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Why are there three types of minor scales and how to find all the notes (Part 1)

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IMMAGINE-PENTAGRAMMA4The minor scales

Up to now we have only discussed major scales. Of course, scales aren’t limited to major scales, there are minor scales too. Minor scales are often a hard obstacle for those starting out in the study of music.

There is a very precise reason for this: while there is only one type of major scale, there are three types of minor scales.
And this often creates great confusion. It’s difficult to understand how this can happen.

In today’s lesson I will show you why there is the need for three minor scales instead of one. Through a logical path I will try to explain how these scales are created.
You’ll see, by the end of the lesson everything will be more clear and I hope, more interesting.

That’s because musical theory, if studied to understand the reasons that are behind the origin of all these rules, which are sometimes overlooked and made to study by heart, can be a very interesting and captivating subject.

Also, I believe that studying theory in depth may allow to have the tools to approach the subject of harmony and composition more easily, other than allow you to play a piece on the piano or the instrument you play with more ease and simplicity.

Now I don’t want to lose myself in all talk. I’ll leave you to the video lesson.

It all begins when we introduce the concept of a “relative minor”…

… but what is this relative minor?

Relative to what??

Have a nice vision!

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 32 mins
1. The relative minor scale 10m 21s
2. The natural minor scale and the harmonic minor scale 9m 35s
3. The melodic minor scale 12m 15s
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Writing a melody, two secrets to achieve a greater variety

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chiave-do5How to write a melody

Do you believe that creating a melody is really difficult? After today’s lesson you will have to change your mind.
That’s because today we will learn how to put into actual use the knowledge gained in the previous lessons about the passing tones.

Specifically, I will let you in on two simple improvements, really simple but quite effective when creating melodies.
You’ll see that thanks to this advice, you’ll be able to start writing some melodic frames, already pleasant enough, only using chord tones and passing tones.

Remember that music has to be simple, and it’s from this notion that we have to start the path that will one day let you write something more complex and interesting.
Also, we will be seeing how by using alterations we will have a wider array of passing tones to use.

And lastly, in the third video I will show you some actual exercises that will let you practice what we are learning today, so that you can immediately start to create some short melodies on the piano!

For a better understanding of today’s lesson, my advice, if you haven’t yet, is to watch the video of the following lesson;

Musical alterations (part one)

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 35 mins
1. How to use chromatisms to achieve a wider assortment in passing tones 8m 57s
2. Two secrets to have a wider variety 11m 01s
3. Learn to create a short melody 14m 31s

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Major and minor chords, how to find all the notes at any time

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armonia1How to find the notes of all the triads

Have you ever encountered chords of which you didn’t remember the notes? Especially with those chords with lots of sharps or flats, like Bb minor, C# major, G# minor…
Sometimes you don’t remember them and have to look the notes up on the charts.

In today’s lesson I will teach you two simple methods that will allow you to find, in a few seconds, all the notes of all the major and minor triads. You’ll only need to have followed the lesson on major scales and thank to today’s videos, and a little practice, you will only need a few seconds to find all three-note chords at the piano, without the need of charts.

Specifically, the second method is based on four simple steps that will only employ a few seconds to find the notes of any minor or major triad.
And in the last video I’ve wanted to show you with some examples how this method works perfectly even with chords that might “look” difficult on paper.

After today’s lesson you will be able to find, in any moment, all major and minor chords and, believe me, that’s no small task!
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Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 38 mins
1. First method: chords built on major scales 13m 27s
2. Second method, four steps to find chords in a few seconds 11m 45s
3. Four examples to practice what we’ve learned 12m 37s
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Musical alterations (second part): you’ll know them well from today on

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IMMAGINE-PENTAGRAMMA4Double alterations

Before presenting the second part of the lesson regarding alterations, I want to highlight just how important knowing them is: this will allow you to completely understand the topics of harmony, chords, and composition in general.
Today we will dive deep: after having introduced, in the previous lesson, the most simple accidentals, today we will understand, for example, where the need for double alterations come from.

