1. hobbies and interests
2. guitar

.FREE Keyboard Lessons.
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Nearly every contemporary song recorded in the past 50 years is played with chords,
which are a bunch of notes (sounds) played at the same time.
So if you master just 8 chords and just ONE rhythm,
PLUS how to play and sing in easier keys - you could sit in with nearly any
contemporary band and play along!! (even if it’s only on mp3 or video)
And once you’ve learned basic Keyboard, it’s easy to see how to transfer your new skills
to Guitar, Bass, and Drums if you want.
ONLY 4 STEPS!!
1. Learn just 8 chords.
2. Play them as a pattern using just 1 rhythm.
3. Play your first song.
4. Change songs you like into easier keys to sing and play.
Then you’re ready to play more songs than you’ll ever fit in your lifetime!
Ready??
S
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Learn just 8 chords!!
And here they are...
more free music stuff
.1.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
The note they call Middle C is marked to help you find where to play each chord
around the middle of your keyboard.
Try to use the thumb, middle and pinky fingers on your right hand.
And your thumb or index finger for the single note in the left hand.
Bend your knuckles so you play with your finger tips.
C
C
G
Em
C
C
C
D
C
C
F#m
Bm
C
C
Am
A
Every alphabetical letter from A to G could have two different chords played on it,
major OR minor. We're just learning 8 for now.
So learn to say "minor" if the chord has a little "m" after it, and "sharp" if it has a little "#"
after it. F#m is called F sharp minor. That'll make things MUCH easier down the track.
more free music stuff
.2.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
Print this page a few times until you learn all 8 chords by memory.
(and remember to build them just like the pikkies above!)
more free music stuff
.3.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
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Hit’n’Run
You’ll learn the chords much quicker if you hit'n'run – play the chord once, lift it quickly
and find the next chord ready to play it on the 1 beat of the very next bar!
The most important beat to play in any song is where the chord changes. As you
become more confident, you can hold the note for longer before playing the next chord.
Playing blind
You’ll learn the chords much quicker if you play blind.
1. Play a chord, sing its name and see its shape in your memory as you play it.
2. Out loud, say which fingers are on which notes.
3. Hear the chord playing in your memory.
4. Lift your fingers off slightly but freeze the chord shape.
That'll help to memory lock your muscles.
5. See and say each finger again.
6. Now put your fingers back on the chord again without looking.
Check how close you are. It really gets your brain and your fingers working together
quicker! But keep at it - your fingers won't usually like these strange chord shapes.
Too many people take too long to learn the chords, because they forget to play blind!
Oh, and just two other bits to help you learn quicker:
1. Don’t “build” the chords adding one note at a time, start to see them as a whole
package and put all the fingers down at the same time.
2. Keep both hands on the Keyboard between chords – don’t take them off, or
rest them in your lap, use “superman” eyes and see right through your hands to
the keys.
more free music stuff
.4.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
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Portable keyboards have about a. 6 b. 60 c. 600 notes, each one lower or higher
than the next, which gives them a different note, or pitch.
They are in alphabetical order.
Some kind person has arranged the notes so the black ones squish behind the white
ones to make it easier for up to a. one b. ten c. twelve fingers to stretch across
enough keys at the same time. It’s set up that way just for convenience, a bit like the
way a computer keyboard has more than one row of keys.
Play the note at the very left of your keyboard, then the note at the very right.
Can you tell that the sounds run left to right from the lowest to the highest pitches?
Oh, all right they run from the right to the left from the highest to the lowest. Same thing.
So if you play the top note of the keyboard and then the notes below it down the
keyboard, each note makes a a. sales pitch b. lower pitch c. cricket pitch
than the one before.
And each of these notes has a name.
That makes it easier for all musical instruments to sound in tune playing the same note.
Can you see the pattern of black and white keys? There’s a group of two black keys,
then a group of three black keys – all the way along.
Find the group of two black keys nearest the middle.
