movement

As a keyboardist, you need to move your hands and fingers easily and comfortably on the keyboard

We will perform finger movement exercises in key C, and later you’ll do it on other keys (by yourself)

As you see on the keyboard below, beneath each note is the finger with which you’ll play that note.

Practise at least one (1) of the exercises

before and after each lesson

Work on accuracy first ............ speed later.


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Practise Exercise 13A:

This exercise will help you to comfortably move the fingers on your right hand

Exercise i: do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do (with right hand)

Exercise ii: do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do (with right hand)

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 5

1

2

3

4

5


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Practise Exercise 13B:

This exercise will help you to comfortably move the fingers on your left hand

Exercise i: do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do (with left hand)

Exercise ii: do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do (with left hand)

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 5

1

2

3

4

5


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Practise Exercise 13C:

This exercise will help you to comfortably move both sets of fingers

Exercise i:

do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do (with both hands)

Exercise ii:

do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do (with both hands)

Work on accuracy first and develop your speed later.

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 5

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 5

1

2

3

4

5 1

2

3

4

5


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Practise Exercise 13D: An Experiment

Let’s see if you can play “Joy to the World” with Both Hands!!

See if you can play “Joy to the World” with Both Hands

Words: Joy to the world, the LORD is come

Melody: do ti la so, fa mi re do

Bass: do so do

Place the tip of your fingers on the keyboard as seen in practice exercise 13C

Let the tip of your fingers be between the bottom of the black keys and the bottom of the white keys

First, play the melody (right hand) about 20 times (slowly )

Now we’re going to attempt playing with both hands:

You’ll notice that “ joy ” has a “do” for its melody and a “do” bass note below it

LORD has a “mi” for its melody and “do” bass note below it

“Come” has a “do” for its melody and “do” bass note below it

Where you see a bass note beneath a melody note, it indicates that they should be played

(simultaneously ) at the same time.

Don’t worry if you’re not getting it; like I’ve mentioned, this is an experiment.


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Practise Exercise 13E:

Exercise i: (with left hand)

do – mi – so – do – so – mi – do

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 4

la ti do fa so

5 2 3 4 5

1

3

4

5


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Practise Exercise 13F:

The purpose of this set of exercises is to enable you play without “crisscrossing” your fingers

When you get to “mi”, just move finger number “1” towards and use it towards “fa” whiles “1” and “2”

are still resting

Let go of “1” and “2” as soon as you’ve hit “fa”

The diagrams for this set of exercises are not yet available.

You will also play each exercise backwards.

Please ask your keyboardist to help you

Exercise i: (with right hand)

do – re – mi – fa – so – la – ti - do

1 – 2 – 3 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 - 5

Exercise ii: (with left hand)


1 – 2 – 3 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 - 5

Exercise iii: (with both hands)

This particular exercise is very tricky. But with time, you’ll get it perfectly (even with your eyes

closed)


1 – 2 – 3 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 - 5

Remember!! accuracy first ............ speed later.


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13.3 Training Your Musical Ears (Identifying Notes)

As a keyboardist, one of the skills you must acquire is hearing and recognising the different sounds

of notes.

We will go through some exercises which will train your ear so you’ll be able to achieve this

You’ll need to practise each set of exercises everyday for looooooong hours.

I really wish there was a shortcut to this. But there’s none.

As you play each note do this counting sloooooowly .........well, not like a snail:

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

Start each the first note of each exercise at the count of “1”, except for set five (5).

Please Note:

Practise each set of exercises for a whole day for long hours on your own

As you hit each note,

o Listen to the note

o memorise the sound of each note

Let someone else play each note and as he or she plays, do the following:

o Listen carefully to the note

o Identify the note

If there is a keyboardist available let him or her play each exercise in different keys

Practise at least one (1) of the exercises

before and after each lesson

.......accuracy first ............ speed later.


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Set 1: Full Solfege Scale: do re mi fa so la ti do

do


re


mi


fa


so


la


ti


do


Set 2: do (5) - ti (4) - do (5)

do- ti- do do- ti- do

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and4and

Pay close attention to this particular set as that’s we’re going to use it as a technique in identifying the

key or “colour” of a song

Sing along as you play the notes

Do this particular exercise 100 times (i’m not kidding)


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LESSON 14: Learn Your First Song as a Keyboardist!!

