Browse in the Library:
Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
---|---|---|
Bach J.S. Cello Suite No. 6 arr. piano solo by Joachim Raff | ||
Bach J.S. Cello Suite No.1 arr. for piano solo | ||
Bach J.S. Das Musikalisches Opfer BWV 1070 | ||
Bach J.S. Fifield Transcription Cantata BWV 147 Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring piano solo | ||
Bach J.S. Harpsichord Concerto A-major arr. 2 pianos | ||
Bach J.S. J.S.- Das Wohltemperierte Klavier I (Urtext) | ||
Bach J.S. Marcello – BWV 974 Concert no. 3 | ||
Bach J.S. My First Book of Bach favorite pieces in easy piano arrangements by D. Dutkanicz | Bach J.S. My First Book of Bach favorite pieces in easy piano arrangements by D. Dutkanicz | |
Bach J.S. Parodi Siciliano from BWV 1031 Piano solo transcription | ||
Bach J.S. Prelude XXIV | ||
Bach J.S. Ricercar 6 BWV 1079 from “The Musical Offering | ||
Bach J.S. Sarabande for cello | ||
Bach J.S. Siciliano from BWV 1031 Piano solo transcription by Eugen D’Albert | ||
Bach J.S. Ten Choral Preludes KiV B 27 | ||
BACH J.S. The Art Of Fugue Bach Fugues For Keyboard, 1715 1750 | ||
BACH J.S. The little music book of Anna Magdalena (20 easy pieces) | ||
Bach J.S. Toccata & Fugue Dminor for Piano | ||
Bach J.S. Two Transcriptions Of St. Matthew Passion For Piano Solo | ||
Bach J.S. Two-Voice Inventions | ||
Bach J.S.-Busoni BVB36 Prelude Fugue and Allegro BWV998 | ||
Bach J.S.-Busoni BWV 933-938 | ||
Bach J.S.-Busoni Prelude in C minor BWV 999 | ||
Bach J.S.-BWV 1055 4 hands | ||
Bach J.S.-Choral-BWV-639-Transcr-Busoni | ||
Bach J.S.-Lipatti – Two Transcriptions of Bach J.S.’s Cantatas 208 | Bach-Lipatti – Two Transcriptions of Bach’s Cantatas 208 | |
Bach J.S.-Petri – Cantata 208 “Sheep May Safely Graze” Piano solo arr. | Bach-Petri – Cantata 208 Sheep May Safely Graze | |
Bach J.S.-Siloti- Andante from Sonata for Solo Violin BWV 1003 | ||
Bach JS “Sheep May Safely Graze” from Cantata 208 (easy piano) | ||
Bach Liszt Prelude & Fugue In A Minor, Bwv 543 | ||
BACH Master Musicians Series by Malcom Boyd (eBook) Biography | ||
Bach Prelude Iv Bwv 849 Wtc I (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Bach The Goldberg Variations Cambridge Music Handbooks (eBook) | ||
Bach The Goldberg Variations Cambridge Un. Press (Book) | ||
Bach The New Bach Reader A Life Of Johann Sebastian Bach In Letters And Documents (Arthur Mendel Hans T. David Christoph Wolff) Book | ||
Bach Toccata And Fugue In D Minor (Piano Solo) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565 (Piano solo arr.) | ||
Bach Toccata And Fugue In D Minor Bwv 565 (Piano Solo Arr.) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Bach Two Part Inventions (No. 1 Bwv 772) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Bach-Bauer Die Seele Ruht..Cantata 127 for piano solo | ||
Bach-Busoni – Chaconne D minor arr. piano solo | ||
Bach-Busoni Ich Ruf’ Zu Dir Herr Bwv 639 Piano Solo Arr. (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Bach-Gouin – Harpsichord Concerto in F Minor (Arioso) BWV1056 piano | ||
Bach-Rummel Ertodt-Uns BWV22 | ||
Bach-Siloti – Praeludium In B Minor BWV 855a | Bach-Siloti – Praeludium In B Minor Bwv 855a | |
Bach-Siloti – Praeludium In B Minor Bwv 855a (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Bach-Siloti Transcription of Bach’s Air from Suite for String Orchestra No.3, BWV 1068 | ||
Bach-Stradal Trio Sonata No 4 in E minor BWV 528 | ||
Bach, Johann Sebastian – Complete Lute Music (transcribed for Guitar) | ||
Bach, J. S. Concert In D Minor Bwv 1043 For Two Violins And Piano Musescore File.mscz | ||
Bach, J.S. Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude Easy Guitar Arr. Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring Cantata Nr. 147 | Bach, J.S. – – Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude Guitar arr. | |
