LIKE A P RO - Piano Chops

L IK E A PRO•C A R Y C B A N K S WA D E M c N U T T

inside fro

nt cover

blank

P L A Y P I A N O L I K E A P R O 1

Friends,Welcome to “Play Piano Like a Pro” Piano Learning

Method. This course of study, designed by professional pianists and music educators, Cary C Banks, Wade McNutt and Jay Lemon, will help you understand basic concepts of the keyboard and will have you playing along with some cool and fun tracks right from the start. You will learn the basics of reading melodies and chord charts, learn how to improvise your own jam melodies and play along with your favorite styles of music. Whether you are a first time beginner or already have experience on the keyboard, “Play Piano Like a Pro” will greatly enhance your natural talent, take your talent to a new level and provide hours of pleasure on this wonderful musical instrument.

Each section of the book will provide you with easy to understand instructions, easy to read chord charts and keyboard diagrams

Thank you for joining us on this fun and exciting

musical adventure. We wish you good luck and much fun as you learn to “Play Piano Like A Pro”.

All Tracks © 2013 C. C. Writer Music/Life In A Nutshell Publishing. All rights reserved.

Wade McNutt Cary Banks

2 P L A Y P I A N O L I K E A P R O

How to construct major scale ............................................3SECTION 2Reading Treble Clef ................................................................4Joy To The World ....................................................................5Reading Bass Clef With Left Hand .....................................6Joy To The World ....................................................................75 Finger Pattern ......................................................................8Diatonic Pattern ...................................................................10Chord TimeHow To Construct Major & Minor Chords ...................12Learning The Major And Minor Triads ............................14“Wayfaring Stranger” ..........................................................16SECTION 3Reading chord charts ..........................................................19“Amazing Grace” .................................................................20A Major Deal .........................................................................22“Just Dreamin” ......................................................................24Ode To Joy .............................................................................26“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” ..............................................28“Keep It Country” ...............................................................30“Nice House Mississippi” ...................................................32“Doin’ Ok” ............................................................................33“Sussy” ....................................................................................34SECTION 4Into the blues ........................................................................36“Mo’ Blues”............................................................................37“Can I Hear An Amen” .......................................................39“Jazzy Morning” ....................................................................40SECTION 5Improvisation & Jam (Major keys) ....................................42Improvisation & Jam (Minor keys) ....................................44Improvisation & Jam (Blues) ..............................................46Other Major Scales ..............................................................481451 Cadences .....................................................................50

TABLE OF CONTENTS


The piano is considered a percussion instrument in the orchestral family because an acoustic piano sound is made when a hammer—with the felt head—actually strikes a string. A full size piano consists of eighty eight (88) keys, fifty two (52) white keys and thirty six (36) black keys. The lowered notes are white notes and the raised notes are black. You can always find middle C on the piano by going to the center of the keyboard, find the 2 black notes situated together and play the white key just below (to the left) of the lower black key.

The musical scale consists of twelve notes. The musical alphabet consists of seven letters; A B C D E F G. If you begin on middle C, and play each half step up the scale when you reach the thirteenth note you will discover you are back at C. The melodies for the songs we play are based on certain scales, the most common being the Major or Diatonic scale. A major scale is constructed by beginning on a certain note, which will be the “key” of your scale. For instance, if your beginning note is C, your major scale will consist of the following notes C D E F G A B.You may have heard of this scale referred to as “Solfege” sounds which are Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do, or with numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, 8(1).

A major scale is constructed using a series of whole (w) and half (1/2) steps1(w) 2(w) 3(1/2) 4(w) 5(w) 6(w) 7(1/2) 8Do re mi fa so la ti doC D E F G A B C

Now we should introduce the fingering system used to play the piano.The fingers on each hand correspond to the following finger numbersThumb -1 Index- 2 middle - 3 ring -4 pinky -5

You would play the C major scale with the following fingering pattern C D E F G A B C Right hand 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5Left hand 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 *To see other major scales look in the back of the book in the Scale Section

As you can see, this process can be a little complicated when you begin playing both hands together. However, with a little dedicated practice, you will soon be comfortable playing both hands simultaneously. Practicing scales is designed to build the strength and dexterity we need to play the music we want.

