Stop Playing 1-5-8 In Your Left Hand — Do This Instead (Pop Piano)

Duration: 17:44 2072 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

In this piano lesson, Jason Zach from the Nathaniel School of Music introduces techniques for creating soulful pop piano music by utilizing specific voicing patterns for both hands. He explains that while roles can be reversed, it is generally more effective to use wider cluster voicings in the upper register and broader intervals in the lower register to avoid a muddy sound. A significant portion of the lesson addresses a common issue among intermediate students who often play simple root-fifth-octave patterns in the left hand; Zach argues that this approach lacks harmonic color. Instead, he recommends using open ninth voicings or tenth chords to add sophistication and depth, specifically demonstrating how to avoid repeating the tonic note by incorporating extensions like the tenth instead of just an octave or ninth. The tutorial focuses on a progression in the key of E-flat major, utilizing A-flat major, B-flat major, C minor, and either G minor or E-flat major as the final chord. For the left hand, Zach demonstrates how to construct open ninth shapes that omit the third to create a floating harmony, allowing for the addition of a tenth for further texture. He emphasizes the importance of using the sustain pedal effectively, particularly for players who may struggle with stretching their hands, advising them to lift the pedal between chords to maintain clarity while still benefiting from the resonance. The right hand is tasked with playing faster semiquavers or quavers to create a rhythmic contrast against the slower, gap-filled patterns in the left hand. To enrich the melody, Zach presents two primary three-note shapes for the right hand: D-E-flat-B-flat and F-B-flat-D. He highlights that the second shape offers open-ended notes containing ninths, major sevenths, and sharp elevenths, which provide significant color relative to the underlying chords. The lesson progresses by adding extra notes to these shapes, such as using the pinky to play a C with the first shape or an E-flat with the second to create a nice cluster on top. He encourages students to experiment with different four-note combinations and eventually expand to five-note voicings, ensuring that dynamics are managed through breathing techniques to control volume and flow. Ultimately, the goal is to move beyond basic patterns by integrating these advanced voicings, focusing on dynamics, timing, and pedal usage to achieve a professional pop piano sound.