Yep!! You’re soon going to play your first song ever. But before then....you’ll do the following:

Listen to the song 50 times (for our class, we’ll sing along as the song plays)

Practise your finger exercises

Practise Exercise 14A (Repeat):

Exercise i: do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do (with both hands)

Exercise ii: do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do (with both hands)

Work on accuracy first and develop your speed later.

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 5

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 5

1

2

3

4

51

2

3

4

5


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14.1 Lyrics for “Surround Me” by Clint Brown

We are going to learn how to play “Surround Me, Oh Lord” by Clint Brown.

First, get the song, listen to it and learn it all week till it becomes a part of you.

Surround me oh Lord

Surround me oh Lord

Surround me oh Lord

Let Your presence

Fill this place

In the early 2000s, this was one of the songs which Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, Founder of Lighthouse

Chapel International used to sing before he preached. It must be one of his favourites

It’s one of the easiest songs to learn as a keyboardist

Listen to these songs too

Let the Rain of Your Presence Fall On Me

I Want More of You by Sinach

Please ensure you’ve learnt the songs (lyrics, tune, etc) before the next

class

Listen to the songs with the lyrics

Sing along as you look at the lyrics

Sing along without the lyrics

Sing without the song

Give an offering of Worship to God as you sing this song


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LESSON 15: Steps to Getting the Structure of a Song

Step 1

Break down the words into their syllables as you’re hearing them in the song.

A syllabus is a groups of letters mentioned separately in a word.

Examples

The word “Bible” is made up of two (2) syllables:

o “Bi” and “ ble”

The word “anointing” has got three (3):

o “a”, “noin” and “ting”

Please note always make sure that the names:

God , Father, Jesus Christ, Son, Holy Spirit, Lord or any name which addresses these three important

persons are always written in CAPITAL LETTERS whenever you are writing down the lyrics of a

song.

Step 2

Find the key in which the song is being sung

Step 3

Work out the melody notes beneath the broken down words

Step 4: The BASS

Listen to the bass section of the song.

Have you noticed that whenever songs are being played, you usually hear s deeper tune which

seems to be “ backing” the melody? That’s the bass.

Step 5

a. Look at and study the breakdown you’ve created

b. Mark out the section of the break down where you hear bass notes

Step 6

Figure out the bass notes (or chords....we’ll learn what that means later) which you’re hearing

In advanced lessons you’re going to learn the sound of each bass note.


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Lesson 16: Breaking Down a Song into Syllables

A melody of a song is the individual words turned into individual notes played with your right

hand (treble).

Breaking down a song means you are writing out the words according to the way they sound in the

song.

Do you remember “Mary Had A Little Lamb”?

This is one of the easiest songs to learn as a beginner.

We are going to map out the melody notes for this song on our own.

Below are the lyrics:

Mary had a little lamb

Little lamb

Little lamb


Its fleece as white as snow

16.1 Break-down for “Mary Had a Little Lamb”

Ma - ry - had - a - li - ttle - lambmi - re - do - re - mi - mi - mi

li - ttle - lambre - re - re

li - ttle - lambm - s - s

Ma - ry - had - a - li - ttle - lambmi - re - do - re - mi - mi - mi

Its - fleece - as - white - as - snow

Exercise 16.1 (Homework)

Listen to the following songs and write down the breakdown:

Let It Rain (Sonnie Badoo)

Honhom Kronkron, Y3 Hea Wo


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LESSON 17: Finding the Key of a Song (Step 2)

As a keyboardist or any other instrumentalist such as guitarist, saxophonist, etc, you are supposed to

play in the same key as vocalists.

As we got to know in LESSON 13: Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secretformula), every good keyboardist must know how to play a song in all the keys.

You should never be “comfortable” in only one particular key; whenever you learn any song, play it in

all the twelve (12) keys from A, A – sharp, ......all the way to G

Even if you have a “favourite” key, you must know how to play a song in all keys with your eyesclosed - literally ( yep...I’m serious)


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17.1 The Simple Steps For Finding the Key of a Song

I’ve found a simple and easy to find the key of a song on piano.

