Piano Diana Blog: April 2013

Artist Spotlight: The Bee Gees

I had read the following article in one of my music magazines and have always enjoyed the sounds of The Bee Gees. Do you have a favorite song? Here's a list of the top ten songs, with article following:

1. Stay-in' Alive
2. To Love Somebody
3. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
4. Night Fever
5. How Deep Is Your Love
6. Emotion
7. Jive Talkin
8. More Than A Woman
9. I Started A Joke
10. Islands in the Stream

The Bee Gees are the Brothers Gibb, and individually they are barry Gibb and his fraternal twin brothers, Maurice and Robin. Born in Manchester, England, they made their first public appearance in their hometown's amateur talent show at the respective ages of nine and seven.

In 1958 the Gibb family emigrated to Australia where they settled in Brisbane. The boys' flair for pop music flourished in its new setting, and a few spot appearance on radio and TV eventually won them their own weekly TV series. The songs they were singing particularly emphasized both melody and lyrics, and today those same qualities have become trademarks of their work.

Australia based Festival Records signed the Brothers Gibb and released their first single, "Three Kisses of Love," in 1963. By 1965 The bee Gees were the hottest group in the country. In 1967 they decided to expand their reputation internationally and they returned to England. During this period two new members joined their group - a drummer, Colin Petersen, and a rock guitarist, Vince Malouney. Their United Kingdom debut at the at the Saville Theater was a sellout. They followed up this appearance with performances throughout Europe and the United States, and their record sales moved into the multimillion bracket.

In 1969 the group broke up. Success had come quickly and had complicated their lives. Looking back at that period Barry recalled,"There was a time when I could walk out the front door and every car to the end of the street was mine."

After fifteen months of individual growth, the brothers re-united. "We had to get back together," said Maurice, "because the formula was between the three of us."

Today, with gold and platinum albums like Main Course and Saturday Night Fever to their credit, The Bee Gees are firmly established as one of our top pop groups, and they appreciate their success all the more for knowing they've tried the alternatives. They joke now about their growth. When Maurice was asked what had changed the most in their twenty years as a group, he replied, "... me losing my hair."

"It must be a drag to be a solo artist," Barry added, "because no one knows what it feels like except you. The three of us can celebrate success together."

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (Chords)

Verse 1

[E] I can think of younger days, [Emaj7] when living for my life was
[F#m] everything a man could want to [E] do.
[G#7] I could never see [C#m] tomorrow, but [F#7] I was never told 
[B7] about the sorrow.

Chorus:

And, [Emaj7] how can you mend a broken heart, [F#m] how can you
stop the rain from falling down.
[A] How can you [B7] stop, the [A] sun from [B7] shining,
[F#m] What makes the [B7] world go [E] round.
[Emaj7] How can you mend this broken man, [F#m] How can a loser ever win.
Please [A] help me [B7] mend my [A] broken [B7] , [F#m] and let me [B7] live
[E] again,   [Emaj7]  [E]

Verse 2:

[E] I can still feel the breeze, [Emaj7] that rustles through the trees.
[F#m] and misty memories of day's gone [E] by.
[G#7] We could never see [C#m] tomorrow, [F#7] no one said a word<
[B7] about the sorrow.

Repeat Chorus:

Solo:    [Emaj7]  [E]

Repeat Chorus:

All the best,

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

At This Moment: Best of the 80s

Cover of By Request

Success the second time around is the byword for this ballad of lost love, which was initially introduced with minimal success in 1981 on the Billy Vera album, "By Request." Its airing on a 1986 episode of the popular TV series "Family Ties," when Alex and Ellen break off their romance, prompted a deluge of 9,000 phone calls to NBC about the song. By January, it reached No. 1 on the charts, with sales of this single at the half-million mark.

I play the song in the Key of F, moderately with 3/4 time signature.

