Dolapo Soboyede – Page 5 – Wonderous Ponder

How to play praise music on piano – part D

Hi folks,

In this post I touch briefly on Part D on praise music from my post. These are techniques you can master by following HearAndPlay’s Gospel Music 300 course.

Part D is a 6 2 5 1 progression and follows Part C. When you end Part C, you will be on a 5 chord.

So, on the left hand you can walk up to the 6th tone in half steps. i.e. 5 ♭6 6.

13 chords

For the 6 2 5 1 in the key of A_♭, we can use all 13th chords:

F7 add13 (E_♭ A D / F)

B_♭ add13 (A_♭ D G / B)

E_♭ add13 (D_♭ G C / E)

A_♭ add13 (G_♭ C F / A_♭)

Another way to play it is:

F7 add13 (E_♭ A D / F)

B_♭ add13 (A_♭ D G / B)

E_♭7 ♯9 (G D_♭ G_♭ / E)

A_♭ add13 (G_♭ C F / A_♭)

Note that to play the E_♭7 chord, on the right hand you just move all the notes down a half step.

If you have a bass player playing base run, you can play tritones on left and the following lick on the right hand:

Chromatically dropping minor chords

On the right hand you can play chromatically dropping minor chords including the 3 minor chord, ♭3 minor chord, 2 minor chord. After these 3, you can wrap up with a 1 diminished chord, and finally a 1 chord: So

3 minor – ♭3 minor – 2 minor – 1 diminished – 1.

E.g. In key of A_♭, you can play

C minor – E_♭ G C
B minor – D F_♯ B
B_♭ minor – D_♭ F B_♭

A_♭ dim – B D F A_♭
A_♭ – C E_♭ A_♭

How to transition from part D back to A

You can do a walk up on the left hand from 3 to 5. 3 4 ♭5 5.

On the right hand you can play

B_♭ quartal chord / C (B_♭ E_♭ A_♭ / C)

D_♭9 (B E_♭ F A_♭ / D_♭)

D_dim (B D F A_♭ / D)

A_♭maj / E_♭ (C E_♭ A_♭ / E_♭)

E_{♭7 ♯9♯5} (G B D_♭ G_♭ / E_♭) – hold this connector chord for a moment.

How to play praise music on piano – part C

Hi folks,

In this post I touch briefly on Part C on praise music from my post. These are techniques you can master by following HearAndPlay’s Gospel Music 300 course.

In Part C you play a 7 3 6 progression, followed by a walk up from 3 to 5 (in half steps) i.e.

3 4 ♭5 5

In the key of A_♭, one way to play the walk-up is as follows:

A♭maj add9 / C (E_♭ A_♭ B_♭ C / C)

D♭min6 (E A_♭ B_♭ D_♭ / D_♭)

D_dim (F A_♭ B D / D)

A_♭ / E_♭ (A_♭ C E_♭ / E_♭)

How to play praise music on piano – part B

Hi folks,

This post touches lightly on Part B of praise music as taught in HearAndPlay’s Gospel Keys 300. The main post is here. Part B is just like part A except it is based on the 4th tone of the key of the song.
So, if your song is in he key of A♭, your bass run will be based on the fourth tone, which is D♭

On the right hand you can play 9 chord on the 4th tone of the scale. So, if playing in A_♭, that is a D_♭9 chord i.e.

D_♭9 (B E_♭ F A_♭ / D_♭)

You can also use licks like in part A.

To get the full details, go get Gospel Keys 300 from HearAndPlay.

How to transition from Part B back to Part A

Usually when you play Part B, you transition back to Part A. One way to do this is to use 3 chords

– ♭9 of the 4 chord
– dim7 of the ♭5 chord
– 1 major chord / 5

So in the key of A♭ that will be

D_♭9 (B E_♭ F A_♭ / D_♭)
Ddim7 (B D F A_♭ / D)
A_♭maj / E_♭ (C E_♭ A_♭ / E_♭)

Note: you play the first chord twice quickly, the second chord quickly and the third chord quickly. After these 3 chords, then you start playing your Part A progression.

How to play praise music on piano – part A

Hi folks,

In his post I go over how to play Part A of praise music, discussed here. Part A consists of a base run and some notes on the right hand side.

For this exercise we assume we’re in the key of A♭ major.

In A♭ that will be

A_♭ C D_♭ D E_♭ F G_♭ G …

then it repeats to the A and cycles on.

