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7 Gospel Pianists You Should Watch on YouTube. Although the inner workings of the piano are not well known to the novice listener, the piano is essentially a stringed instrument that communicates the necessary subtleties to transmit the “feeling” of gospel music.
Sep 21, 2016 · So here are the basics of music theory that you need to know: 1) Learn the musical alphabet. 2) Learn what musical scales are. 3) Learn what intervals are. 4) Learn what chords are. 5) Learn what the grand staff is. 6) Learn what key signatures are. 7) Learn what time signatures are. 8) Learn note durations.
- Akil Henry
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- The Basic Gospel Piano Progression
- Gospel Tweak #1: Walk-ups and Walk-Downs
- Gospel Tweak #2: Chromatic Grace Notes
- Gospel Tweak #3: Pentatonic Riff
- Final Tip
Let’s start with a simple chord progression: Get to know this progression well and practice it a few times. The chords we’ve chosen already hint towards a gospel sound. For example, we play a dominant 7th chord (E7) instead of a normal E Major chord (E). This gives the progression an extra jazzy sound. We’ll also use a slash chord (F/G). Another na...
A simple way to make any chord progression more interesting is to put interesting stuff between the chords. Erskine adds some meat to the bass by playing chromatic octaves with his left hand. All he’s doing here is approaching each bass note by starting two half-steps away. It’s deceptively simple, but the effect is huge! To add an even bigger sens...
That chromatic sound is essential to gospel music, and another way to add more of it to your progression is with grace note slides. Use neighboring black notes to slide into your target white notes, or vice versa. You can also play two chromatic grace notes to your target note too. This works well for the thirds in your chords.
As a final gospel flair, Erskine ends the progression with short, pentatonic riff in both hands to approach the final chord: A major pentatonic scaleconsists of the notes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. So, to find a pentatonic riff that works with your chord progression, find your progression’s key signature and then the key’s pentatonic scale degrees. Then, pl...
Don’t be too polished! Gospel music isn’t meant to be an exact science. Your hands don’t have to land together precisely. Instead, play freely and organically. Case in point: Erskine likes to play with a “trashcanny” feel. We hope you enjoyed this lesson! You can learn more gospel piano (for free!) here: 1. The Gospel Piano Chord Progression You Ne...
Comparing Southern Gospel pianists is like comparing Cathedrals albums. Or Gaither Vocal Band lineups. (Or British actors, or Paul Simon songs, or...
Step 1: Identify the Basic Chord Progression. Step 2: Identify the Passing Chords. Step 3: Add the 7ths. Step 4: Add the Slip Notes. Step 5: Add the Money Notes. Step 6: Put It All Together. Bonus Section: Gospel Piano Improv. If you have been waiting for a sign to get started playing gospel piano, this just may be your answer!
