Ballad style. 2 2
Getting the feel of it. 3 3
Believe it or not, the easiest way to learn ballad style is to improvise first 4 4
before you learn actual songs. 5 5
You learn actual songs, you have to memorize exact notes. 6 6
When you improvise, you got a bit more leeway. 7 7
You can experiment. 8 8
So we're going to approach ballad style with a certain process. 9 9
First, we're going to learn a simple left hand pattern, it can be applied to any 10 10
chord, and then we're going to put this pattern into sequence of chords and 11 11
then we're going to learn how to play improvised melody lines over the top. 12 12
So let's get started. 13 13
Exercise one, getting the feel of it. 14 14
Learning the basic simple left hand pattern. 15 15
Let's start with C. 16 16
So you're used to playing chords with the right hand. 17 17
We're going to change this around now, we're going to the left hand. 18 18
One octave down from middle C, find C chord. 19 19
You're to leave out the third, so first and fifth. 20 20
Put your second finger on the fifth, 21 21
and go up one octave to the root of the note again. 22 22
So Root, fifth, root. 23 23
That's an octave. 24 24
Two Cs with a fifth in the middle. 25 25
We're taking out the third. 26 26
Play that twice. 27 27
Move everything down, so you're going from C down to A minor, leaving out the third. 28 28
Root, fifth, back to the first again. 29 29
[SOUND] And everything down to F. 30 30
So first, fifth, leave out the third, back to the first again. 31 31
[SOUND] And everything up one to G. 32 32
[SOUND] Okay, now on the next page you can see what that 33 33
looks like musical notation so look at the first bar. 34 34
You're going to hold the pedal down over each bar, then lift it and put it back for 35 35
the next bar, then lift it and put it back again so you'll get a nice sustain. 36 36
So without the pedal. [MUSIC] 37 37
It's quite dead. 38 38
With the pedal. 39 39
[MUSIC] 40 40
Okay, so one and two and 41 41
three and four and one and two and 42 42
three and four, A minor. 43 43
It seems a bit empty now but you're going to add melody in the right hand. 44 44
Okay, you have the left hand, what about the right hand? 45 45
Now, you're going to learn the easiest and 46 46
most useful skill from all the five note pentatonic skills. 47 47
This scale's been around for a long time. 48 48
It sounds great over a wide variety of chord changes, but 49 49
it has to be in the relevant key. 50 50
If you learn the particular scale for the relevant key, and 51 51
then that scale will work over various chord changes in that key. 52 52
Construction is simple, and 53 53
I've put some markers on the piano to make it even easier. 54 54
You can try that yourself. 55 55
So in C, you're going to play the first, second, 56 56
third, fifth and sixth of the major scale. 57 57
You're leaving out the fourth and the seventh. 58 58
Okay. So you just play. 59 59
[SOUND] That's over two octaves. 60 60
So, in the following page, exercise three, 61 61
you're going to play the same left hand chord changes as you've played before. 62 62
But this time, you're going to play any notes of the C pentatonic scale 63 63
in the second half of each bar. 64 64
So the reason for that is you keep both hands separate that means you're not 65 65
having to think too much, and what you're going to also do is to give you 66 66
more time to experiment with the right hand, you only have 67 67
to play each chord change once but hold it for two bars so instead of going 68 68
[MUSIC] 69 69
And three and four and. 70 70
[MUSIC] 71 71
And three and and four and. 72 72
You can just play over two bars. 73 73
We just play one and two and three and four and one and 74 74
two and three and four and so on. 75 75
And that gives you more time to experiment with the right hand. 76 76
So let's try it. 77 77
Start with the left hand, and then you're going to add in some melody notes there. 78 78
Okay so you don't add it in while you're playing the left hand. 79 79
[MUSIC] 80 80
Okay, you can see 81 81
I was just playing 82 82
anything there. 83 83
I wasn't trying to structure it in any way just to show you 84 84
that no matter what you play, it'll feel some reasonably okay. 85 85
And I was playing it just with one finger so you can see it clearly. 86 86
[MUSIC] 87 87
Okay? But you can also just start using 88 88
different fingers to make the patterns. 89 89
There's various ways to do this. 90 90
You can add the C groups. 91 91
So. [MUSIC] 92 92
Okay or you can just branch up if you want. 93 93
You can see that you can move up your thumb, 94 94
cuz you're going to move up the piano. 95 95
[MUSIC] 96 96
Okay. 97 97
So give that a try and just keep experimenting. 98 98
Just even just stick with just the C for now. 99 99
You don't even have to do the chord change. 100 100
So just. 101 101
[MUSIC] 102 102
Okay and have fun.