It’s easy to play. A base run hinges between the 1 tone (A_♭) and the 5 tone (E_♭) of the key of the key of the song.

So, in the key of A♭ major, you start with the 1 tone A_♭, then you play the 3 notes leading to the 5 tone (C D_♭ D), then you play the 5 tone E_♭, then you play the 3 notes leading back to the 1 tone (F G_♭ G), then you play the 1 tone and continue.

On the right hand you can play a 13 chord, i.e. a A_{♭ 13} chord in a rhythmic fashion.

you can also play a pentatonic scale with a ♭3 tone added to it.

You can play a 2 part chord from diminished to major chord.

3-part Chord Progression for Right hand

One chord progression you can play on your right hand during Part A is called the 3 part chord progression.

i.e.

Flat3 chord in second inversion
4 chord in first inversion,
1 chord in second inversion.

So in Aflat major, that would be

Bmajor (F♯ B D♯)
D♭ major (F A♭ D♭)
A♭ major (E♭ A♭ C)

You play these quickly in a rhythmic fasion.

How to play praise music on the piano

Hi folks,

In this post I will discuss how to play pray praise music on the piano. When I say praise music, I don’t mean just any praise music. Rather, I mean the hand clapping, toe tapping, foot stumping, finger snapping praise music. I am currently taking a course called Gospel Music 300, from Hear and Play where I am learning this technique.

There are 5 parts to praise music. They are parts A, B, C, D and E.

Part A consists of a base run on the left hand and some progressions on the right hand, all in the key of the song. So, if your song is in the key of A♭ major, then part A will be a base run and other progressions in the key of A♭.

Part B of praise songs consists of a base run and some other progressions on the 4th tone of the key of the song. So, if your song is in the key of A♭ major, then part B will be in the key of D&flat. since D♭ is the 4th tone of A♭ major scale.

There are many praise songs that use just part A and B. These are usually call-and-response type of songs where the singer or choir calls out something and the congregation responseds all in a rhythmic fashion.

Songs that use parts A and B

God is a good God

Have you tried Jesus

Praise the lord everybody

I don’t know what you’ve come to do

I’m a soldier in the army of the lord

I get joy when I think what he’s done for me

What you know about Jesus

I’m not tired yet

If you call on Jesus (he will answer prayer)

Take the Lord with you (everywhere you go)

If you can’t tell it, let me tell it

Lay your hands on me Jesus

In part C we do a 7-3-6 progression. That is, we play a chord from the 7th tone of the key of the song, to the third tone, to the 6th tone. Then you can walk up from 3 to 5 by half tones. That is, 3, 4, ♭5, 5.

Songs that use parts C and D

Can’t nobody do me like Jesus

When I woke up this morning

Jesus is on the main line

Praise him praise him

I believe I testify

Bless that wonderful name of Jesus

One glad morning

Glory glory haleluya when I lay my burdens down

I’m on the battle field for my lord

Jesus I’ll never forget

I’m so glad Jesus lifted me

99 1/2 won’t do

Jesus getting us ready for that great day

Par E can be thought of as the vamp.

That is, it is a short passage of music that you repeat until the end of the song. Usually you focus on the 1 and 4 tones in part E.

Some songs that use just part E

Jesus Said It

What’s his name (Jesus)

My soul is a witness

Believe on me

I’ve come to praise his name

He’s been good

What a mighty God we serve

He’s the joy of my salvation

Jesus can work it out

He’s been good

Some songs that mix it up a bit

What a mighty God we serve

Victory, victory shall be mine

Victory is mine

He’s the joy of my salvation.

That’s all for now. Till next time. Keep jamming.

Put First Things First

Hi folks,

In this post I will share some insights I’ve learnt from reading about Habit 3: Put First Things First in the book The 7 Habits o Highly Effective People, by Dr. Steven Covey.

What does it mean to put first things first?

Putting first things first means prioritizing activities that will lead you closer to your goal over other activities.

Activities, when viewed in terms of urgency and importance can be classified into 4 types

Quadrant 1 – urgent and important activity
Quadrant 2 – not urgent but important
Quadrant 3 – urgent but not important
Quadrant 4 – not urgent and not important

Effective people prioritize quadrant 1 and quadrant 2 activities over quadrant 3 and 4 ones.

A good key to effective time management is plan what activities one will accomplish on a weekly basis, based on one’s personal mission, roles and goals.