Bach, J.S. Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude Guitar Arr. Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring Cantata Nr. 147 | Bach, J.S. Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude Guitar Arr. Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring Cantata Nr. 147 | |
Bach, J.S. Orchestral Suite No. 1 In C Major Bwv 1066 Passepied (Easy Piano Solo) | ||
Bach, J.S. Arioso For Piano Solo BWV 156 | ||
Bach, J.S. For Electric Guitar [Guitar SongBook] | Bach, J.S. For Electric Guitar | |
Bach, J.S. Myra Hess Chorale from Cantata 147 Jesu Joy Of Man’s desiring Hess Myra piano solo Arrangement | ||
Bach, J.S. – Jesus bleibet meine Freude Guitar arr. Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring Cantata Nr. 147.mscz | ||
Bach, J.S. – Jesus_bleibet_meine_Freude_Cantata_Bwv147_10_Choral SATB with Piano by Johann_Sebastian_Bach.mscz | ||
Bach, J.S. – Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Piano Solo) | ||
Bach, J.S. Arioso (Guitar) from Cantata BWV 156 Guitar arr. by Per Orlov Kindgren | ||
Bach, J.S. Awake, tu us the Voice is calling – Wachet Auf, ruft uns die Stimme Piano solo arr. (Borwick) | ||
Bach, J.S. Chorale from Cantata 147 Jesu Joy Of Man’s desiring Easy piano solo Arr. | ||
Bach, J.S. Dinu Lipatti Pastorale in F ( Piano solo transcription) | ||
Bach, Johann Sebastian (bio book LUX-Lesebogen) (Deutsch-German) Biography | ||
Bach, JS Partitas Partita 1 | ||
Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier The 48 Preludes and Fugues (Book ) David Ledbetter | ||
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Heitor Villa-Lobos) | ||
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Heitor Villa-Lobos) 2 pianos | ||
Back To The Future Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack Piano Vocal guitar | Back To The Future | |
Backstreet Boys – All I Have To Give | ||
Backstreet Boys – As Long As You Love Me | ||
Backstreet Boys – Drowning | ||
Backstreet Boys – How Did I Fall In Love With You | ||
Backstreet Boys – I Need You Tonight | ||
Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way | ||
Backstreet Boys – Incomplete | ||
Backstreet Boys – Quit Playing Games With My Heart | ||
Backstreet Boys – Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely | ||
Backstreet Boys As Long As You Love Me | ||
Backstreet Boys Backstreets Back | ||
Backstreet Boys Black Blue | ||
Backstreet Boys Drowning | ||
Backstreet Boys Everybody | ||
Backstreet Boys I Want It That Way | ||
Backstreet Boys Shape Of My Heart | ||
Baden Powell Manha De Carnaval Guitar Tablature Tabs | ||
Baden Powell – So Por Amor (Guitar arr. sheet music with TABs) | Baden Powell – So Por Amor (Guitar arr. sheet music with TABs) | |
Baden Powell – Samba Do Aviao (Jobim) Guitar arr | ||
Baden Powell – Samba Em Preludio Guitar TAB | ||
Baden Powell – Serenata Do Adeus Guitar TABs | ||
Baden Powell Complete Brazil On Guitar transcriptions with Tablature | Baden Powell complete sheet music | |
Baden Powell Contemporary solo guitar (Book In Japanese) | ||
Baden Powell Prelude In A Minor (guitar) | ||
Baden Powell Retrato Brasileiro Choro Lento (Guitar) | ||
Baden Powell Songbook – Volume 1 (Guitar) | Baden Powell 1 | |
Baden Powell Songbook – Volume 2 (Guitar) | Baden Powell 2 | |
Baden Powell Songbook Volume 3 (Guitar) | Baden Powell songbook 3 | |
Badfinger – No Matter What | ||
Baghdarsaryan, Eduard 24 Preludes For Piano | ||
Baker’s Biographical Dictionary Of Popular Musicians 1990 Complete Vol 1 A L and Vol 2 M Z | ||
Balada Para Alessandro (Raul Di Blasio) | ||
Balázs Havasidom Freedom Piano Solo Sheet Music | ||
Ballad No Name (William Joseph) | ||
Ballade No. 1 In G Minor (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Ballads Big Book Of Ballads 2nd Edition Piano Vocal Guitar | Ballads Big Book Of Ballads 2nd Edition Piano Vocal Guitar | |