At This Moment By Billy Vera

INTRO Dm7 - Am6 - Bb - F/A - Gm7 - Bb/C


F                Am/E                      Ao/Eb
What did you think I would do at this moment When you're standing before me,
Dsus4              D7
With tears in your eyes.. 
Gm7            C
Tryin to tell me that you,
Gm7           C
Found you another..
Gm7
And you just don't 
C6
love me, No more.. INTRO F - Fmaj7 - Bb - F/A - Gm7 - Bb/C

F
What did you think,
Am/E
I would say at this moment,
Ao/Eb
When I'm faced with the knowledge,
Dsus4                D7
That you just don't love me.
Gm7            C
Did you think I would curse you,
Gm7            C
Or say things to hurt you,
Gm7           C6              F
Cause you just don't love me no more..

Dm7                Am7
Did you think I could hate you,
Bb              F       
Or raise my hands to you,
Gm7           C       C/E   F
Now come on you know me too well.
Dm7       Am7
How could I hurt you,
Bb              F 
When darling I love you,
Gm7             Bb/C
And you know, I'd never hurt you..

F
What do you think,
Am/E
I would give at this moment,
Ao/Eb                                 Dsus4    D
If you stay I'd subtract twenty years from my life
D/F#            Gm7   C
I'd fall down on my knees,
Gm7                    C
Kiss the ground that you walk on,
Gm7            C6      F   
If I could just hold you again..

At This Moment By Billy Vera (online chart)

INTRO F# - Bbmin - Bmaj - Abmin- 


F#                 F/C#                      E
What did you think I would do at this moment When you're standing before me,
Eb7
With tears in your eyes.. 
Abmin            Db7
Tryin to tell me that you,
Abmin            Db7
Found you another..
Abmin 
And you just don't 
Db7
love me, No more.. INTRO F# - Bbmin - Bmaj - Abmin

F#maj
What did you think,
F/C#
I would say at this moment,
E
When I'm faced with the knowledge,
Eb7
That you just don't love me.
Abmin            Db7
Did you think I would curse you,
Abmin            Db7
Or say things to hurt you,
Abmin            Db7              F#  F/C#
Cause you just don't love me no more..

Ebmin                 Bbmin
Did you think I could hate you,
Bmaj              F#maj       
Or raise my hands to you,
Abmin           Ddmaj       F#  F/C#
Now come on you know me too well.
Ebmin       Bbmin
How could I hurt you,
Bmaj              F#maj Bb\F#
When darling I love you,
Abmin             Ddmaj
And you know, I'd never hurt you..

F#maj
What do you think,
F/C#
I would give at this moment,
E                                 Eb7
If you stay I'd subtract twenty years from my life
Abmin            Db7
I'd fall down on my knees,
Abmin                    Db7
Kiss the ground that you walk on,
Abmin            Db7      F#   
If I could just hold you again..

 
Abmin                Db7
I'd fall down on my knees,
Abmin                    Db7
Kiss the ground that you walk on baby,
Abmin           Db7
If I could just hold you..
If I, Could just, Hold you..
If I....If I could just hold you.
      F#  F/C#   E  B   C#  F#(HOLD)
Again.

Practice worship songs for your church service or music for your own enjoyment using the Song Robot Software

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

If I Ruled The World

Duets II (Tony Bennett album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From the 1963 Broadway musical, "Pickwick," this beautiful ballad was recorded by Tony Bennett on Columbia Records and became a hit in 1965. Here's the video:

Words by Leslie Bricusse, Music by Cyril Ornadel

Online Chord Chart:

Dm7 CM7          CM7/6   CM7
If   I ruled the world, 

      Gm7       C7     Bm7-5         E7/9
Ev'ry day would be the first day of spring,

Bm7/5  E7/9              Am           Am+7  Am7
Ev'ry heart would have a new voice to sing,

         Am6         Em7       Cdim            Dm7   G7
And we'd sing of the joy ev'ry morning would bring.


