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Automatic Control of Chords
CORRECT PRACTICE IS INDISPENSABLE! Your success or failure at the keyboard may well hinge on how quickly and accurately you can memorize a new chord. To be really efficient at this you must use your eyes, your ears, and the muscles of your hands. You must learn a chord so that you can recognize and play that chord the next day withouthesitation. Let me explain how to practice to gain this three-way control. VISUAL CONTROL - After playing a chord, take your hands off the keyboard. Then return to the chord remembering visually where the fingers were positioned. Notice particularly the pattern that was formed by the black and white keys and the location of the melody and root notes. (No two chords look exactly alike.) Repeat this procedure at least four or five times to learn a chord visually. And, as you are playing the chord, say its name OUT LOUD. You must associate the name of the chord with the actual notes you are playing, if the chord symbol is to have any real meaning later on. TACTILE CONTROL - As you are playing the chord, try to feel it muscularly. Play each note of the chord, one note at a time, so that you use the muscles of the hand. You will develop a muscular memory for chords. AURAL CONTROL - Listen to the chord. You'll want to know its sound so you can instantly recognize and use it later on ... "by ear"! http://www.mrronsmusic.com/playpiano.htm Play Piano Like a PRO! Proven Tips, Tools and Strategies (that anyone can learn) to Play Rock, Pop, Blues, R&B and Smooth Jazz Piano. http://www.mrronsmusic.com/playpiano.htmhttp://www.playpianotonight.com/default2.htm
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But if you want to increase your chances of getting your song on the radio, it is a good starting point.Here is the formula. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.Write that down on paper leaving plenty of space between each word and this will be your script.VerseThe verse is the part of the song that tells the story, the part that leads to the chorus. Each verse is usually different, telling a different part of, or adding to, the story. It usually explains how you got to the things you are singing about in the chorus.Chorus.The chorus is the part of the song that is repeated after each verse. The lyrics are usually the same each time the chorus comes around. The verse usually leads to the chorus, and the chorus is usually the pay off for listening to the verse. Does that make sense?Here is a lame example (you did not think I would give you my best work, did you?):(verse)My dog is sick, he's got a tickHe's my best friend, don't let it end(chorus)Oh, woe is me, can't you seeWoe is me, will I ever be free(verse)My car broke down, just out of townIt got towed in, but it's broke again(chorus)Oh, woe is me, can't you seeWoe is me, will I ever be freeNow, if you would kindly stop laughing at my lame song for a minute, I want you to think about whether or not you understand my point. Songwriting is story telling. The verse tells the problems, the chorus expresses the results or the emotions.All right, now that you have that mastered, let's tackle the bridge. Ah, yeah, there is more to the song than the pain and the release. We need the diversion. That is what the bridge is; it is the diversion from the verse and the chorus.The bridge may have a slightly different melody to it, or it could even have a different rhythm or a different tempo (Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" did a great job on this technique).Let's go back to the lame song and add a bridge: (verse)My dog is sick, he's got a tickHe's my best friend, don't let it end(chorus)Oh, woe is me, can't you seeWoe is me, will I ever be free(verse)My car broke down, just out of townIt got towed in, but it's broke again(chorus)Oh, woe is me, can't you seeWoe is me, will I ever be free(bridge)Tomorrow is a better day, I've got a new truck on the wayMy dog just had a flea it seems, so once again I'll live my dreams(chorus)Oh, woe was me, can't you seeWoe was me, but now I'm freeThe bridge offers a solution to the problems I was having. You don't want to leave your listener on the edge of suicide, you want to give them hope.Notice, I also changed up the wording of the chorus. 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