All of the patterns are played in the key of c, progressing from the c chord, to the f chord, to the g chord, back to the c chord. Most beginners learn to read the treble clef first, as in piano music the right hand often plays the melody. Muchneeded guide to playing the bass side of the accordion. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. Using your left hand, start in the middle of the keyboard. Hand independence tutorial to free your piano improvisation. Walking bass on the piano can be one of the coolest things ever. Thats exactly why left hand patterns are so important and why i created a download especially to help teachers explore this with students. Beginner piano lesson 2 in beginner piano lesson 1 we had an introduction to the piano, looked. Walking a bass line with the left hand is a skill every jazz, rock, and pop pianist should know.
Playing keyboard bass lines lefthand technique for keyboards kindle edition by valerio, john. Free jazz improvisation pdf downloads improv pathways. The best left hand pattern for piano by zachevans if youre looking for a way to add some extra beauty and sensitivity to your piano playing, i think that youre going to love this left hand pattern. Among all the professional dueling piano players i play with, we all use a very small set of left hand bass patterns to get the job done. I would approach this situation by playing the chords with my right hand and playing mostly the bass line with my left hand. What is generally played with the left hand while improvising.
Piano fingering for the left hand is similar to right hand fingering, as indicated in these basic rules. This seemingly impossible old style is like ragtime on steroids, and pushes jazz pianists to the limit. Music theory academy how to read music ebook link image. Many players could benefit from having this reference sheet, which has most of the chords jazz musicians are likely to encounter. Left hand patterns are a really popular way of starting to develop your handstogether improvisation skills on the piano or keyboard. Encyclopedia of lefthand jazz piano voicings learn jazz. Left hand piano patterns made of broken chords you can use. Now that you have a lot of the basics down, todd hobin will teach you how to add in some left hand accompaniment to improve the sound. We then introduced the pentatonic scale, the blues scale, and modal scales that can be used to improvise over the chord changes. The piano lessons show you how to improve your left hand piano playing by using 121 left hand piano patterns with each pattern demonstrated in detail with popular songs. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading playing keyboard bass lines left hand.
The piano lessons show you how to improve your left hand piano playing by using 121 left hand piano patterns and styles with each pattern demonstrated in detail with popular songs. I dont have much to say about this other than it is a really good book for those interested in a compilation of piano patterns. Ten standard left hand patterns for piano sheet music piano. Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of piano players like the mention of stride piano. The left hand plays a few bass notes then 2 chords a major and d major. You may get 15 patterns or so and then they want you to buy more. Pop piano pro left hand patterns and styles page 2 pattern 3. Learn how to play piano chords, notes, scales, proper. Piano players usually are required to play both a rhythm line and melody in many songs. The lines played with the left hand of the piano are often fairly similar to the type of rhythm work played on the bass or bass guitar. We look at it in the key of cm, so the chords are cm and fm. If it is an uptempo song i would try to emulate what the bass guitarist is doing with my left hand. We can also see that the rhythm follows a repeated pattern of 2 quarter notes crotchets followed. This is to accompany playing melodyimprovisation in the right hand.
Just play piano left hand accompaniment making music magazine. It is one thing to know chords, but it is another thing altogether to know what to do with them. With sixty left hand bass lines to master, all including downloadable audio examples. Pared down to its essence, this is a stream of notes in a constant rhythm, most usually 4 quarters per measure in 44 played in octaves, or the same pattern split into 8 8th notes. Playing piano with your left hand, too your left hand plays a supporting role when youre at the piano. But even though it doesnt often get to play the melody, your left hand adds some crucial bass. The patterns include solid rock styles, slow rock styles, alberti bass styles, rhythmic octave fifth styles, rhythmic 10th styles, tango styles and more. In ascending order, c g e g c, then back to g for 34 time. Mar 15, 2016 this pdf will be a big help to many jazz pianists and other instrumentalists who want to get better at voicing chords in their left hand. Playing keyboard bass lines left hand technique for keyboards kindle edition by valerio, john. With these old techniques, there is a limit to how full your arrangements. The accompaniment, chords, arpeggios, the bass line and the improvisation with the left hand of the pianist. My new book, 100 left hand patterns every piano player should.