Ballads For Classical Guitar | Ballads For Classical Guitar | |
Ballads Really easy piano (24 great songs) | Ballads Really easy piano (24 great songs) | |
Ballads The Big Book Of Ballads 3rd Edition Piano Vocal Guitar | Ballads The Big Book Of Ballads 3rd Edition Piano Vocal Guitar | |
Bambina (Lara Fabian) | ||
Banana Boat Day-O – Guitarr Arr. With Tabs (Traditional Jamaican Folk Song (Sheet Music) | ||
Banana Boat Day-O – Guitarr Arr. With Tabs (Traditional Jamaican Folk Song (Sheet Music)) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Banana phone (Raffi) | ||
Bangles – Eternal Flame | ||
Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 1 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 1 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | |
Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 2 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 2 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | |
Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 3 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 3 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | |
Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 4 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | Bar Piano Susi’s – Band 4 – Swing Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | |
Bar Piano Susi’s Merry Christmas by Susi Weiss | Bar Piano Susi’s Merry Christmas by Susi Weiss | |
Bar Piano, Susi’s – Band 5 – Swing, Evergreens and Pop Classics by Susi Weiss | Bar Piano, Susi’s – Band 5 – Swing, Evergreens and Pop Classics | |
Barbara Livre D’or 18 Chansons Partition Musicale | Barbara Livre D’or 18 Chansons Partition Musicale | |
Barbara Arens Moonbeams |
Be creative at the Piano (Part 1)
Here’s the method I use every time I want to capture an idea. I draw out 8-bars (or measures) first. Why eight bars? Because it is an ideal framework to work in. Eight bars of music are enough to generate a complete musical
sentence and can usually be repeated once or twice. Next, I improvise and see what comes up. THEN, I will write down the chords I am playing and the first 2-bars of melody.
Writing down the first 2-bars of melody helps me remember the entire theme for the 8-bar phrase. I usually stay within one key to make it easy. This means I’ll have 6 chords to work with. In C Major, the chords would be, C Maj. -D min. -E min. -F Maj. -G Maj. and A min. This is more than enough material to work with. In fact, I rarely use more than 3 or 4 chords for the first 8-bars.
Browse in the Library:
Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
---|---|---|
(500) Days Of Summer Piano Theme ( Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen) | (500) Days Of Summer Piano Theme ( Mychael Danna, Rob Simonsen) | |
10,000 Maniacs Because The Night Piano Solo sheet music | ||
100 Golden Standards The World’s Best Piano Arrangements by the greatest pianists of the Century | The World’s Best Piano Arrangements | |
100 Great Keyboard Intros Songbook | 100 Great Keyboard Intros Songbook | |
100 Greatest Film Scores (Book) by Matt Lawson & Laurence E. MacDonald | ||
100 greatest POP songs | 100 greats pop songs | |
100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll, Selections From Piano Vocal Guitar Sheet Music | 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll, Selections From Piano Vocal Guitar Sheet Music | |
100 Hits Simply The Best – Guitar (Die besten Songs aus Pop Rock) German | 100 Hits Simply The Best (Die besten Songs aus Pop | |
100 Jazz & Blues Greats Book | 100 Jazz & Blues Greats | |
100 Jazz Solos & Etudes by Jacob Wise | 100 Jazz solos | |
100 Light Classics For Piano Solo | 100 Light Classics For Piano Solo | |
100 Most Beautiful Christmas Songs Easy Piano Vocal | 100 Most Beautiful Christmas Songs Easy Piano Vocal | |