HOW TO CONSTRUCT MAJOR SCALE


Reading Treble Clef

Reading piano music can be a somewhat complicated process, as we are required to read notes in two separate clefs that are written slightly different and using two separate fingering systems. We’ll examine the Treble clef first. A quick review of some basic music fundamentals reminds us that each clef has five lines and four spaces. The names of the lines in the treble clef are E G B D F (Every Good Boy Does Fine) and the spaces are lettered F A C E (spelling the word face). There are additional lines and spaces above and below the staff. These are called ledger lines. The first ledger line below the treble clef is our old friend middle C.

Each song will contain 3 basic elements: (1) Time signature (2) key signature and (3) scale. These elements will determine the basic notes we choose and the rhythm that we perform those notes. Let’s try a simple melody, played exclusively with the right hand. There are 20 measures in our song and our melody will cover a range of eight notes (one octave). Pay particular attention to the rhythmic aspect of the song as it will use, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and dotted note rhythms.

SECTION 2


On this track, the right hand will play the melody of the song, reading from the treble clef.

JOY TO THE WORLD

Right Hand plays melody Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt

Copyright ©2013 C C Writer Music/Life In A Nutshell


The names of the lines in the bass clef are G B D F A (Good Boys Do Fine Always) and the spaces are lettered A C E G (All Cows Eat Grass) There are additional lines and spaces above and below the staff. These are called ledger lines. The first ledger line above the bass clef is our old friend middle C.

Once again, each song will contain 3 basic elements: (1) Time signature (2) key signature and (3) scale. These elements will determine the basic notes we choose and the rhythm that we perform those notes. Let’s try a simple melody, played exclusively with the right hand. There are 20 measures in our song and our melody will cover a range of 8 notes (one octave). Pay particular attention to the rhythmic aspect of the song as it will use, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes and dotted note rhythms.

Many times, the left hand will be playing a completely different part than the right hand, often incorporating different rhythmic patterns and ideas incorporated by upright or electric bass guitar players.

READING BASS CLEF WITH LEFT HAND


On this track the left hand will play the melody of the song, reading from the bass clef.

Student/Teacher Notes:

JOY TO THE WORLD

Left Hand plays melody Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt



This drill will help your hands get use to the feel of the piano and will also build strength in all of your fingers. Take it slow at first and then speed it up when you are comfortable.

5 FINGER PATTERN


5 FINGER PATTERN



This drill will help you learn how to alternate notes between every other finger. You will play broken chords throughout this exercise.


DIATONIC PATTERN


DIATONIC PATTERN


How to construct major & minor chordsAll of the songs we play have 3 basic components.

(1) A time signature such as 4/4 , 3/4 , 6/8 etc (2) Melody(3) Harmonization

(1) The time signature divides the rhythmic aspect of the song into even numbered beats and measures. There are more elements to the rhythmic aspect of music that we will cover in subsequent exercises.*

(2) The melody provides the main musical theme of our song. Most popular songs also have language (words) that fit the melody and rhythm of the song. These melodies are based on our scale and move by intervals or skips up and down. * Many songs have melodies that use more than just the 7 notes of the major scale and we will explore that aspect in later lessons.

(3) The melody is enhanced by the use of chords. These chords are made up of 3 or more notes that are played along with the melody to give the song its emotional tone and flavor.

Chords are built using the notes of the scale. A C major chord will have 3 notes C, E, G. This combination of notes produces a very harmonious and happy sound. An added element of chord playing is that the chord can be voiced in 3 different forms. The first form we call the “root” inversion, which has the name or root of the chord as the bottom note of the chord i.e. C, E, G. The first inversion form of the chord would be played with the E note on the bottom and the G & C on the top. The second inversion form would have the G on the bottom of the chord and the C & E on the top.

