Thursday, July 3, 2008
Breakthrough Chord Structure Makes Playing Piano a Breeze!
Do you know why playing guitar is so much easier than playing piano? It's because guitar players learn how to use chords first. Even before note reading!
They usually learn how to play chords in the first position. Called open position chords, the beginning guitarist quickly learns how to finger this position and can immediately create music. That's why so many people love the guitar and want to learn it!
They don't waste time learning "the masters" or anything like that at all. Nope. It's all contemporary. Unless of course it's classical guitar.
Now why can't those interested in learning piano have the same benefits? After all, it's not like everyone wants to learn how to play Bach or Beethoven.
The good news is you can play piano using only chords. But not just any chords. I'm talking about learning a chord structure that will have you sounding like a professional right away! It's called the Open Position Chord and with it, you'll be able to create your own unique music!
I know it sounds far-fetched. I didn't think I could make my own music either until I discovered this chord position from a book titled "The Four-Way Keyboard System." In it, the author Alan Swain goes into great detail about the benefits of learning this chord structure.
I didn't have to really read what he wrote. I just played it. And I was hooked! Here was something I could learn quite easily. And I could learn it in all 12 keys - just as easily! I had found what I was looking for. A modern sounding chord that would let me improvise with both hands at the piano right away AND sound good doing it!
Most of us know what triads are. This 3-note chord structure has been used to introduce students to chording on the piano. But learning triads isn't necessarily the best place to start. In fact, there really is no good reason to begin your piano studies with triads.
Listen, if your goal is to read music and play kum-ba-ya, then by all means, spend countless hours learning how to read music and play triads. But, if you want to improvise and create your own unique music, I can think of no better chord structure than the open position chord!
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!