Dm7 CM7          CM7/6   CM7
If I ruled the world, 

      Gm7       C7    Bm7-5     E7/9
Ev'ry man would be as free as a bird,

Bm7/5  E7/9             Am          Am+7  Am7
Ev'ry voice would be a voice to be heard -

        Am6      Em7                Cdim        Dm7       E9
Take my word, we would treasure each day that occurred.


Bridge:

   AM7   F#m            Bm7        E7
My world     would be a beautiful place,

               AM7        AM7/6       Dm7    G7
Where we would weave such wonderful dreams;

    CM7  Am7               Dm7          G7
My world     would wear a smile on its face,

         Am         Am+7  Am7     F#m7    Dm7   G7
Like the man in the moon when the moon beams.


Dm7 CM7          CM7/6   CM7
If  I ruled the world, 

      Gm7       C7      Bm7-5          E7/9
Ev'ry man would say the world was his friend,

Bm7/5      E7/9           Am          Am+7  Am7
There'd be happiness that no man could end;

        Am6          Em7 Em7-5    A7sus4   A7
No, my friend, not if I  ruled the world.

A7+5  Dm            Dm+7    G7
Ev'ry head would be held up high,

           CM7        Cdim        A7
There'd be sunshine in ev'ryone's sky,

       Dm7      FM7        Dm7 G7        CM7
If the day ever dawned when I ruled the world

I like to play the song in the Key of Eb. Steady, moderate tempo 4/4

Eb               Eb6 Ebmaj7
If   I ruled the world, 

      Eb7              Dm7         
Ev'ry day would be the first day of spring,

G7                      Cm           Cm7  F7
Ev'ry heart would have a new voice to sing,

                     Eb       Edim            Fm7/Bb   Bb7
And we'd sing of the joy ev'ry morning would bring.


Eb           Eb6   Ebmaj7
If I ruled the world, 

      Eb7             Dm7       G7
Ev'ry man would be as free as a bird,

                       Cm          Cm7  F7
Ev'ry voice would be a voice to be heard -

                        Eb          Edim        Fm7    G7
Take my word, we would treasure each day that occurred.


Bridge:

  Cmaj7   C6           Dm7        G7
My world     would be a beautiful place,

               Cmaj7        C6       Fm7    Bb7
Where we would weave such wonderful dreams;

Ebmaj7   Eb6               Fm7          Bb7
My world     would wear a smile on its face,

G7        Cm         Eb6  Am7         Fm7   
Like the man in the moon when the moon beams.


Eb           Eb6   Ebmaj7
If  I ruled the world, 

      Eb7               Dm7            G7
Ev'ry man would say the world was his friend,

                          Cm          F7
There'd be happiness that no man could end;

                      Eb Bbm6     C7-9 C7
No, my friend, not if I  ruled the world.

      Fm7                      Bb7
Ev'ry head would be held up high,

           Eb        Bbm6        C7-9 C7
There'd be sunshine in ev'ryone's sky,

       Fm7             Bb9  Fm7     Bb7-9  Eb
If the day ever dawned when I ruled the world

Abm6  Eb  Abm6/Eb  Eb

If you can read simple treble-clef melody notes,
you can play your favorite popular songs using
"Play Piano With Fake Book" system.

Master the following:
*Can't Help Falling In Love
*Smoke Gets In Your Eye
*Never on Sunday
*Edelweiss
*Chariots of Fire and more
Using "Play Piano With Fake Book"

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

Songs of Great Cities

Detroit skyline (Photo credit: Bernt Rostad)

Songs of Great Cities

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

Recorded by Hank Thompson Music by Don Swander and Words by June Hershey, 1941

[D] The stars at night - are big and bright (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [A] TEXAS The prairie sky - is wide and high (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [D] TEXAS. The Sage in bloom - is like perfume (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [A] TEXAS Reminds me of - the one I love (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [D] TEXAS. The cowboys cry - ki-yip-pie-yi (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [A] TEXAS The rabbits rush - around the brush (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [D] TEXAS. The coyotes wail - along the trail (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [A] TEXAS The doggies bawl - and bawl and bawl (clap, clap, clap, clap) DEEP IN THE HEART OF [D] TEXAS.

 You can also play just 2 chords with this song, C and G7.

 From the album:  Hank Thompson and the Brazos Valley Boys
                 at the State Fair Of Texas

Detroit City

Words and music by Danny Dill and Mel Tillis, 1963

(chorus)
            D                G    D            A       D
I wanna go home, I wanna go home, oh Lord, I wanna go home,




(verse 1)
      D               A                D
Last night I went to sleep in Detroit city,
        A                   A7                D
and I dreamed about those cotton fields back home,
     G                         D
I dreamed about my mama, dear old papa, sister and brother,
 E                                     A              A7
dreamed about that girl who has been waiting for so long,

 

(chorus)
            D                G    D            A       D
I wanna go home, I wanna go home, oh Lord, I wanna go home,



      
(verse 2)
       D              A               D
Some folks think I'm big in Detroit city,
           A             A7                     D
from the letters that I write, they think I'm fine,
        G                        D
But by day I make the cars, by night I make the bars,
    E                                 A - A7
if only they could read between the lines,

 

(chorus)
            D                G    D            A       D
I wanna go home, I wanna go home, oh Lord, I wanna go home,
            D                G    D            A       D
I wanna go home, I wanna go home, oh Lord, I wanna go home,
            D                G    D            A       D
I wanna go home, I wanna go home, oh Lord, I wanna go home,

You can also play the song with C, G7, F and D7 chords.

Galveston

Words and Music by Bob West, Hal Davis, Willie Hutch and Berry Gordy, Jr., 1970

G             C   D7 G                      G7        C      Am7
Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea winds blowin'
  D7     G                  C     Am7 
I still see her dark eyes glowin'
            D7  Em      C                G   
She was twenty-one when I left Galveston




G             C   D7 G                      G7        C       Am7 
Galveston, oh Galveston, I still hear your sea waves crashing
      D7  G                 C      Am7 
While I watch the cannons flashing
        D7  Em       C                 G 
I clean my gun and dream of Galveston




Bb                       C       Bb     C
I still see her standing by the water
Dm                             Bb
Standing there lookin' out to sea
            Gm       C7       F
And is she waiting there for me?
        Am             Dm      Gm     C   D7
On the beach where we used to run




G             C  D7  G             G7       C     Am7
Galveston, oh Galveston, I am so afraid of dying
       D7 G                    C     Am7 
Before I dry the tears she's crying
         Em                    C     Bm     Am7   
Before I watch your sea birds flying in the sun
         E   C          G 
At Galveston, at Galveston

Georgia On My Mind

Words by Hoagy Carmichael and Lyrics by Stuart Gorrell, 1930

Intro:

F              A7            D7     D7/5+   D7  G9     C7
Melodies bring memories that linger in      my  heart

F             A+ A7  Dm       G7     C#dim  C13    F      C7/5+
Make me think of Georgia. Why did we ev-----er     part?

F                   A7                D7      D7/5+   D7  G9    C7
Some sweet day when blossoms fall and all the world's a   song

F            A+ A7  Dm         G7           C#dim   C13  F
I'll go back to Georgia 'cause that's where I       be---long



Verse (in most versions, the songs start's right here):

F        A7      Dm             Gm
Georgia, Georgia, the whole day through

Bbm     F         E7         Gm      G9 C7 F     F#dim
Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind

Gm7            C7/5+
(Georgia on my mind)


         F        A7      Dm         Gm
I said a Georgia, Georgia, a song of you

Bbm      F         E7       Gm        G9      C13 F      Eb9
Comes as sweet and clear as moonlight through the pines



Bridge:

Dm       Gm6     Dm      Bb7  Dm      Gm6      Dm7   G7
Other arms reach out to me.   Other eyes smile tenderly

Dm             Gm6    Dm7       E7     Am         F#dim Fm6  Am    C7
Still in the peaceful dreams I see the road leads back  to   you