People ask me all the time on youtube what are you playing with your left hand. Tutorial for hand independence in blues piano youtube. Jazz piano the left hand the steinway library of piano. Sep 26, 2010 a walking bass is a bass accompaniment consisting of notes of equal value, usually quarter notes. Without searching for the e or g note, just press down your number 3 finger and then your number 1 finger. Here are a few excellent and professionalsounding left hand patterns that you can apply to just about any song you come across. Common bass patterns studybass fundamentals one studybass. Move finger 1 to the left, and below the other fingers just when your finger 5. So, comping bass lines is very much a two handed exercise the way i most often encounter it. Boogie woogie chord progressions fingering suggestions 60 left hand bass patterns. How to do left hand chords on the piano easily our pastimes. Slap basic patterns, part 1 jaime introduces the thumb slap and offers some excercises to perfect it. In this tutorial, youll learn the 5 left hand chord patterns used by every gospel pianist youve made it to the advanced level. One of the most important things you can learn as a piano player is an assortment of left hand accompaniment patterns.
In fact, one of the guys i play with recently asked me how walking bass. Fingers 1 and 5 should be kept off accidentals whenever possible. The complete guide to mastering left hand bass chord patterns. Stylegroove usesf e e l main patte rn s imp le v ariat io n s single notes, blocked chords the simples t lh pat ter n is just sing le not es or chords. It adds another level to the song, and makes it sound that much better.
Playing root position chords in the right hand can go a long way. Pop ballad accompaniment styles for piano and keyboard youtube. In some popular music bands, keyboard instruments are used to play the bass line. The first in a series of books that aim to be a resource of material for the boogie woogie pianist.
When you play piano, your left hand usually plays a single bass note on the root of the chord. Left hand playing made easy the better way to learn piano. The video zooms in directly on the hands, and youll be able to see each hand movement and finger placement. The ebook is a series of images with tiny print which is illegible. There are three chord patterns that come up frequently. Jul 12, 2017 the left hand can be a little tricky for most piano players. Left hand walking bass learn how to play jazz bass lines on the piano. The method teaches the notes and rhythms to famous riffs and classic songs, and presents both fingerstyle and pick technique. The best left hand pattern for piano best piano tips. How to play left hand accompaniment patterns on the piano. This isnt an allencompassing resource, as a resource that.
This exegesis is presented in partial fulfilment of degree of master of arts performing arts western australian academy of performing arts edith cowan university faculty of education and arts. In one sense, it must have been easy for early jazz pianists to figure out what to do with their left hand. It is a bass line that you can use over chords minor 1 and minor 4. By learning to play the piano using the powerful technique of rhythmic patterns, youll unleash your creative potential as a. Heres the famous hal leonard beginning bass method, with all instructions, illustrations and photos specially aimed at the left handed player. A lot of wanttobe pianists struggle to learn the basics of piano playing.
Even experienced pianists are often much slower at reading bass clef notes even though you can learn to read piano sheet faster. This is another example in which the fifth and the seventh of the chord dominate. The easiest lefthand accompaniment is chords, whether you play them as. Lefthand ostinato patterns and why theyre perfect for. Traditional old style piano lessons require you to play the melody in the right hand and chords in the left. Learn piano chords complete overview with pictures of all kinds of piano chords. The rhythm parts are sometimes created by playing left hand bass lines on piano.