Simply having a task list is not good enough as then one could end up doing just the easy activities as opposed to the important ones.

Also, simply having a daily plan is not good enough because certain activities would be most conveniently done on certain days of the week.

Also, simply prioritizing activities isn’t good enough unless it is tied to one’s personal mission, roles and goals. Making tasks tied to one’s personal mission is a key to inner strength which would make a person committed to the task at hand, and the ability to resist temptation to do things that may be pleasing on he surface, but harmful to one’s goals.

A good way to free up time to do important things is to delegate activities to other people. Activities that are not very important should be delegated to others.

When delegating activities to others, it’s best to specify more of results desired than the procedure they will take to accomplish the results. Give them freedom to be creative in meeting goals. Of course, if there are any known pitfalls, let the person know up front.

That’s all for now. Till next time.

O Come, All Ye Faithful – Piano Composition

Hi folks,

Today I will share how to play the song O Come, all Ye Faithful. I will add a recording of how I play it, lyrics, notes and chords for the song. First, I will show the notes in D _♭ major, then I will show it again using the number system. This way, you can transcribe the song to any key easily. Using these, you should also be able to easily play the song as per the recording. Note that you will want to play chords to harmonize the notes where appropriate. You could use single notes for the base runs on the left hand.

First, here is the recording of the song:

Now here are the lyrics of the song:

O come, all ye faithful

Joyful and triumphant

O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem

Come and behold Him

Born the King of Angels!

O come, let us adore Him

Christ the Lord

Now here is the song with notes in the key of D _♭ major

	O	come	all	ye	faith	ful
RH	D_♭	D_♭	A_♭	D_♭	E_♭	A_♭
LH		D _♭				A _♭

	Joy	ful	and	tri	um	phant
RH	F	E_♭	F	G_♭	F	E_♭
LH	D_♭	E_♭	F	G_♭	A_♭

come

ome

eth

hem

D_♭

B_♭

D_♭

E_♭

B_♭

A_♭

B_♭ C D _♭

E_♭

D_♭

B_♭

A_♭

E_♭

A_♭

E_♭

A_♭

	Come	and	be	hold	Him
RH	A_♭	G_♭	F	G_♭	F
LH	D_♭			D_♭

	Born	the	King	of	A	an	gels
RH	E_♭	F	D_♭	E_♭	C	B_♭	A_♭
LH	C	D_♭ C B _♭	A_♭	E_♭	A_♭

	O	come	let	us	a	dore	Him
RH	D_♭	D_♭	C	D_♭	E_♭	D_♭	A_♭
LH		D_♭				D_♭

	O	come	let	us	a	dore	Him
RH	F	F	E_♭	F	G_♭	F	E_♭
LH		D_♭	E_♭	F	G_♭	A_♭

	O	come	let	us	a	dore	Hi	im
RH	F	G_♭	F	E_♭	D_♭	C	D_♭	G_♭
LH		E_♭	F	G_♭	G	A_♭ A	B_♭	E_♭

	Chri	ist	the	Lord
RH	F	E_♭	D_♭	D_♭
LH	A _♭			D _♭

Finally, here is the song using number system:

	O	come	all	ye	faith	ful
RH	1	1	5	1	2	5
LH		1				5

	Joy	ful	and	tri	um	phant
RH	3	2	3	4	3	2
LH	1	2	3	4	5

	O	come	ye	o	co	ome	ye	to	Be	eth	le	hem
RH	1	1	7	6	7	1	2	3	7	6	5	5
LH		671	2	1	7	6	5	2	5	2	5	5

	Come	and	be	hold	Him
RH	5	4	3	4	3
LH	1			1

	Born	the	King	of	A	an	gels
RH	2	3	1	2	7	6	5
LH	7	1 76	5	2	5

	O	come	let	us	a	dore	Him
RH	1	1	7	1	2	1	5
LH		1				1

	O	come	let	us	a	dore	Him
RH	3	3	2	3	4	3	2
LH		1	2	3	4	5

	O	come	let	us	a	dore	Hi	im
RH	3	4	3	2	1	7	1	4
LH		2	3	4	♭5	5 ♭6	6	2

	Chri	ist	the	Lord
RH	3	2	1	1
LH	5			1

That’s all for now. Till next time, happy piano playing.

The importance of perseverance and vision

Hi folks

Today I will like to talk about a few important concepts that are very important when practicing music. These apply to not just music actually, but to any endeavour in life. They are perseverance and vision.

