|
Author: Duane Shinn Article source: http://www.articlecity.com/. Used with author's permission.
There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to "chord a song" at the piano. By "chord a song", I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune. To do this, you don't need to be a Van Cliburn; all you need to do is learn a few basic chords and be able to more back and forth between them in some organized rhythmic pattern. For example, did you realize that all of these songs (and hundreds more) can be sung or played with just 3 chords?
Auld Lang Syne
Amazing Grace
Kum Ba Ya
Silent Night
Joy To The World
Jingle Bells
Happy Birthday
Down In The Valley
On Top Of Old Smoky
…and hundreds or maybe thousands more!
Add just one more chord to the basic 3, and you can play another thousand songs or so. So why not learn a few chords and start your chording career?
Here are my top 10 reasons for learning "chord piano":
1) It's easy. Learn 3 chords and start in.
2) Even though it's easy to get started, you don't have to stop there. You can learn more and more chords and more rhythm patterns and get really good.
3) You'll be able to play "Happy Birthday" while the gang sings it.
4) You'll be able to play half-a-dozen Christmas carols. In case you haven't noticed, Christmas comes every year, so every year you'll get better as you participate in family gatherings. And when New Years eve rolls around, you'll be ready with "Auld Lang Syne."
5) You can help your kids learn to play the piano, guitar, or most any other instrument by learning chords. Most teachers don't teach chords, so you'll be giving your kids an advantage by learning chords.
6) People will tend to admire you. It's true. Musicians are popular. Anyone who can play anything is in demand at parties and social gatherings. And if you can "chord" while others sing, you're bound to be popular.
7) Piano playing using chords is good for your brain. Studies have shown that people who actively participate in music do their brain lots of good. And since chords require 3 or 4 notes at a time instead of one, you are giving your brain a good workout.
8) Piano playing, particularly using chords, is good exercise for your wrists and fingers. (Take the time to learn about correct hand position, though!)
9) Piano playing is excellent therapy for the stress of life. Many professional people come home from a hard days work and relax by expressing their emotions on the keyboard. Play a few dark and angry chords, and you'll be surprised how much better you feel!
10) Piano playing is a blast. It's just plain old fun. So learn 3 or 4 chords and get going.
Maybe you'll stop there and enjoy it the rest of your life. But just maybe you'll love it so much that you keep going and turn yourself into an excellent piano player who can read music as well as play chords! Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD's, CD's, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled "How To Play Chord Piano In Ten Days!" has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled "Amazing Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions" with over 59,300 current subscribers.
Getting Started with Succession Planning: Part I
To help these business owners get started with succession planning, we have put together a checklist of items that will get the process rolling. The first step...
Which Credit Card?
Bewildered by the sheer variety of debit cards and credit cards?
Long Distance Love
Before the advent of the internet, long-distance relationships were rare. Most people met their mates in school, through a friend or neighbor, at a party or in...
Home Mortgage Loans - Fixed Rate, Adjustable or Balloon, Which One Is Right For You?
If you are looking to buy a home, its important to understand the different types of mortgages available before you buy.
How To Find Joint Venture Partners
So how do you go about finding joint venture partners? The first question you should ask yourself is this: "Who already has influence and credibility with my t...
11 Awesome Ways To Explode Your Affiliate Commission
11 Awesome Ways To Explode Your Affiliate Commission. Combine 2-4 of them will explode your current affiliate earnings, guarantee!
Expectations
Life delivers pretty much what you expect it will. What are you expecting?
6 Reasons Why Complaining Customers are Golden
Complaining Customers are actually a source of solid revenue and the best possible good will if you plan ahead for ways to keep them happy. The worst thing you...
Home Inspection Checklist - Home Inspectors
The American Home Inspector Directory has developed a Pre-Inspection Checklist to assist you preparing for your next Home Inspection. You can prepare for the ar...
Stock Options Trading Strategies - Lean
Professional stock options traders use the term lean to refer to one's perception about the directional strength of the stock. When you own a stock option and i...
Bathroom Vanities and Cabinets Come in Many Different Styles
Modern bathroom vanities and medicine cabinets come in a huge variety of styles and finishes, from the simulated antique look to sleek modern designs. Your cho...
Are You Ready for a 40-year Mortgage?
High real estate prices may make the previously obscure 40-year mortgage more common, allowing people to purchase homes they otherwise could not afford.
The Hand of God
There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my parent's not-so-large, five room apartment. I had, as they say, "run out of options." My life was out of control, way...
Puberty - Get Ready to Play the Puberty Game
Kids are moving into puberty at an increasingly earlier age and it is catching parents unawares. Be ready for puberty by gaining an undertsanding of what pubert...
10 “No Money Down” Ways to Buy Real Estate
Turn the Television on any Sunday morning and you'll find yourself in the middle of a "how to buy real estate" infomercial. Can you really buy a house with no d...
Aptitude Tests Reveal the Difference Between Your Aptitude & Ability
Aptitude tests measure your skills, abilities, values, interests and personality in order to help you determine which careers you might be best suited for and e...
Home Equity Increases $1 Trillion in Five Years – Is the Market Peaking?
The huge increase in California home equity and in the number of interest-only mortgages suggests that the real estate market may be peaking. Buyers should be ...
Bishoprics
You might be amazed at the opportunity to make money and enjoy sex or other power and control inside the celibate and spiritual church.
Steer Clear of the Internet Traffic Jam
Yesterday, I got stuck in a traffic jam. It wasn't the first time and unfortunately won't be the last time! 5 miles of bright beaming red tail lights flicker...
The Top 10 BEST Things About Having a Coach
Obviously, there are many wonderful things about having a personal coach to support and encourage you. Everyone develops their own working relationship with the...
Website Design: 10 Smart Tips To Improve Your Ad Copy
Your website design may be affecting your sales in
ways that you may not believe.
Get Better Search Engine Rankings with RSS
Learn how to get your pages indexed faster and rank higher on search engines using RSS
Ecommerce Solutions for Small Business Owners
You are running a small business.
Or
You may have a web site but has not been generating a good income.
Or
You may have a web site, which is generating a good ...
Jihad
Jesus spoke as much about Heaven as He did about Hell. What I would like to do is a little comparison of the Truth of the Bible over the Lies of The Jihad, as t...
|
Print this page