The basic role of a pianist especially in a band situation, is to provide accompaniment to melodies produced either by the voice or an instrument. One of the most userfriendly left hand patterns is the arpeggio. The beauty of the piano is the ability to play a melody with your right hand while your left hand accompanies it. Since all patterns are notated and fingered, it could also be used to strengthen bass clef reading because we all know the struggle. But usually, these are for accompanying a singer and not for playing a song on piano. The function of a bass player in the jazz combo is to work with the piano player and drummer to provide both a harmonic and rhythmic stability for the tune. Playing keyboard bass lines lefthand technique for keyboards. In beginner piano lesson 1 we had an introduction to the piano, looked at how to find middle c 2 black notes, etc, learned how to read some basic music in treble clef and you played your first piece using your right hand in this lesson we are going to. In organ trios a hammond organ player performs the bass lines using the organs bass pedal board. Any time youre faced with playing straight chords or even playing melodies from a fake book, youre left to your own resources to supply an interestingsounding bass line. This book was created to help piano students of all ages and skill levels learn how to improvise and arrange music of their own. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading playing keyboard bass lines lefthand technique for keyboards. Pattern piano and keyboard complete bundle download. Bass arpeggios are a great resource for both practicing finger exercises as well as learning the fundamental components of chords every practice routine should include some kind of incorporation of finger exercise both for developing dexterity and finger independence as well as understanding chords from a fundamental perspective and how they relate to one another musically.
Great lefthand accompaniment patterns for the piano or. Left hand patterns for accompaniment piano world piano. Then he switches to the f chord, and so he plays f, a, c, d twice, then switches back to the c chord. This is the video for my ebook on how to play rockpop ballad piano accompaniments. For the beginner, the first chapters assume no knowledge of the instrument and teach how to play simple accompaniment patterns. When i took piano lessons as a kid, my piano teachers taught me to read the music set before me, and that was about all. The left hand can be a little tricky for most piano players.
As a result, the right hand is forever obligated to plunk out the melody while the left hand must carry the bulk of the chords. Scales and melodies are fine material for the left hand, but they arent leftys main gig. Download the ultimate guide to piano patterns to make exploring these patterns in your studio that much easier, ive created a download of the most common patterns that students should know. Jul 31, 2012 there is a fantastic video on youtube that ken larkin of. Each of these patterns is versatile applicable to both 34 and 44. If you plan to play music with others, you need to know what notes to play.
Because once you have the pattern down in your left hand your right hand can improvise melody freely. Add lefthand accompaniment patterns on the piano to vary. Just play piano left hand rhythm making music magazine. Your pinky will find the two alternating bass notes because theyre always the same. One major problem that they have is that they cant play the piano by ear. Numerous styles of jazz piano are taught, including. Everything is well explained and there are plenty of musical exampleexercises, and it covers a wide range of material. Forget about the right until the left hand pattern. One of the most important tools for your piano playing bag of tricks is a good supply of lefthand accompaniment patterns.
With the left hand, play the root of the chord, then the 5, then jump up to the next octave and play the 1, 2, and 3 of the scale of that chord so, if it is a c chord, play the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd notes of the c scale. Play the notes c4b3a3g3f3 using the current finger placement. It has been my experience that when i have to play a bass line in my left, i am usually required to play piano in my right. Easy rhythm pattern for accompanying yourself or friend keyboards february 26, 2014 march 12, 2019 debbie gruber do you long to accompany yourself on the piano but dont know where to start. Piano left hand bass a lesson and tutorial youtube. In the previous lessons in this course, we have explored the harmony of the minor blues progression. Those who already play the piano or keyboard from written sheet music, but would like to break away and play by ear. Apr 7, 2014 i have so many of you who track me down after watching my original post on the ten standard left hand patterns for piano explained asking for the pdf file that another reader was gracious enough to. Apr 18, 20 10 standard left hand patterns for piano explained great lefthand accompaniment patterns for the piano or keyboard for dummies updted 72415 left hand piano patterns used to support ri. The left hand alternates a low bass, frequently played in tenths, with close position midrange chords, while the right hand provides melody, syncopations, lines, and runs. This pdf will be a big help to many jazz pianists and other instrumentalists who want to get better at voicing chords in their left hand. Keeping the left hand as just octaves means you dont have to really worry about coordinating precise finger movements with the right hand. Sep 26, 2010 as you play these patterns with left hand, try to give them swing or groove stressing the upbeats as indicated.
