omg-piano-course-chords.pdf

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Andra Alexanders

OMG Piano Course

A Piano Course Designed

to Help You Free Your Ear and Voice


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Editor: Valencya Vinzonte

Graphic Design: Ricardo Jr. Martinez and Andra Alexander

Creative Advisors: Alisha Jones and Daniel Moore

Photography: Khadia Handon and Andra Alexander

Original Artwork/Pseudo Muse: Dewaynia Wilson


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I want to publicly thank Mrs. Alicia Graham for financing my life, Mrs.

Roma Heart, Dr. Haewon Moon, Mr. Jerry Ascion, and Mr. Vince Evan. As a

piano player, I would not be who I am without your instruction. Marcus, my

first piano student, thanks for being my guinea pig.

I dedicate this book to one of my favorite people to ever live, my Great

Grandmother Mrs. Lucy Fleet. I love you always.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword 1

Introduction(Nice to Meet You) 3

Level 1

Lets Get Started (Right This Way) 6

How Do I Press the Key Down Correctly? 6

How Do I Use the Pedals? 7

Im Nervous and Feel Tensed When I think About Playing

the Piano. 9

What Are the Notes on the Piano? 11

Why Do Some Notes Have 2 Names? 13

Chords (Appetizer) 14

Your Fingers Have Numbers 15

How to Practice 16

Chords Organized by Key 17-103

IN LEVEL 2

Progression 1 in All Keys




IN LEVEL 3

Chord Patterns (Main Course)

Pattern 1


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Pattern 2

Pattern 3

Pattern 4

Pattern 5

Pattern 6

Pattern 7

Pattern 8

Pattern 9

Reading and Writing Chord Charts (Dessert)

Meter

Measure

Putting Chords on the Chart

Chords and Lyrics

Repeat Sign

Slash for Timing of Chords

D.C., D.S., and Coda

A Key

Basic Music Theory (Eat Your Vegetables)

Intervals

Scales

Chords

Key Signatures

Reading Notes On a Staff

Note Values

Clapping Rhythms


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Chord Symbols

Soloing (Starring You)

Vocal Game 1

Vocal Game 2

Vocal Game 3

Vocal Game 4

Vocal Game 5

Piano Game 1

Piano Game 2

Piano Game 3

Piano Game 4

Piano Game 5

Piano Game 6

Piano Game 7

Extras (Leftovers)

Slash

Playing Well With Others

Conclusion (You Dont Have to Go Home, But You Have to Get Out

of Here!


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OMG Piano Course 1

FOREWORD

OMG Piano Course by Andrae!Alexander is the book that many of us

who use our vocal chords as our main instrument have needed. It is an

equally invaluable tool for musicians and aspiring musicians. I took the

course as part of editing the book, since I am also a singer. Andrae!has taken

what could have been years of piano lessons (intended for the musician who

plans to become primarily a pianist or keyboardist), and succinctly provided

piano/keyboard and music theory teaching to those who are singers or

otherwise need a more reasonable and time efficient way of learning to play the

piano. If used properly, the student of OMG Piano Coursewill be able to be his

or her own piano/keyboard accompanist and player in a very short time period

during and after completion of the course.

My interest in the book came out of frustration of always having to find a

keyboardist to accompany me when I sang at churches and other events. I

would many times end-up working with a musician whom I had not had time

to rehearse, singing with a recorded musical track (CD), or singing a cappella.

Although all of these presentations are usually acceptable in most churches,

because it is more about praising God with a joyful noise, it did not help to

establish my reputation as a professional Gospel/inspirational vocalist.

My level of piano/musical expertise was not nonexistent upon my

invitation to OMG Piano Course, meaning, I already knew how to read music,


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OMG Piano Course 2

punch a few notes on the piano, and knew enough to write my own songs.

However, I believe Andrae!ensured that a singer, musician, or aspiring

musician who had no knowledge of piano playing or reading music could get

through the course, and without great difficulty, with final results equaling

whatever the student expected. It does not mean that no work is involved, a lot

of practice is needed, but the type of practice introduced will enable students to

reach their needed end result in a fraction of the time expected in conventional

piano and music theory classes.

