Topic: Building familiarity with Right Hand chords (Read 2170 times)

playandteach · « **on:** May 14, 2019, 04:35:14 PM »

Hello
I'm going to put on some exercises - mainly aimed at improving my own playing, but just sharing with others the exercises I'm preparing for myself. These are based around my box layout and key, but I'll also stick them up (along with some videos) for DG too.
There will be a few chords that combine notes in a pairing that doesn't exist on standard layouts, but mostly not. Also the videos will (for example) show me playing a low D on the outside row (DG terms) when most people have it of the inside.
These aren't designed for publication, which would lead me to tackle other's needs ahead of my own, but you are free to share them or use them.

Dick has suggested that I label chords by number to ease confusion, but I shall be sticking to chord names - for my own use, that's best for me. Dick, feel free to build your argument here, but for me I want to know that I'm talking about Em and its variants as I want to use the knowledge of chord note construction to aid with familiarity of note names for melody playing too, and also for knowing that it is Em, rather than Chord iii in C major, or Chord vi in G major. I suspect we might be talking at cross purposes - this query arose in the Wensleydale thread, and I wanted to keep that free for the celebration of that event.
The prod to look into this, though, was given at that event as Pascale's workshop briefly touched on the usefulness of greater awareness of right hand chord positions.

playandteach · « **Reply #1 on:** May 14, 2019, 04:49:16 PM »

So here is the first (may be the only, if no interest) sheet of exercises. GC to start with. I can see that the first page has got the chord symbols very close to the line above, so I'll edit that sometime.
1st video

playandteach · « **Reply #2 on:** May 14, 2019, 05:47:12 PM »

2nd video

playandteach · « **Reply #3 on:** May 14, 2019, 06:00:20 PM »

3rd Video

Stiamh · « **Reply #4 on:** May 14, 2019, 06:07:07 PM »

Great stuff, thanks. Gives a semitone player a good insight into the possibilities of the 4th-apart system. Maybe I when I eventually get around to rescuing that beaten-up old G/C in the basement I won't flip the reed plates to make a B/C out of it... :)

Andy Next Tune · « **Reply #5 on:** May 14, 2019, 07:09:42 PM »

Yes please, I'd love to see these exercises for D/G

I need to get those chord shapes out of my notebook and embedded in my brain!

playandteach · « **Reply #6 on:** May 14, 2019, 07:56:57 PM »

Here's the DG pdf of the exercises so far.

playandteach · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2019, 07:58:58 PM »

And here's video 4.
I'm now off to try it in DG. Expect lots of slips.

playandteach · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2019, 10:18:58 PM »

Video 1 DG
Video 2 DG
Video 3 DG
Video 4 DG

Julian S · « **Reply #9 on:** May 14, 2019, 10:48:54 PM »

Wow ! You have been busy PandT ! Just the exercises for me to start to work on when the Missus is away for a few days...

J

Thrupenny Bit · « **Reply #10 on:** May 15, 2019, 09:39:56 AM »

P&T: This is excellent!
I've wanted to find something like this for a very long time.
I've quickly flipped through your videos to get a flavour. I think for me this will take a time to go through and understand your points made, but any knowledge and understanding gained will be good.
Thank you kind sir for your hard work!
cheers
Q

Andy Next Tune · « **Reply #11 on:** May 15, 2019, 10:47:32 AM »

Thank you :)

playandteach · « **Reply #12 on:** May 15, 2019, 12:41:56 PM »

Thanks for those kind words. There are several things I'd like to point out:
1 These were primarily made for my own benefit, and therefore don't form a fully structured learning approach for everybody else.
2 My box has the inside row messed up with D and E notes in unfamiliar places, so if in doubt go by the music or by ear, rather than looking at my buttons.
3 Despite me appearing to be fluent at it myself, I'm clearly not. Those at Pascale's workshop will know that, and also know that my opinion of my own playing is unfortunately accurate rather than modest.
I do intend to create some more higher up the box, but these may suit the voicing on a GC box better. I might also put together the chords in a variety of common chord sequences.