The white note on their left is called C (right before the two black notes)
Then the white note above that is D (between the two black notes)
Next to that is E (after the two black notes)
Then F (before the three black notes)
And G (between the first and second black notes in the group of 3)
Then A (between the second and third black notes in the group of 3)
Then B (after the three black notes)
Then back to another C (before the next two black notes)
That’s it. That’s the pattern. Not as mysterious as it looks.
To get used to the order (it’s always alphabetical)
find all the A notes on the keyboard from low to high,
then all the B notes,
then all the C notes…
Once you've mastered just these 8 chords, you’re ready for STEP 2!!
more free music stuff
.5.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
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OK, you've just mastered the 8 chords (I hope). Great!
Remember there's ONLY 4 STEPS!!
1. Learn just 8 chords.
2. Play them as a pattern using just 1 rhythm.
3. Play your first song.
4. Change songs you like into easier keys to sing and play.
Ready for S
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P 22????
Play the 8 chords as a pattern using just 1 rhythm!!
Just make sure you don't rush into this step until you really can play ALL 8 chords well,
or you’ll miss out playing stacks of great songs which use chords you didn’t learn
properly in the first place!
Songs are based on chords.
And chords hang around in groups like families, called keys.
We're learning the chords which hang around the key (family) of D and the key of G.
Each key in music has 6 chords, but G and D share some of the same family members
(chords), so instead of having to learn 12 chords,
it's only 8 (that's FOUR less you have to learn - see it really is quicker!!)
Different songs use different combinations, or "patterns" of the chords in their key.
We're using a pattern based on a song by a bloke called Pachelbel over 400 years ago!
But since nobody's ever come up with a quicker way to include all 6 chords in a decent
song it's the quickest way to learn them all!
The pattern by Pachelbel is used in STACKS of songs. So even if you never learned any
other chords, you could still have a go at songs that nick some or all of his pattern, like
Basket Case (Green Day)
Every Time (Britney Spears In The Zone)
Father Welcomes (Robin Mann)
Friends Forever/Graduation (Vitamin C)
Give Thanks (Henry Smith)
Go West (Village People)
God Himself Is Present (Tersteegen/Neander/Arnsberg)
I'll be there (Jackson 5)
Let it be me (Willie Nelson)
My Baby (Cold Chisel)
Original Sin (Elton John)
Seek Ye First (Karen Lafferty)
Spics’n’Specs (Bee Gees)
Streets of London (Ralph McTell et al)
This Kingdom (Geoff Bullock)
Unchained Melody (Righteous Brothers)
even bits of the Russian National Anthem!
And stacks more!
more free music stuff
.6.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
Make sure you can play both patterns by memory - that'll make things MUCH quicker
and easier as you go along. Let’s use the G pattern for now.
Count out loud from 1 to 4 over and over, and go through the pattern, playing the next
chord on each 1 beat. Remember to say Em as “E minor”.
(Can you hear the minors sound a little different?)
Say this as you play through the G pattern:
G 2 3 4
D 2 3 4
Em 2 3 4 Bm 2 3 4
C 2 3 4
G 2 3 4
Am 2 3 4 D 2 3 4
BIG HINT: the trick is to Hit’n’Run, so as soon as you’ve hit (played) the chord, don’t
hold it down, just run to the next chord so you’re ready to hit it on the next 1 beat.
Just go however slowly you need for that to happen!
Starting to get the hang of it?
Play along with the G pattern and slide the speed control down as slow as you need,
to be able to change ALL chords on the 1 beat.
OR you can download FREE mp3s of variable speed drum beats if it’s easier.
The Rock Beat is really, REALLY, REALLY important in contemporary music, so if
you’re not sure how it works or why we need it, download our FREE Drum Lessons.
Each time you play the pattern through spot on, increase the speed just 2 or 4 bpm until
you get to 80bpm. That’s the QUICKEST way to build up speed, believe me, it’s not as
much of a shock for the poor, old brain – so it hardly tells the difference, and before you
know it...
