xtratorque Posted August 27, 2005 Share Posted August 27, 2005 Hey, I just bought an Elton John songbook to learn with (unfortunately I didn't buy an easy piano one). I brought it to my piano teacher and he transcribed some of it for me. Does anyone have any tips for making it easier to change chords? My fingers haven't quite gotten used to making the changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted August 27, 2005 Share Posted August 27, 2005 Practice, practice, practice. Sorry, that's about the best way to accomplish anything. There are shortcuts, but those shortcuts are for the long haul - spending a lot of time on the fundamentals which will save time over a period of years. For the short term, practice x 3. No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I I mjrn Posted August 27, 2005 Share Posted August 27, 2005 One thing that you could try---although this is very simplistic, it's a suggestion that may not work as well for a beginner, unless you're familiar with chord construction---is to use chord inversions that hold common notes. For example, changing from a root-position C triad [C-E-G] to an F triad could involve moving 3 fingers or you could maintain the low C & just move the fingers from the E to the adjacent F & the G to the nearby A. These block forms may not always fit the music's flow as well as selctions based on the melodic contour but for just practicing the mechanics of hand movement, they may help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Unfortunately Dave Horne is right. This is what makes piano much harder than guitar where there are far fewer patterns needed to be able to play. Some clues as to what to practice. 1/ There's a set of limited hand shapes that work for different chords. Take the major and minor triads for example. (WWW=three white notes (left to right) WBW is White black white, etc) Shape WWW: C/F/G maj D/E/A min Shape WBW(1): D/E/A maj Shape WBW(2): C/F/G min Shape WBB: B maj Shape BBB: F# maj Eb Min Shape BWB(1): C#/Eb/Ab Maj Shape BWB(2): C#/F#/Ab Min Shape BBW: Bb min Shape BWW: Bb maj Shape:WWB B min Notice that for some of these there are two slightly different positions with the same combination of White and Black keys - practice going from one of one form to one of the other and you will feel your middle finger move slightly sideways relative to the hand. So there are ten positions needed for 24 major and minor chords and six will cover all but four of those. You want to get those positions memorized so you can just shape your hand and grab a chord. Some chords naturally tend to occur together so pratice switching between them. These are adjacent chords in the cycle of fifths (C G D A E B F# C# Ab Eb Bb F (then C again)) Learn these both ways and learn them going backwards (G to C for example) Then work on ii-V-Is. (For example, Dm G C is a ii-V-I in the key of C) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Rideout Posted August 28, 2005 Share Posted August 28, 2005 Hey Eric, let us know exactly what Elton John book you have, and which song you're working on first. We'll all take a look at our own versions of it and then suggest specific things for you to practice. Whaddaya say, folks? Ernie Rideout, Private Citizen Gee, that was quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moyboy60 Posted August 29, 2005 Share Posted August 29, 2005 Practice is the way to go. Even sitting down at the piano for 5 minutes is helpful. The physical and mental skills will increase with each session. I've been playing for almost 40 years and I find myself learning new things all the time. Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtratorque Posted August 30, 2005 Author Share Posted August 30, 2005 I have the Elton John Greatest Hits 1970-2002. I'm working on This Train Don't Stop There Anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Jones Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by Dave Horne: Practice, practice, practice. Sorry, that's about the best way to accomplish anything. There are shortcuts, but those shortcuts are for the long haul - spending a lot of time on the fundamentals which will save time over a period of years. For the short term, practice x 3. Dave nailed it!!!!! If you want to be an accomplished player then you must practice without ceasing!!! Tis the only way to become proficient. Peace Michael "I may be a craven little coward, but I'm a greedy craven little coward." Daffy Duck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I'll add what I've seen first hand and what I have also been guilty of in the past - using tricks that can clutter your mind with useless information. I've had students who have played little tricks with themselves to figure things out. For instance, (and I've done this when I was younger), you have a C#ø7 (C#min7,b5) and instead of thinking of just that chord, you think an incomplete A9 because it's easier. That's just one example but I've seen many. All of those little short cuts add up and clutter up your mind. Spend a few extra minutes analyzing what's in front of you and be done with it. Avoid little tricks to make it easier to read. My two cents. No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Rideout Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Thanks for the info, Eric! I'll look up that arrngement and I'll come up with some practice suggestions for you that apply to that song. Guys, gals, anyone else want to pitch in here? Ernie Rideout, Private Citizen Gee, that was quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrafon Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Well, I have to agree that Dave is correct and true practice is the only real solution. If you are focused on learning this particular song quickly, then I would suggest you: (1) figure out what key the song is in; (2) practice the relevant scale (with proper hand positioning and fingering) repeatedly and repetitively (and then do it some more); (3) learn all the chords used in the song; (4) practice moving between all the chords; (5) learn the inversion for all the chords to figure out the least hand movements needed to move between chords (provided that satisfies your ear and how the chords should sound vis the original); and (6) of course, learn the proper rhythms. If you go about this the wrong way, you will do more harm than good. You might as well learn the correct way from the get go. My two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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