1. Listen to the song

2. Sing along as the song is playing (or as the chorister is singing)

3. Sing along till your voice is singing in the same key as the song

a. If you’re not good at singing, please let your music director help you, because as a

keyboardist, your ability to sing (not necessarily like a pro) is very important

4. Sing the this do - ti - doooooooooooo

You remember this exercise from Practical Exercise, 4.4 Training Your Musical Ears found in

Lesson 4: Preparation For Your First Practical Lesson

Set 5: do (5) - ti (4) - do (5):

do- ti- do do- ti- doooooooooooooo

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 1 and 2 and 3 and4and

5. As you “stretch” the last note, strike the keys beginning with C until you find a key that

matches the do note

Starting at “C”, move to

C# to D to E♭ to E to F to F# to G to A ♭

to B

C#


E♭ F# A♭ B♭


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17.2 Learn from Minister Jermaine Griggs

Alternatively, Minister Jermaine Griggs, one of the best teachers of playing the keyboard by

ear has a great method which he painstakingly explains for anyone to understand.

If you are viewing a softcopy of this manual, you can click on the link below to view this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zm9-YtDGqA

If you have a smartphone, scan the QR code to view the video. You’ll need to download and installQR code scanner software on your smartphone if you don’t yet have one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zm9-YtDGqAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zm9-YtDGqAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zm9-YtDGqA


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LESSON 18: Melody – Turning the Breakdown into Individual Notes (Step 3)

Layman’s definition:

A melody of a song is the individual words turned into individual notes played with your right

hand (treble).

The rhythm of the notes sounds the same as the words of the song.

As mentioned earlier, the first step to finding the melody notes of a song is to first break down the

words the way you hear them and separate the syllables (word parts)

The next thing left to do is to determine the melody notes

We’re going to learn how to get the melody notes in the next few (or more) exercises.

We’ll be using common and simple songs we (or most of us) already know.

18.1 Basic Finger Movement (Right Hand)

Let’s practise the basic right hand finger movements again

Exercise i: do – re – mi – fa – so – (pause) – so – fa – mi – re – do (with right hand)

Exercise ii: do – re – mi – fa – so – fa – mi – re – do (with right hand)

In the manual, the diagrams will be in the key of C.

But you must practise this exercise in the key in which your song was being played.

By now, you should be able to play the scales for all the twelve (12) keys

Keep your fingers on the keyboard

do re mi fa so

1 2 3 4 5


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18.2 Finding The Melody Notes for “Mary Had A Little Lamb”

This is one of the easiest songs to learn as a beginner.

We are going to map out the melody notes for this song on our own.

Below are the lyrics:


Little lamb

Little lamb


Its fleece as white as snow

Proceed with Step 1: Break Down the Song into Syllables

Ma - ry - had - a - li - ttle - lamb

mi - re - do - re - mi - mi - mi

li - ttle - lamb

re - re - re

li - ttle - lamb

m - s - s




mi - re - re - mi - re - do


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Step 3: Map Out The Melody

This is a very important skill you need to develop.

You and your keyboardist are going to do it together. With time, you’ll be able to do this on your

own.

This has been very difficult to explain in writing. But amazingly, I’ve been able to teach Reuben, my

first most c0mmitted student, this, through practical demonstration.

Sing the song two (2) syllables (or notes) at a time

As you sing, hit keys on your keyboard. You’ll make some mistakes on the way, but don’t give up.

Keep trying till you get the key that sounds exactly as the syllable you’re singing

Under each syllable, write down the best note that fits it.

Whenever you get the first two(2) notes, sing the syllables from the beginning to the next note

you’re trying to find

For instance after Reuben and I got the notes for Ma – ry . We played and sang those notes to help

us get the note for “had”........try it














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Below is the Full Melody Note Map for Mary Had A Little Lamb



li - ttle - lamb

re - re - re

li - ttle - lamb

mi - so - so




mi - re - re - mi - re - do

Exercise 18A

Map out the melody notes for these songs

I Wanna Be More Like You

Here I Am To Worship (Light of The World)

Homhom Kron Kron, Ye Hia Wo


The Melody Note Combination will be dealt with in Lesson 21


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Exercise 18B

Map out the melody notes for these songs


I Just Want To Be Where You Are by Don Moen

I’m Forever Grateful by Juanita Bynum

You Deserve The Glory by Juanita Bynum As We Gather May Your Spirit Dwell Within Us

Homhom Kron Kron, Ye Hia Wo

Ye Be Maa aa Wo So

Moko Be by Nii Okai




Your Presence Is Heaven To Me by Israel Houghton

Let It Rain (If This is Your Power) by Sonnie Badoo

When you’re done, play the song in all the twelve (12) keys.