CHORD TIME


The next aspect of chord use involves the minor chord. A minor chord is constructed by using the first note of the scale, the lowered third note of the scale and the 5th note of the scale. So if we are in the key of A our A Minor chord would be constructed using A, C, and E notes. This produces a very beautiful but haunting and sad sound. The mixing and intertwining of major and minor chords provide our melodies with a rich tapestry of emotions and colorful sounds. Once again the minor chords can be voiced in the three inversions as well.

CHORD TIME

*Practice these inversions at the end of the book in the section “1451 Cadences”.



It’s a lot easier to learn your triads in groups than it is to learn them one by one. Luckily there are white and black notes on the piano that give us great pictures of how each chord is created. Take time to study each of these groups while playing them on the piano.

Major Triad GroupsWhite White WhiteC = C E GF = F A CG = G B D

White Black WhiteD = D F# AE = E G# BA = A C# E

Black White Black (Oreo)Db = Db F AbEb = Eb G BbAb = Ab C Eb

Black Black BlackF# = F# A# C# -or- Gb = Gb Bb Db

*While playing the piano notice how both of these chords play the same notes.

Black White WhiteBb = Bb D F

White Black BlackB = B D# F#

LEARNING THEMAJOR AND MINOR TRIADS


Minor Triad GroupsWhite White WhiteDm = D F AEm = E G BAm = A C E

White Black WhiteCm = C Eb GFm = F Ab CGm = G Bb D

Black White Black (Oreo)C#m = C# E G#F#m = F# A C#G#m = G# B D# -or- Abm = Ab Cb Eb

*While playing the piano notice how both of these chords play the same notes.**Also notice that Cb is really just the note “B”. You have to call it Cb because of music theory.

Black Black BlackEbm = Eb Gb Bb

Black Black WhiteBbm = Bb Db F

White White BlackBm = B D F#

LEARNING THEMAJOR AND MINOR TRIADS


This song will feature the use of minor chords Am, Dm, Em, as well as major chords E7, F & C.

1. The first section we will play quarter note chords in the right hand and single long notes with the left hand.

2. On the second section of the song, the right hand will play the melody while the left hand plays quarter note chords.


“WAYFARING STRANGER”


“WAYFARING STRANGER”Traditional/Arranged by Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt



“WAYFARING STRANGER”Play Melody Octave Higher than Written


Reading chord charts

Professional musicians use a variety of chord charts to communicate musical ideas. In this section we will investigate the most popular charts used by today’s professionals.

(1) Some of our songs will be shown in what is referred to as standard notation. Generally, the melody will be written in the Treble clef and played with the right hand and the bass notes will be written in bass clef and generally played with the left hand.

(2) Letter Chord charts are arranged by measures with chord names written above the measure and rhythmic notation marks (slash) indicating the number of beats each chord will receive.

(3) Another very popular chord charting system is called “The Nashville Number System”. This system originated back in the 1950’s and used by studio musicians to make a simple, usually one page outline of the songs they were recording. The system is based on the major/diatonic scale, designating a number to each note of the scale.

For instance, in the key of C the numbers would occur as follows C= 1 D= 2 E= 3 F=4 G=5 A=6 B=7

The key of the song would be indicated at the top of the as well as the time signature.Each number would represent one measure of music (Now there are certain exceptions to these principles as some songs have more than one chord in a measure as well will explore later).

SECTION 3


On this track, the left hand is providing a bass note for each measure, while the right hand is playing eighth note arpeggios in what is called a broken arpeggio pattern giving the track a very “waltzy” feel.

Traditional Melody Arranged by Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt

“AMAZING GRACE”

Nashville Number ChartKey of F 3/4 Time signature

1 1 4 11 1 5 51 1 4 11 5 1 1



“AMAZING GRACE”

On this track, the left hand is providing a root/fifth/root* bass note arpeggio pattern, while the right hand is playing the beautiful melody of this timeless gospel classic.* In the Key of F, the root note is F, The fifth note of the scale is C.



