steps to become better at pop piano

8/11/2019 Steps to Become Better at Pop Piano

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www.MyPianoRiffs.com 1

Heres What & How to Practice to

Become a Better Pianist

7 Ways toBecome a BetterPop/Jazz Pianist

A Step-by-Step Guide to PracticingYour Way to Better Piano-Playing

Nicole Lee


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Important Notice

This e-book is free and not for sale and does not come with resale rights.

Although free, that does not diminish the quality of information within.

All material within this book is copyrighted and as such cannot be reproduced

in any format without my prior approval.

Copyright 2009 Nicole Lee @ www.MyPianoRiffs.com.


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Introduction

7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist

This e-book is an expansion of my article of the same title, first published inEzine@rticlesNovember, 2009, and also available at my blog. It requires noreading of music notation and, hence, is an invaluable resource to those whoplay by ear as well.

Very often as piano students, we are told by our teachers to practice afterevery lesson. How many times have you heard this phrase: Practice makesperfect? And how many times have you actually gone home and practicedand when lesson time came, your playing or performance is still not up tomark? Is it because you didnt practice enough? Perhaps. Did you forget whatyou were supposed to practice? Possibly.

More often than not, I find that most people just dont really know what andhow to practice. Also, some teachers seem to only work on playing songs withtheir students. Learning songs and working on perfecting them are fine.However, that should not be the be all and end all if you are serious inperfecting your craft, i.e. piano-playing.

In learning a song, we should not just be focusing on getting the notes right.We should really study the song inside out by breaking it down in terms of itsmelody, harmony, rhythm, form and style. And then we should work onunderstanding and perfecting every musical element that is associated withthe song.

If practice makes perfect, then it is also true that imperfect practice makesimperfection! And we definitely dont want that. To become really good atour craft, it is important to know what to practice and how we should goabout practicing it. Hence, to me, the saying should really be knowledgeable

practice makes perfect.

In this e-book, I will elaborate and demonstrate in detail the seven importantareas to cover and to diligently practice in order to become a better popand/or jazz pianist. The seven areas are:

1. Scales
http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Ways-to-Become-a-Better-Pop-or-Jazz-Pianist&id=3291829http://www.mypianoriffs.com/402/7-ways-to-become-a-better-pop-or-jazz-pianist/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/402/7-ways-to-become-a-better-pop-or-jazz-pianist/http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Ways-to-Become-a-Better-Pop-or-Jazz-Pianist&id=3291829


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2. Chords

3. Rhythm

4. Cycle of 5ths

5. Form

6. Styles

7. Listen

Since there are 7 areas to work on altogether, these can be put to efficient

practice, one for each day of the week! And remember only knowledgeableand perfect practice makes perfect. Have fun!


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Quick Summary

Scales:

All contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocksin music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisationallines in jazz solos. Essential scales to master are: major (ionian mode),melodic and harmonic minor, modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian,aeolian [natural minor], locrian), major and minor pentatonic, major andminor blues, diminished and whole-tone.

Chords:

From scales, we build chords. Its vital to memorize all the diatonic chords ofthe major and minor scales. Diatonic chords are chords that are built on everynote of a scale and whose notes come from that very scale; there are sevenaltogether for each scale. Learn up its chord quality and function within thescale or key, regardless whether the chords are triads, sevenths, or 13thchords. Essential chord families to master are: major, minor and dominant.

Rhythm:

The best melody and harmony in the world will be quite boring without a hintof rhythm that goes with it. Rhythm gives life to music. Inherent with rhythmis feel, i.e. the interpretation of rhythmic units. Essential rhythmic feels tograsp are: straight and rolled 8ths, straight and rolled 16ths, swing andtriplet. Additionally, it is also important to work on other rhythmic aspectssuch as syncopation and anticipation.

