If you have followed me up
until this point, you have a
good idea on how to identify and
name most chords in church
music. There may be exceptions
but that is fine for now.
I hope you have been doing the
exercise of going through the
hymnal and learning to quickly
identify the chords that are
being used. This is very
important and really is the
foundation for almost everything
I am about to teach about in
coming months.
By the way, learn to identify
the chords not only by their
letter name but also by their
number (relation to the key of
the song). For example, in the
key of C, you should identify
the A chord as the 6 chord.
Sound like a lot of work? It may
be, but you have nothing but
time to learn it. It make take a
few years, but if you are
faithful, naming chords will be
as easy as riding a bike.
Once you can do this, think of
where you can go with it. For
example, you will be able to
transpose quickly. If you see a
minor 6 chord in a particular
key, you will just play a minor
6 in whatever key you are
transposing to.
Now, I want to discuss something
a bit more intimidating to many
people. You need to start
learning how to identify chords
when you hear them. At first,
you may think it is impossible.
Trust me, you can improve your
ear, and you need to start
today.
Here are some tips to get
started:
1) Listen to the piano only.
Don’t try to identify chords in
orchestrations or vocal choirs
yet. Focus just on the piano
sound.
2) Listen for the bass note.
Don’t worry if you can’t hear
the notes between the bass note
and melody note. Just try to get
the point where you hear what
the bass line is doing.
3) Force yourself to start
playing music by ear. The only
way to do it is to get started.
Sit down and start picking out a
tune.
Is a good ear an inherited
trait?
In short, yes and no. Without
doubt, there are very blessed
people who can play well without
ever having a lesson. However,
if you do not play by ear, there
is hope for you. I am an
example of that. I did not play by ear
until after college. After a
while, I started hearing the
harmonies that I use today.
In more recent years, I have
learned how to pick out the
chords that other people play. I
even have developed a form of
perfect pitch in that I can
usually identify the key that
songs are played in and
sometimes identify the note when
only one key is pressed on the
piano.
So, get started developing your
ear, and quit blaming your ear
trouble on your parents!
Is a good ear necessary for a
church pianist?
No. But it is necessary if you
want to be a great, highly
versatile church pianist. In
today’s world, playing by ear
and improvisation are becoming
two must-haves for musicians.
You have probably heard the
story of the classical concert
pianist who failed to play
“Happy Birthday” when asked to
at a party. Don’t embarrass
yourself—learn to step outside
the rigid box of having to play
everything with printed music.
Practice strategy:
Listen to a lot of church music.
In fact, try to listen to very
simple church music. You
will just frustrate yourself if
you start trying to identify
chords you hear in something
complex like jazz. Listen
for the melody note and the bass
note for now. Also, spend
a few minutes each day (not too
long) trying to play a different
song by ear. Play it in
several different keys.