Therefore, I congratulate Andrae!Alexander on a book well-written, and

an innovative piano/keyboard-learning tool in OMG Piano Course. I also

congratulate you on making this purchase, because it proves that you take

your musical ability seriously, and that you plan to make the most out of what

you are able to learn and present musically.

Valencya VinzonteGospel/Inspirational Singer and Songwriter


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OMG Piano Course 3

INTRODUCTION(NICE TO MEET YOU)

Forgive me if I get straight to the point. I dont like reading books that

have great information hidden behind layers of pages with filler words on them.

This book may not be the longest youve ever read. However, if you use the

information in this book, I know youll be thanking me for years to come.

Im starting with chords because most singers or aspiring musicians are

not planning on becoming piano virtuosos. Freedom is what they want.

Freedom to be able to play chords to the songs they write, play the piano while

singing, fire their keyboard player, or tell a band clearly what the correct

chords to their song are.

In this book there are some fun tools to free your ear. I want to teach you

to use your ear in ways that may be different for you, as well as playing chords

on the piano. I want you to be able to listen to the radio and say, "Hey, thats a

major 7 chord going to a diminished chord to a- maybe. In a perfect world.

In reality, if after reading this book you can sit at a piano and write a song

(send me a check !), I have done my job. If after reading this book you can

play a CD, sit at a piano and figure the song out for yourself, I have done my

job even better.

My approach to the piano is probably much different than most. Instead

of teaching you songs, I want to teach you how to listen to music and learn the


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song yourself. Im teaching you how to train your ear as well as the basics of

reading music. I want you to be able to get what you want and need as soon as

possible. Then, you will have the confidence and excitement you need to try

something else you didnt know you could do. Like, writing a chart for the first

time or sitting down with a band youve never played with and using just your

ears to jam with them. Them possibilities are endless.

I know a lot of musicians who are great musicians but cant read music

and have no knowledge of music theory. I want to help those musicians

become more marketable, knowledgeable, and well rounded as musicians. I

believe in presenting the information to you and giving you the option of what

you want to learn. I have a section on reading and writing music, if thats what

you need, start there. I have a section on chords and chord patterns, if thats

what you need, start there. You get the point? I want you to go as far as you

want to go. Hopefully, I will have given you all the tools you need to start going

in the right direction.


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OMG Piano Course 5

LETS GET STARTED(RIGHT THIS WAY)

How do I press the keys down correctly?

If you talk to five different pianists, you are probably going to get five

different ways to take your hand and hit a key on the piano. Im going to give

you what I like, because its my book. J

Ive had the privilege of learning different things from different

piano/keyboard players. Simplicity is what they all have in common. None of

them had a ruler standing behind me trying to force me to hold my hands in

some unnatural carpal tunnel prone position. They all stressed the use of the

weight of the body. Have you ever seen a five-year old bang away at a piano

loud and proud? They have never been trained. You give them a ten-pound

barbell and we now have a problem. What do a ten-pound barbell and a 5 year

old have to do with the piano? I have no clue, but its funny.

If youre reading this, I assume certain things about you, like the fact

that you are a genius for getting this book, and you have great taste. Besides

that, I assume you have at least an arm and fingers. To begin, I want you to sit

at the piano with your back straight. Hold your arms at about shoulder height.

Now without any added pressure, let your arms drop on the keys. Hopefully

you didnt break anything (on the piano or yourself).


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OMG Piano Course 6

You hit the piano without any added thought or tension in your body,

and it made a sound. Thats all I want you to focus on for now, playing the

piano comfortably without any tension in your body. There are different names

for this technique, but in my opinion, it all boils down to doing what you do

naturally.

How do I use the pedal?

Well lets talk about using the sustain pedal on your piano or keyboard.

On an acoustic piano, the sustain pedal is the pedal on the right.

Use the sustain pedal to sustain notes. I know that was a big shock to

some of you !. Its very easy to use. Press a key, then press the pedal, and

release. Notice I said:


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1. Press the key.

2. Press the pedal.

3.

Release the key.


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OMG Piano Course 8

Im nervous and feel tensed when I think about playing the piano!