Cycle of 5ths:

Imagine the face of a clock and instead of the hourly numbers, replace thesewith the 12 notes in music, i.e. starting at the top at 12 with C, then movingclockwise down five steps to F, then Bb and continuing this until you end backat C. This is what you will get: C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db(C#)-Gb(F#)-Cb(B)-E-A-D-G-C.Memorize this movement because a lot of chord progressions in songs movenaturally in this way, either down in perfect 5ths or up in perfect 4ths. Forexample, the A section of Fly Me to the Moon: Ami7-Dmi7-G7-Cma7-Fma7-


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Bmi7(b5)- E7-Ami7. The roots of the chords move perfectly around the cycle,diatonic to the key of C major!

Form:

All the elements of music -- melody, harmony and rhythm -- will be pointlessor meandering if not held together or structured in specific forms. Pop songsare known for their verse and chorus structures, or AB form. It is alsocommon to find modern pop songs these days with the following form: intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro (ending). Blues music, ofcourse, has its 12-bar structure, and its less common 16-bar form. And the 32-bar song form in jazz with its many variations, i.e., AABA, AABC, et ceteraare all important to note and remember.

Styles:

The beautiful thing about contemporary music is its many styles: pop, rock,R&B, reggae, gospel, bossa nova, swing, bebop, et cetera. Each and everystyle has its inherent melodic, harmonic and rhythmic characteristics. Breakdown every facet of a style and learn how to interpret it correctly. Master thestyles and make your playing more colorful and multidimensional!

Listen:

Last but not least, because contemporary music comes in many genres,styles, shape and form, we need to develop a healthy listening habit. Everyarea from 1 to 6 above can be consolidated through a good listening session.As you listen to a piece of music, be it something from Coldplay, SaraBareilles, Michael Bubl, or Keith Jarrett, look out for and analyze all theelements - the melody/scale, chord/harmony, rhythm/feel, form and style.Music is an audible art. Hence, as a musician you need to build up your

analytic listening skills!


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Table of Contents

Cover ...................................................................... 1

Important Notice........................................................ 2

Introduction ............................................................. 3

7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist................................ 3

Quick Summary ......................................................... 5

Table of Contents....................................................... 7

Way #1: Scales .......................................................... 9

What to Practice...................................................................9

How to Practice.................................................................. 11

Way #2: Chords ........................................................12

What to Practice................................................................. 12

How to Practice.................................................................. 14

Way #3: Rhythm .......................................................15

What to Practice................................................................. 15

How to Practice.................................................................. 16

Way #4: Cycles of 5ths ...............................................17

What to Practice................................................................. 17

How to Practice.................................................................. 18

Way #5: Form ..........................................................19

What to Practice................................................................. 19

How to Practice.................................................................. 20

Way #6: Styles..........................................................21

What to Practice................................................................. 22


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How to Practice.................................................................. 23

Way #7: Listen .........................................................24

What to Listen ................................................................... 24

How to Listen .................................................................... 26

Conclusion............................................................... 28

Private Piano Lessons.................................................29

Notes .....................................................................30


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Way #1: Scales

All contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocks

in music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisationallines in jazz solos. Also, when you are learning a song, the first thing youmust determine is the key of the song. This is another way of saying, whatsthe scale that is being used in the song for its melody and chords?

In Western tonal music, the first and most important scale to master is themajor scale. One easy way to learn scales is by memorizing its pattern of halfand whole steps. The smallest interval (or the distance from one key to thenext nearest) on the piano is the half step. Two half steps make one whole

step.

What to Practice

The major scale is made up of seven notes with a combination pattern of half(H) and whole steps (W) as follows:

Major/Ionian Mode

Scale degree: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/1W W H W W W H

C Major scale: C D E F G A B C

The other essential scales to master are: melodic and harmonic minor, modes(dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian [natural minor], locrian), majorand minor pentatonic, major and minor blues, diminished and whole-tone.

Below and on the next page are the patterns of half (H) and whole steps (W)for each of the abovementioned scales.

Melodic Minor: WHWWWWH C Melodic Minor: C D Eb F G A B C

Harmonic Minor: WHWWH(3H)H C Harmonic Minor: C D Eb F G Ab B C

Dorian Mode: WHWWWHW C Dorian Mode: C D Eb F G A Bb C


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Phrygian Mode: HWWWHWW C Phrygian Mode: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C

Lydian Mode: WWWHWWH C Lydian Mode: C D E F# G A B C

Mixolydian Mode: WWHWWHW C Mixolydian Mode: C D E F G A Bb C

Aeolian Mode/Natural Minor:

WHWWHWW C Aeolian Mode: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

Locrian Mode: HWWHWWW C Locrian Mode: C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C

Major Pentatonic: WW(3H)W(3H) C Major Pentatonic: C D E G A C

Minor Pentatonic: (3H)WW(3H)W C Minor Pentatonic: C Eb F G Bb C

Major Blues: WHH(3H)W(3H) C Major Blues: C D Eb E G A C

Minor Blues: (3H)WHH(3H)W C Minor Blues: C Eb F Gb G Bb C

Half-Whole Diminished:

HWHWHWHW C H/W Dim.: C C# D# E F# G A Bb C

Whole-Half Diminished:

WHWHWHWH C W/H Dim.: C D Eb F Gb Ab A B C

Whole Tone: WWWWWW C Whole Tone: C D E F# G # Bb C


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How to Practice

Play each scale (ascending and descending) in both hands for one octave. Irecommend that you practice all 12 keys following the Cycle of 5ths [Refer to

Way #4 Cycle of 5ths]. I also suggest that you play the scales in flowing 8thnotes, alternating between a straight and rolled feel [Refer to Way #3Rhythm].


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Way #2: Chords

Once you have mastered the scales, you will find that a scale is actually the

foundation upon which chords are built. The smallest chord unit called a triadis a 3-note chord which consists of three notes with each note stacked up ontop of the other (skip a key each on the keyboard).

What to Practice

Diatonic Chords of Major Scale

Every note of a major scale can be stacked with two other notes in this way.That will make seven different triads to the seven notes of the scale, i.e. onthe C major scale or key of C major, we will have:

1. C-E-G, 2. D-F-A, 3. E-G-B, 4. F-A-C, 5. G-B-D, 6. A-C-E, and 7. B-D-F.

These chords are called the diatonic triads of the major scale. And each ofthese triads have a specific quality based on their position in the scale, i.e.

1. C major, 2. D minor, 3. E minor, 4. F major, 5. G major, 6. A minor, and 7.B diminished

The proper chord symbols will read as such:

1. C, 2. Dmi, 3. Emi, 4. F, 5. G, 6. Ami, and 7. B dim.

[For more on diatonic triads of the major scale, visit my post here.]

Do the same for the next set of diatonic chords, i.e. the Diatonic 7thchords

made up of 4 notes.

1. C-E-G-7 (Cmaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. E-G-B-D (Emi7), 4. F-A-C-E(Fmaj7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-E-G (Ami7), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi7b5).

[For more on diatonic 7thchords of the major scale, visit my post here.]
http://www.mypianoriffs.com/279/7-important-chords-every-musician-should-know/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/487/wanna-play-pop-rb-or-jazz-then-you-must-know-the-diatonic-7th-chords-too/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/487/wanna-play-pop-rb-or-jazz-then-you-must-know-the-diatonic-7th-chords-too/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/279/7-important-chords-every-musician-should-know/


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Diatonic Chords of Minor Scale

The next sets of important diatonic chords to master are the ones from thethree important minor scales, i.e. natural, melodic and harmonic.

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Natural Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-Bb (Eb), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-Bb-D (Gmi), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. Bb-D-F (Bb).

And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Natural Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G-Bb (Cmi7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-Bb-D (Ebmaj7), 4. F-Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-Bb-D-D (Gmi7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. Bb-D-F-Ab (Bb7).

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Melodic Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-A (Dmi), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-A-C (F), 5. G-B-D(G), 6. A-C-Eb (Adim), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).

And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Melodic Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4. F-A-C-Eb (F7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-Eb-G (Ami7b5), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi75b).

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Harmonic Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-B-D (G), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).

And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Harmonic Minor scale:


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1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4.F-Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. B-D-F-Ab(Bdim7).

