Play By Ear: Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas: Play By Ear l PianoDiana


You can read the entire article by Andrew Eales I wanted to share a few snippets with you because I'm a firm believer in ear training. As teachers, we spend way too much time in method books insisting that our students become excellent note readers. We forget to balance our teaching methods with listening to note sounds, key tone centers and identifying intervals. My students are becoming more aware of tonality – what key they are playing in and where to find “home base.”
Below are a few quotes from Andrew's article, "Sound Before Symbol": Lessons from History.
“There is no such thing as a proper age for a child to start playing the piano. I avoid saying ‘to start his musical education’ because I believe that an education in music should start very early, perhaps years before the child ever actually learns how to read notes, or can find his way among the black and white keys.” -- Andor Foldes
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was playing the keyboard by the age of three, and improvising and composing by the age of five. At the age of six however, he still depended on his father Leopold to notate his pieces for him. One of the foremost musicians of his generation, Leopold was able to offer his son the best musical education, so it is instructive to note that he encouraged him to develop his musical ability, while only teaching reading and writing at an appropriate stage in that onward development.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) similarly came from a musical family, and was taught to play informally at home until the age of seven. At that point he started formal piano lessons, and at the age of ten he finally started to be taught music theory. He followed a classic progression from exploring sound and playing informally to taking formal lessons and learning to read, and finally learning structured academic knowledge.
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) – by all accounts a superb sight-reader – became a celebrity teacher who assumed his advanced students could read the notation fluently. His high level teaching centred around aural transmission through his demonstration of the essence of music in a way that the notation can only hint at. This provided a model that influenced many subsequent teachers, underlining how aural transmission of musical ideas is of crucial importance even for the most advanced players.
Béla Bartók (1881-1945), according to recollections written by his mother Paula, started to show musical aptitude at the age of 18 months. By the age of 3 he was drumming in time to her playing, and by 4 he was already playing the piano by ear. Formal tuition, once again, came later. Based on this foundation of aural learning – “sound before symbol” – young Béla had made extraordinary progress by the age of 11, as we read in Kenneth Chalmers’ excellent biography:
“One of the fundamental mistakes in pianoforte teaching has been that only one sense was appealed to, and that the wrong one. Music reaches heart and brain through the ear, yet we have usually tried to teach it through the eye. It was always “look” and never “listen”. Children were introduced to notation before they had consciously observed any of the musical phenomena which the notation symbolises. They should learn those facts of pitch and time through listening, comparing, judging, naming, and then use notation as a means of expression.”
“A pupil so taught is not a slave to notation but its master.” -- Mrs. J. Spencer Curwen
Below are some fabulous music resources from Hear and Play for your personal music library.









*affiliate links in post*

I hope 2015 has been kind to you and that the new year ahead will take your piano playing to new levels. Thank you, dear readers.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!






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

How To Play Baby It's Cold Outside

Baby, It's Cold Outside l LadyDpiano

A popular song to play on the piano and a fun one to sing along with is this one. I love it and hope you enjoy it, too.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Frank Loesser

Key: C
Time: 4/4 Swing

Chords and Lyrics



C  G6  C6  G6
I really can't stay
But baby it's cold outside

 Dm7  G  Dm7  G
I've got to go away
But baby it's cold outside

 C  G  C6  
The evening has been
Been hoping that you'd drop in

 C/G     C9
So very nice
I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice

 F6 
My mother will start worry
Beautiful what’s your hurry?

 F9
And father will be pacing the floor
Listen to the fireplace roar

 C6  
So really i'd better scurry
Beautiful please don't hurry
[ Tab from: http://www.guitaretab.com/g/glee-cast/257062.html ]
 D9                           G7
But maybe just a half a drink more
Put some records on while I pour

 C  G6            C6   G6
The neighbors might think
Baby it's bad out there

 Dm7  G  Dm7  G
Say, what's in this drink?
No cabs to be had out there

 C  G C6
I wish i knew how
Your eyes are like starlight now

 C9
To break the spell
I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell

 F9               Am7b5/Eb
I ought to say, "No, no, no sir"
Mind if I move in closer

 D7                          G7sus G7
At least i'm gonna say that i tried
What's the sense in hurtin' my pride?

 C  Bb6        A7
I really can't stay
Baby don't hold out

 D7  G7  C  C        C13#11
Ah, but it's cold outside

©2012 piano-play-it.com


Baby It's Cold Outside 


Chord Breakdown

C = C/GCE
C6 = C/GACE
C9 = C/BbDEG
C13#11 = CG/BbDF#A

Bbmaj9 = Bb/FACE

D7 = D/ACF#
D9 = D/F#ACE and D/CEF#A
Dm7 = D/ACF

Em7 = E/GBD

F6 = F/CDFA and F/ACDF
F9 = F/GACEb
Fmaj9 = F/GBD

G7 = G/GBD and G/FBE
G7sus = G/GCDF and G/BDFG

You may be interested in Back Pocket Band Software. I use it with my Mac and it's a great tool to practice with. Be sure and look it over.

*affiliate links in post*

Merry Christmas!








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

Learn to Play You Call It Madness

You Call It Madness l Chords from PianoDiana

Sung by Nat King Cole, the song "You Call It Madness" was written in 1930 by Con Conrad, Gladys Dubois, Russ Columbo and Paul Gregory.



