The piano is one of the most loved instruments in the world. Get inspired and inspire others to become pianists with these beautiful piano quotes.

Everything from the piano’s sleek design to the beautiful sounds it emits is the result of individuals investing time, focus, and energy into the instrument. When you devote yourself to something, particularly playing an instrument, you develop a relationship with it. Eventually, it becomes a means of expression, in some cases, one that is more articulate than language. 

There are many pianists capable of leaving listeners in awe. Their fingers effortlessly glide across the majestic keyboard, producing sounds that take us to places we may not have thought possible. Truly, sound, music, and piano are marvelous. 

Many of those adept at playing the instrument have left our listeners and practitioners with words that give us a taste of what playing the piano can mean.

But why exactly does the piano affect people so profoundly?

The article provides insight into why the piano impacts people and presents 20 lovely quotes from pianists, musicians, and authors that describe the piano from their perspectives. 

Sound.

It all begins with sound, or rather, vibration. 

Science finally backs up the claim that everything in existence moves and vibrates. Regardless of what science says about vibration, we are no strangers to sound. Everything from rustling leaves to the words we speak creates vibrations. 

The point is that vibrations play a central role in our lives, affecting our mental and emotional states. 

Humans are pretty good at making sounds. Many people devote their lives to making sounds by making music.

Music.

Music is the expressive art of arranging sounds in a combination of form, harmony, melody, and rhythm.

It hugely impacts us, and we can’t get enough of it. It speaks to us in ways we still don’t fully understand–affecting our brain in measurable ways. 

If you’re curious about how playing the piano affects the brain, check out our blog Why Playing Piano Is a Brain Booster. 

Music makes us feel happy, sad, angry, and all sorts of other ways that we can’t necessarily describe with language. Music brings us closer together through collaboration and dance. 

And through these musical experiences, whether it’s be creating or listening to a mind-blowing sequence of notes, or profound lyrics, music can bring us closer to the essence of life.

Piano.

We create music in many different ways. There are countless musical instruments that we use to make diverse sounds. Surely one of the most beloved is the piano. 

With 88 keys, 230 strings of varying widths, and a massive soundboard, the piano is a unique instrument that touches the hearts of countless musicians and listeners. 

Piano quotes on expression.

The piano is far more than a musical instrument. To many, it’s a tool that offers the means to express themselves beyond words. 

1. “The piano as a medium for expression is a whole world by itself. No other instrument can fill or replace its own say in the world of emotion, sentiment, poetry, imagery, and fancy.” — Leopold Godowsky, Polish-American Pianist

2. “To me, the piano in itself is an orchestra.” — Cecil Taylor, American Pianist, and Poe

3. “One of my biggest thrills for me still is sitting down with a guitar or a piano and just out of nowhere trying to make a song happen.” — Sir Paul McCartney, English Singer-Songwriter

4. “I’m able to sometimes express things even more articulately on the piano than I am with singing.” — Harry Connick Jr., American Musician

5. “I tell my piano the things I used to tell you.” – Frederic Chopin
6.  “Sometimes I can only groan, and suffer, and pour out my despair at the piano.” – Frederic Chopin

7. “The important thing is to feel your music, really feel it and believe it.” – Ray Charles

8. “I had never before thought of how awful the relationship must be between the musician and his instrument. He has to fill it, this instrument, with the breath of life, his own.” — James Baldwin, American Author

Funny piano quotes.

Quotes don’t always have to be profound. Sometimes, someone’s description of the piano can be lighthearted, allow us to see the instrument uniquely, or point out human characteristics. 

1. “The piano is a monster that screams when you touch its teeth.” – Andre Segovia

2. “I wish the government would put a tax on pianos for the incompetent.” – Edith Sitwell

3. “The public is like a piano. You just have to know what keys to poke.” – Al Capp

4. “What has keys but can’t listen to the beauty it unlocks? A piano. – Jarod Kintz

5. “The piano is a monster that screams when you touch its teeth.” – Andre Segovia

6. “There’s nothing remarkable about it. All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself.” – Johann Sebastian Bach

Philosophical piano quotes.

Vibration permeates existence. And the manipulation of sound can be an intense and profound experience. The following quotes express the sense of wonder we can plunge into thanks to the piano. 

1. “The piano is able to communicate the subtlest universal truths by means of wood, metal and vibrating air.” — Kenneth Miller, American Biologist

2. “Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it.” –Tom Lehrer

3. “The piano keys are black and white but they sound like a million colors in your mind.” — Maria Cristina Mena, Author

4. “Prayer is when you talk to God. Meditation is when you’re listening. Playing the piano allows you to do both at the same time.” — Kelsey Grammer, American Actor

5. “There are eighty-eight keys on a piano and within that, an entire universe.” ― James Rhodes

6. “The piano as a medium for expression is a whole world by itself. No other instrument can fill or replace its own say in the world of emotion, sentiment, poetry, imagery and fancy” – Leopold Godowsky

Music is a wondrous phenomenon. Musicians and listeners gather regularly to celebrate and take a melodic journey inward. Just as the sounds emanating from the piano can be emotionally captivating, so can the quotes and sayings that describe this instrument. 

