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Open Position Piano Chords - Perfect for the New Age Style
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Author: Edward Weiss
Topic: Education
Viewed: 79 time(s)
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The Open Position Chord (OPC) allows you to create a vented
sound. A sound that is open, literally, as opposed to the closed
triads taught in most course books.
The OPC covers more than two octaves of the keyboard allowing
you to create without moving the hands around too much. Perfect
for the beginner and advanced player. New Age music in
particular has an open quality that is created in a number of
ways. The first way is by the chord choices used. Most of this
music is in a Major Key. The sound is pleasant without any
dissonant tones.
The second way is how the chord is played or voiced. The OPC
voicing gives you the ability to separate the chord into three
different parts; low end or bass note, middle notes, and high or
melody notes. With this configuration you are able to make more
music than if you were just playing a triad in your left hand
and playing melody in your right.
It also allows you to play in counterpoint. When you are
improvising with the OPC, your fingers will automatically begin
to create a countermelody. How? Because you already have six
tones underneath your fingers to begin with. Just by moving your
fingers over the keys in different rhythms, you begin to have
harmony with melody.
It allows you to play piano with both hands together right away.
This is entirely different than the way most pianists learn how
to finger a chord. They are usually taught triads first fingered
in the left hand then in the right and finally both hands
together. Is this music making? Of course not.
The Open Position Chord allows you to use both hands together to
create solid chords, arpeggios - pretty much anything you can
imagine. This chord structure allows the complete beginner to
sound like a pro faster than any other approach. Why? Because
you are already using seventh chords - the foundation sound for
most modern music today. It's used in Jazz and contemporary
instrumental music about 90% of the time. After you begin to
play the OPC as a seventh chord, there's no end to the
possibilities.
About the author:
Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of
Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping
students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over
14 years! Visit us now at
href="http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html">http://w
ww.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano
lesson!
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