How to Play the Piano (or Keyboard) Like a Pro: Lesson 3 - Simple Melodies With Hands Together

We're now ready to play a song, and it is best to start with an easy arrangement. The only chords will be in the left hand; we'll play single notes in the right hand (don't worry, we'll get to something that sounds better shortly). The first thing you need is the a copy of the melody and chords, and this is given in the lead sheet. As I mentioned earlier, this is the upper line of single notes in the sheet music of most songs. I'll select the song "I Love You Truly;" the first part of it is shown below.

I've selected it because it is relatively easy. It is in 3/4 time which tells us there are 3 quarter notes per bar. We therefore count 1-2-3 for each bar as we play it. Also we see that it is in the key of C. Let's start with the base; it will consist of single notes and chords. Before I talk about them, though, I have to tell you a few things about the base staff itself. It is shown below; the first thing you see is that it has a different clef, called appropriately, the base clef. The lines and spaces are, as you might expect, different from the stave for the right hand. Their designation is also shown. When you're playing music you won't have to worry about them, but to get you started I'll have to show you what to play in the base, and for that you'll have to know how to read the notes.

The easiest base chord pattern for the above song is as follows: the single note C one octave below middle C followed by the two chords E-C-G (The first inversion of the root chord of C). Written out this is

In the right hand you play the single notes of the melody: G for the first bar, and A and C for the second. Note the timing, and make sure you play the right and left hands at the same time when they are on the same beat. In the third bar we switch to F so the lower single note will be F (play the one below the C you just played). Any inversion above it can be used as the chord, but it's best to use the second inversion (C-F-A). Again, play it twice. The next two bars are G7 chords, so in the base you will begin with G (the one above the G you just played), then play two chords of G or G7. Again, it doesn't matter which inversion  you use, but try D-G-B above it. And I think you can easily finish the song off yourself. Practise it several times counting 1-2-3 for each bar. I should also mention that you should depress the right pedal at the beginning of each bar and release it at the end.

Single notes in the right hand are great, and they are easy, but even when you're able to play the piece perfectly it still sounds a little on the simple side -- as if it need something more. And it's pretty easy to fix that. All we need to do is put some chords in the right hand. To do this we have to move the melody line up one octave. You don't need to worry about reading notes up above the top of the treble staff -- just think of the written notes as up one octave. The chords have to be added down from the lead notes, so the first G chord will be C-E-G. with G as the upper note.

The first note of bar two may seem to present a problem: A is not in the C major chord. But it's not really a problem; just play the A along with several notes from the C chord. Do this for any note that is not in the chord. Continue adding chords to all the notes of the right hand in the same way, and add in the left hand pattern we talked about earlier. Practise it until you can play it smoothly.

As you work on it, you'll no doubt begin to notice that the ump-pa-pa of the left hand is a little boring. And. indeed, there is a way of getting around this; there are several variations you can use. One is to play two single notes and a chord, as shown below.

Or you can try a single note, a chord, and a single note. And finally, you could use three chords as shown below. Mix things up for a little variety.

Now, try a song on your own. A good one is the old standard "Home on the Range." You can easily find the lead sheet for it in any old songbook of standards. As I mentioned, it's a good idea to have a few songbooks, or a good fakebook, so you'll have several songs to work with. The first part of "Home on the Range" goes as as follows.

Four-Four Time (4/4)

Four-four time (4/4) has four quarter notes to the bar; it is the most common time for country, pop, rock, and in terms of dance music it is referred to as the fox trot. Common time, or C, also has four quarter notes to the bar. The basic patterns for 4/4 time are quite different from those of the waltz. One of the most common is called the swing base." It has two single notes and two chords in the base. For example, for C, we might have the following.

The second single note is the fifth of C, and it is played lower. Each bar is played in the same way: key note first, chord, then lower fifth and the same chord again (or possibly the chord in a different position). Practise this pattern for C, F, and G. The fifth of F is Bb, and the fifth of G is C.

As before, you can play single notes in the right hand. But playing all single notes doesn't do much for the piece, so as soon as possible, start adding chords to the right hand. As an example, we'll use the song "Red River Valley." The lead notes are as follows.

Note that it is in the key of G and has four quarter notes to the bar. Most songs have an introductory couple of notes in the first bar; they can be played as single notes or a octaves. Apply the swing base, and start off playing single notes in the right hand. For the first bar in the base you will have G single, G chord, C single, and G chord; this continues for the next two bars. Then you switch to D single, D chord, G single, D chord. Then back to G, and so on.

When you can play it smoothly start experimenting with chords in the right hand. Again, take the melody up one octave so you don't conflict with the left hand chords. If you try to play a chord for every note you soon find it is difficult to do; furthermore, it makes the song sound too dense (as if there are too many notes). One way around this is to play octaves on the faster notes (eighth notes). In the first bar this means you would play a G chord on B, two octaves on A and F, then a G chord on F, and finally two octaves on A and F. Actually, if you prefer, the first note of two eighth notes in a pair can be a chord, and the second an octave. Also, as a rule, you should play the first note of any bar as a chord.

Taking the melody up an octave may seem a little awkward to you, and indeed, it is easier to play a chord up from a melody note than to play it down (at least it is for me). And, indeed, you can get around this. Earlier, I mentioned that it was a good idea to try playing chords with the upper key note in them. For C major this is C-E-G-C'. If you use four note octave chords in the right hand, you can play the melody as if it were in the register just above middle C (as it is usually written). You're still playing down from the melody note, but you're following the melody using your thumb, rather than your last (small) finger. This is easier for most people, and as an added bonus, you get some extra notes in your song.

You won't use these octave chords in the left hand; it should remain as you played it earlier. And as I mentioned earlier, you can use a swing base in the above piece, but as with the waltz, you'll soon find that it will eventually get a bit boring, so it's a good idea to vary it every once in a while. There are several variations you can use. You can, for example, repeat the chord, then come down to the fifth, as shown, or you could use four chords in their inversions upward.

Getting back to the right hand, I  mentioned that it is usually too much to try using chords for every note, and it's a good idea to use octaves for eighth notes. But you can do much more than this. For any melody you have the option of playing;

• A full chord (four notes)
• A three note chord (triad)
• A two note dyad
• An octave
• A single note

There are no rules for what you should play at any point, but remember that if you are not playing an octave or octave chord, you must play down from the note up one octave. The best guide is your ear; if it sounds good, use it. If it doesn't, try something different.

What you want, in effect, is to make up your own arrangement of the song. And it's not as hard as you may think. Try it with "Red River Valley." We'll talk a lot more about arranging in the following lessons.

Practise

Take several songs from your fake book and apply the technique that I showed you above. In other words, make up an arrangement of them. Start easy with single finger right hand patterns and standard swing bases, then vary them.