Table of Contents
Introduction
I vividly remember the day my trajectory as a musician changed forever. I was twenty-eight years old and had just enjoyed an entertaining piano concert played by Jon Schmidt, who later gained fame as a member of The Piano Guys. Jon was playing two concerts that night, and as we left the main hall there were people lining up in the lobby for the second show. Above the buzz of voices, I heard a piano being played just as well as Jon had played it. I had to know who was making such beautiful music! I followed my ears until I spotted a piano in the back of the lobby. A man who looked to be about thirty was playing it, and there was no music in front of him. I am not always this bold, but I decided to approach him and ask how he had memorized such a beautiful song. He told me it wasn't memorized; he was improvising. I had been learning to play for the past two years, and had recently quit lessons due to frustration. Never in my life had I supposed it was possible to improvise so exceptionally well. I asked if he would be willing to teach me, and he agreed.
In the months that followed, I learned how to improvise, how to compose, how to use chords to improve my playing and how to confidently perform for an audience. My teacher whose name was Daniel didn't just share his piano techniques with me, he also helped me overcome the many mental barriers that were holding me back. It was several years before I could fully apply the knowledge I gained from him, but eventually my skills reached a point where I was very, very satisfied with my playing and had completely overcome the frustration and fear I once felt. I began teaching others, and in 2014 I released an album of Christmas music called Christmas Notes, which contains twelve of my own arrangements played using the chord style piano techniques Daniel taught me.
Chord style piano changed my life for the better, and I'm writing this book in an effort to reach a larger audience than it is possible for me to reach by teaching individual lessons.
What Is Chord Style Piano?
What I call "chord style piano" goes by many names. Some call it pop piano, some call it jazz piano, but it all means the same thing: using chords and a melody line to create music. Most modern music books include chord symbols like "Am" or "F." Sometimes they look like guitar chord diagrams. Here's an example:
At other times they are just letters (chord symbols), and they look like this:
These chords can be used to enhance your piano playing experience.
A fakebook (or fake book) just has a melody line and chords, whereas a piano/vocal/guitar book will include a left-hand (bass clef) part as well. A single fakebook-style arrangement is called a lead sheet.
So why would you want to use a lead sheet or fakebook instead of a fully-arranged piece of music? There are actually several good reasons. First, a complete note-for-note arrangement may be quite complicated to play. Using chords allows a player to simplify a piece of music. Second, it's possible to fit a lot more songs into a single book when only the melody line is included. (Some fakebooks include more than a thousand pieces!) Third, lead sheet playing allows for a great degree of freedom and variety, enabling players to make very complex and interesting music. Think of it like a "choose your own adventure" book.
Chord style piano is different from playing by ear, although it may seem similar (and the two can be combined quite effectively). Playing by ear, in its purest form, is an exercise that involves sitting down at the piano and playing a correct melody and harmony for a particular song without any prior memorization. It is a rare gift, and one that is difficult to teach. Chord style playing is a compromise between playing by ear and playing fully arranged pieces (memorized or otherwise). A similar principle is found in public speaking. Although teleprompters are commonly used by politicians, the best and most engaging speakers don't write out their speeches word for word. It's simply too hard to effectively engage an audience this way. Whenever I speak in public, I use a single index card to remind me of my key points. When I play piano in public, I don't need every single note in front of me. I just need a basic outline of what I'm going to play, and I can fill in the rest making my music more interesting and less formulaic.
At first, chord style piano may feel very limiting, but with practice and experience you will see that it offers creative freedom and can save you a bundle on sheet music.
Fakebooks are available for just about every imaginable genre. You can play pop, folk, jazz, gospel or classical music in a fakebook style. At first, your songs may not sound as good as the original, fully-arranged versions. But as you gain confidence and skill, you can create your own versions that may even surpass the quality of the original.
Who Is This Book For?
This book is for anyone who wants to better understand chord style playing. Even if you are already a competent note-reading pianist, the theory and techniques presented here can help you develop your composing and improvising skills. It may also help you better understand the harmonic structure of the music you are playing, improving your note-reading abilities.
Professionals often use chord style piano techniques to at least supplement their playing, particularly in the jazz and pop genres. Many recreational players enjoy this style of playing as well, making it a versatile and accessible approach. It's easy enough for beginners, yet rich enough for use by experts. Whether you've never played a note in your life, quit piano lessons before you got very far, or are a competent player looking to improve, chord style playing has something to offer.
Acoustic Piano vs. Electronic Keyboard
While opinions vary widely about what type of instrument is best, for the purposes of this book you can use any electronic keyboard or acoustic piano to learn. If you will be using an electronic keyboard, I recommend getting one with full-size keys (they don't need to be weighted). Purchase a pedal if possible, as it will significantly enhance the quality of the music you play. It will also help to have touch-sensitive keys, meaning that if you press them harder the sound will be louder. This allows you to add more expression to your playing.
Is a Piano Teacher Necessary?
I took four years of lessons with three different teachers. Each one helped me in different ways. While some view being self-taught as a badge of honor, I did much better when I worked closely with a teacher who had already walked the road I wanted to walk. A teacher is especially important for someone whose musical background is limited. To find one, visit your local music store to get a list of instructor names, then call and ask each teacher if he or she has taught students to play using fakebooks or lead sheets.
Whether you're studying on your own or learning from a teacher, you're going to want to find a good music book that starts with the basics and gradually introduces more advanced techniques. I've arranged four books of songs with this purpose in mind, and they are all available on Amazon. These books will give you plenty of material, allowing you to practice the techniques that will be taught in the pages that follow until they become instinctive:
