It is nice when you are able to set the formal music practising aside and play any music that you like. However, it may be difficult to find the sheet music for every song you enjoy. There are two ways to overcome this predicament, and they are related in a way. One is to use a Fake Book, and the other is to learn improvisation techniques.
You can get Fake Books at music stores or by ordering them online. Another version of the same idea is when you stumble upon a simplified song notation. A Fake Book, or the like, has only two things to guide you. First, you will get a melody line in the treble clef. Although this seems overly basic, it at least shows the song in a very simplified version.
Along with the melody line, you will also be presented with a letter above the staff. Having a letter above the staff shows which chord to play within the bass clef, and (if you have the skill) to add to the treble clef. There will be a letter above the staff each time the chord changes.
if you have thoroughly learnt the chords, you put yourself in good enough steed to easily use a Fake Book. You can use the straight chords or invert them. You can play them as running chords where you play each note separately in succession. You can come up with any rhythm you choose for the bass clef.
The Fake Book may require that you put your creative skills to work. It’s up to you and your knowledge of the song to figure out which notes have been left out. In that regard you are in charge of inventing the music. You can usually find Fake Books that are fairly current, with music you have heard recently on the radio.
Yet, if you want to really come up with your own original song or instrumental piece, you can do it better by learning to improvise. You can learn very complex theory about improvisation, but you can begin with the information you already have. Your main skill set should be the mastery of chords and scales.
Perhaps to make things easier to begin with, choose a C scale, for the main reason that it uses white keys only. Now all you have to do is choose the chords within the scale. If you have chosen the C major scale, the use of the G major and F major chords are the best combination. The benefit of using these is the lack of sharps or flats.
Create your own chord progression. It can be C-F-G-C. Practice playing these chords with your left hand. The base chords are usually played below middle C, but that is not a rule, by any means. They can be played wherever seems right to you. They can be played inverted, or as simple triads. In any sequence that flows right. Then keep practicing until it becomes second nature.
After you’ve become comfortable with the progression of the chords, next step is the creation of the melody. Take one note at a time, and play these with your right hand, eventually forming a melody line. At first it may sound a little rough, but persistence is key here — keep on practicing, and eventually a nice melody line will be created.
Also, try improvising with a melody you’re already fond of. For example, if you wanted to play Jingle Bells, but you do not have the music at hand. The melody can be easily picked out. Then, you can choose chords to go with the melody based on the key, or scale, the melody is in. So as you can see, even though you may not have the sheet music, there are ways you can still play the music without.
Learning to play the piano is easy, even for a beginner. One possible starting point is the no-obligation course at Learning To Play Piano Today. Check them out today, and enjoy your new found skill.
Tags: fake books, improvisation, learning to play piano, piano