100 Most Beautiful Christmas Songs Piano Vocal Guitar | 100 Most Beautiful Christmas Songs Piano Vocal Guitar | |
100 Must-Know Jazz Tunes with MP3 audio tracks to Play Along | 100 Must-Know Jazz Tune – C version | |
100 of the Best Movie Songs Ever! Piano Vocal Guitar | 100 best movie songs 1&100 best movie songs 2 | |
100 Of The Best Songs Ever For The Keyboard by Daniel Scott | 100 Of The Best Songs Ever For The Keyboard | |
100 Piano Solos (100 popular standards of today arr. by Frank Booth) with guitar chords | 100 piano solos 1 | |
100 Pop Hits Of The 90’s by Dan Coates | 100 Pop Hits Of The 90’s by Dan Coates | |
100 Rock N Roll Standards Piano Vocal Guitar chords | 100 Rock N Roll Standards Piano Vocal Guitar chords contents | |
100 Songs For Kids – Easy Guitar Lyrics with Tablature | 100 Songs For Kids – Easy Guitar Lyrics | |
100 Tunes Every Musician Should Know Professional Chord Changes And Substitutions By Dick Hyman | 100 Tunes Every Musician Should Know Professional Chord Changes And Substitutions By Dick Hyman | |
100 Ultimate Blues Riffs For Piano Keyboards | 100 ultimate riffs jazz piano | |
100 Women Of Pop And Rock 100 songs by 100 artists | 100 Women Of Pop And Rock 100 songs by 100 artists Piano Vocal Guitaral Leonard | |
100 Years Of Popular Music 1980s Part Two Piano Vocal Guitar Chords | 100 Years Of Popular Music 1980s Part Two Piano Vocal Guitar Chords | |
1000 Examples of Musical Dictation (Ladukhin, Nikolay) | 1000 Examples of Musical Dictation | |
1000 Words – Final Fantasy X-2.mscz | ||
1001 Blues Licks by Toby Wine – Piano | 1001 Blues Licks by Toby Wine – Piano | |
1001 Jazz Licks A Complete Jazz Vocabulary For The Improvising Musician (Jack Shneidman) | 1001 Jazz Licks A Complete Jazz Vocabulary For The Improvising Musician (Jack Shneidman) | |
101 Cançoes Que Tocaram O Brasil Nelson Motta (Book) (Brazilian Portuguese) | ||
101 Frank Sinatra Hits For Buskers | 101 Frank Sinatra Hits For Buskers | |
101 Mississippi Delta Blues Fingerpicking Licks Guitar and TAB by Larry McCabe | Larry McCabe – 101 Mississippi Delta Blues Fingerpicking Licks | |
101 Must-Know Blues Licks (Guitar Educational) (Wolf Marshall) PDF + MP3 audio tracks Play Along with Tablature | 101 Must-Know Blues Licks (Guitar Educational) (Wolf Marshall) | |
1015 Songs – The Original Musicians’s (Musicals) | 1015 Songs – The Original, Musicians’s (Musicals) | |
106 Songs Everybody Plays | 106 Songs Everybody Plays | |
11 Short Classical Piano Pieces | 11 Short Classical Piano Pieces | |
116 Arrangements Of Baroque, Classical & Ballet Pieces For Piano Solo | 116 Arrangements Of Baroque, Classical & Ballet Pieces For Piano Solo | |
129 Easy Pieces For Piano Solo, also for beginners | 129 easy pieces for piano solo | |
12th Street RAG – Liberace Collection Book of 5 compositions | ||
12th Street Rag by Euday Bowman (Piano Solo sheet music, Noten, partition, partitura, spartito).mscz | ||
150 Best Songs For Acoustic Guitar | ||
150 More Of The Most Beautiful Songs Ever (Songbook) Piano Vocal Guitar | 150 More Of The Most Beautiful Songs Ever (Songbook) Piano Vocal Guitar | |
150 Of The Best Jazz Standards Ever | 150 Of The Best Jazz Standards Ever | |
150 Of The Most Beautiful Songs Ever 3rd Edition | 150 Of The Most Beautiful Songs Ever 3rd Edit1 and 150 Of The Most Beautiful Songs Ever 3rd Edit2 | |
16 Pop and Movies Hits Keyboard Piano Book (Mike Emerson) | 16 Pop and Movies Hits Keyboard Piano Book (Mike Emerson) | |
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue The Musical By Leonard Bernstein And Alan Jay Lerner Vocal Selections | ||
17 Moments of Spring – Mgnovenia (Mikael Tariverdiev) | ||
1812 Overture Op. 49 Thaikovsky (arr. piano solo) | ||
1950s Jazz (Fake Book lead sheet music) | 1950s Jazz (Fake Book lead sheet music) | |