A few days ago I was practicing how to harmonise every tone in all major scales (one scale at a time) when I realised I was moving a little too fast. I would practice for a short while, become marginally better and jump to the next key.

Then I got to stop and question myself: is this the right way to practice? What will I really gain after going through all keys this way? Will I really have anything tangible to show for it? And my answer to this was a resounding no.

So I got back to the basics of what practice should be about, which I share here.

Before beginning practice it is necessary to have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish after practice. Sit and visualise it. E.g if you want to become fluent in playing a certain progression, imagine what it would be like to play that progression with the fluency you desire.

Next, keep practicing until you reach the goal you visualised. As long as your goal is a realistic one, you must persevere through practice as you gradually become more skilful in your craft and reach your goal. Do not get tempted to jump on to other things until your practice goal comes to fruition. It could take a week or even more to become fluent in certain routines, e.g. playing certain triads, scales, arpeggios, etc.

Keeping these two principles in mind should make for more effective practice.

That’s all for now. Till next time.

Begin with the end in mind

Hi folks,

Today I’ll talk briefly about a few more things I learnt from reading Dr. Stephen Covy’s book: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind.

By this we mean that when you start a new endeavour or as you interact with others in life, it is important to have a firm vision of what outcome you will like to have achieved in that endeavour at the end of your life. E.g. If you are a parent raising kids, as you raise the kids, it is good to think of how you will like to be remembered by your kids after your death, that is, what you will like to have achieved in that endeavour. This lifetime vision should then steer the actions you make today, tomorrow, the day after, etc.

By beginning with the end in mind, we develop a broader perspective and become more able to identify what is really important, and what isn’t. Often times, people chase after material things in life, e.g. money, fame, etc. because they think these are nice to have, only to realise later that these may not be as important as once thought. Beginning with the end in mind solves this problem.

Some areas of life one can apply this concept to is relations with friends and family, career, etc.

Many people often live their lives based on things that are temporary, e.g. money, spouse, pleasure, etc. These “centres” determine their happiness, security and strength. The problem with these is that they can come and go and therefore cannot give lasting happiness. E.g. If one is spouse-centred and there is a relationship problem with the spouse, the person can become very unhappy and the unhappiness could impact other aspects of life in an unduly severe way. A good solution to this is to live a principle-centred life. That is, make your life centred on principles that will always hold through regardless of season. E.g. Being kind to others, being empathetic and fair. These are characters that are good to be known for, regardless life’s circumstances.

A good tool to help one begin with the end in mind is a Personal Mission Statement. A Personal Mission Statement can embody the values you hold most important to you, your roles in life, and what you will like to achieve in each of your roles to fulfil your values. By periodically reviewing your Personal Mission Statement and updating it as your circumstances change, you can maintain a balanced view of what is most important to you and act accordingly. Mission statements can be created for a family and for organisations as well to help ensure every party involved is aware of the core values of the group and foster greater harmony.

That’s all for now. There are much more fascinating details in the book on this habit. I encourage you to read it if you haven’t. Till next time.

On Being Proactive

Hi folks,

I read a book fairly recently called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Dr. Stephen Covey and just wanted to share some insights I got from it.

One of the habits is: Be Proactive

By being proactive, it means we are responsible for our own lives.

We humans have a quality called self-awareness, that is, being aware of our own thought processes, being able to project our minds outside of ourselves and look at ourselves from the outside.

Often people blame their actions or situations on external factors by saying things like: that’s just the way I am, I just had to do it, it’s how it has been in my family, etc.

Being proactive means recognising that you have the power to decide how you act in any situation.

I found it quite enlightening how Dr. Covey breaks responsibility as response-ability, that is to say that we are able to select our response by using our self-awareness, imagination, conscience and independent will.

So, I take being proactive as not waiting for things to happen, but going out there and making things happen.

When one realises that he or she is totally able to select his/her responses it changes how we view things in life and how we interact with others. It empowers us to begin to learn to select the most effective responses to any situation we have in life.

So, examples of being proactive are as follows:

If a person wants a better job, he or she should take interest in the industry and even specific problems of organisations

If a person wants better health, go out there and exercise regularly.

Part of being proactive is focusing your energy on things you have control over, that is, things that are in your circle of influence, rather than things you may be concerned about but not have control over.

That’s it for now. Till next time, have a proactive time.