[For more on diatonic triads and 7th chords of all three minor scales, visit mypost here.]

How to Practice

Play each set of diatonic chords in the following manner:

1. Right and left hand plays the chord in solid block chord form.

2.

Right hand plays the chord in broken chord style or arpeggio whilethe left hand still in solid block chord form.

3. Right hand plays the chord in solid block chord form while the left

hand plays in broken chord style.

4. Right hand plays the chord in solid block chord form while the left

hand plays the roots of each chord.

As with the scales, I recommend that you practice in all 12 keys following theCycle of 5ths [Refer to Way #4 Cycle of 5ths].
http://www.mypianoriffs.com/719/meet-the-major-scales-little-cousins/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/719/meet-the-major-scales-little-cousins/


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Way #3: Rhythm

Melody and harmony are two of the three elements in music. However,without the third element, rhythm, melody and harmony will be quite lifelessand static, because rhythm breathes life into the melodic lines and chords.Rhythm provides the movement and space in music.

What to Practice

Rhythmic Feel

In pop and jazz music, rhythmic groove and feel is so essential in defining thestyle. Hence, it is important to understand the following feels: straight,rolled and triplet 8th; and straight, rolled and triplet 16th.

Straight 8thand 16threfers to the conventional way we interpret a row of 8ths

or 16ths, i.e. in even 8ths or 16ths. For example, in 4/4 time, there will be

eight 8ths notes in a bar, with the counting of 1+2+3+4+ (one-and-two-and-

three-and-four-and) or 16 16thnotes, with the counting of 1-e-+-a-2-e-+-a-3-

e-+-a-4-e-+-a (one-e-and-a-two-e-and-a, etc.)

Song Examples: Most classical compositions (e.g. Beethovens Fur Elise)

and pop songs (e.g. John Lennons Imagine)

Rolled 8thand 16th on the other hand gives an uneven interpretation to the

row of 8ths or 16ths. The first 8thor 16thnote gets two-thirds of the beat or

half beat. So in 4/4 time, with eight 8thnotes in a bar, you will now count 1-

e-a-2-e-a-3-e-a-4-e-a (one-e-a-two-e-a, etc.) but nottapping on the e. For

the 16thfeel, with 16 16thnotes in a bar, you will count 1-e-a-+-e-a-2-e-a-+-e-

a-3-e-a-+-e-a-4-e-a-+-e-a (one-e-a-and-e-a-two-e-a-and-e-a, etc.) but again

tapping every note exceptthe e.

Song Examples: Rolled 8th any Blues music; Rolled 16th Daniel Powters

Bad Day and most hip hop music

In triplet 8thand 16thfeels, it simply means that every beat or half beat is

now subdivided into three smaller units, respectively. So in 4/4 time, there

will be 12 8thnote triplets in a bar counted as 1-e-a-2-e-a3-e-a-4-e-a (one-e-

a-two-e-a, etc.). The, 16thnote feel will have 24 16thnote triplets in a bar of


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4/4 time, with the counting of 1-e-a-+-e-a-2-e-a-+-e-a-3-e-a-+-e-a-4-e-a-+-e-a

(one-e-a-and-e-a-two-e-a-and-e-a, etc.).

Song Examples: Any 12/8 ballads or slow rock music (e.g. Louis Armstrongs

What A Wonderful World)

[For audio examples of all these rhythmic feels, visit my post here.]

Rhythmic Anticipation

One of the most important rhythmic aspects in contemporary music styles is

the anticipation. Anticipation occurs when a beat that is normally on a

downbeat is played a rhythmic unit earlier - commonly, this rhythmic unit

may be the 8th note or the 16th note, depending on the feel of the music.

Anticipation is also enhanced in two ways - either followed by a rest or tiedover to the next beat.

Check out a detailed breakdown of anticipations with various audio examples

at my blog hereand here.