While listening to the piano can be a beautiful experience, playing it can be much more fulfilling. Even the adventure of learning the instrument can be fun and rewarding. 

Are you learning how to play the piano?

Simply Piano is a fantastic app that provides students everything they need to learn how to play, from reading sheet music to playing your favorite songs. Give it a try today!

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When playing the piano, posture is a vital aspect that a pianist must perfect. Learn how to avoid common mistakes and how to improve your piano posture. 

Posture is an interesting topic. It’s not something we give much attention to other than the occasional “yeah, I have terrible posture” conversation, yet it’s crucial to maintain. 

Though we may not put the two together right away, sitting with proper form substantially impacts how we play the piano. Sitting comfortably helps you play for longer, with greater control, and improves your general health.  

So what is the ideal posture for playing the piano? It’s time to shape up and perfect your posture!

Why is posture important when playing the piano?

Proper posture is essential in everything you do; maintaining it while playing the piano is no exception. 

Consider that a piano bench never comes with a backrest. Can you imagine a pianist like Chopin or Beethoven indolently slouching back into an overly plush lazy boy while performing one of their famous masterpieces? 

It’s not conducive to playing your instrument and can lead to some form of chronic pain in the future. 

Proper posture also helps you sit for extended periods without feeling sore and strengthens your shoulders, back, and abdomen, enabling you to play your instrument more effectively. 

What is the proper posture when playing the piano?

People have been studying and playing piano for centuries. Over the ages, they’ve refined how to sit in front of a keyboard and improve their ability to play. 

So how do you sit properly? Let’s start with the lower body.

To learn more about the instrument’s history, check out our blog, A Complete Piano History.

Lower body.

The lower body serves as the base for your posture. It’s where your body meets the bench. 

Upper Body.

Arranging your upper body the right way gives your shoulders, elbows, and hands greater mobility and enables you to play your keyboard more effectively. 

Most common mistakes.

While assuming proper posture may sound like an easy thing to do, maintaining it can be a challenging experience when you first start.

You may be overzealous with keeping your posture, accentuating specific muscles more than necessary.

Keep in mind that there are natural curves in the body. Therefore, correct posture doesn’t mean sitting perfectly straight. Doing that puts unnecessary tension on the body, possibly resulting in injury. 

A proper posture is a balancing act between relaxation and tension.

Final tips.

Posture can be a little confusing when you’re just starting. It can feel unnatural—especially if you’ve been slouching all your life. Be patient with yourself. 

Here are a few tips to help you correct your posture safely:

1. While maintaining good posture is vital for playing the piano, staying relaxed is also essential. Take a small break if your body is sore or tired.

2. Try to maintain proper posture in your day-to-day life. Posture is a habit you can build.

3. At first, proper posture may feel unnatural depending on how you’ve been carrying yourself throughout your life. Be patient with your body. In time, sitting with proper posture will become second nature. 

4. To explain posture, we broke the body down into different parts. However, the body is one organism, one process. So if one piece of your system slacks, it inevitably affects the others. 

Ultimately, knowing how to carry yourself changes how you feel and optimizes your motor functions. And learning how to assume proper posture can enrich your experience with the piano.

There are countless avenues to pursue when learning and playing an instrument. Finding the best resource to teach you all those things can be challenging.

Simply Piano offers users many tips and tricks on various subjects surrounding the piano (posture being one of them). The app makes learning the piano fun. It’s a fantastic supplement to piano lessons. You can use it as a primary resource for your piano journey. 

FAQs.

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This article spotlights the accompaniment instead of the leading musician. We teach you some piano accompaniment patterns and help you get better at playing them. 

The piano is the ultimate wingman. It makes you sound outstanding when you want to sing a vocal ballad or smash out a saxophone solo. 

Because of the piano’s wide dynamic range and infinite chordal options, it is a diverse and reliable partner for telling your story and playing your music. 

But there are challenging accompaniment elements: figuring out what rhythms and patterns to play, how to play with confidence but still maintain a supporting role, and some others that we’ll dive into today.

What is piano accompaniment?

The lead ultimately carries the song’s message or essence. But the accompaniment creates the atmosphere and sets the scene for the story to unfold. 

Piano accompaniment comprises a range of techniques, patterns, and combinations from which you can choose to create the perfect vibe for your song. The key (pun intended) is not to get stuck in these structures: they are learning tools for compiling your language and refining a unique sound. 

Piano accompaniment patterns.

Time to learn some ABCs of piano accompaniment so you can learn to speak on your own! Here are three techniques, from easy to advanced.

1: Block chords accompaniment

Chords are the foundation of all piano accompaniment. The lead singer or instrument usually only sings or plays single-line melodies, so it is up to the piano to provide all harmonic contexts. 

The simplest way to play chords is in blocks. This means playing basic triads (three-note chords) or seven chords (four notes) in the right hand to a simple and repetitive rhythmic pattern. In 4/4, this might be one chord on every quarter note. In 6/8, you could play one chord on each dotted quarter note with subtle embellishments. If you want to spice it up a bit, you could use syncopation by placing some chords on the off beats.  

