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)
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.
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
O come, let us adore Him
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♭
O
come
ye
o
co
ome
ye
to
Be
eth
le
hem
RH
D♭
D♭
C
B♭
C
D♭
E♭
F
C
B♭
A♭
A♭
LH
B♭ C D ♭
E♭
D♭
C
B♭
A♭
E♭
A♭
E♭
A♭
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.
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.
In this post I will talk about a nice run to play before the starting 1 chord of slow gospel chords.
On the left hand, you go
3 4 5 6 7 1
e.g. in the key of C major, you will go
E F G A B C
On the right hand you will harmonize the following melody:
3 4 3 2♯ 2 1
by using the following chords:
1 4 3minor 2♯-minor 2minor 1.
In the key of Cmajor these chords are:
G+C+E A+C+F G+B+E F♯+A♯+D♯ F+A+D E+G+C
That is:
First chord you harmonize the E using a Cmajor chord
Second you harmonize the F using a Fmajor chord
Third you harmonize the E with a Eminor
Then you go down a half step with the same chord shape to harmonize the D♯ with a D♯ chord
You then harmonize the D with a Dminor
Then you harmonize the C with a Cmajor chord.
To make it more melodious, on the right hand you can insert a 1sus4 chord before the last 1chord. That is, insert a Csus4 chord before the last Cmajor chord. So instead of going from F+A+D to E+G+C on the right hand, you can play it like this:
F+A+D F+G+C E+G+C
Furthermore, you can make the left hand run a little more melodious by quickly adding a 2 before the 5 since 2 normally has a strong pull to 5. So the left hand run becomes
3 4 2 5 6 7 1
To summarize, on the left hand you play the following notes
3 4 2 5 6 7 1
while on the right hand you play the following chords:
I will like to talk about the 9 (add 6) chord. This chord is a nice one to use in worship songs.
You can use this for the 2 chord or the 1 chord.
E.g When playing a 6-2 progression, you can play a minor 9 for the 6 chord and a 9 (add 6) for the 2 chord. Similarly, when playing a 5-1 progression that does not end a song, you can play a 5 minor 9 chord, then a 1 9 (add 6) chord.
Here’s an example of such a chord.
D♭ 9 (add 6)
To play it, you play D♭ on the left hand. Then play F B♭ B and E♭ on the right hand.
An easy way to think about it is to play the root note of the chord on the left hand, then play a quartal 3 chord with an added ♭5 on the right hand.
For example, F is the 3 chord on the D♭ major scale. F B♭ and E♭ is the F quartal chord. And B is ♭5 on the F scale.
Using this trick, it is easy to play 9 (add 6) for any key. That’s all for now. Enjoy.
Here’s another popular gospel song I recorded while practicing on the keyboard. It’s titled Anointing in the key of D♭ major. Anointing is one of my favourite gospel songs. A drum beat was added to this song to improve the rhythm. Enjoy.