Once you’ve mastered that (no cheating), try playing the pattern on the
1 beat as well as the 3 beat (it's called playing 2 to the bar).
Then on EACH beat (called 4/bar).
When you can play both patterns, 4/bar at 80bpm, you’re playing
Ballad Tempo, which is real song speed, used by thousands of songs!
Then make sure you can do it all in the D pattern as well!
As soon as you've mastered that, you're ready to play a(nother) SONG!
more free music stuff
.7.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
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Remember there's ONLY 4 STEPS!!
1. Learn just 8 chords.
2. Play them as a pattern using just 1 rhythm.
3. Play your first song.
4. Change songs you like into easier keys to sing and play.
Ready for S
STTE
EP
P 33????
Play your first song!!
This course is all about playing the songs YOU want to play.
You've mastered the 8 chords playing 4/bar in the G and D pattern at 80bpm. Great!
Before you launch into changing the zillions of songs out there, into easier keys to play
and sing, I reckon start with Amazing Grace, ‘cos it’s copyright clear and an easier
place to check you've got the hang of this contemporary music stuff.
With ALL chorded music, you just need to watch the syllables where the chords change
(especially ones on Chord/Tab Websites, which often don't line up right!).
Each bar is underlined here to help you count along. And don't be fooled by the size of
the spaces between chords, that just depends how many syllables have to be squished
into the song!
Just play one chord on the first beat of each bar to start with.
And count out loud eg "G 2 3 4
G 2 3 4 C 2 3 4 G 2 3 4" like before.
Then build up speed until you can play a chord on each beat of each bar.
Remember to play as slowly as you need to, to make sure there's
no time delay between bars while you find the next chord!
And don’t forget to sing, or hum, or mumble musically along so there's some kind of
tune! Because contemporary music is like glue that mixes part A and part B - someone
plays the chords in a rhythm, while someone sings the tune.
Gotta have both for it to work!
In this song the words start on a weak beat, so count in 1 to 4,
and sing "a-" on beat 4, but don’t play G until the first beat of the next bar.
more free music stuff
.8.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
AMAZING GRACE (by John Newton, Public Domain)
G
G
C
G
A-mazing grace how sweet the sound
Em
A
Am
D
That saved a wretch like me
G
G
C
G
I once was lost but now am found
Em
D
C
G
Was blind but now I see
(RH 4/bar and LH 1/bar).
ANOTHER BIG HINT: if you're not much good at patting your head while rubbing your
tummy, try singing whatever syllable falls on the 1 beat of each bar, to get used to
singing and playing at the same time, eg
MAZ 2 3 4
GRACE 2 3 4
SWEET 2 3 4
SOUND 2 3 4
SAVED 2 3 4
WRETCH 2 3 4
ME 2 3 4
EE 2 3 4
ONCE 2 3 4
LOST 2 3 4
NOW 2 3 4
FOUND 2 3 4
BLIND 2 3 4
NOW 2 3 4
SEE 2 3 4
EE 2 3 4
Looks a bit strange, but no stranger than patting your head while rubbing your tummy!
And now it's time for STEP 4, discovering how to change the songs you want into easier
keys to play and sing.
more free music stuff
.9.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
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ONLY FOUR STEPS and we’re up to STEP 4!
1. Learn just 8 chords.
2. Play them as a pattern using just 1 rhythm.
3. Play your first song.
4. Change songs you like into easier keys to sing and play.
Ready for S
STTE
EP
P 44????
Change songs you like into easier keys to sing and play!!
Changing your favourite songs into easier chords to sing and play is just like painting by
numbers! All you need are the chords and words (as long as you know the tune).
Some sort of song book with the chord letters above your favourite songs is probably
easiest to start with, but there are zillions of chorded songs on the Web (although not all
may be downloaded legally). So choose a few, ‘cos some are easier than others while
you’re getting started.
The music for your favourite song is probably written in the key the artist sings on their
CD. Trouble is, if they have a different voice to yours, their key might be too high or too
low for you to sing comfortably. And the chords might be a bit harder.