In the left hand, you can play the bass notes of the chords in octaves, with the fifth in the middle. The rhythm of the left-hand part varies, but is often just one long, held note on the first beat of every bar. If the song is funkier and up-tempo, the left hand should play a groovy bass line. 

For block chords, it’s extra important to understand chord inversions. This is when the notes of a chord are rearranged into a different order, and you can learn more about them with these 10 Piano Exercises for Beginners. 

This allows for good voice-leading, the art of playing a chord progression without moving your hand too much. Inversions provide so many voice-leading options that you could play them all within one octave of the piano. Here is an example of a four-chord voice-lead progression that would sound great in a block chords piano accompaniment:

2: Broken chords accompaniment

There’s nothing that you need to fix about broken chords. They sound amazing! But we call them broken chords because they involve separating a chord’s notes and playing them one after another in a specific pattern. 

The beauty of broken chords is that they have a rich harmonic sound but also subtle and supportive melodies interwoven through them. This is where inversions and voice-leading also become relevant in broken chords – they give you flexibility and variety in your note choices. 

Broken chords are a great place to get creative. Pick your favorite chords, tear them apart, and experiment with different patterns and combinations of the notes in any time signature. Are you ready for some of our favorite broken chord patterns? We’ve even given them special names to help you remember them.

*L = Low, H = High. The other notes in the chord are no higher than H1 and no lower than L1. 

3: Counterpoint accompaniment 

A counterpoint is when two or more moving melodies interact with one another. It is a technique common amongst classical composers, who arranged the music so that different instruments could have a musical conversation using their melodies. In the context of accompaniment, counterpoint means playing a piano part with a melody that weaves in and out of the singer or solo instrument’s lead melody. 

This is a more complicated style of piano accompaniment. In addition to a deep understanding of harmony and form, you need to have strong melodic instincts. But there are small contrapuntal ideas that you can use to decorate your block or broken chord accompaniment pattern. This technique is very song-specific, so we can’t give you precise patterns, but here are a couple of tips:

• Play an exact harmony, for example, a third above the melody. You don’t want to play this the whole time because it will make the piano sound more like a backing vocalist than an accompaniment. But it provides a beautiful moment of catharsis and sweetness when you use it well.
  
• Try a call and response. There are usually breaths or spaces in the melody, which are great moments for the piano accompaniment to reprise a melodic refrain from earlier in the song or even directly repeat the most recent phrase, like a parrot. Remember that the accompaniment is a balancing force in the music: if the lead melody poses a question, respond with the answer. If the lead melody resolves the tension, use the accompaniment to open up a new question. 
  
• Create a hook. This is especially important if the melody contains many notes and a lot of movement. An instrumental hook in the accompaniment will make the melody more grounded and digestible. It can be a short groovy rhythm or an uplifting melodic phrase. 

Tips for piano accompaniment. 

Less is more 

Paradoxically, the accompanists who stand out most are the ones who don’t try to. Remember that you are there to serve something bigger than yourself – not the lead musician but the music itself. Stay true to that intention, to play the music with as much clarity and honesty as possible. If you do, you will find that playing piano accompaniment is simple, minimalistic, but incredibly deep and fulfilling. Your role is to create a safe and inspiring musical environment where the lead singer can communicate the story’s message. 

Express yourself

The flip-side of “less is more” is that you don’t want to make yourself small or be lazy. If the accompanist is sleepy, bored, or feeling insecure and restrained, then the whole energy of the music will fall. Part of your role as an accompanist is to lift the spirits and throw sparks of inspiration into the music when the lead musician’s energy is falling. So be yourself! Choose moments to be spontaneous, make a statement, or throw a new sound into the mix. 

Learn your major scales

This is a pro-tip for those serious about being a piano accompanist. Being thoroughly familiar with your major scales is an essential skill, allowing you to change the song’s key to suit the range of the lead musician. When you’re accompanying a singer at a cocktail bar, and she says, “Hey, can we do Eleanor Rigby in G minor tonight?” you want to be able to say, “Of course, no sweat” – as opposed to going to the bathroom and sweating profusely because you only know the song in D minor. You can practice your major scales and some more advanced major modes with this Guide to Major Modes.

Want some piano accompaniment?

Looking for some company while you learn to accompany on the piano? Download the Simply Piano app for step-by-step and interactive guidance in learning chords, inversions, scales, and everything else you need to know to master piano accompaniment. 

FAQs.

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The pentatonic scale is a foundational building block of music. This article helps you understand and play the pentatonic scale on piano. 

Pentatonic scale may sound bizarre and overwhelming if you’re a beginner in music theory.

You might say, “I have no idea what either of those words means!” 

You’re not alone. To help you, we’ll explain the concept of pitches and scales before diving into the pentatonic. 

Getting to know pitch.

Music is a language of sound. In the spoken word, we have letters. In music, we have pitch. 

Pitch is the measurement of the frequency of the instrument’s sound wave. It can be high, low, or mid-range. Western music has twelve specific pitch frequencies—the materials for making all the music we hear—we call notes. 