On this song, we are using C, Am, F and G chords.

1. The first section we will play straight quarter notes. 2. The second section we will play descending quarter

note arpeggios. 3. The third section we will play eighth note arpeggios.

The fingering will remain the same throughout each section. Try repeating the track several times and you will find the different sections begin to flow more smoothly into one another.


A MAJOR DEAL


On this song, we are using C, Am, F and G chords.

1. The first section we will play straight quarter notes. 2. The second section we will play descending

quarter note arpeggios. 3. The third section we will play eighth note arpeggios.

The fingering will remain the same throughout each section. Try repeating the track several times and you will find the different sections begin to flow more smoothly into one another.


A MAJOR DEALCary C Banks/Wade McNutt



In this song we will examine what are commonly called “Extended Chords”- Major 7, Minor 7, Dominant 7 and Slash/Fraction Chords. Slash or Fraction Chords occur when the right hand is playing a particular Triad and the Left Hand (Bass) note is playing a note that is NOT The Root of Right Hand Chord.

For example we will be playing a Bb Chord in the Right Hand, while the Left Hand is Playing a C Note = Bb/C. This particular track we will also be exploring a four note right hand arpeggio pattern. The fingering for these arpeggios may take a bit of getting used to, but you will find these arpeggios produce a very moving and flowing sound you hear on many Pop, R&B, Country and Jazz Ballads.


“JUST DREAMIN”


“JUST DREAMIN”Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt



Previously, we had discussed how to construct major and minor chords with their various inversions. As the melody of a song progresses, chords are used to accompany the melody and give the melody its emotional tone, color and style. The chords will change during the course of the song and we refer to that as the “Chord Progression” or “Chord Changes”. Notice how the chords may be played in different inversions to produce different variations on the same basic song. Accompaniment chords may be played in the left or right hands.

Ode to Joy

On this track we will play what is known as a “Chord Melody” .To accomplish this, we will play a series of triad chords that place the melody of the song on the top note of each chord. We will be using a series of major and minor chords, in the Key of C.

*As a general rule, the melody note will always be the top note of the Triad/Chord.

The Right Hand will play the chord melody while the Left Hand will be playing a quarter note pattern. We will also go slightly out of the C scale by playing a G# note in the second section of the song. Enjoy this great classic by Ludwig Von Beethoven.


ODE TO JOY


ODE TO JOYLudwig V Beethoven Arranged by Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt



Our arrangement on this classic song features the Left Hand playing an alternating fingering pattern known as “Alberti Bass”, while the Right Hand plays the simple but beautiful melody. Try practicing each hand separately and, when you are confident, putting both parts together


“TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR”


“TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR”Arranged by Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt



Now let’s look at playing a country song using both a Letter Chart and the Nashville Number System. We will play this song in the Key of G, in 4/4 time using what we call an even, or, straight eighth note rhythmic groove. The left hand will be playing a familiar Root /Fifth pattern, while the right hand will be playing what is known as a broken arpeggio pattern. The song is arranged in a Verse/Chorus song form, with a four measure (bar) introduction and a four measure tag (ending). Chords we will use in this song are G, E minor, C and D.


“KEEP IT COUNTRY”


“KEEP IT COUNTRY”Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt


Nashville Number Chart

Intro:4 (1 6-) (4 5) 1Verse:1 6- 4 11 6- 4 5Chorus:4 1 4 14 (1 6-) (4 5) 1Tag:4 (1 6-) (4 5) 1


This track will examine playing a rock song, in 4/4 time. This song employs a Funky Driving rhythm and uses just three chords (This is quite common as many “Hit” rock songs have contained only the three major chords of any key).

Our three chords in this song are D, C & G.

Notice the chord charts are written in both letter chord & Nashville number style.