Verse;

       F           A7      Dm          Gm
I said Georgia, oh Georgia, no peace I find

Bbm     F         E7         Gm     G9  C13  F    Dm   Gm7  C13 C7/5+    
Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind



Bridge:

Dm       Gm6     Dm      Bb7  Dm      Gm6      Dm7   G7
Other arms reach out to me.   Other eyes smile tenderly

Dm             Gm6    Dm7       E7     Am         F#dim Fm6  Am    C7
Still in the peaceful dreams I see the road leads back  to   you



Verse:

       F           A7      Dm          Gm
I said Georgia, oh Georgia, no peace I find

Bbm     F         E7         Gm     G9  C13  F    Dm   Gm7  C13 C7/5+    
Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind

An easier version would be to play these chords: F, A7, Dm, Gm, C, C7, E7...

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

Words bu Douglass Cross and Music by George Cory, 1954

    Bm7           Amaj7           D      D9    Amaj7 
The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay 
      Bm7          F#m    Bm7/5-     Cº        E7 
The glory that was Rome is  of  an - oth - er day 
           Fº                       Bm7/5-    Amaj7      F#m7 
I've been terribly alone and for - got -ten in Man - hat - ten 
  D        Bm7      Bm7/5-  Cº        E7 
I'm going home to my city    by  the bay. 
 
A  Fº    Cº    Amaj7   Cº    Am7     F#m     Bm    Bm7M 
I  left  my  heart             in San Francisco 
           E     Bm7/5-    E7     Cº       Amaj7    Fº    Amaj7 
High on a hill,                it calls to me 
E7 Bm7/5-    Amaj7   Bm7/5- Amaj7     Cº     Amaj7 
To  be where little cable cars 
 F#m   C#m             G#7 
Climb halfway to the stars 
             A       B7        E7 
The morning fog may chill the air, 
Fº         E7 
I   don't care. 
 
 
A  Fº    Cº    Amaj7  Cº   Am7   F#m      Bm   Bm7M 
My love waits there,        in San Francisco, 
Bm7  D9       E7  Bm7/5-  E7      Bm7/5-  F#7   Gº    F#7 
A - bove the blue             and windy  sea 
F7  F#7      Bm7   Fº            A       Amaj7    F#m 
When I come home to you, San Francisco, 
    F#m/E D  D9        E6   E7/6  A    Cº   Fº   Amaj7
Your golden sun will shine  for  me.

Or you could play these chords: Dm, C, E, Am, D, G7, Fm, Cm,D7, A7, E7

Kansas City

Words and Music by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, 1959

A
1.I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come,

             D                                A
I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come.

A             E
They got some pretty little women there,

    D                A    E-E7
And I'm gonna get me one.



  A
2.I'm gonna be standin' on the corner,


Twelfth Street and Vine.

             D
I'm gonna be standin' on the corner,

                   A
Twelfth Street and Vine.

A       E
With my Kansas City baby,

      D                     A     E
And a bottle of Kansas City wine.


   A
3. Well, I might take a plane,


I might take a train,

    A7
But if I have to walk, I'm goin' there just the same.

             D                                A
I'm goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City, here I come.

A             E
They got some crazy little women there,

    D                A    E-E7
And I'm gonna get me some.



REPEAT VERSE 3.

You can also play the song in the key of C, using the chords C, F, and G7.

Way Down Yonder In New Orleans

By Henry Creamer and J. Turner Layton

C7                       Gm7 C7
Well, way down yonder in New Orleans 
F
in the land of the dreamy scenes.
C7                        Gm7 C7          F      
there's a Garden of Eden, you know what I mean.

#2.
      C7                 Gm7      C7    F
Yeah, Creole babies with flashin' eyes, softly 
                    F
whisper with tender sighs..
             F7
And then you stop..oh, won't you give your 
     Bb6     F7     Bb6   A7 Ab7
lady fair, a little smile.
             G7 
And then you stop..you bet your life you'll 
       C7       Cdim   C7
linger there, a little while.