We label these twelve notes with letters A to G and the symbols sharp (# = slightly higher than) and flat (b = slightly lower than). These notes repeat themselves across the keyboard. 

You can have a high A, a low A, or an A somewhere in the middle. 

They are all the same note, at different pitches. You can hear this easily by playing note A in three different piano sections. 

So, what is a scale? 

A scale is a series of notes with a pattern of intervals (spaces) between them. 

The most common scale in Western music is the major scale. It has seven notes and a formula that comprises whole and half-step intervals. 

Music is all about relativity. Intervals are the fabric of music because they’re the distance between two notes, defining their relationship. It is their relationship that creates the mood or personality of the sound. 

Because the formula of a scale is an intervallic pattern, you can start the scale on any note and use the formula to create a scale with the same character. 

For example, you can use the major scale formula beginning on D, G, or C, which always sounds like a major scale.

What is a pentatonic scale, and why should I learn it?

Unless you live in a cave or perhaps a pentaphobic society, you probably know that penta means five. And so, the pentatonic scale is a series of five notes.

You might be asking – why do we need a scale like this? Isn’t the seven-note major scale enough? Can’t we just play a major scale without two notes? These are good questions, and they do have an answer.

The pentatonic scales have a unique sound because they exclude two notes from the standard major and minor scales. Removing these two notes removes the scale’s spicy, dissonant, or harsh-sounding intervals. 

We will elaborate on this in a minute, but for now, the point we are making is that the pentatonic scales consist of five notes that all blend effortlessly and harmoniously. This gives you enormous freedom to improvise or compose using these scales – no matter what note you play, it’ll sound sweet.

Another reason to learn the pentatonic scales is that they’re common in all the music we know and love. 

For example, Jazz and Blues music was born of the minor pentatonic scale, with the small addition of the blue note – hence the name of the genre. 

The major pentatonic scale is the sound you hear in traditional Chinese music and is the scale that creates musical patterns for many traditional Asian and African string instruments.

How to play the pentatonic scales.

The pentatonic scale is what we call a “derivative scale” – derived from something else. 

Let’s discover the magic of the major and minor pentatonic scales by analyzing their parent scales: the major and the natural minor scales.

Major scale → Major pentatonic scale  

As mentioned earlier, a major scale comprises seven notes. But really, the DNA of a major scale is the intervallic pattern of whole steps and half steps. If you memorize this pattern, you can play a major scale in every key. 

WS—WS—HS—WS—WS—WS—HS

Let’s take the C major scale as an example. After applying this formula, starting with note C, we number each of the seven notes in ascending order. 

You may notice a few intervallic relations in this scale, which are harsh and dissonant. Notably, the half-step between 3—4, the half-step between 7—1, and the tritone (otherwise known as the devil’s interval) between 4—7.

Miraculously, the major pentatonic scale manages to eradicate all of these tense harmonic relationships by removing the 4^th and 7^th degrees of the scale:

This makes the intervallic pattern of a major pentatonic scale look like this:

 WS—WS—Min3—WS—Min3

Natural minor scale → Minor pentatonic scale

Let’s now unpack the minor pentatonic scale by going through the same process – starting from the natural minor scale.

The natural minor scale uses the following intervallic formula of whole-steps and half-steps:

 WS—HS—WS—WS—HS—WS—WS

 In the key of C, the natural minor scale looks like this:

The minor scale is indeed supposed to carry more tension and suspense than the major scale. But still, certain intervals make this scale challenging to work with in improvisation and composition. 

For example, the half step between 2—b3, the half step between 5—b6, and the tritone between 2—b6.

Now check out the magic of the minor pentatonic, making all the nasty intervals disappear.

This makes for free-flowing playing, with notes that complement one another in any combination or order. Want to learn more?

Major pentatonic scales

Check out this clear-as-crystal table with major pentatonic scales in five different keys. 

Minor pentatonic scales

And now for the minor pentatonic scales, in the same five keys. Fun fact, these notes are almost exclusively white keys on the piano!

Don’t let your frustration get pent up.

We know that learning new theoretical concepts can sometimes feel cold and dry. We want to create living and breathing music that comes from the heart. 

But the whole idea of learning music theory—like the pentatonic scale—is that it can give you the freedom and the language to express yourself fully. 

So, if you’re doing your head in trying to learn pentatonic scales and all the others – take a break. Then come back to your desk, count to five, and keep going.

For a digital companion to help you along the way, check out Simply Piano.

FAQs.

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Want to learn the art of stride piano? In this article, we’ll explain the history of stride piano and give you tools to stride along with its swinging, grooving rhythm.

The beautiful thing about music is its evolution over the centuries. Like an endless stream of babushka dolls, each one opens to reveal a new character, a new genre, a new expression of humanity. 

Classical music influenced ragtime. Ragtime did the same for blues, blues for pop music — the list goes on.

Stride piano was the love child of ragtime and the blues – a playful, cheerful musical style that took the world by storm in the 1920s. Keep reading to learn about the history of stride piano and some tips for playing stride piano with your own two hands.

What is stride piano?

