UK Piano Page Piano Forum

Hi, I have bought a 'easy' book of sheet music, one where the notes actually have the note letter written on the musical note.

So I'm trying to play 'Candle in the wind', it looks like there are also chords written above the music with just the letter in a box.

I'll need to look these chords up on a chord chart and play along with the music. Only thing that puzzles me is how long to play the chords for? - they only change to a new chord every 2 or 3 bars, so do I select an instrument that makes a continuous sound and hold the chord, or just select piano - so most of the time there would be no chord sound.

Please let me know, Thanks, Rick.

The best way would be to break the chord and play it a note at a time continuously - eg., if C major were indicated you'd play C E G C, one note per beat, and put the pedal down to sustain. This is hard to describe on the computer, but I expect Marky or Celestite or Joseph or Angel (who are real bona fide proper 100% 24 carat teachers) will be able to explain it far better than me!

Gill the Piano wrote:...but I expect Marky or Celestite or Joseph or Angel (who are real bona fide proper 100% 24 carat teachers) will be able to explain it far better than me!

Gill how are you? Is the craic better in the Tuners/Retailers' Forum that you don't drop in anymore?

rja4096: Is the music written like that in a 'fake book', i.e. right hand music with chords written above the music? What you can do with chords is take the route note of the chord and play the octave above it with the fifth in between. So, taking C major as the example, instead of playing a harsh C, E, G with the left hand, you can take the C, G and C'. This is slightly better than playing octaves.

Another trick which is nice is playing tenths, i.e. C, C' and E' but you need a good stretch for that!

Another idea, using the route note only, play a simple bass line using a dotted crochet, quaver, dotted crochet, quaver.... and keep this going during the parts where the chord seems to last for a while.

What Gill says about playing around with the triad is fine but might make the music for "Candle In The Wind" slightly 'waltzy'.

Nooo, that's why I said CEGC - to make it in 4 time, like CITW.
I'm fine, ta; I drop in, I lurk, I pass comment if I have a comment worth passing!
And I'm still not sure that the cloak of secrecy on the tuner/tech forum is worth it!

Sorry Gill I have been sitting with my eyes in front of a computer doing admin all night - misread what you had. C, E, G, C would be okay then.

Well I thought I laid it all on them at the time they suggested the big privatisation but whatever they want. My life will probably never be the same for want of that knowledge!