Hi All!
Yes, yes, yes, it’s here!
The brand-new post / newsletter format!
It’s 4-part newnewnewnew:
1. In stead of the long, text-based lessons, there’s now a VIDEO lesson (oh shizzle, you finally get to see my face!) with me explaining some kind of piano-related technique. It will either be a cool pattern, a lick, riff, technique etc.. A true ‘tiny, free piano-lesson’.
Whatever it’s about, it will always tackle a problem / answer a question you have, and teach you something very useful, so please let me know what ‘problems’ or questions you’d like to see answered and what you’d like to learn, in the comments below this post!
It might very well become the subject for an upcoming lesson.
2. A much smaller text-based part (from next week on). Just a small introduction (like these current few words) and a ‘summary’ / ‘hand-out’ of what is explained in the video.
Only occasionally I’ll tell you a story (like I used to), that I think is better suited for text / blog, but I’ll try keeping it short(er) from now on ;).
3. Like you’re used to loving: a video tutorial of a song, now with my face in the video, too. A personal touch.
4. (HUGE). To practice what I show you in the video’s, you can now listen to / download a ‘backing track’ (drum and bass) to play along too! This is huge. Trust me.
All in all: less text, more video, more playing, more learning.
Please let me know what you think AND what you’d like to see / learn / hear / play in the comments below this post.
Lesson: Sus2 and some options.
In this very first ‘V-log / video lesson’ (I’m both very excited and nervous…), I’ll be showing you a combination of a simple extension note and a cool pattern, and how you can use this in your playing (or to learn this weeks tutorial).
What’s in the video:
- An example of ‘sus2’, taken from this weeks tutorial.
- How to find the ‘2’.
- How a ‘sus2’ can (and often does) resolve into a ‘3’ – a ‘normal’ triad nicely.
- A pattern that you can use on this extension note (indeed resolving it to the 3 again) beautifully.
- How this pattern and groove creates the signature feel of a brilliant song here, whilst the chords are extremely simple (‘you don’t understand me’).
- An exercise that will transform this ‘fixed’ piano-part, to a universal, use-when–and-wherever-you-please… PATTERN. Shown on a few different progressions.
Hand out / summary.
- Finding the 2 = the second note from the scale of the root-note of the chord (learn all about scales, chords, harmonies and patterns in the course).
- Resolving into 3 (by adding a rhythm / pattern) is used very often to ‘dress up’ a piano part in pop music.
- Make sure to practice this on different chords and progressions!
- Try and create your own pattern using sus2 (want to learn how? try the course).
- Playing the same pattern over different chords in a progression can create a simple, yet signature piano-part.
You don’t understand me – Raconteurs.
The tutorial, where the above learned technique is actually put into practice on a real song (he created this piano-part in exactly this way).
Here you can listen to a ‘backing’ track: a drum- and a bass part to practice the stuff from both the tutorial AND the video lesson with rhythm!
The ‘loop’ on Soundcloud only lasts about a minute, which some of you might think is too short to actually get in the groove nicely and practice.
FINAL NOTE: ‘DISCLAIMER’ FOR THE SPOKEN TEXT IN THE VIDEO’S ( 😉 ):
I know, I misspoke a few times, including the song title in the tutorial video and also saying that I’m going to teach you sus4 in stead of 2 in the intro talk of the lesson. Sorry.
For a first try, however, not too bad..? I’m sure that many of you will find this useful, right?
Please don’t forget to leave a comment:
- What would you like to learn, or are you struggling with?
- What do you think of the new newsletter format?
Cheers,
Coen.
Questions? Remarks? Show me how you play this song! Please leave a comment below!
I’m also very curious which tutorial you’d like to see next!