Stride piano is a technique from the early 20th century in the United States. It is conceptually simple but technically demanding. The style is based on a specific left-hand pattern of movement on the piano. The practice involves playing a low bass note on beats one and three of the bar and a chord on beats two and four. This creates a bouncing feeling, much like a spritely walk or stride – hence its name. 

Stride piano players use the right hand to play iconic blues melodies and improvise using the blues and major scales. 

The history of stride piano.

The most popular musical genre in the western world at the turn of the 20th century was ragtime music. It was primarily played by African-American musicians and was given its name because of the irregular or syncopated rhythms played by the right hand, supported by a very steady left-hand rhythm. 

In the 1920s, ragtime piano became less and less popular, with blues music on the rise and taking the reins of the leaders in popular music. Eventually, musicians felt a necessity for change, and thus, the stride piano was born. Its birthplace was Harlem, New York, and its father was James P. Johnson. 

Johnson was heavily influenced by one of the greatest ragtime players, Scott Joplin. However, he wanted to innovate, to push the ragtime rhythms further – so he began to stride his way into something new. This was most evident in his aptly named piece “You’ve Got to Be Modernistic.”

Famous stride piano players.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the forbears of the stride piano style to understand its roots and heritage better. 

Fats Waller

In his short life of 39 years, Waller earned himself a name as one of the century’s greatest musicians. He was a recording and performing musician for 21 years, beginning as Johnson’s student but quickly graduating to be his peer.

He was full of life and vibrancy – a true entertainer. His songs are standard in the world of jazz. To this day, jazz students all over the world study his music and eagerly watch all of the recorded footage of his performances, trying to absorb every last drop of his contagious energy. 

Willie “The Lion” Smith

Smith engraved his name on the stride map with his classic “Finger Buster” – so much so that nobody would honestly call themselves a stride piano player unless they can play this tune.

He was one of the “Big Three,” along with Johnson and Fats Waller, but he was more of a musician’s musician. He was deeply admired by his peers and hugely influential on the next generation of jazz musicians, such as Duke Ellington. 

Art Tatum

Legend has it that when Fats Waller would play piano in the clubs of Harlem and Tatum would enter, he would stop playing and say into the microphone, “I only play the piano. Tonight, God is in the house.” 

Indeed, Tatum was considered to be a musician of divine proportions by all who encountered him. Though he was not strictly a stride pianist. The likes of Johnson unequivocally influenced his style. And yet, Tatum was a unique phenomenon.

Very few can emulate his technical prowess and special touch of the keys to this day. Check out his classic song “Tea for Two” for a taste of his magic. 

Duke Ellington

Most people don’t consider Ellington a stride pianist – though he may have thought himself to be.

Ellington took the essence and the energy of stride piano and found within it another babushka doll: swing. His music swept the world swiftly and powerfully, leading him to a wildly successful career as a composer, big band leader, pianist, and the father of many of the jazz greats who followed him, such as Thelonius Monk. 

Tips for playing stride piano. 

Don’t eat the whole cake at once. Stride piano might sound straightforward, but its execution involves a high level of technique. Here are a few crucial tips for practicing the foundations of stride piano.

Practice the left-hand part with two hands.

As mentioned earlier, the essence of the stride style is that the left hand plays a bass note on beats one and three and a chord on beats two and four. This is a lot of information for a beginner to carry in the left hand.

To start with, split this part between both hands. Take a standard stride piano chord progression, and practice playing the bass notes on beats one and three in the left hand and the chords on beats two and four in the right hand. This will help you familiarize yourself with the “oompah” groove and get your finger muscles warm and flexible.

Practice improvising on a blues scale in your right hand.

The flavor of stride music is deeply rooted in the sound of a blues scale. Make sure you are familiar with the scale and practice improvising in time on this scale with your right hand. Turn on your metronome, perhaps to 80bpm. In your left hand, you can just play single bass notes on beats one and three – in the right hand, explore some improvised melodies using the blues scale. Here is the formula of the blues scale, with an example of the notes in a few different keys:

Practice the stride pattern in the left hand, without the right hand.

Once you’ve practiced the first two tips, have a crack at the real deal in your left hand. Take a simple stride piano chord progression and practice playing it like the big dogs do: bass note on one and three, the chord on two and four. Do it real slow, with the metronome at 40bpm. When it feels comfortable, keep the tempo up until you’re at a nice striding tempo of 120bpm. 

Take it in your stride.

Don’t get bogged down if you find the stride piano technique to be too complicated at the moment. It does require a lot of patient practice, physical agility, and mental focus.

It isn’t suitable for everybody, definitely not for beginners. Take it slow, consult your teachers, and keep your spirits up. In the end, the secret to playing stride is hidden in its name — a lively, graceful stride.

FAQs.

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Want to spice up your jazz chords? Here is a complete list of the most common ways to make your chords snazzy and juicier than you could imagine. 

When you first start playing piano, every note you touch feels like colors. The sensation of the keys under your fingers feels like painting – even the simplest melodies can bring so much bliss. But then, as humans do, we become familiar and get restless. 