20 Century Fox Theme Transcription By Deusde Coppen | ||
20 Modern BEBOP Licks – by Noah Kellman All Keys with left hands chords | 20 Modern BEBOP Licks – by Noah Kellman All Keys with left hands chords | |
200 Jazz Standards Tunes (chords progressions for C Instruments) Bob Taylor | 200 Jazz Standards Tunes (chords progressions for C Instruments) Bob Taylor | |
200 Of The Best Songs From Jazz Of The ’50s | jazz of the 50s | |
2014 Top Hits Of 2014 Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar | 2014 Top Hits Of 2014 Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar | |
2016 Top Hits Of 2016 Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar | 2016 Top Hits Of 2016 Songbook Piano Vocal Guitar | |
2018 Greatest Pop Movie Hits Songbook For Piano | 2018 Greatest Pop Movie Hits Songbook For Piano | |
2019 GREATEST POP MOVIE HITS SONGBOOK FOR PIANO PART 2 Piano sheet music (Jim Presley) | 2019 GREATEST POP MOVIE HITS SONGBOOK FOR PIANO PART 2 Piano sheet music (Jim Presley) | |
2020 Greatest Pop Piano Sheet Music Book Songbooks For Piano | 2020 Greatest Pop Piano Sheet Music Book Songbooks For Piano | |
20th Century Classics Volume 1 | 20th Century Classics Volume 1 | |
20th Century Jazz Guitar by Richie Zellon (with Tablature) | 20th Century Jazz Guitar by Richie Zellon | |
20th Century Masters Of Fingerstyle Guitar by John Stropes | 20th Century Masters Of Fingerstyle Guitar by John Stropes | |
20th Century Piano Music – Book (1990) David Burge | 20th Century Piano Music Book (1990) David Burge | |
24 Etudes Op.35 – Fernando Sor (1778 – 1839) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
24_Preludes_Op.34 Shostakovich.mscz | ||
25 Short Classical Guitar Pieces (with Tablature) | 25 Short Classical Guitar Pieces | |
262 Classic Piano Rags Various Composers | 262 Classic Piano Rags Various Composers | |
273 Easy And Intermediate Piano Pieces | 273 Easy And Intermediate Piano Pieces contents | |
28 Modern Jazz Trumpet Solos Book 2 | 28 Modern Jazz Trumpet Solos Book 2 | |
3.10 to Yuma (Marco Beltrami) | ||
30 Best Rock Guitar Songs Ever (Guitar TABs) | 30 Best Rock Guitar Songs Ever (Guitar TABs) | |
300 Sacred Songs Melody Lyrics Chords Fake Book Melody Lyrics Chords | 300 Sacred Songs Melody Lyrics Chords Fake Book Melody Lyrics Chords_compressed | |
36 Christmas Carols Songs | 36 christmas carols songs | |
38 Special Guitar Anthology Guitar Recorded Vers. with Tablature | 38 special guitar anthology | |
39 Progressive Solos For Classical Guitar (with Tablature) | 39 Progressive Solos For Classical Guitar | |
39 Progressive Solos For Classical Guitar Book 2 (with Tablature) | 39 Progressive Solos For Classical Guitar Book 2 sheet music pdf | |
40 Easy Guitar Pieces (Painted with the Sound) | ||
49 Most Popular Jazz Songs | 49 Most Popular Jazz Songs | |
5 Christmas Songs Sheet Music Trumpet in B & Piano accompaniment (Viktor Dick) | 5 Christmas Songs Sheet Music Trumpet in B & Piano accompaniement (Viktor Dick) | |
50 Broadway Shows 50 Broadway Songs | 50 Broadway Shows 50 Broadway Songs | |
50 Classical Guitar Solos In Tablature (Howard Wallach) with Tablature | 50 Classical Guitar Solos In Tablature (Howard Wallach) | |
50 Essential Bebop Heads Arranged For Guitar Tablature (best lines Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and more) | 50 Essential Bebop Heads Arranged For Guitar Tablature (best lines Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and more) | |
50 Jazz Standards Every Jazz Musician Needs To Know with MP3 audio tracks to Play Along | 50 Jazz Standards Every Jazz Musician Needs To Know – C version | |
50 Most Popular Classical Melodies (Easy Piano) | 50 Most Popular Classical Melodies | |
50 Of The Most Beautiful Piano Love Songs Solos Ever. | 50 OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PIANO LOVE SONGS SOLOS EVER | |