Recap!! Go back to LESSON 13: Finding The Notes of Other Keys (the Secret....not-so-secretformula)


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18.4 The Melody Notes for “Surround Me”

The numbers indicate the fingers (not the notes) with which you are to play each note.

Sur - round - me - oh - Looor - 00rd

do (1) - mi (3) - re (2) - mi (3) - do (1) - re (2)


do (1) - mi (3) - re (2) - mi (3) - do (1) - re (2)

Sur - round - me - oh - Lord

do (1) - mi (3) - re (2) - mi (3) - do (1)

Let - Your - pre - sence

re (2) - mi (3) - fa (4) - fa (4)

Fill - this - place

mi (3) - re (2) - do (1)


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LESSON 19: Adding the Bass Line (Left Hand) (Step 4)

As a keyboardist, I was able to perfectly play melodies with continuous practise

My next target was the bass line.

I used to marvel at the way the bass notes added a nice, cool flow to songs

The bass line is perhaps one of the most important components of a song.

It determines the “flow ” of the song.

As an instrumentalist, your ability to recognise bass notes is one of your most crucial skills.

It makes the difference between a beautiful song and a “ burnt offering”.

When you get the bass notes wrong, everyone, even someone without a “musical ear”, can tell that

you’re playing the “ wrong thing”.

Exercise 19A

Let someone sing “ We Bow Down and Worship Yaweh”

Ask your keyboardist to play along using the following sets of bass lines below:

1st Bass Line:

We bow down and worship Yaweh

do- ti- fa so ti

1st Bass Line:

We bow down and worship Yaweh

do- ti- do fa do

Which one sounds nicer?

I’ll leave you to answer this question yourself.

As a good instrumentalist, you must know how each note on the solfege sounds on different keys

and also be able to identify them when used in a bass line.

Go back to Lesson 4, Section 4.4 Training Your Musical Ears (Identifying Notes) and practise again


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19.1 Steps to Getting the Bass Line

Whenever you listen to a song, always listen to the bass.

You will usually hear the bass being played with a bass guitar or the bass notes (left hand) of a

piano/keyboard.

Steps to Finding the Bass Notes

a. Study the breakdown and melody you’ve created

b. Play the song again

c. Listen out for the bass notes (not the melody notes) (Step 4)

They are mostly played by the bass guitar or bass sound (left hand) of the keyboard

d. Replay the song and listen to the bass notes again

e. Hum along as the bass notes are being played

f. Mark out the section of the break down where you hear bass notes (Step 5)

g. Listen to the song again

h. Try to identify the notes which are being played


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19.2 Bass Note Markings for “Surround Me” (Step 5)

“R ” means Right hand, which plays the melody notes

“L” means Left hand, which plays the bass notes


R do (1) mi (3) re (2) mi (3) do (1) re (2)

L X X X X

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


R do (1) mi (3) re (2) mi (3) do (1) re (2)

L X X X X

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sur - round - me - oh - Lord

R do (1) mi (3) re (2) mi (3) do (1)

L X X X

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


R re (2) mi (3) fa (4) fa (4)

L X X

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fill - this - place

R mi (3) re (2) do (1)

L X X

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


R re (2) mi (3) fa (4) fa (4)

L X ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fill - this - place

R mi (3) re (2) do (1)

L X X

Please Note: Some songs may have bass notes appearing before the first melody note or after

the last melody note


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Exercise 19A

Insert the bass note markings for these songs


I Just Want To Be Where You Are by Don Moen

I’m Forever Grateful by Juanita Bynum

You Deserve The Glory by Juanita Bynum

As We Gather May Your Spirit Dwell Within Us Homhom Kron Kron, Ye Hia Wo

Ye Be Maa aa Wo So

Moko B3 by Nii Okai




Your Presence Is Heaven To Me by Israel Houghton

Let It Rain (If This is Your Power) by Sonnie Badoo

When you’re done, play the song in all the twelve (12) keys.


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19.3 Bass Line for “Surround Me”


R do mi re mi do re

L do mi fa so

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


R do mi re mi do re

L do mi fa so

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sur - round - me - oh - Lord

Documents

HOW to PLAY the KEYBOARD by EAR - A Guide for Beginners_by Kwabena Adomako Adjapong & Samuel Ebow Koomson