Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions

Piano arranging is the process by which you take a written piece of music and rework it with chords, adding new bass accompaniment, fills, or even slightly altering the song's structure. And while it's a process that takes years to truly master, anyone with a basic education in piano and a working knowledge of a few key techniques can create an inventive, satisfying arrangement. It all boils down to one thing: chord recognition. And anyone who plays a little piano can learn piano chords to add excitement to their piano playing.

Most people learn to play the piano by playing just the written music. Playing by written music is exactly what the phrase says it is -- playing the exact notation on a piece of sheet music. But playing by chord symbol is a little different. Instead of following the harmony note by note, you follow the chord symbols (i.e. C7 or F) written above the harmonies, filling in the gaps with...well, whatever you want as long as it sticks to those chords. Of course, you'll still read the melody (it is, after all, often what makes the song recognizable) but even that is completely open to interpretation. Playing by chord symbol allows you a freedom that playing by written music simply doesn't. The freedom to create. The freedom to invent. The freedom to arrange chord patterns in the way you want.

Does that mean playing by written music is less important than playing by chord symbol? Absolutely not! The ability to play by written music is an extremely valuable skill, one that even some of the most famous musicians don't possess. And while you don't necessarily need to know the skill backwards and forwards to create great arrangements, it's a tremendous help.

Think about it this way. Some of the most revered modern artists create paintings that look very simple, very rudimentary. But the majority of those artists went to art school for years before they began creating that sort of work. They learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting, of color composition and light; they learned to draw or paint something exactly as it actually looks. Only after they mastered those skills did they move on to create the simple, yet often innovative, work that hangs in galleries and museums -- work that still abides by several basic principles. They learned the craft before bringing their imagination into it; after all, you have to understand the rules in order to break them.

So after you have learned the basics of reading piano sheet music, consider learning chords and chord symbols (such as G7, Fm, etc.) and chord progressions. There are many places online where you can learn all about chords ? just type in "chords" or "chord piano" into your search browser, and you will find several to choose from. When you can both read the written sheet music and then add chords and chord progressions to your piano playing, you have the very best of all musical worlds.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and products such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He can be reached at http://www.chordpiano.com. He is the author of the popular free 101-week e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Piano Chord Progressions" with over 56,650 current subscribers. Those interested may obtain a free subscription by going to http://www.playpiano.com.

---

Acoustic Or Electronic Drums - What Is Your Choice?

A debate rages on in the drumming world! You might... Read More

Quick and Easy Violin Mute

One of the reasons I picked up the violin was... Read More

Piano Music - How to Begin and End a Piece

How do you begin a piece of music? That's a... Read More

How to Find Musical Ideas

The Russian Composer Igor Stravinsky once said: " A good... Read More

Internet Jams

Today's technology for the recording musician has been getting better... Read More

The Ostinato - What It is and How to Use It

Ostinato means "repeating pattern" and is used frequently in all... Read More

Why New Musicians (Rappers) Fail: Three Reasons and Solutions

Despite the title of this article, the purpose of it... Read More

Make Money with Your Music ? the Top 5 Ways

Songwriters dream of making their living by writing, and sometimes... Read More

Interview With An Up And Coming Musician From Toronto

Today, Norm Goldman, Editor of Sketchandtravel.com and Bookpleasures.com is delighted... Read More

Breathing Space in Music

While most students want to know when to play certain... Read More

How to Improvise Using a Few Chords

When a painter is getting ready to paint, a color... Read More

Zen and the Art of New Age Piano

We all want to be in the moment. That's where... Read More

Music For Self Improvement

Would you like to pop in a CD and have... Read More

Are iPods Changing the Way We Listen to Music

They're everywhere, and not only are they everywhere, they look... Read More

Play Piano As Fast As Possible!

One of the rules of practicing we all hear over... Read More

History of the Clarinet From the 19th Century

While composers had already begun to write music for the... Read More

Is Your Child Capable of Composing Music? Maybe the Next Mozart?

We've all heard of them. Child prodigies who begin composing... Read More

How Can You Make A Rock Vocal Sound Better?

Admit it... you were expecting a magic answer to this... Read More

What is Guitar Tablature and Can I Find It Online?

The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments... Read More

Painting with Sound

Whenever I go to a Borders bookstore here in San... Read More

Getting the Best Performance From Your Artist

So now you've decided to record your songs. Good for... Read More

Beginner Guitar Lessons - Learn Guitar without Ever Leaving Your Home!

So, you think you'd like to learn to play guitar,... Read More

College Radio: The Most Important Radio Level for Musicians

For the self-promoting independent artist, the idea of taking on... Read More

CD Review: Amber - My Kind of World

Pop/Rock Recording Artist Amber, who has scored seven #1 Billboard... Read More

Polychords and the Jazz Improviser: How to Practice & Apply Polychords to Improv

In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More

Review: The Bled - Pass the Flask

Released in 2003, Pass the Flask turned this little quintet... Read More

Learning the Piano and Playing the Piano

Many piano students spend much time learning how to play... Read More

Music as Therapy?

Frustrated in a gridlocked?Job got you stressed out?The children have... Read More

How To Overcome The Lyric Writing Hurdles That Are Keeping You Behind

The lyric writing side of songwriting is known to create... Read More

The Record Industry Continues Battle Against Free Music Downloads

Movie and record producers alike are saying file-sharing networks that... Read More

Beginners Guide to Music File Formats

Are you confused by the various types of music file... Read More

Establishing Your Mix

Now that you've spent hours and days and weeks and... Read More

Guitar Players...Learn About The Point Of Discipline

Have you ever started learning a lick or exercise and... Read More