How to Practice

Rhythmic FeelWith your foot tapping on the downbeat, clap and verbalize the subdivisions

of each feel. [Read my previously mentioned blog post under the subheading

Getting Anticipations Right! for a more thorough practice method.] Do this

over and over again, until you settle into the pocket of each beat and

rhythmic subdivision. Remember and understand what each feel means and

reallyfeelhow it grooves. Then tap and/or play along to the examples in my

blog post here.

Rhythmic Anticipation

Go through in-depth and practice all the given examples in both my blog posts

on rhythmic anticipations hereand here. Make sure you always maintain a

steady tempo with your foot. Using a metronome or a simple drumbeat is also

highly recommended.
http://www.mypianoriffs.com/557/understanding-rhythmic-feels/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/9/handling-anticipations/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/179/handling-rhythmic-anticipations-part-2/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/9/handling-anticipations/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/557/understanding-rhythmic-feels/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/9/handling-anticipations/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/179/handling-rhythmic-anticipations-part-2/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/179/handling-rhythmic-anticipations-part-2/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/9/handling-anticipations/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/557/understanding-rhythmic-feels/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/9/handling-anticipations/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/179/handling-rhythmic-anticipations-part-2/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/9/handling-anticipations/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/557/understanding-rhythmic-feels/


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Way #4: Cycle of 5ths

The Cycle of 5ths (also commonly known by other names like Circle of 5ths,

or Cycle or Circle of 4ths) is a circular representation of the 12 different

notes in music. Within this cycle, a number of musical aspects can be

inferred.

What to Practice

In clockwise motion, you can see the notes moving down in perfect 5ths(7halfsteps) or up in perfect 4th(5 halfsteps.) This can represent root

movements of chord progressions or key centers, starting with the outer

circle in C major (no sharps or flats), to F major (one flat), all the way to C#

major (7 sharps), Cb major (7 flats), and on to G major (1 sharp). The inner

circle represents the related minor keys.

In anticlockwise motion, the notes move up a perfect 5thor down in perfect

4ththrough the sharp side of the keys first.



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How to Practice

Play each letter of the 12 notes around the Cycle of 5ths and sing along withthe roots. Listen to how smoothly and naturally one note flows into the otheraround this cycle. You dont necessarily have to always start with C. Startwith any note and just play and sing around the cycle until you arrive back atthe beginning note.

In conjunction with the practice of scales (Way #1) and chords (Way #2), thiscycle will also be reinforced and strengthened.


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Way #5: Form

Form is the gel that holds all musical elements of melody, harmony and

rhythm together and gives these meaning and direction. Just like writing anessay, where you need an introduction, a few paragraphs to expound on thetopic and a closing, forms in music need similar structures to make themusical materials cohesive and meaningful.

Understanding how a piece of music is structured will help in your playing

because it makes memorization of melody lines and chord progressions so

much easier as each section will usually have a set of melody/chords and

similar sections will usually have similar progressions and melody.

What to Practice

12-bar Blues

I/ / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

IV/ / /| / / / / | I/ / /| / / / /|

V/ / /| IV/ / /| I/ / /| / / / /||

The easiest way to remember the basic 12-bar blues progression is to notewhere the chord changes take place. Notice that the chord changes are at bar5, 7, 9, 10 and 11. So they are mainly at odd-numbered bars. Interestingly,after playing the blues progression a number of times, your musical ear willeventually take over and you will be able to feel the changes. It just comesnaturally!

32-bar Song Form

There are many variations to this classic jazz song form. Regardless, a 32-barsong form always comprises four sections of 8 bars each. For example, acommon one will be the AABA (e.g. Take the A Train, Misty), where adifferent letter represents a different section. The A sections generally retainthe same melody and chord progression, with perhaps slight changes atphrase endings; the B section will contain a new melody and chord


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progression.

A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

B: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /||

ABAB: e.g. Blue Bossa, Ladybird

ABAC: e.g. I Could Write A Book, My Romance

AABC: e.g. Autumn Leaves

Pop Song forms

These are more varied in terms of sections and number of bars within eachsection. However, the common ones usually contain sections like verse,chorus and bridge and each of these sections may vary from eight to 16 bars.For most pop songs, the chorus is also usually where you will find the songtitle and the most catchy melody, so this makes the chorus the mostimportant part of the song - the most memorable, (e.g. The Beatles Let ItBe, Michael Jacksons We Are the World, The Frays You Found Me,

etc.).