#3.
      F                     Dm             F
Yeah, there is Heaven right here on Earth, with 
                Db7
those beautiful queens..
      F        F#dim7    Gm7 C7  F     C
yeah, way down yonder in New Or..leans.

(Whooo!)

(INTERLUDE:) C F C

#4.
C7                       Gm7 C7
Well, way down yonder in New Orleans 
F
in the land of the dreamy scenes.
C7                        Gm7 C7          F      
there's a Garden of Eden, you know what I mean.

#5.
      C7                 Gm7      C7    F
Yeah, Creole babies with flashin' eyes, softly 
                    F
whisper with tender sighs..
             F7
And then you stop..oh, won't you give your 
     Bb6     F7     Bb6   A7 Ab7
lady fair, a little smile.
             G7 
And then you stop..you bet your life you'll 
       C7       Cdim   C7
linger there, a little while.

#6.
      F                     Dm             F
Yeah, there is Heaven right here on Earth, with 
                Db7
those beautiful queens..
      F        F#dim7    Gm7 C7  F
yeah, way down yonder in New Or..leans...Yeah!

OUTRO:  C F (x4) (Fade.)


You can use these chords: G7, C, F, D7, G, Fm...

I realize there are many other songs about great cities, like:

Alabamy Bound

Beautiful Ohio

Blue Hawaii

Back Home Again In Indiana

Jersey Bounce

Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis

Mississippi Mud

Moon Over Miami

On Broadway

Pennsylvania Polka

Seattle

Sidewalks Of New York

26 Miles (Santa Catalina)

Was your city mentioned here?

You may be interested in Chords 101 and 102 Collection

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

The Two-Sided Tritone and Other Puzzles

English: Dominant seventh tritone resolution chords (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many keyboardists feel right at home with simple triads or seventh chords, but run into difficulty when it comes to some of the more sophisticated, "jazzy" harmonies in "big band" and contemporary music. Where do these sounds come from and how can they be used? Here's a way to think about these sounds and a simple technique you can use to spruce up any harmony with them.

Let's begin with one of the most basic chord progressions in both pop and classical music: V7 - I. In the Key of F, this would represent a C7 chord moving to an F chord. Are you familiar with this progression? There is no question that it "works." Many people are not aware of why it "works." The answer is "voice-leading." The notes of the C7 chord move smoothly to the notes of the F chord.

This is most apparent if we telescope in on the two notes in the C7 chord which form the interval of a tritone: Bb and E.

The tritone is a very jazzy but unstable interval, and in the C7 - F progression, it finds stability by moving outward - the Bb down to A (the third in the F chord), and the E up to F. This resolution is pleasing, and it gives the progression a strength and inevitability. (BbE to AF)

The same two notes, called by the names A# and E, occur in the F#7 chord, which is the V7 of B. Here, though, the notes of the tritone move inward to find their resolution in the notes of the B chord.
(A#E to BD#)

The fact that our tritone interval can lead strongly in either direction makes possible the art of chord substitution; contemporary players often substitute the F# for C7 and vice versa. (These chords lie opposite each other on the "circle of fifths."

Musicians can make use of the two-sided tritone to add new flavors to old chord progressions. Suppose you were faced with the progression F#7 to B7. Remember, that interval of A# and E can move outward as well as inward. Here the base line moves from F# to B, but the tritone in the right hand acts as if we were playing C7 to F. We have purposely confused the harmonic movement, taking advantage of the vagueness of the tritone. (F#/A#E to B/AF)

Try playing a whole circle of fifths, using this concept. If you keep in mind the idea that each hand is capable of "voice-leading" in its own direction. the result can be refreshing and quite beautiful. To start off, here is a sample using C7 - F7 - Bb7 :

C/BbE to B/AEbF then Bb/AbDG

Article credit: Stuart Isacoff

You may be interested in Tritone

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey