![]() ![]() Or, even if all the notes are played, there might be a slight delay in a note or two, resulting in a really choppy sound.Īn alternative to playing the full chord is to play the chord shell, which is just the outer two notes of the chord. Sometimes notes of a chord get left out completely. It’s common that a note or two sounds muted or muffled because it isn’t played as strongly as the other notes. It takes a lot of practice and coordination to get all of the notes of the chord to sound clean and precise. Some people find playing a full chord in the left hand to be challenging. It’s better to use chord inversions to make smooth, efficient transitions from chord to chord.īlocked triads are really useful on the piano, and once you get comfortable playing them and their inversions, there is a lot you can do with them. However, moving from one root position chord to the next can feel and sound really clunky on the piano. In this example, we’re using blocked chords, which means all of the notes of the chord are played together at the same time.Ī lot of pianists quickly figure out how to play chords in their root position. If a measure isn’t labeled with a chord symbol, you would just repeat that chord from the previous measure. In this song, your left hand would play a full triad or 7th chord at the beginning of each measure. Here’s a lead sheet for the opening part of “Jingle Bells”: “Jingle Bells” If you’re not sure how to form chords from a chord symbol, this article is helpful: “How To Play Piano Chords for Beginners” It will complete the harmony better and give a little more to work with. While a single bass note or octave bass notes in the left hand works with lead sheets, playing the complete chord that is intended is often a better option. This is a good way to add a little more energy to your music if you’re looking for a more driving beat. If you’re feeling a little more ambitious, you could break those left hand octaves apart and play them as alternating eighth notes between the lower and higher pitches. Here’s what the same “Deck the Halls” example would look like notated with the left hand playing octaves: Your left hand will have to practice moving from one octave to the next, but it’s a small thing that will make a big difference in the sound of your music. This is a good starting place if you’re intimidated by reading a lead sheet.Īn easy way to make the lead sheet harmony sound a little more interesting is to turn those same bass notes into octaves. It’s nothing fancy, but it does a good job of filling in the bass harmony to support your melody line. Here’s an example of what that would look like notated: Hold each bass note until a new note appears. Just continue on reading the chord symbols as left hand bass notes. In the “Deck the Halls” example, you’d hold on to a C in the bass for 3 beats, then play a G on beat 4. ![]() Your bass note would correspond with the root of the chord. The simplest option would be to play the chord symbol as a single bass note in the left hand. Here are 7 things your left hand could do when you’re playing from a lead sheet. Some pianists freeze up when they’re presented with a lead sheet because they don’t know what to do with the left hand. ![]() Help you play with ease, since you are not tied to specific written notation in each hand.Allow you to be creative at the piano, giving you the freedom to create music that sounds the most appealing to you.Help you lock in music theory concepts by identifying and using chords.Lead sheets are great for pianists because they: It takes some getting used to reading a lead sheet, but just like anything else, it gets easier with practice. Some people find it really confusing for the left hand to read above the treble clef, since the left hand is usually notated below the right hand in the bass clef. In this lead sheet of “Deck the Halls,” your right hand would play the melody that is notated in the treble clef while your left hand would play the chords, which are indicated by the letters in the boxes above the staff. You can also find the official lead sheet arrangements here. Here’s an example: “Deck the Halls”īeginner Notes arrangements on are always written in this easy-to-read lead sheet format. In short, lead sheets are bare-bones sheet music that provide you with a notated melody line and a chord progression. If you’re not familiar with lead sheets, you can read all about them here: “How To Read A Chord Chart Or Lead Sheet At The Piano” Lead sheets are a great way for pianists to explore new music. ![]()
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