“NICE HOUSE MISSISSIPPI”

Nashville Numbers

(1 b7) 4(1 b7) 4(1 b7) 4(1 b7) 4

Improv. Shapes


Let’s examine playing a funk song in 4/4 time. This song has a Funky rhythm and though it employs only two chords, it also utilizes what we call a “Signature” lick/theme. Notice the chord charts are written in standard notation, letter chord & Nashville number style

“DOIN’ OK”


Nashville Notations1 4 1 41 4 1 4

C minor Blues Scale


On this song we will be playing chords with a very popular modern sound using the second (2nd) and fourth (4th) notes of our scales. These are commonly referred to as “Suspended Chords” or “Sus Chords”. In any given chord, the third (3rd) note of the scale is replaced by the second (2nd) or fourth (4th) note , giving the chord a feeling of “openness or suspense” They may often be notated as Csus2 or Csus4., for instance. “Sus” chords are very popular and effective in all styles of music including Gospel, Praise & Worship, Pop, Jazz and Country.


“SUSSY”


“SUSSY”

Nashville Numbers

1 1sus2 1 1sus41 1sus2 1 1sus44 4sus2 4 4sus21 1sus2 1 1sus4

*Inversions – Notice that the 2nd inversion is the same notes as Csus4.


Into the blues

Traditional Blues music involves using a definite form that incorporates 12 measures of music and, most often, three chords (1, 4 & 5). On this particular track, we will begin by learning a left hand bass riff and then combine it with right hand chords and improvisation techniques.This particular song will involve standard notation, and letter chord charts.


SECTION 4



“MO’ BLUES”Cary C Banks/Wade McNutt



On this song we will explore the wonderful world of gospel music piano styling. This style of music is very rhythmic and uses” bluesy” type chord riffs that involve both right and left hand. Notice also, the unison octave walk down that leads into each verse and the chord walk up (2- 1/3 4 #4 5) at the very end of the song (in music track only). These type chord movements are very common to this style of music.

“CAN I HEAR AN AMEN”


On this track we will examine some sophisticated chord forms found in many jazz and pop songs. The chords played in this song are called “extended chords” as they consist of more than just three notes (triad). This song uses Dm9, G13 & CM9. Notice how the chord inversions change and the rhythm becomes more syncopated as the song progresses.

“JAZZY MORNING”

*Voicing with the 3 on the bottom

*Voicing with the 7 on the bottom


NOTES


Improvisation & Jam The following tracks are designed for you to have fun playing along with several different music styles, chord progressions and rhythmic patterns. You can use these tracks to play chords and rhythm along with the band or improvise and create your own “Jam Melodies” using the various major, minor and blues pentatonic scales. On each track we will show you a basic scale to base your improvisation on.

We will utilize three basic rhythmic grooves including:-Straight eighths-Triplets-Shuffle (Swing)

(Major keys) Straight eighth note rhythmic groove in the Key of C 4/4 time signature

Nashville Notation1 2- 5 11 2- 5 1

Chord ChartC Dmi G CC Dmi G C

C Major Pentatonic Scale = C D E G A

Triplet rhythmic groove in the Key of G 6/8 time signature

Nashville Notation1 6- 4 5 1 6- 4 5

SECTION 5


IMPROVISATION & JAM SECTION(Major keys)

Chord ChartG Emi C DG Emi C D G Major pentatonic scale = G A B D E

Shuffle rhythmic groove in the Key of A4/4 time signature

Nashville Notation1 4 1 5

1 4 (15) 1

Chord ChartA D A E

A D (A E) A

A Major pentatonic scale= A B C# E F#



Straight eighth note rhythmic groove in the Key of A minor4/4 time signature

Nashville Notation1- 1- 1- 1-

4- 4- 1- 1-

5 (#5 5) 1- (1- 5)