We want something new that will challenge our minds and ears. If you’re no longer satisfied with the basic major and minor chords, then the time has come to dip your toes into the deep blue waters of jazz. 

Keep reading for an in-depth exploration of ways to make your piano chords come alive with the flavors of jazz.

What are chords?

You’re probably already familiar with this, but, just in case, a chord is when you simultaneously play two or more notes. Most piano chords comprise three notes – this is a triad. Adding a fourth or fifth note can achieve a wide range of variations. 

Every chord has a sort of personality. The chords you play in a song will determine if it is joyous and celebratory, melancholy and reflective, or angry and frightening. When you play chords in a progression, they become the song’s fabric upon which you can play the melody.

Chords are built from the notes of a scale – a series of 7 notes with a specific intervallic formula. This is a whole topic in and of itself, so you should do your reading on Piano Scales for Beginners if this is unfamiliar to you. To explain how we build piano chords, let’s label the notes in a C major scale from one to seven:

CD E F G A B 

1  2  3 4 5  6 7

To build piano chords from this scale, we have to make different combinations of notes. Different chords will use different scale degrees, hence each one’s unique sound. Here is an example of some intermediate chords from the C major scale:

Cmaj7 = C,E,G,B

Dm7 = D,F,A,C

G7 = G,B,D,F

What makes chords jazzy?

Jazz is a vast genre. Academics and musicians have spent years arguing over what jazz music is. We can all agree that jazz musicians like to use chords with lots of notes. This gives jazz music its rich, colorful, and complicated sound quality. 

The basic structure of any chord is the formula of a major chord: 1, 3, 5 –  the first, third, and fifth degrees. If the chord is minor, you need to flatten the third. For example, the formula for C minor is 1, b3, 5 – C, Eb, G. 

These are chord extensions when you add notes to this basic triad structure. The most common extension is the seventh degree of the scale. For example, the chord Cmaj7: 1, 3, 5, 7 – C, E, G, B.

But this is a trick that most pop music has already figured out. It gets jazzy as the numbers go higher – like the 9th, 11th, and 13th degrees. This might sound confusing because a scale only has seven notes. Yeah, it’s somewhat weird. We use these numbers because we refer to notes that extend beyond the basic structure of a triad or seventh chord. 

Remember – these degrees of the scale can also be flattened or sharpened. This just blew your chord range wide open. But to simplify it, you should just think of it like this:

9th = 2nd,

11th = 4th,

13th = 6th.

The suspended chord.

Another sound that many jazz and pop artists like to use is the suspended chord. This is when you suspend the third (arguably the most integral and identifying note of a chord) and replace it with either the second or fourth degree. So in C, for example, the suss chords would be:

Csus2 – C, D, G – 1,2,5

Csus4 – C, F, G – 1,4,5

Pro-tip: Chord extensions’ beauty is that they create more options for voice-leading in chords. This is when the chord progression makes incidental (or conscious) melodic lines born from the movement of one chord to the next. For example, the 9th of one chord might become the 3rd of the next chord, and then the 5th of the one after that, and so on, creating a small melodic pattern within the harmonic flow. 

Jazzy piano major chords.

Check out this super sexy and slightly intimidating table of major-sounding jazz chords:

Two important things to remember. 

1. When the chord symbol says, for example, Cadd9, you add only the 9th and not the 7th. If the symbol says Cmaj9, you add the seventh and the 9th. 
   
2. Many of these chords will sound dissonant and dense if you play the notes in the order they are written. Jazz musicians will almost always play some sort of inversion of a chord to make it sound more spread out, even, and digestible. For example, the chord Asus4 (add9). A jazz pianist might play it like this, from lowest to highest:

• A – E in the left hand
• D – B in the right hand

Jazzy piano minor chords.

When the chords get minor, things get messy. (In a good way) 

Jazzy piano dominant and diminished chords.

The chords most commonly received extensions are dominant and diminished chords. This is because these usually function as leading chords in some version of a V-I cadence–for example, from G to C or F to Bb.

Leading chords are great for extensions because their job is to create some kind of tension that begs for resolution. The more dense and tense the leading chord, the more sweet and satisfying the resolution. 

Keep it simple.

It can be tempting to turn every chord into a wild jazz experiment. But remember, music is not a competition of who made the most sophisticated chord progression.

You don’t make music from the head — it’s from the heart. You want your music to sing, touch people, and resonate.

The beauty of jazz harmony is that it can create lots of detail and emotional nuance, but sometimes simplicity and clarity is the most powerful tool. So study jazz, dive in, and acquire the tools and the language – but once you have, make sure you use them wisely, sparingly, and with heaps of sensitivity. 

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What is a four-hand piano? This article will tell you everything you need to know about this technique. 

You’re probably saying to yourself – what, playing piano with two hands isn’t complicated enough?! 

Don’t freak out. There’s no need to rush into anything that feels like it’s out of your league. But it’s important to know what’s out there, channel your humility, and watch the crazy talent that walks our planet with awe and admiration.

Keep reading to gain a glimpse into the musical marvel that is the four-hand piano. Stay attentive – you never know how it might inspire you, teach you something, or influence your own remarkably ordinary two-handed piano playing. 

