[b]How Do You Learn A New Song on the Keys[/b]

[skymegatoronto]

Hello Y'All,

                 Greetings. This topic has probably been tacked before, but I'm curious to know how different keyboardist approach learning the chords to a new song. I'm not neccesary speaking about the common progressions in church or gospel music which have the same chord changes.

I have heard some speak about playing the melody line, then the Bass line. After that  they will try to feed out the rest in the middle through trial and error.

This will provide me with maybe added ways to learn songs with the experience and skills of you who are more advance or experience than me. Also this might encorage those always looking for chords , to create an incentive for them to find their own way quicker.

Peace and blessings for all musicians who make this forum a great ground for relationships and knowlegde. :lol:

Blessings

Terry

[BBoy]

First step: pray. Ask GOD to show you what you need to know. You don't need to play the song like anyone else, just give GOD the glory with the song.

I'm learning this myself, but so far what works the best for me is to learn the melody. When you can play the melody with one finger, then you know what key the song is in. That is the second step: learn the melody.  

Third step . . . chords. Now you know what key the song is in, so you know what chords will be the most common. Knowing what key the song is in is like needing to find something in a big house and at least narrowinging down which room the thing is in. So if you know the song is in Ab, then you know you can have (and probably will have) Db chords, Eb chords, F minor chords, C minor chords, G diminished chords, and Ab chords.

Fourth step . . . bassline for upbeat songs, progressions for ballads. Upbeat songs will need a basline to drive the rhythm, especially if you don't have a bass guitar. Gospel ballads don't usually have a bassline, they just use progressions and arpeggios.

Final step: Introduction, turnarounds, and ending. Work out an introduction that lets the people know what song you will be playing. Perfect any turnarounds and progressions. Then do your ending.

Hope this helps . . .   :wink:

Be Blessed  

[T-Block]

Prayer is good like Bboy said.

First, I figure out what key the song is in.  Next, I figure out the bass line.  Then, I listen for familiar chords and/or progressions.  Then I follow the melody line so that I know which of the inversions to the play the chords in.  That is basically it, cuz when it comes down to it I am going to make the song my own anyway, that is I am going to play it using my style.  So, the illustrated version is:

1. key
2. bass line
3. familiar chords and/or progressions
4. melody line

The rest is up to trial and error and/or adding in your style.  I be putting a lot of stuff in songs that ain't in the original.

[skymegatoronto]

Hello ,
         Thanks for the response from T-Block and Bboy. Great info and insight.

Terry