50 Piano Arrangements Of Hymns And Gospel Songs (Fred Bock’s Best) | 50 Piano Arrangements Of Hymns sheet music | |
50 Piano Classics – Easy | 50 piano classics | |
50 Riffs For Blues Guitar – Martin Shellard with MP3 audio to Play Along with Tablature | 50 riffs for blues guitar | |
500 Piano Intros For The Great Standards – Steinway | 500 piano intros | |
55 Country Classics (Voice, piano, Guitar) | 55 Country Classics (Voice, piano, Guitar) | |
557 Jazz Standards (Sheet Music – in C for all instruments) swing to bop (lead sheet) | Standards (Sheet Music – Piano) | |
60 Progressive Solos For Classical Guitar By Mark Phillips (with Tablature) | ||
67 Fun Songs arranged by Jon Schmidt (Piano) | ||
70’s Hits (Easy Piano Solos) – Hans-Gunter Heumann [Piano, Vocal, Chords] | ||
750.000 anni fa.l’Amore (Banco del Mutuo Soccorso) | ||
75th Anniversary A Tribute In Music From The 20s Through The 90s Various Artists Warner Bros | 75th Anniversary A Tribute In Music From The 20s Through The 90s Various Artists Warner Bros | |
78 Quarterly No 1 and 2 (1967) Book magazine | ||
8 ½ Theme (Nino Rota) | ||
8 Femmes (Krishna Levy) | ||
8 Jazz scales you need to know.mscz | ||
80 Most Requested LDS Songs (Mormon music) | 80 Most Requested LDS Songs (Mormon music) | |
88 Piano Classics For Beginners – David Dutkanicz | 88 Piano Classics For Beginners – David Dutkanicz | |
88 The Giants Of Jazz Piano by Robert L. Foerschuk (Book) foreword by Keith Jarrett | ||
9 easy guitar pieces – Sveinn Eythorsson | ||
97 Oeuvres pour Guitare de Jean Francois DELCAMP | 97 Oeuvres pour Guitare de Jean Francois DELCAMP | |
99 Easy Piano Pieces | 99 Easy Piano Pieces | |
A Beautiful Mind – A Kalidoscope of Mathematics | ||
A Beautiful Mind – All Love Can Be | A Beautiful Mind – All Love Can Be | |
A Beautiful Mind – Kalidoscope | ||
A Child Is Born – Oscar Peterson (Musescore File).mscz | ||
A Chordal Concept For Jazz Guitar by Peter O’Mara | A Chordal Concept For Jazz Guitar by Peter O’Mara | |
A Ciascuno il Suo (Luis Bacalov) | ||
A Clare Benediction – John Rutter – Piano Solo Arr. (Musescore File).mscz | ||
A Clockwork Orange (Beethoviana) | A Clockwork Orange (Beethoviana) | |
A Clockwork Orange (Beethoviana) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
A Comparative Study Of The 24 Preludes Of A. Scriabin And Sergei Rachmaninoff (book) | ||
A Complete Course of Instruction For The Piano-Forte (Dr Karl Merz) (1885) | Instruction… | |
A Cool Yule. Ten Jazzy Christmas Songs | A Cool Yule. Ten Jazzy Christmas Songs | |
A Creative Approach To Jazz Piano Harmony Bill Dobbins | A Creative Approach To Jazz Piano Harmony Bill Dobbins | |
A Creative Approach To Practicing JAZZ – by David Baker | A Creative Approach To pravtising Jazz | |
A Dance of Dragons – Blood of the Dragon (Game of Thrones) Piano solo arr. | ||
A Dictionary of Music and Musicians Vol. 4 (A.D. 1450-1880) Edited in 1889 |
Once you get your first 8-bars down, you’re more than halfway home. Why? Because you already have the beginning. The rest of the piece, if there is a rest of the piece, can be finished by drawing more bar lines AND LISTENING FOR THE NEXT SECTION OF MUSIC. This is always accomplished through improvisation. Your best material will ALWAYS come from improvisation because you are not thinking about creating something.
Instead, you are allowing the music that is inside you to come to the surface, without forcing it or willing it into being. You use the 8-bar framework to hold your ideas. There is no rule that says you must work within 8-bars. You can use four or even sixteen bar phrases, however, its
good to be able to feel the form and structure of an 8-bar phrase first. It is the structure used by most composers, and it is wise to understand it.
Compose Music the Easy Way!