What is the four-hand piano?

Four-hand piano sounds like four hands — presumably two individuals — playing piano simultaneously. There are two main variations of four-hand piano playing. It could be four hands, one piano, or four hands, two pianos. The essence is a piano duet, where two players work together to create a rich, vibrant cacophony. 

A brief history of four-hand piano.

Okay, we don’t have time for A Complete Piano History. But if we did, it would be full of weird and wonderful musical creations.

It’s hard to track precisely when four-hand piano playing started, but it’s safe to say that Mozart was the first prominent composer to show a particular interest. While on tour, he would play duets with his sister Nannerl, which lit the first spark of four-hand inspiration. He also used to play piano duets in London with Bach while studying with him in 1764. 

The first four handpieces to appear in print were compositions by Charles Burney, who was better known for his work as a music historian. He composed a set of four piano duet sonatas. Around the same time, Bach also created three magical duet sonatas.  But the musical phenomenon of piano duets was ultimately made famous by Mozart with his two teenage sonatas, the Kk497 and 521. They were dedicated to and created for his two young sisters, Babette and Nanette Natorp. 

Four famous piano duets.

Some stand-out four-hand pieces have found their way into existence over the last few hundred years. You can check out a whole list with links to recordings too. In the meantime, we’ve given you a run down on our favorites:

1. Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K.448 – Mozart

Mozart wrote this piece when he was 25.  It was a composition for a performance with fellow pianist Josepha Auernhammer. It is written in the sonata-allegro form and contains three movements: 

1. Allegro con spirito

2. Andante in G major, and 
   
3. Molto allegro. It is a vibrant and adventurous piece, with contrapuntal melodies and homophonic cadences. 

4. Fantasia for Piano Four Hands in F minor, 940 (Op.103) – Schubert

This is one of Schubert’s most important works. He composed it in 1828, the last year of his life, and dedicated it to his pupil Caroline Esterházy. The Fantasia is divided into four interconnected, uninterrupted movements, which last altogether about 20 minutes: 

• Allegro molto moderato
• Largo
• Scherzo, Allegro vivace
• Finale, Allegro molto moderato. 

This piece has a melancholy feeling of mourning, which stands distinct from other four-hand composers, such as Mozart, whose work is more upbeat.  

5. Petite Suite, L.65 – Debussy

This was composed from 1886 to 1889. It was first performed by Debussy and pianist-publisher Jacques Durand at a salon in Paris. Rumor has it that he wrote it upon request for a piece that would be accessible to more amateur players. This is believable because its simplicity is starkly different from Debussy’s modernist works during the same period. 

6. Visions de l’Amen – Oliver Messaien

This is a suite of seven sections and about 45 minutes in length for two pianos, composed in 1943 for Messaien and Yvonne Loriod. Messiaen explains the different roles of the two-piano parts: The secondo part, he describes “the principal melody, thematic elements, all that demands emotion and strength.” The primo part has “rhythmic difficulties, chord clusters, all that has speed, charm, and sound quality.” The name ‘Visions of Amen’ comes from the composer’s idea to create a piece that expresses gratitude to God through the voices of seven different creatures. 

Tips for playing four-hand piano 

• Choose the right piece

Not every piano duet is accessible to every student. Specifically for beginners, it’s important to find music at the appropriate level so that there is a healthy balance of challenge and a feeling of accomplishment. Once you have chosen a piece or your teacher has selected for you, there is another question – which part should you play? Primo or secondo? 

The secondo usually carries the main melody or theme, making it a more integral part. The primo requires more technical ability and prowess. Consult with your partner, and then decide to commit. 

• Choose the right partner

Like in any relationship, the partner you choose depends on the purpose of the union. And like in life, it’s essential to play all kinds of duets with all sorts of people! 

Playing four-hand piano with your teacher, for example, might make you feel small or amateur, but it teaches you a lot quickly. On the other hand, if you decide to play a duet with somebody less experienced than you, you might not feel as stimulated, but you’ll have an opportunity to give of your knowledge and expertise. 

Finding a partner at your level is a fun and productive way to give, receive, and learn together. 

• Choose the right pace

On the macro, this means learning the piece gradually and with patience. Ideally, you and your partner should agree upon a certain amount of material to learn at home. Then when you come together, you can practice with more nuanced attention to detail. 

Practicing slowly on the micro means playing the piece at a slower tempo than intended. The best way to internalize musical information is to break it down to a pace that gives our brains time to absorb and process the music–not to mention warming up the fingers. When the music feels comfortable, and you feel comfortable, up the tempo until you feel rechallenged. 

One hand at a time.

Keep in mind that four-hand piano pieces are complicated creatures. They should have a sticker that says “Fragile. Beginners take care”. 

It can be overwhelming enough to deal with your own two hands, let alone trying to do the work in perfect harmony with another pair. Having said that, if you feel super inspired about four-hand piano–give it a crack! 

There are plenty of resources to help you along the way. You could even try learning both parts of a four-hand piece and recording yourself one layer at a time. This will be pretty tricky, though – don’t say we didn’t warn you. 