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Heat. Hey, Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Hi everyone, this is Jason Zach from Nathaniel School of Music. In this lesson, I'm going to basically show you a few techniques to play some sort of soulful pop piano music. So the left hand has a certain voicing pattern which I think will work especially in the lower register while the right hand has this interesting cluster voicing which I think will work very well in the upper register. So it's not like you can't reverse the roles of the two hands. You can but generally speaking when you play these cluster sounds [music] it sounds nicer in the upper register as [music] opposed to the lower register. And the wider voicing [music] sounds nice upper as well. Sounds very nice upper, but it's more usable down on the keyboard. [music] The reason being even if you were to try to play something close, [music] it sounds very muddy, you know. So, you'd rather focus on a wider range. And one of the main reasons as a teacher which I've come up with this lesson is a lot of the students who send over demo material or audition material you know to to do the intermediate courses at our school generally what they do is they'll play a melody and in the left hand it'll basically be the root five and octave. So when I hear the video of the 158, I generally tell the students, "Yeah, it's decent. It's a good enough pattern or some of the patterns are actually good. It it sounds very groovy, but it's not adding any great harmonic flavor because you're still playing 1, 5, and 1. So you're repeating the one. So there's no color or there's no sophisticated intervals being used or, you know, anything. You're not even playing the notes of the A flat triad. You'd rather then play a 10th [music] instead of the octave or the ninth, in this case B flat. Okay? So, we'll take the key of E flat major for the entire lesson. It's a very playalong lesson. So, get your pianos out, play along with me. There'll be two shapes that we'll discuss in the right hand. Shape number one, let me show you. It'll be [music] or at least the starting shape of three, it's D, E flat, B flat. Okay. Shape number two in the right hand is F, B flat, D. And from those shapes, we'll build forward. In the left hand, the chords are going to be A flat major, [music] B flat major, and then C minor. And the fourth chord you either decide by playing [music] G minor or the tonic chord which is E flat major which is this scale. Okay. So what is E flat major? Three flats. [music] E flat, A flat, B flat. That's about it. We'll use this key. You could also call this as C minor because E flat's relative minor is C minor. Okay. get your keyboards out. And uh before we get started, it'll be nice if you can consider hitting that like, the share, and the subscribe button. And don't forget to hit the bell for regular notifications. And to practice and play along and learn all the theoretical concepts behind this lesson and also train to train your ear, do consider our supplementary resources on Patreon with apps that give you playback features that allow you to actually really dive into this exercise. You don't need to even come back to this video after watching it. You can just rely on the app for a simple monthly subscription. You'll be able to get every single thing that we've taught and our old stuff which we've always offered my handwritten notes, notation wherever applicable and of course MIDI files continue to be given of course. So do consider supporting us on Patreon. And that's about it. Let's get cracking. So I'm first going to look at the left hand voicing and I've planned it out this way. The first chord is a flat major. I'm voicing it in ninths. So [music] basically a ninth in the left hand will be devoid of a major third or a minor third. [music] If you had played a major third, you'll call it an A flat major add 9. [music] If you played an A flat minor, it'll be an A flat minor add N. However, if you just played, [music] it's just an open ninth voicing. Okay? And this would [music] be a perfect fifth and another perfect fifth. So with this ninth shape, [music] you can you can [music] kind of add the 10th to it as well for some more floated harmony. [music] I'm just going to keep the ninth for a for the start. [music] I'm just going to focus on the ninth for the most part. So let's get [music] that going. Now, what about B flat? The next chord again, ninth. [music] You want to go black note to white note there. B flat to C. Repeating [music] A flat, D flat, [music] C. Yeah. Again, the ninth I'm [music] choosing. If you like, you can play the [music] ninth with the 10th and kind of cross your uh finger over. [music] Yeah, [music] if you want. Or And for the last chord, I'm just going to focus on a 10th voicing. 1 [music] 5 10. What is a 10? It's just a third played [music] higher. So, so far a flat 9 B flat [music] add 9 C minor add 9. Now, you could add this A, but it might conflict. It depends on the scale you're on. That also doesn't work. So, so I just prefer a normal 10 for the G minor. And I can alternate between G minor and E [music] flat major just to add some hope at the end or some achievement at the end. [music] So B flat, C [music] minor, E flat major, A flat major, B flat, [music] C minor, G minor, A [music] flat major, B flat, C. And I'm using the pedal cuz I can't stretch. It's very tough for me to stretch. I'm sure a lot of you will have the same problem as well. Even then, the pedal will sound good. Also, with the pedal, make sure you lift it between chords. [music] Lift. [music] Lift. And end with E flat major in the lower E. So that'll be again [music] E flat, B flat, C, G minor, E flat, E flat, C minor, [music] E flat. Coming to the right hand now. So there are two shapes that we'll start off with both with three notes. So first off, [music] D, E flat, B flat. That's the shell. So the idea is to just keep arpeggiating this and I think it'll work for all these chords. It's kind of a very popular chord progression. You could argue it's a 4 5 6 [music] 3 and then 4 5 6 1. So could just go in this arpeggio pattern. >> [music] >> And at this stage, I'll just show you the first left hand pattern as well, which is just [music] and 2 and 3 and 4 and and 2 and 3 [music] holding with the pedal 1 and 2 and 3. Okay? And the right hand will go semiquavers. 3 E and 4 E and 1 E and 2. So you'll want contrast between the two hands. semiquavers in the right hand and these uh quavers in the left hand with gaps. [music] B flat. [music] There we go. [music] As you can see, it works for the whole chord progression. Okay. The other melodic shape in the right hand would be F, B flat, D. I like [music] these because they have open open-ended notes. You have the ninth and major 7th and they add color. >> [music] >> Now F can be looked at as the ninth with respect to E flat but with respect to A flat [music] it's the 13th with respect and then B flat will be the ninth with respect to A flat [music] and then D will be the sharp 11 the sharp 11 with respect [music] to A flat. So let's do that. [music] You can even play it lower if you wish. >> [music] >> Very important to get some dynamics going since these arpeggios need to flow. [music] Start soft [music] build up. Try to breathe in and breathe out. [music] You get instant volume control. >> [music] >> There we go. Slowly. Okay, let's now add [music] an extra note to the right hand with each of the shapes. So, we'll come back to [music] and to add one more note, I'm going to pick C with my pinky. So, [music] okay. 1 E and a 2 E and a 3 E and a 4 E and it kind of creates a syncopated feel, [music] a kind of an unresolved feel, but I like it if you just maintain this pattern. Left hand. [music] Of course, at this stage, your left hand can work out some other patterns as well. >> [music] [music] >> things like that. [music] Anyway, and then coming to the other shape, F, B flat, D. I'm adding an E flat. Now, this creates a nice cluster on the top. [music] So, [music] you can even just play eighth notes [music] in the left hand. >> [music] >> 2 and 3 and 4 and 2 and [music] 3. Keeping it 4 by 4 at the moment and so on. [music] You can even add your own combos of [music] four notes, I guess. Now, I chose D, E flat, B flat, C. But you could also do D, [music] E flat, G, B flat. That also kind of worked. [music] Or you could do D, E flat, B flat, [music] C. That's what we did originally. So, you can pick your own combos and move around. Now, let's add five notes. So the fifth note with this shape now that already has four notes, [music] you have the middle finger free. So maybe you can add in an F or you could add in a G. I like F. [music] Again, play around with the left hand patterns. and so on. [music] And then coming to pattern two, this is what we have. You can just [music] copy this root upstairs to the octave. >> [music] >> focus on dynamics, the pedal, breathing, and obviously staying on time. So, I've not covered a lot of left hand patterns in this lesson because it's more about the two right hand voicing shapes. Number one, we started off with D, E flat, B flat. Then we looked at F B flat D and then we added [music] and and to the F B flat D shape and [music] C to the D E flat B flat shape. Then we added five note shapes to the system. We added the F there. And then here [music] we just added the F on top. And in the left hand we have these open chords. ninth [music] and the last chord we played tense. So [music] G minor fullon with tense second cycle E flat major. [music] Okay, we have some of this notated and we have every single exercise available as a playback again with notation with other visuals and of course with all the theory knowledge of the scales and the chords and the inversions and the voicings and intervals and yeah, everything you need to know waiting for you on our Patreon page. Do head over there and pick up a copy. And yeah, thanks a ton for watching the lesson and I hope to catch you in the next one which will release very regularly on our channel. We've been consistently doing two lessons a week. So for you to get this information, it's very important that you hit the bell icon and before that the subscribe button if you haven't already and to support our channel to help the videos reach out to more people. It's very very important to hit the like, share, and leave us a comment as well. That'll be nice. Okay, thanks a ton for watching the lesson. I will catch you in the next one. Cheers.