There are basically two ways to compose music. One way is by starting from the bottom or the harmonic approach. A composer/arranger takes a few chords, a phrase to hang them on and arranges the harmony in some kind of pattern. An example of this is the “loop” you oft en hear in contemporary music. A loop is simply a harmonic background over which a melody (or not) is played.
The second way to compose music is by starting with the melody. Composers may or may not have some idea of the finished idea (I prefer not to) but the melodic idea is fitted into some kind of phrase. The e most common phrase used is the 8-bar phrase. I find that starting with the melody to be the easier approach. Why? Because melody is easier to move forward then harmony. Sure, you can block out a few chords and arrange them to create a loop, but this becomes static over time. Melody is much easier to go forward with.
By using the principles of repetition and contrast, we can create a simple ABA form in no time at all. Then we can go back and harmonize each section. I used to favor the harmonic approach at first. It was very easy to simply jot down chord changes on an 8-bar phrase, create some kind of arrangement, and improvise a melody on top. The ere is nothing wrong with this approach at all. But I soon found myself learning towards the melody first. Not because I think it’s better, but simply because it’s the method I like right now.
Either way, it’s a good idea to compose music using one approach or the other. If you try to harmonize a melody while you’re creating it, it will slow you down and may stop the creative flow.
A student writes: “You always say, ‘let the music tell you where it wants to go’ but when I try to do this nothing comes. What to do?”
This is an excellent question because it really cuts to the core of my whole teaching philosophy, which is -never force or try and “will” music into being. Instead, let it come of its own accord. To illustrate this, I’ll share with you my own process with “coming up” with material.
Usually, I never have problems with the first 8-bars of music – sometimes called the (A) section. But once this section is down, so to speak, the rest of the music (if there is more to come) is usually more difficult for me.
I know from experience that if I try and force the music to move forward, I may get somewhere, but this music will usually sound stilted or lifeless. At this point, I can do one of two things… I can walk away and hope for fresh inspiration at a later time, or I can begin improvising without worrying or wondering about “more” music to come. I know there is a school of thought that suggests you plunge forward and “make it happen.” This can work and does work to get a product out there. The problem with this approach is what I mentioned previously. When your ego is
involved in the creation process, your creation will be exactly that – ego centered.
When it comes from the source or spirit, you get a music that has that X factor. That indefinable quality that you can hear but quite can’t put your finger on. It really all comes down to process or product. Do you want a nice, neat product that can be admired by friends and family? Then it doesn’t matter how you create music. But if you want a music that comes from a deeper place, don’t force … allow.
Composing Music – How To Compose A Theme and Variations for Piano
Recently, I posted a lesson where I show students how to compose a theme and variations for piano. Now, most composers today do not compose using this musical form. That’s not to say it isn’t still used, but … it can sound antiquated if certain harmonies and sounds are used.
For example, in the lesson, “August Reflections,” I use the A harmonic minor scale and three chords from that scale to create a theme with three variations. This particular sound has been used for quite a while. I chose it because it does sound familiar, and some students wanted to learn something using a minor sounding scale. Notice that the theme itself is quite simple. It consists of two 8-bar phrases that can be called A and B sections. The two sections are played through and then the first variation begins. It consists of broken chords in the left hand.
The second variation is a simple crossover pattern using the same chords -only this time, it’s spread out. This gives the necessary contrast without breaking the “mood” of the piece. The last variation is a play on the melody itself. I think I’m using eighth or sixteenth notes here, as I just play around with breaking up the melody.
Finally, we return to the theme and there you have it… a complete piece of music using the theme and variations technique. A complete step by step breakdown of this lesson is available to course members.
Composing Using Chord Charts
A chord chart is a navigation tool. It’s a way for the composer to chart out musical phrases and notate where chord changes occur. It can be anywhere from 2-bars to 200 bars or more, depending on how long the composition is or how many bars it takes to notate a musical idea.
For example, in the piece “Egrets,” we have an 8-bar phrase with chord changes on top. This is a chord chart. It tells the performer where the chord changes occur, what the melody is, and when to change chords. This is all that is necessary to create a full arrangement of the music. We don’t need to write out every single note. We use the chord changes to create fresh arrangements of how we want the music to sound. Notice that the first 2-bars of melody are written out.
