{"id":92,"date":"2018-07-21T19:03:36","date_gmt":"2018-07-21T19:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cocktailpianotips.com\/site\/?page_id=92"},"modified":"2018-08-05T22:46:35","modified_gmt":"2018-08-05T22:46:35","slug":"chord-melody-a-key-strategy-of-cocktail-pianists","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cocktailpianotips.com\/site\/chord-melody-a-key-strategy-of-cocktail-pianists\/","title":{"rendered":"Chord Melody: A Key Strategy Of Cocktail Pianists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CocktailWe’re going to take a look at a technique commonly referred to as\u00a0chord melody.<\/em>\u00a0To put it simply, both the melody and the chords that accompany it are played with the right hand. I often refer to this as\u00a0right hand chord piano.<\/em><\/p>\n

In\u00a0another lesson<\/a>, we\u00a0took a look at the first few measures of Jerome Kern’s\u00a0All The Things You Are<\/em>\u00a0as we explored\u00a0that 1-7-3 piano chord voicing. This time, I would like to acknowledge\u00a0those individuals who have been asking about ways to make that melody sound a bit “thicker.”<\/p>\n

One very effective way to achieve more tasteful density in that melody is by using this “chord melody”\u00a0concept. In this lesson, we will be playing the 7th chords, but if you feel more comfortable with just triads for\u00a0now, that’s just fine! Simply play\u00a0Fmin<\/b>,\u00a0Bbmin<\/b>,\u00a0Ebmaj<\/b>, and\u00a0Abmaj<\/b>\u00a0rather than\u00a0Fmin7<\/b>,Bbmin7<\/b>,\u00a0Eb7<\/b>, and\u00a0Abmaj7<\/b>…<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at those first four measures again…<\/p>\n

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\"Cocktail<\/div>\n
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For starters, I would like to say that if you have not incorporated the “chord melody” (or “right hand chord piano”) concept\u00a0into your playing, you are in for some surprising results as your playing matures. You see, it’s an\u00a0approach that you will refer to time and time again. As a matter of fact, combining this strategy\u00a0others learned in\u00a0ProProach\u00a0<\/em>will result in your adding a whole lot of interesting dimension to your playing. But don’t take my word for it… experience this for yourself!<\/p>\n

Okay, this whole idea of\u00a0chord melody\u00a0has some people baffled but it certainly doesn’t have to be this way.\u00a0Since I’ve been in tune with this concern, I actually created a\u00a0program<\/a>\u00a0so that anyone, including the earliest beginner, could\u00a0confidently be introduced to playing in this fashion. The program\u00a0simply illustrates using three chords – Cmaj, Fmaj, and Gmaj.<\/p>\n

You see, once you get the hang of that technique itself, playing those more complex chords later becomes a piece of cake as you\u00a0progress. But never be in a hurry…\u00a0always enjoy the current level you are at.\u00a0<\/em>As I say inProProach<\/em>\u00a0over and over again,\u00a0“Appreciate where you’re at, and build upon that.”<\/em><\/p>\n

I’ll simply illustrate the technique being applied to this song here in notation fashion:<\/p>\n

Let’s Apply Chord Melody To This Segment<\/h3>\n
\"Cocktail<\/div>\n

Notice in this above example that the melody note is a member of each
\nof the chords. This is not always the case.\u00a0Right Hand Chord Piano Made Easy<\/em>\u00a0actually\u00a0provides you with a step-by-step process when it comes to determining which chord\u00a0positions to use in a given situation. Once you get a handle on it, it’s a breeze. But\u00a0the learning process itself is a fun adventure and, again, not one to be rushed. It’s just one new\u00a0discovery after another. So, as I always like to emphasize,\u00a0enjoy the entire journey!<\/em><\/p>\n

Go ahead and play that above example and hear it for yourself! Of course, the above\u00a0example contains all 7th chords. Again, you can play the simple triads. To do this,\u00a0leave out the: Eb in measure #1, the Ab in measure #2, the Db in measure #3\u00a0and the G in measure #4. Still, the musical effect is very, very nice. Actually, I would like to share with you a tiny example of\u00a0Right Hand Chord Piano Made Easy<\/em>\u00a0in which this chord melody technique is used with only triads being played by the right hand as applied to a tiny segment of Lennon-McCartney’s\u00a0Hey Jude:<\/em><\/p>\n

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