Summary
Highlights
The tutorial introduces the usefulness of broken chords in pop piano, ballad styles, songwriting, and self-accompaniment. The instructor will analyze a section from his new book, "Seven Studies in Pop Piano," focusing on how he developed an improvisation from an underlying chord sequence using broken chords. The relevant section from the book is bars 17 to 32 of study number five (pages 33-34), though the video provides all necessary information for those without the book. The key is E major.
The video delves into the underlying chord progression, noting that it's in the key of E major, which can be challenging due to its four sharps. The instructor explains that chords in this key might sound more complicated than they are due to sharp notations but are essentially built from the E major scale. He then plays and names the progression: E, B over D#, C# minor, A, E, G# minor over D#, A over C#, B (which becomes B6 and then B7 later), and a non-diatonic G#7 over D# chord, highlighting its unique sound.
The main technique involves breaking up chords and playing their constituent parts individually. For example, instead of playing a root position E chord, the instructor uses its second inversion and rotates through its notes. He also introduces doubling up a pair of notes on the first half-beat to give the start a 'push' and a more grounded feel, demonstrating this with the E and B over D# chords.
The instructor explains how to go outside the notes of a chord to create musical interest. He shows how to add a G# to the B chord, turning it into a B6, which is still within the E major scale. He also demonstrates anticipation, where a note from the next chord (an E from C# minor) is held over from the previous bar, creating rhythmic and harmonic interest and stress.
The importance of using the sustain pedal to blend notes and create a fuller sound is emphasized, as playing without it can sound 'bitty.' The left hand is kept simple, typically playing single notes (the chord note or bass note) to provide a bass sound and harmonic grounding, allowing the right hand to do most of the melodic and expressive work.
The tutorial continues to explore adding variety, such as dropping an F# into the A chord to create an A6, which naturally leads to the next E chord. As the music progresses and gets higher, the intensity builds. The instructor demonstrates mixing and doubling up more chord notes in the G# minor over D# to A over C# to B (B6/B7) progression, noting how doubled notes and suspended tones add harmonic and dynamic interest.
The non-diatonic G#7 over D# chord is used to build intensity, with the volume increasing. The instructor introduces playing two C#s in the left hand (a rich, deep sound) for the first time, contrasting with the single-note approach, to mark a peak of intensity and create more interest. This highlights how dynamics, doubled notes, and going outside chords add variety and tension.
Towards the end of the section, different broken chord types are introduced, such as arpeggios in the left hand and block chords in the right, to add further interest. The instructor summarizes that the process isn't theoretically complicated; it's about taking a basic chord, breaking it up, and adding variety through various techniques. He encourages exploration and experimentation for both beginners and advanced players.