This was the initial idea. I then drew out 8-bars and finished by putting the chord changes on top. Now, whenever I want to play this little piece, I can play the initial melody and the whole thing comes together. Of course, I could have written the whole thing out note for note, but this would have taken 30 times as long as just notating where the chords change. Another benefit of this method is that the music is left elastic and fluid -that is, the aliveness of the music comes to you each and every time you play it. Why? Because each and every note is not written out. You can play it a little differently each time, and each time the music will speak a little differently to you.
Composing Your Own Music – Easier Than You Think
Most teachers make composition so mysterious. First you have to learn harmony… then theory… then form and on and on it goes. But do you really have to learn all of this before launching your own creations? Absolutely not, and I’m living proof of that.
So, how did I do this? Well, first, I had the desire. If you don’t have this ingredient, most anything you try and undertake will fail. Why? Because you need to have persistence. And persistence is something that works better when you want something badly. And I very badly wanted to create my own solo piano music. Now, everyone has their own way and method of going about this. Mine was to first listen to pianists I love and admired – namely George Winston and John Herberman. You see, besides persistence, you also need inspiration.
And what better inspiration is there than to actually hear music you love and admire. In fact, I would listen to these CDs over and over. The music eventually seeped into me, but this in and of itself is not enough. Don’t get me wrong … there’s nothing wrong with listening and saying to yourself, “how did he do that?” In fact, I suggest students do exactly this. But you can jump over all this analyzing by learning just a little theory. And when I say little, I mean it.
What I have my students learn is something called the 8-bar phrase. And this is exactly what it sounds like. Once they get this -and it isn’t hard to get -inroads into composition are quickly discovered.
For example, in the free workbook I offer with my course, you get tons of experience working with 8-bar phrases. You learn how to first improvise through them using chords. When you can do this – and it’s pretty easy as well – you begin to “feel” how a composition is made up. This approach has worked very well for me over the years as well as for my students.
Composing for Piano – Learn How to Improvise First!
When most people hear the word composer, they automatically think of classical composers like Mozart or Beethoven. This is the point where many “would be” composers freeze up because they tell themselves
that their music could never be as good. And, this is also the point where would be music makers and their desire to create.
When you compare yourself to another person, you are really defeating the whole idea of creating to begin with. Why? Because your music is as unique as you are! There will never be another person like you and there
will never be anyone else who can create music like you. So give up your notions of becoming a great composer. Instead, focus on the joy that comes from being in the moment and creating your own music. To do this, learn how to improvise first.
You must have the ability to move forward without censoring what is coming out of you. Just like writers do with freewriting, so you too must do with improvisation. Once you are able to just sit down at the piano and play without worrying if it’s good enough, you’ll be ready to put pen to paper and compose. Of course, you could compose without learning how to improvise, but chances are the music will sound stodgy and foursquare. It may not have the “life” that most composers shoot for.
Composing for Piano Using Small ABA Form
One of the most daunting tasks for beginners is composing music. Just the thought of it creates scary scenarios that demand perfection. But what if you actually knew what you were doing? Instead of fear, joy and a spirit of adventure would guide you to a finished piece of music. Let’s look at how we might compose a small ABA form for piano.
The first thing I do is draw out 8-bars on a piece of paper. Any paper will do. You don’t have to have ruled sheet music paper to compose…at least not the way I teach it. The reason I tell students to begin with 8-bars is that it’s a very good space to work in. In fact, 8-bars is quite enough to give you your first (A) section. As an example, look at the lesson piece “A
Peaceful Path.”Here, we have 3-4 minutes of music. We use the art of repetition and contrast, and a small ABA form is generated.
If you listen to the piece, you’ll hear where the (A) section ends and the (B) section begins. In fact, listening is very important. Most people listen to music as a complete aural experience, and that’s fine. But if you’re interested in musical composition, you should also listen for the form of the piece.
Most piano music is composed using sectional form. For instance, here is the arrangement of the piece, “A Peaceful Path,” – 2A2BA. This is a shorthand way of notating the amount of repeating that goes on in the piece. The first (A) section, 8-bars, is repeated twice, then the (B) section
gets repeated twice and finally, we end up back where we started. The e reason ABA form works so well is that it gives the listener a complete musical experience. And it gives them a sense of finality.
Sadly, the music must end somewhere, and composers have been working on different ways to do this via the form of the piece. Many innovative composers have tried to abolish form, but the question you must ask yourself is “Is this music giving the listener an emotional experience?” There’s a good reason ABA form has been around for hundreds of years. Because it works!