We will examine how to alter the degrees of the scale in any situation, at the piano.
In this way we will need to introduce more graphical symbols, that will allow us complete contro lover the alterations.

Aftert this part you’ll be able to understand:

  1. the difference between temporary alterations and permanent alterations
  2. how to cancel the effect of alterations that are already present
  3. how, why and when to use double alterations

After this lesson, basically, musical alterations will not be a mistery for you anymore!

For a better under standing of today’s lesson, I’d reccomend, if you haven’t yet, to watch the first part of the lesson: Alterations (part one), here is a simple way to really understand them.
If you already watched the first part of the lesson, to help you keep up with today’s topics I added a video, the first, in which I summarized the content of the first lesson.

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Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 21 mins
1. Where did we leave off last time? 5m 10s
2. Temporary accidentals and permanent accidentals 6m 45s
3. What are double accidentals? 9m 11s
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Piano, here is the essential exercise to start playing hands-together

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pianoforte4The first exercise to start playing hands-together

Thanks to today’s lesson and the next piano lessons, you will finally be able to start playing by using both hands from the beginning.

In fact, in this lesson I will show you in a very clear way the exercise that forms the basic of all piano technique: this exercise will let you learn, through practice, the shift of weight between one finger and the other, using both hands at the same time.

Thanks to today’s video lessons and the exercise shown within you’ll be able to;

  1. Put into practice what you’ve learned up to today, finally playing the piano or keyboard.
  2. Get the hands used to the weight shifts between one finger and the other (a technique essential to the playing of a succession of notes)
  3. Develop a perfect coordination between the two hands from the start, since the exercise is done “hands-together”. (This is expecially important if up to now you have been playing with the right hand more than with the left hand, and you feel the latter to be weaker, this exercise will help you equalize the two hands’ technique)
  4. Learn how to keep a steady tempo from the start, without picking up the pace or slowing down (tank to the way the exercise is carried out)

My advice is to do this exercise as often as possible, even for a few minutes every day.

Consistency and regular practice are fundamentals to developing any kind of musical technique: you’ll see that if you follow my advice, in a short time your hands will be set in the right position and ready to play the first songs at the piano.

And this will be an enormous satisfaction!

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 31 mins
1. Two preparatory exercises 10m 24s
2. …the real exercise, finally! 12m 43s
3. Let’s make the exercise wholesome by adding all combinations 8m 00s
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The first step to start composing a melody: the passing tones

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chiave-do5Non harmonic tones; the passing tones

Today we begin discussing in a more meaningful way the non harmonic tones (non chord tones) that will greatly help you in the act of composing melodies, as we were saying in previous lessons.

Also, as you will see further on, this knowledge will help you understand better some concepts tied to other subjects: in fact, it’d be difficult to learn how to play the keyboard or the the modern piano without having mastered the non harmonic tones.

But this is another issue and we will tackle it in due time.
In today’s lesson we will approach the first kind of non harmonic tones:

  • the passing tones

We will try to understand what they are and how they can be used.

How to compose melodic fragments

Some foreview: in the next lesson I will teach you to put into use what we learned today and I will reveal some small tricks and tweaks that by using the passing tones, will let you start composing some melodic fragments on the piano which will already be catchy and nice to hear!
But to be able to put into practical use all of this, it’s essential that you understand what the passing tones are, and for this very reason, today’s lesson is really important.

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Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 33 mins
1. What are the chord tones? 9m 35s
2. The passing tones 13m 19s
3. Let’s learn to use the passing tones 10m 21s
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Alterations (part one), here is a simple way to really understand them

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IMMAGINE-PENTAGRAMMA4Musical alterations

Alterations, chromatisms, accidentals, sharps… how often have your heard these terms without really understanding them?
Yet the concept of musical alteration is extremely important to start understanding music and to be able to play the piano or any other instrument.