Wensleydale was great for me, and this site is also really important for me, so if you feel that the resources are of use to you, then a very small donation (cup of coffee size) to melnet will repay this site for the great support it has been for me in my playing.
If, on the other hand, these chord videos have changed your life immeasurably, there's a very nice Castagnari 1914 that I'd like in my Christmas stocking.
I'd still swap a large chunk of what I know to be able to play tunes from memory.

Clawhammer · « **Reply #13 on:** May 15, 2019, 02:09:51 PM »

Thanks so very much, P and T!!!

Winston Smith · « **Reply #14 on:** May 15, 2019, 03:04:45 PM »

You've obviously hit the right chord with this thread, P&T! (Sorry.)

But as for "I'd still swap a large chunk of what I know to be able to play tunes from memory.", I'd be more than happy to remember which are the tunes I play from memory! I'm not bragging here, as playing roughly by ear is relatively easy for those of us who can, but finding any particular tune in my head which I want to play, is the problem; if it doesn't have words, I'm b******d!

Never mind, though, your efforts are being very well received by those who relate to where you're going with this. Well done!

playandteach · « **Reply #15 on:** May 16, 2019, 02:18:07 PM »

Here's an example of how to choose which position and variants of chords for a tune. In this case Alio by Pascale Rubens.
It is for GC, it does also include a G and A in the same direction once, but as I've said before, I'm not teaching this as a method, just sharing.
I have though included a paragraph explaining why the chords I chose might work. I know this sort of analysis winds some people up. Not much I can do about that other than stay away.
I'll try to upload a version later, though it will be warts and all as I haven't got video editing software at the moment.
Here's a really nice version of that tune, on the Naragonia channel - it seems these videos are designed to support those who have bought the GC book, as some of us did in Wensleydale. ~~Whoops, put As in the last bar - should be Gs. I'll change that soon.~~ new pdf with corrected last bar.

playandteach · « **Reply #16 on:** May 16, 2019, 05:13:22 PM »

Here's a video of the chords for Alio.

playandteach · « **Reply #17 on:** May 16, 2019, 07:34:18 PM »

Here's another example, this time in C for Remi Geffroy's tune: Elle.
The patterns are meant to show how knowledge of the chord shapes leads to something with a little variety in it, even though the chord shapes remain the same as the exercise patterns.

playandteach · « **Reply #18 on:** May 16, 2019, 08:24:49 PM »

Here's a video for the Remi Geffroy chords.
I'm going for a lie down. I don't have a video editor at the moment, so I have to leave the entire video in, or start again. Quite a pressure.

playandteach · « **Reply #19 on:** May 28, 2019, 12:52:40 AM »

After a few days of playing these type of exercises, I do find that I am making progress at a bunch of stuff:
1 Note finding on the right hand - which I was sort of ok at anyway, is becoming more embedded, and this allows for sight-reading too.
2 Linking between hands is becoming freer, and my hands grab the same chord in both hands more regularly
3 I also find that simple shapes are carrying more info (inversions etc)
4 I can get out of trouble quicker if I've grabbed a wrong shape
There are a couple of false negative, I find that if I move from chords to small melodic accompanying fragments, I can end up it trouble. But I think this is in contrast to a more secure knowledge of where the chords are, and the fact that I'm having to 'create' instant melodic fragments is a bigger drain on my mind. I also trip up with fingering on the melodic side of things, a similar contrast.
I also want to develop a better left hand to support the right hand, and need to concentrate on a wider variety of note lengths and attacks / releases - but I think all these are just not keeping pace with the improvement (from a low starting position) of the chord patterns.
I'm going to continue with it for a while, and if you want to see the broken chord excercises I'm doing, let me know. It is less about the extended chords, and more about gluing the chords into my fingers in both ends of the right hand (although this might be less useful for DG players).
I'm going to be playing with Vicky soon - I normally just play by myself, so I'll see if it's any use in a real situation.

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Author Topic: Building familiarity with Right Hand chords (Read 2170 times)