Chords to You Call It Madness

Key: G
Time: 4/4 suavely

            C              Cm
I can't forget the night I met you,

D7      G       B7      E7
That's all I'm thinking of;

    Am       Bdim       D7
And now you  call   it madness,

    G      C6  G
But I call it love.


           C              Cm
You made a promise to be faithful
D7  G       B7     E7
By all the stars above;

    Am        Bdim     D7
And now you  call it  madness,

   G         C6  G C6 G+ D7  
I still call it love.


Bridge:

Fm6          G7     Fm6                 G7
My heart is beating, it keeps on repeating

C        E7     Am
For you constantly.

Dm6              E7   Dm6              E7
You're all I'm needing, and so I'm pleading,

C            Cm      D7
"Please come back to me!"


             C               Cm
You made a plaything out of romance!

D7   G       B7     E7
What do you know of love?

        Am       Bdim     D7
That's why  you  call it madness,

    G      C6  G
But I call it love.
Chords to Learn

Am = AG/CE, AE/CA

B7 = BB/AD#G
Bdim = G#E#/BE

C = CGC/B, CG/EGC, E/CGB
Cm = CC/CEbGC
C6 = E/ACG, C/EGA

D7 = D/DF#B, DAF#/CEA, A/DF#C, D/CF#A
Dm6 = FA/BD

E7 = EB/G#DF#, EE/DG#E, EG#/B

G = G/BDG, GD/GBG, G/DEGB
G+ = B/EbGB
G7 = GB/GD

Diana Krall on YouTube.



Online Chord Chart

B7         AM7             D9
I can't forget the night I met you,

      E7/9      A7      G#m7  C#7
That's all I'm thinking of;

    F#m7   Fdim   F#m7
And now you  call   it madness,

B7  E A7       E   B7
But I call it love.


B7         AM7             D9
You made a promise to be faithful

E7/9      A7      G#m7  C#7
By all the stars above;

F#m7       Fdim  F#m7
And now you  call it  madness,

E        A7       E    E7  
I still call it love.


Bridge:

Bm7-5       E7     Bm7-5            E7
My heart is beating, it keeps on repeating

A        C#7    A
For you constantly.

G#m7            C#7    G#m7         C#7
You're all I'm needing, and so I'm pleading,

F#m7         D9      B7
"Please come back to me!"


B7         AM7               D9
You made a plaything out of romance!

E7/9    A7          G#m7  C#7
What do you know of love?

F#m7      Fdim      F#m7
That's why  you  call it madness,

B7  E A7       E   B7
But I call it love.
You may be interested in these excellent resources from Hear and Play: Jazz101Jazz201 and Jazz Intensive Training Center.

All the best,







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

Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You

Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You: Diana Krall l PianoDiana

Such a talented artist, Diana Krall. I have shared so many chord charts with you and after this... Well, I have one more song to post. Do you have a favorite album?

Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?

Words & Music by Don Redman & Andy Razaf ©1929
Recorded by Peggy Lee, 1953, 
Ella Fitzgerald's from 1956, Nat King Cole's from 1942 and Diana Krall from 1995. 


Key of Eb
4/4 Time, Slow blues


Intro

F7, E7, Eb7, D7
E7, Eb7, D7, Db7

 C7            Ab7           G7        C9 C7b9
Love makes me treat you the way that I do --

F7   F7b5 Bb9      Bb7     Eb6
Gee baby, ain't I good to you!


 G7      C7          Ab7          
There's nothing too good

      G7              C9
For a girl that's so true.

F7  F7b5   Bb9     Bb7b9  Eb7
Gee baby, ain't I good to you?


Bridge:

Ab                Adim                Eb       
Bought you a fur coat for Christmas,   a diamond ring,

Ab          Adim   Fm7b5 Ab     G7
A  Cadillac car, and ev' - ry - thing.


 C7             Ab7           G7       C9 C7b9
Love makes me treat you the way that I do.

F7  F7b5  Bb9      B7b9   Eb
Gee baby, ain't I good to you!

F7  F7b5   Bb9      B7b9   Eb  Am6  Ebmaj7
Gee baby, ain't I good to you.



The intro sounds like this:

FAEb/CDG
EG#D/BF#EB
EbGDb/BbFD
DF#C/CEA
EG#D/DEF#
EbGDb/BbDbEb
DF#C/ACE
DbFCb/AbEbDb

Some Chords to know:

Ab = AbEb/CF
Ab7 = AbGb/CBb
Adim = AEbG/CF
Am6 = AbEb/FCbEb

Bb9 = Bb/AbCDG
Bb7 = Bb/AbCbDF
Bb7b9 = Bb/AbCbDF

C7 = CBb/EC
C9 = CE/BbDG
C7b9 = C/BbDbE

Eb6 = Eb/GBbCEb
Eb7 = Eb/GBbCEb
Eb = BbEbG/CF#
Ebmaj7 = EbBb/GBbDb


F7 = F/AEbGb
F7b5 = Cb/AEbG
Fm7b5 = D/AbCb



G7 = G/BFG




Other arrangements of the same song:

http://www.ultimate-tabs.com/

http://www.guitarparty.com

photo credit: Diana Krall via photopin (license)






"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Featured Post

How To Play Hold On

© copyright 2017– All rights reserved

PianoDiana

SheetMusicPlus

Early Black Friday Coupon Cyber Week Coupon 50% Off International Shipping