As with every other musical theory concept, alterations are born from essentially practical needs.
This is the path I will use to try to explain these concepts in depth, by explaining where and how these thoeries are born.

Since this lesson is pretty long and demanding, it has been split into two parts.
In today’s lesson we will try to understand the two main reasons why introducing musical alterations is an absolute necessity.

This way you will finally be able to completely understand the function of those graphical symbols that are calleds sharps and flats, and generally speaking of all the other “musical accidentals”.

Enjoy!

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 12 mins
1. The accidentals (sharp and flat) 3m 17s
2. Diatonic half-tones and chromatic half-tones 2m 51s
3. The A major scale case 5m 44s
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Piano, how to play a succession of notes using all the fingers

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pianoforte4

How to play a melody

Imagine sitting at your piano and wanting to play a melody using all of your five fingers.

Can you do that?

Do you know the correct technique that allows you to play, for example, a succession of notes with multiple fingers?

Today we will be approaching this issue, but we will take it through some steps; in fact, before reaching the succession of multiple notes, you’ll learn how to correctly lower a key of the piano with a single finger, which will have to be able to sustain the weight of your arm.

And before that, we will discuss how the various fingers are shown in the musical sheets.

At the end of this lesson you will have learned three very important things;

  • what is the “fingering” for piano
  • How to play a single note using the weight of your limbs
  • how to play a succession of notes using the whole array of five fingers

If you haven’t seen them yet, for a better comprehension of the current lesson I suggest watching the following lessons before undertaking this one:

Piano, give me half an hour and I’ll explain the correct position of the hands
Piano, paying attention at how you sit down to play

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 18 mins
1. The fingering 3m 30s
2. Playing single notes 5m 53s
3. Playing a succession of notes 8m 04s
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You’re finding it difficult to write a melody? Here’s something that can help you!

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chiave-do5

How to write a melody

Chords and harmony are an extremely important part of composition, but of course they’re aren’t everything!
Another important part is the melody, and it isn’t always easy to write a melody.
You might have found yourself from time to time, while playing the piano or the guitar, in the situation where you found a very interesting sequence of chords, and not being able to compose a vocal melody on which you could sing.

The “non-harmonic tones”

We will begin today with a series of video lessons that approach the so-called “non-harmonic tones”, which will help you a lot in composition and writing arrangements.

In today’s videos we will approach two themes in particular:

  1. Why are “non-harmonic tones” so important when writing music?
  2. What are non-harmonic tones?

Enjoy!

Learning material of this lesson

3 videos 15 mins
1. The relationship between harmony and melody 7m 18s
2. Composing a melody on a sequence of chords 3m 43s
3. The non-harmonic tones 3m 54s
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Harmony, how chords are built

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armonia1

How can you build chords?

Chords, defined as the simultaneous sounding of at least 3 sounds, are the skeleton, the  base on which you can write a song, more so in popular music.
We have already seen how chords are tied to the concepts of scale and tonality.

This kind of approach will allow us to answer the following questions today:

  • How can you build chords?
  • Is there a fool proof way to know all the chords relative to a certain tonality?

This method exists and today, in the three following videos, I will show it to you at the piano, applied specifically to major scales and tonalities.
I will also explain how to build chords, of any kind and of any complexity.

To achieve a better understanding of today’s lesson I personally advise, if you haven’t already, to wath the videos of the following lessons:

Musical intervals, how to properly name them (firts part)

The major scales: how to remember every note at any time

Let’s start by answering the first question: How can chords be built?

Learning material of this lesson

7 videos 30 mins
1. How to build chords 6m 57s
2. The seven chords of a major scale 2m 33s
3. The features of these chords 4m 26s
4. Naming chords 1m 29s
5. Practice: chords in E major key 5m 26s
6. Composing an easy harmonic base in E major key 3m 15s
7. Building more complex chords 7m 44s
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