Chord ChartAmi Ami Ami Ami

Dmi Dmi Ami Ami

E (F E) Ami Ami

A minor pentatonic scale = A C D E G

Triplet rhythmic groove in the Key of C minor 6/8 time signature

Nashville Notation1- 1- 4- 4- 1- 1- 5 51- 1- 4- 4-1- 5 1- 1-

Chord ChartCmi Cmi Fmi FmiCmi Cmi G7 G7Cmi Cmi Fmi FmiCmi G7 Cmi Cmi :

C Minor pentatonic scale = C Eb F G Bb

IMPROVISATION & JAM SECTION(Minor keys)


Shuffle rhythmic groove in the Key of E minor4/4 time signature

Nashville Notation6- 6- 4 4

5 5 6- 6- :

Chord ChartEmi Emi C C

D D Emi Emi :

E Minor pentatonic scale = E G A B D

IMPROVISATION & JAM SECTION(Minor keys)



Straight eighth note rhythmic groove in the Key of G


4 4 1 1

5 4 1 (1 5)

Chord ChartG G G G

C C G G

D C G (G D)

G Blues Scale = G Bb C C# D F

Triplet rhythmic groove in the Key of A

Nashville Notation1 4 1 b2 1

4 4 (1 2-) (3- b3-)

5 (b6 5) (1 4) (1 5)

Chord ChartA D (A Bb) A

D D (A Bmi) (C#mi Cmi)

E (F E) (A D) (A E )

A Blues Scale = A C D D# E G

IMPROVISATION & JAM SECTION(Blues)


Shuffle rhythmic groove in the Key of E


4 4 1 1

5 4 1 (1 5)

Chord ChartE A E E

A A E E

B A E (E B)

E Blues Scale = E G A A# B D

IMPROVISATION & JAM SECTION(Blues)



OTHER MAJOR SCALES

C MAJOR SCALEOne Octave

G MAJOR SCALEOne Octave

D MAJOR SCALEOne Octave


OTHER MAJOR SCALES

A MAJOR SCALEOne Octave

E MAJOR SCALEOne Octave



It’s important to learn how to move around to different chords using inversions. An inversion is simply taking a chord and playing the notes of it in a different order. The notes to a C major chord are C, E and G. Put those in any order and you still have a C major chord.

These drills will help you move from the 1,4 and 5 chords of the keys C,G,D,A, E and F:

1451 CADENCES

C 1451

G 1451

D 1451


1451 CADENCES

A 1451

E 1451

F 1451


The last one hundred years of popular music has given us some wonderful classic recordings that feature the piano. We encourage you to become familiar with some of the best and most popular piano songs and recordings. Here are just a few of the best and most loved songs and the original artists.

Piano Man- Billy Joel

The Way It Is- Bruce Hornsby

Last Date- Floyd Cramer

What I Say- Ray Charles

Tiny Dancer- Elton John

The Entertainer- Scott Joplin

Theme From Hill Street Blues- Mike Post

Misty- Errol Garner

Music Box Dancer- Frank Mills

Alley Cat- Bent Fabric

Satin Doll- Duke Ellington

Rockin’ Pneumonia- Huey “Piano” Smith (Also

recorded by Johnny Rivers)

Great Balls Of Fire- Jerry Lee Lewis

Love Is Blue- Paul Mariat

Bridge Over Troubled Water- Simon & Garfunkel

Theme From Romeo & Juliet- Henry Mancini

Blue Rondo Ala Turk- Dave Brubeck

Lean On Me- Bill withers

Let It Be- The Beatles

If I Ain’t Got You- Alicia Keys

Tipitina- Professor Longhair


We’d also encourage you to delve deeper into the recordings of piano and songwriting greats such as:

Count Basie

Art Tatum

Little Richard

Dr John

Randy Newman

Jimmy Webb

Floyd Domino

Anthony Burger

Gordon Mote

Doug Smith

Tim Alexander

Stevie Wonder

Ferrante & Tiescher

Liberace

Booker T & the MG’s

Carole King

BACK COVER

BLANK

Documents

LIKE A P RO - Piano Chops