The idea of this lesson block is to give you a beginning understanding of what notes bass players choose and why. The left hand on the piano chords arpeggios and bass. With your left hand put the number 5 finger on the c. The best left hand pattern for piano the secret sauce duration. If you played jazz piano in the 20s, the default lh technique was stride. Easy rhythm pattern for accompanying yourself or friend. Before using this guide, pleas e r ef er to my not es a t ti mtopham. In this style, the left hand characteristically plays a fourbeat pulse with a single bass note on the first and third beats, and a chord on the second and fourth beats. A lot of people think i continue reading the best left hand pattern psh. I would have liked to see more examples of playing bass and comping chords with the right hand.
Once you have some basic rules down, youll be able to make bass lines over any chord progression. This means that much less time is devoted to reading the bass clef. Left hand funk bass technique on the piano excercises. Edward left hand ostinato patterns and why theyre perfect for piano improvisation left hand ostinato patterns and why theyre perfect for piano. One of the most userfriendly lefthand patterns is the arpeggio. Lesson 7 left hand rhythm todd hobin demonstrates how to play with left hand rhythm. This gives the impression of a real bass player if the left hand is used correctly. The wonderful thing about it is that walking a basic bass line is not all. What are some common or standard left hand patterns in classical music that a pianist must be familiar with. Free ebooks and ebooks to a small cost if you want to support the site. These are all simpletoplay note patterns and apply in a lot of musical situations.
If you play solo, you are mostly playing the chords with your left hand and the. Jul 21, 2014 one keyboard dedicated for piano sounds and the other keyboard dedicated for bass guitar sounds. Notice the right hand melody does not begin until late in the. Mar 14, 2014 traditionally it is some form of what is called a walking bass. Great lefthand accompaniment patterns for the piano or keyboard. A good idea for teaching bass and treble clefs to piano studentsthis will come in very handy. Mar 09, 2008 10 standard left hand patterns for piano. Its like a freight train, both in its trainlike rhythm and in its power to drive the song forward. Many musicians will search for the most realistic bass sound that they can find in their keyboard and then run the sound into a real bass guitar amplifier. The complete guide to mastering left hand basschord patterns. Playing left hand bass lines on piano piano player world. There is a bit of variance, but only the c, f, and g chords are. Piano and keyboard students who are brand new to music. Rather, on the piano, your left hand begs to be playing accompaniment patterns while your right hand noodles around with a melody or some chords.
There will be lots of video demonstrations to show you how to play octave bass and octave drum in your left hand. I think i would have been better served by buying a book on jazz. Walking bass lines are used in blues gospel, country, rock, ska, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, latin, and many other musical genres. Practiceled investigations of assimilation, ostinatos and hand splitting david dower. Jun 02, 2015 learn how your left hand bass can profoundly alter the chords you play. In this piano tutorial, i show you a seriously funky left hand groove. If youre looking for a few easy, versatile patterns to use in your left hand that will really help fill out your playing, these three will help you out a lot. Playing keyboard bass lines lefthand technique for. Any time youre faced with playing straight chords or even playing melodies from a fake book which pretty much just gives the chord names, youre left to your own resources to supply an interestingsounding bass line. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook welcome to the bass chapter of the thelonious monk institute of jazzs online jazz handbook. Progressive exercises guide towards mastering bass chord patterns. How to play a rolling left hand bass pentecostal piano. For the sake of completeness, most of these left hand applications are integrated with sample right hand parts that validate the efficacy and concrete application of the left hand figures. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Selfaccompaniment and improvisation in solo jazz piano. With over 2 hours of audio and video, this course is equal to 6 months of powerful instruction. Play piano with your left hand music theory academy. An easy way to start doing that is to simply play a chord progression with simple octaves in the bass. In this lesson well take a look at scale style and intervalic bass lines, and even mix them up a bit.
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