Lessons, tips, tricks & updates
Articles about playing, learning, teaching, practicing and working with music
Move less, sound better
Which inversion should you play? Usually the closest one. Keep the notes two chords share where they are, move the rest by the smallest step, and your hand stops hopping around the keyboard. It often sounds better too.
Two notes make the chord
Not every note in a chord does the same job. The root says which chord it is, the third says major or minor, the fifth only adds body: what you can leave out, what you can't, and why a bigger chord isn't always a better one.
The quiet half of dynamics
Loud and soft is half of dynamics. The other half is how many notes of the chord you play on each beat: the strong beats, fewer notes on the light ones, a beat left open, and ghost notes — on four chords you know.
Your left hand is the bass player
What bass players play all day long, and how to put it under your own chords: the root, the fifth, octaves, the half step below, and the rhythm job.
Why You Don’t Need to “Finish Learning” Before You Start Creating
Why You Don’t Need to “Finish Learning” Before You Start Creating I talk to a lot of aspiring players who...
How 4 Simple Chords Turn Into The Rich, Soulful "Bad Dreams" Loop
Ever hear a chord loop that should sound simple — but hits way deeper than expected? That’s exactly what’s happening in “Bad Dreams”...
The 3 Secrets Pop Pianists Use (That Nobody Tells You About)
The 3 Secrets Pop Pianists Use (That Nobody Tells You About) Pop pianists — the greats — do something different....
How Toto’s “Africa” Proves Timing is Everything
How One Simple Trick Turns Basic Chords Into Legendary Riffs The Power of Patterns Timing is everything. In life, but...
How To Make Your Chords Flow
After I had been in the rehearsal room with my very first band for about 3 months, it was time...
On Bernhoft, Program Updates and 🌊
“In a world that keeps on pushin’ me around, but I’ll stand my ground, and I won’t back down." -...
On McComb, Better Than Imagined & Pattern-Application
"Life’s what happens when you’re busy making other plans." - John Lennon Hi there! In this edition I have for...