Being nervous before a performance is normal. There are two things you

can do to help you get over your nerves.

1.

Think of your favorite performance. Now remember how good it

felt and how receptive the people were to your performance.

Keep imagining this scene until you put yourself back into that

mindset of comfort and confidence. If youve never had a great

performance, imagine the best performance you attended.

Imagine you were on the stage performing. See and hear your

perfect flawless performance. Keep imagining until you feel like

you have just had the performance of your life.

2.

While you are alone, look in the mirror. Tell yourself you are

amazing and you deserve to be on that stage. Remind yourself

that being a musician/performer is a gift. Remind yourself to

enjoy every second you are performing.

***As disclaimer, I am not a medical physician. These are the techniques that

work for me. Before doing any of these massages and/or stretches, you should

consult your physician to see if they are right for you.


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OMG Piano Course 9

To help you relieve some tension, massage your hands: Position the hand

that you are massaging palm up toward the sky. Take the hand that you are

using to massage, place your four fingers under the hand you are massaging.

With the hand that you are using to massage, take your thumb and begin to

slide it from the base of your hand to the base of every finger using a good

amount of pressure. Switch hands and do it again.

Your neck: Place both hands on the back of your head like you are going

to do crunches. Slowly begin to pull your head down to your chest. Using your

hands, turn you head to the left and hold for 10 seconds. Turn to the right

and hold for 10 seconds. Return to your original position.

Your back: Take your right hand and massage your left shoulder. Take

your left hand and massage you right shoulder. All of these stretches are done

seated, as if you are about to play the piano.


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What are the notes on the piano?

There are only 12 notes on the piano. As you can see they keep repeating

themselves.

Just to help you remember where C and F are, I want you to notice the

cluster of 2 black keys. To the left of that cluster is always C. To the left of the

cluster of 3 black keys is always F.


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Why do some notes have two names?

Depending on if you are playing or singing in a sharp or flat key you call the

note its sharp or flat name. The symbol for sharp is #. The symbol for

flat is b. For example, the Bb (B flat) scale has an Eb (E flat) in it. If youre

in the key of B you would call that same note a D# (D sharp). Page 357 tells

you which keys are sharp and which keys are flat.


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OMG Piano Course 13

CHORDS (APPETIZER)

The chords that follow are the basic form of all the other chords that

youll learn in my patterns. I want you to start here as a warm up and then

move on to the patterns. Some of these chords may sound basic, but are as my

friend KenFen says, money chords! Money chords are those chords used in

most hits on the radio. Dont underestimate the power of these chords. If you

listen to one of my favorite songs on earth, the Beatles Let It Be, youll hear

these basic chords being used in all their glory. If you turn to a country or pop

station on the radio, you are guaranteed to hear these chords. In a later

chapter Ill teach you the theory for building these chords.

***As you practice, make sure you play every chord with both hands! Let me

say it again PLAY EVERY CHORD WITH BOTH HANDS!!! Sorry for yelling,

but some people respond better when you yell (Well I thought it was

funny.)


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*** POWER PROVERB*** He who plays too much goes hungry!

Ive learned from experience that simple is better most of the time. If the song calls

for a C major chord, play just a C major chord! People get fired for not mastering

this one concept, Im glad you wont be one of them!

YOUR FINGERS HAVE NUMBERS

On the pages that follow, Ive placed red arrows with either an L or an R

with the numbers 1 to 5 on the notes of the piano. The red arrows tell you

which notes to press. The L means use your left hand. The R means use

your right hand. The number tells you which finger to use.


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How to practice:

Pick a key and play every chord in that key. Follow my example on Track 2.

Read from top to bottom before moving on to the next page. Repeat as often as

you feel necessary. The purpose of practicing this way is to get your fingers

used to forming chords. This will also get your ears used to hearing the chords

as well. The more you practice, the easier playing and hearing these chords will

become. Please practice all of the keys! I recommend you practice at least a key

a day. As you get better, this will become really easy.

***Dont forget to use both hands for this exercise***


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*TRACK 2 Example of how to practice


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omg-piano-course-chords.pdf

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