KEYS
[ GO FIGURE: PIANO, PART 2 | Ed Kerr ]
If you haven’t yet been able to read through every 8 th note throughout the four measures. Consider playing other octaves of the notes
my last article (Go Figure: Piano, Part 1) as well This contributes to the underlying energy of of the basic voicings shown in Example 2.
as play through the many examples I showed the figure but keeps the figure from being For example, the A below the staff could be
there, please do so now. In that article’s monotonous. I’ve made a slight change in this played up an octave as well, making Example
examples and those here, think of a steady figure in Example 4, and every 8 has activity. 6 possible.
There’s more than rhythmic activity to consider You may notice that I introduced an E into
when creating a piano part. Anytime you’re Example 6. That E is the 2 of a D2 chord. That’s
notes as your starting point, playing a worship song, whether as a solo a commonly heard chord in modern worship,
there is literally no end to the piano figures you instrument or as part of an ensemble, be and the addition of that note to your options
could play. Using the chorus chord progression sure that your activity is not competing with can result in lots of nice new figures. Also, in the
from “What A Beautiful Name” as I did in part 1, the melody of the song. Play this right hand 2 nd bar I added an E that hadn’t been played in
the following voicings can be adapted beyond figure while someone sings the first line of the previous examples. That E is part of the Aadd4
what I presented in part 1 of this series. Look chorus and I hope you’ll agree that it’s too chord but isn’t usually played if the C# and D
at Example 2. busy and competes with the vocal melody. See are already being heard.
th
stream of 8 th notes that fill the bar. Look at
Example 1
With those 8
th
Example 5.
It’s probably obvious to you now that there are
These voicings have your right hand playing 2
or 3 notes together. Check out this next figure, If you’re playing an intro for a song or an endless possibilities for creating piano figures.
where at times a single note is played in the interlude after a chorus, those are times you Creating is the operative word. Let yourself be
right hand. View Example 3. could create some more melodically significant creative. Soon you’ll find figures for yourself that
material. As a rule, though, when a vocal is work well for any section of any song. Have fun
being sung, keep your figures simpler. exploring the possibilities.
Notice that this figure has activity on almost
EX 1
EX 4
EX 2
EX 5
EX 3
EX 6
August 2017
WorshipMusician.com
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