How to Practice

Every time you play a piece of music, remember to identify the form first.See whether it fits nicely into any of the common forms, e.g. 12-bar blues,verse/chorus, AABC, etc. Then learn the melody and chord progressionsection by section. Remember, similar sections will contain similar melodyand chord progression. Not only does this give a proper structure to the song

and creates cohesiveness, it also makes memorization of the piece so mucheasier.


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Way #6: Styles

Playing contemporary music is exciting due to the many styles. The stylisticcharacteristics of each genre of music are unique and these are usuallyfocused on the main elements of music, i.e. melody, rhythm, harmony andform. For every song or composition that you listen to, use the following styleanalysis to determine which genre it falls into.

What to Practice

Style Analysis

A style analysis helps you break down each facet of a style by examining the

following: a) Melody b) Rhythm c) Harmony d) Form e) Instrumentation

Ask yourself the following questions when confronted with a piece of music:

a) Melody:

What scale does the melody come from? Is it major, minor,

pentatonic, blues, Phrygian mode, etc.?

Is the melody mostly diatonic to the scale or does it have

chromatic notes?

What is the overall intensity of the melody? Is it light or

heavy, driven or mellow?

How are the notes articulated - smoothly or detached or

punctuated?

b) Rhythm:

What is the common time signature?

What is the tempo of the song?

What feel does the song utilize?

Does it employ a lot of anticipations, or none at all?


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c) Harmony:

What types of chords are being featured?

How big are the chords - triads, 4-part, slash chords, etc.?

Does it use common chord progressions -- I-IV-V-I; I-VImi-IImi-

V-I, Imi-bVI-bVII-Vmi, etc.?

d) Form:

Does it have an intro? How long?

What is the structure of the song?

Does it have an ending, or just a fadeout?

e) Instrumentation:

What are the instruments being used?

How big is the sound - orchestral, small band, 4-piece band,

etc.?

As an example, a Simple Pop Ballad style analysisarranged for the piano will

look like this:f) Melody:

Generally, the melody comes from major, natural minor or

pentatonic scales.

The melody is mostly diatonic to the scale, with occasional

chromatic notes.

The touch and intensity level is generally medium, dependent

on different sections of the form

Articulation of the melody is generally legato, with occasional

staccato and marcato notes.

g) Rhythm:

The common time signature is 4/4, although some ballads,

especially of the 60s and 70s do feature 3/4 time


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The tempo ranges from slow to moderate (between 60-80

bpm)

Mostly in straight 8thfeel with occasional 16thnotes

May or may not have anticipations

h) Harmony:

Diatonic chords are mainly used

Triads and 4-part chords are very common, V7s are prominent

as well

Use common phrase-ending chords like V7-I or IV-I.

i) Form:

Intro is usually four to eight bars in length.

Usual structure is one or two verses, then a chorus followed

by another verse and repeat of the chorus again. Some songs

may include a bridge.

The ending is usually two to four bars long.

j) Instrumentation:

Since we are arranging for the piano, we will only focus on

the piano itself. Pop ballads of the early 60s usually feature

acoustic piano sounds, while those in the late 60s and early

70s use both the acoustic and electric pianos quite a lot.

How to Practice

From now on, each time you approach a piece of music, ask yourself the

series of questions as laid out in the styles analysis. That will help you

determine the appropriate characteristic of each style, necessary to be

reflected in your playing. Always aim to play stylistically, not meandering

between a little bit of this and a little bit of that e.g. the consistent left-hand

arpeggiated pattern of so many piano pieces being represented as the pop

ballad style. There are so many other ways the pop ballad style can be

performed and presented pianistically. Explore and listen (check out Way #7).


