How to Read the Chord Charts on UltimateGuitar.com

I just got an email from Cal, a recent DoctorKeys subscriber. He said:

In one of your lessons you show how to read a chord chart. But can you explain how to read a chord chart like Let It Be? [He’s referring to the sort of chord chart you get on UltimateGuitar.com.] It has the chords but no bar lines, so how do I know exactly when to play each chord? Please help for I enjoy both your courses very much.

What a great question! And since there may be others of you who are wondering the same thing, I’ll explain. Continue reading

Three New Tutorials!

I just added some great new lessons to Pop Piano Accompaniment. Here’s a little about each:

How to Play a Song in Any Key (Transposing Made Easy)
There’s a big difference between singing a song in a key that sort of works, and singing it in the key that brings out the best in your voice. If you’re currently singing and playing any of your songs in less than the ideal range simply because you don’t know how to transpose, this lesson can help. Read more.

Empowering Your Left Hand with Open Voicings
Now that you understand the magic of open voicings, a whole new world of possibilities is within your reach.

The left hand pattern you’ll learn in this lesson is so versatile, and so satisfying, I’ve gone through periods when I’ve thought: Bruce you’ve gotta stop using this so much in your music—people will get sick of it! Read more.

Intermediate Styles and Beyond
In this lesson, you’ll learn to make your accompaniments sound fuller and richer. As you add open voicings in the left hand, and a fourth note to the three your right hand is already playing, your arrangements will sound more and more like the recordings you love to listen to. Read more.

New Voicing Tutorial Teaches a Very Special Amazing Grace

Recently, several of my private students wanted to learn Nora Jones’ Don’t Know Why. It’s a song whose chord roots largely follow the circle of fifths, the sort of progression I’ve always found strangely irresistible. (We discussed this pattern in an earlier lesson.)

So that got me fooling around with Nora’s chords, and I discovered that with only a few alterations I could use them to play an accompaniment for Amazing Grace. You can hear it in the video above. Continue reading

Tired of Playing the Same Old Song in the Same Old Way?

Then play it differently! And one of the simplest, most effective, ways to do that is to change the voice leading.

Here’s what I mean. Continue reading

An academic recommends learning music by ear

One of my biggest gripes about piano teaching as a whole, is that students are almost always taught to read music before they learn to play by ear. That’s why I was thrilled to hear this interview with Rob Cutietta, Dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, Continue reading

Really listening (and its rewards)

I keep a journal about my playing and practicing. This is from today’s entry.

I spent some time with the well-known Sonatina in G. (Probably not by Beethoven, as it turns out.) One of my students is playing it and I want her to hear how beautiful this little piece can sound.

It took me a while to get caught up in the music and enjoy it, and for a while, I thought I never would. But as I listened more and more closely and found little things to do that pleased me, I perked up. Continue reading

Deep Basic #3: Grow your ear.

This is the third in a series of posts on the core essentials of piano playing.

Just as artists are trained to draw what they see, savvy musicians practice playing what they hear.

But maybe you’re thinking, “Yes, it would be nice to be able to play by ear, but I can read. The notes I want to play are right there on the page. I think I’ll pass on this.”

I understand. Most of us, from our first piano lesson on, were taught to rely on our eyes (and musical notation) rather than on our ears. It’s what we know. And often, teachers not only don’t help their students learn to play by ear, they actively discourage it.

But the thing is, music is sound, so the more you’re able to put your ear in charge of your playing, the more at home you’ll feel at the piano. Continue reading