To begin your journey on the right hand, try out the Simply Piano app.

FAQs.

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This guide to the major modes introduces some deep dark music secrets. Get inside one of the more complex and mysterious precepts of music theory.

Modes are an advanced concept in music theory that gives birth to exciting and diverse scales. These sounds blow your musical possibilities wide open. Their diversity can be overwhelming, but they all share the major scale’s essence. 

Let’s get into how modes work and then break down each of its seven variations. 

The major scale.

The major scale is a series of seven notes with specific ratios. The degrees of the scale are from one to seven. You can apply their intervallic pattern of tones and semitones to create a major scale starting on any note. This is the formula, with examples in C, G, and D major:

What are modes?

Modes are what you get when you play the notes of a major scale starting from a different degree of the scale. For example, a C major scale starts on D, a G major scale starts on E, and so on. 

When you play the notes of a C major scale but hear D as the root note or “one,” it has a different sound. This is because the intervallic relationships change. It doesn’t sound like D major because a D major scale has different notes. But, modes are one of those things that you have to visualize to grasp, so let’s dive straight in.

The major modes.

Ionian

Ionion is just another name for the major scale. (‘Nuff said.)

Dorian 

Dorian is a major scale that starts on the second degree of the scale. Take a look at what happens to the intervals and the numbers of the scale when you play the notes of C major starting on D:

Why have numbers gone flat? 

Because they’re flat in comparison to D major. The scale above would be called D Dorian. It has a beautiful minor sound with a gentle twist. It’s got the b3 and b7 of a natural minor scale, but the 6 is major. This is a great example of the emotional nuance you can achieve using modes. 

Listen to the beginning of  Miles Davis’ trumpet solo in So What to get a glimpse.

Phrygian

Try not to phryg out. This is a weird one! Welcome to the third mode of the major scale. Phrygian is what happens when you play, for example, a C major scale starting on E:

The Phrygian sound is dark and ominous, used chiefly in heavy jazz and dramatic film soundtracks. But like everything in music, it has many applications. 

Want to hear it in action? Check out Only 1 by Ariana Grande– the vocal run she sings in the chorus is a Phrygian scale! 

Lydian 

This magical mode makes you feel like you’re arriving at the other end of a rainbow. Lydian is the fourth mode and has only one note different from the major scale. Check it out in C:

Lydian is a major scale with a kiss on the lips. The #4 sound, in particular, is dreamy and gentle. A great example is in Runaway by the Corrs—the song’s instrumental riff has a major sound. 

In the outro, they make the riff Lydian by sharpening(#) the 4 and achieving incredible simplicity and power.  

Mixolydian 

Here’s another major scale with a subtle tweak–the fifth mode goes with the dominant 7 chord because of its b7. 

Dominant 7 is usually the sound of a five-chord in any key. You’ll understand it in a second when you see a C major scale starting on G:

You can play Mixolydian over so many different chord progressions. The tone interval between the seventh and first degrees of the scale creates a vibe easy to jam on because it doesn’t cry out for resolution as a natural seven does. 

Aeolian

This one will look familiar to you. Aeolian is the sixth mode, but it is just another name for the natural minor scale. This is what you get when you play a C major scale starting on A:

Aeolian will always be the relative minor of whichever scale you derive it from. This means that the sixth degree of any major scale is its relative minor. 

Locrian

If one flat loves another flat, they sometimes have many flat babies. (Or something like that.) 

This is Locrian– every degree of the scale is flat except for the four! Locrian is beautiful and clean because it has five sharps which have all become natural. Here it is, a C major scale starting on B:

How to practice major modes.

We know this might be a lot to take in, so don’t expect yourself to be casually tossing major modes into your songs by tomorrow evening. But there are some systematic and engaging ways to practice major modes that will help you improve rapidly.

• Play them—In every key, slowly, with a metronome on 60 or 70bpm. Get accustomed to their sound, their energy. Maybe take one mode a week for seven weeks as a project.
  
• Use a chord progression—Start with something simple like I–IV–iv–V. Try improvising using the modes to see if you can superimpose their sound onto the progression. This means playing phrases in such a way that makes a different degree of the scale sound like the root note. For example, in the key of C, you might play an E Phrygian on these chords: C–F–Am–G.
  
• Try a whole song—Print out the chords and divide them into small sections, perhaps every three or four bars. See which modes could apply to each section, then improvise your way through the whole piece. 
  
• Write short melodies or ideas using modes–This is the best way to get cozy with them. Make sure you emphasize the important notes–for example, the 6 in Dorian, the #4 in Lydian, or the b7 in Mixolydian. 
  
• Listen for them in songs—Active listening will take you far. This means sitting down to listen to music attentively and even stopping and rewinding if something catches your attention.

Don’t explode.

They’re only modes! While they are fascinating and sophisticated, they are not the be-all and end-all of music. Often, you will find yourself using them without even realizing it. But this is the perfect challenge or project if you’re hungry for more musical sounds and knowledge. 

Check out the Simply Piano app for more amazing tips and real-time feedback.

FAQs

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