Most recent keyboards have a Transpose Button
so you can press up/down in steps (semitones).
But don’t forget to “un-transpose” as soon as you’ve finished playing the song!
If you have a Piano, or a keyboard without Transpose - no problem!
To save you time, we’ve already worked out how to change from
any key at all into the easier keys of D or G.
This chart is packed with more information than you’ll probably ever want to
know about transposing. So don’t worry about every single bit at the moment.
Just enjoy the fact the keys are already worked out for you!
See how we've used the word "capo"? That's the funny clamp thing we use on a guitar
to transpose, so "put your capo on fret 3" just means press the transpose button UP
three times. OK?
more free music stuff
.10.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
OK, suppose you have a copy of Amazing Grace, but it's in the key of A.
Instead of having to learn a whole bunch of new and difficult chords...
Just use the chart above to play in an easier key (D or G).
All the keys and capo positions are already worked out for you!
So to play a song in A (see "A" there on line 1, column 8?)
The chart already tells you to change the chords to G (line 2, column 8)
Then transpose (put your capo) up 2 (line 3, column 8)
Now you'll be playing the same pitch as A, but using easier chords!
How good is THAT!!
Or if it's a bit high to sing in A, try playing it in G, without transpose.
(as long as anyone else playing along can do the same thing)
Don't get scared by the chart below - remember it's packed with lots more really useful
stuff not covered in this FREE lesson. We just need a bit of it.
I must remind myself not to forget to remember…
Songs often start or finish on the root key, but watch out for any anacrucis.
Scrub any chord with dim, aug, o, + and just keep playing the chord before it.
Sleepover chords may mean you’ll need to change some sharps or flats.
Always leave majors as majors, always leave minors as minors.
If all else fails try a skeleton chord (I, IV, V)
Slowly tap through the rhythm before adding the chords.
Play confidently.
more free music stuff
.11.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
Find the G line of the chart, (on the left in the major keys section, fifth from the bottom)
Then see which chords line up in all the columns on the A line.
(on the left, in the major keys section, third from the bottom)
A lines up with the highlighted G in the same column two rows above.
And E just across on that same A line, lines up with the highlighted D, etc etc
How easy is that?! The chords are already worked out for you.
Just follow the columns and rows!!
Here's an Amazing Grace I prepared earlier so to speak, to give you an idea.
AMAZING GRACE (by John Newton, Public Domain)
G
A
G
A
C
D
G
A
A-mazing grace how sweet the sound
Em
F#m
A
B
Am
Bm
D
E
That saved a wretch like me
G
A
G
A
C
D
G
A
I once was lost but now am found
Em
F#m
D
E
C
D
G
A
Was blind but now I see
This easy transposing chart will help you play your favourite songs in the easier keys of
D and G.
Download your own FREE copy to keep in your song book or keyboard case,
so it’s ready to roll when you need it.
OK, what's next?
more free music stuff
.12.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com
C
CO
ON
NG
GR
RA
AT
TU
UL
LA
AT
TO
ON
NS
S!!!!
You've mastered JUST 8 CHORDS and JUST ONE RHYTHM to play
more songs than you'll ever fit in your lifetime!
And in easier keys to sing and play!
Now that you’ve learned the basic skills for ONE instrument,
why transfer your new skills onto another instrument.
Keyboard, Guitar, Bass, Drums - it's the same sort of skills!
Now you can learn them ALL!!
And now you see how much quicker it is to play songs in easier keys,
why not register for some individual lessons, or organise a workshop in your area?
There's STACKS of practical stuff to show you how to play basic contemporary music
quicker AND easier!
Or buy your own CD-ROM and Manual for Level I and pick out the bits YOU want to
learn. Still not sure?
Check out the Testimonials at MicrowaveYourMusic.com and see why our students
agree that Microwave Your Music is the quicker, easier way to play
Keyboard, Guitar, Bass, and Drums!
more free music stuff
.13.
from MicrowaveYourMusic.com