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Way #7: Listen

The internet and the advancement of digital technology have made listeningto music (even downloading of music - legally or illegally) so easy and widelyavailable. Even recordings of music long thought to be forgotten and rarecollection of albums are now available if we only take the time to find them.So there is no longer room for the excuse of not being able to get hold of theappropriate music to listen to. Short of going down to the music store andpicking up the actual CDs, there are videos and music clips from websites likeYouTube, CD Baby, Amazon.com, etc.

What to Listen

Obviously, you will only listen to the music that you like or are inspired by.That is fine. But also try to expand your listening horizons. If you have never

given jazz music a listen, maybe give it a try today. Or if you have never been

a fan of classical music, its not too late to get to know the works of

Beethoven or Mozart! Maybe because youre a pianist, you have been listening

only to piano music. Its time to listen to other instrumentalists as well.

Below, I list a few artistes by genres that you should check out (its not

exhaustive but is a good start):

Pop, Rock, Country

The Beatles

Billy Joel

Chicago

The Eagles

Elton John

Floyd Kramer

Jerry Lee Lewis

Little Richard

Michael Jackson


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The Police and Sting

Queen

Tori Amos

U2

R&B, Blues, Gospel, Soul, Funk

Alicia Keys

BB King

Earth, Wind & Fire

James Brown

Jamie Cullum

Jamiroquai

John Legend

Norah Jones

Michael Buble

Ramsey Lewis

Ray Charles

Santana

Jazz, Latin-Jazz, Salsa

Bill Evans

Chick Corea

Duke Ellington (big band)

George Shearing

Oscar Peterson


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Herbie Hancock

Hiromi

Keith Jarrett

Michel Camilo

McCoy Tyner

Stan Getz

Stanley Clarke

Tito Puente

Fusion, Smooth Jazz, New Age

Casiopea

Dave Grusin

David Benoit

Eric Marienthal

Keiko Matsui

Kitaro

Spyro Gyra

T-Square

The Rippingtons

Yanni

Yellow Jackets

Note: Use the search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. to help you find these

artistes and their definitive albums or signature tunes.

How to Listen

The most important thing to remember is to start devoting some time to do


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active listening, i.e. do not put the music as background. Once upon a time,

one could only listen to music in a concert hall or at a rich mans music

courtyard. Nowadays, music has become so disposable, its everywhere --

from the car radio to piped in music in the washroom!

Active listening means really paying attention to and concentrating on the

music being played. If it is vocal music, obviously, you will focus on the words

being sung, the emotions in the singers expressive voice. When listening to

musical instruments, try to discern the different timbres of the various

instruments, the lines that are being performed, the chords and voicings that

are being played by chordal instruments like the guitar and piano, the groove

and rhythms of the drums, the beautiful tone and solo of the saxophonist,

etc.

When listening to piano music or pieces that contain piano parts, pay

attention to the following:

How the player articulate the notes -- long phrases, rhythmically

punctuated, light or heavy touch, etc.

How are chords played? Solid block chords, broken chords (or

arpeggios), with rhythmic patterns, held down in long duration, etc.

As an accompaniment, how are chords executed? Sparse, held-down

chords; steady quarter note comping; pattern-based arpeggios; light

fills, etc.

In jazz, what chord voicings are being used? Clusters, A & B, quartal,

etc.

With jazz solos, what scales or improvisational techniques are being

employed? Pentatonic, blues, modes, out-of-chord tones, thematic

improv, intervallic approach, etc.


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Conclusion

There is no shortcut to mastering the piano. Knowledgeable practice and a

consistent practice routine are essential.

Passion + Hard Work = Beautiful Music!

I strongly believe that if each day you put aside the time to work on the

seven ways to practice, you will see results -- slowly but surely.

To your musical success!

ni ole



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Private Piano Lessons

If this e-book has inspired you to want to play better piano, you can contact

me here. All lessons are customized to each students requirements and/or

playing ability.

If you would like to provide some feedback, or just to drop a note to say

Hi, you can do it here.

http://www.mypianoriffs.com/contact-me/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/private-lessons/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/private-lessons/http://www.mypianoriffs.com/contact-me/


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