Worship Musician August 2020 | Page 108

KEYS WE HAVE A LOT IN COMMON | Ed Kerr You and I have a lot in common. We ‘ve been touched by the truth of the Gospel. We’ve experienced many times the power there is in proclaiming truths about God as we sing to Him in worship settings. We’ve discovered that our keyboard skills can combine with the skills of other musicians to provide powerful opportunities for our congregations to express their hearts to the Lord. Yep. We have a lot in common. I just looked over the list of top CCLI songs and can safely say that you and I probably have lots of songs in common. The top song on the list today is “Build My Life”. It’s followed by “Who You Say I Am’, “What A Beautiful Name”, “Way Maker” and “Great Are You Lord”. There’s something these songs all have in common. In fact, just about every song on most of our song lists at our churches have this thing in common. The songs use a limited number of chords. Though there are 7 chords available in the scale of any key and an infinite number of chords possible “outside” that key, modern worship songwriters tend to stick with this limited number of chords. It’s common among worship musicians to describe this limited number of chords as the 1456. Each number in 1456 refers to the scale tone over which the chord is built. So, in the key of D, for example, the 1 is D, the 4 is G, the 5 is A and the 6 is B minor. Describing chords by number like this is often called the Nashville number system. There are some very significant things that the 1456 chords have in common, too. They share some of the same notes. Here’s a chart that shows the spelling of the 1456 chords in D major. CHORD ROOT THIRD FIFTH 1 - D D F# A 4 - G G B D 5 -A A C# E 6 -Bm B D F# Some of you reading this article may be completely comfortable with thinking about chords in a song by number. I want to focus here on an important aspect of chords numbers and chord spellings that impacts what each of us do at our keyboards as we play these songs. I’m referring to common tones. Common tones are pitches shared by successive chords. Look over the chart I showed earlier and pick out some of the common tones. The note D is part of the D, G and B minor chords. The note A is part of the D and A chords. F# is part of the D chord and the B minor chord. Recognizing common tones that exist between the chords you’re playing can have a huge impact on the keyboard parts you create. Much of what sets apart an inexperienced keyboard player from an experienced one is the way chords are connected. For example, an inexperienced player might play their chords with the root, 3 rd and 5 th stacked above each other in their right hand. Let’s say they’re playing the chorus of “Who You Say I Am” in D major. Here’s the chart: D A Who the Son sets free, oh is free indeed Bm A G D I’m a child of God, yes I am D A In my Father’s house there’s a place for me Bm A G D I’m a child of God, yes I am For the D chord that starts the chorus in your right hand you could play, from top note to bottom note, A F# D. Then, when the A chord comes along you could play, from top note to bottom note, E C# A. The notes of the chords are correct, but a more modern sound can 108 August 2020 Subscribe for Free...