Chords for Carl
Free Sample Module One
Bars One to Eight

Greetings, and welcome to your free Chords for Carl Module One experience!

You're going to learn to play the first four chords/eight bars of the Chords for Carl chord sequence using the 'left-hand-over' keyboard texture - a great way to play chords and easy to vary for other rhythms too.

Enjoy!

NOTE: Some computer systems do not represent sharp and flat signs as entered by the author. ë indicates a flat sign and ì a sharp.

Step One: The right hand chords

Here is the teaching video for this section of the module.

Using the keyboard diagrams, find the four right hand chords (in orange), using the correct fingering. Middle C is marked with a dash.

Notice the voice movement diagrams (VMDs) between the chord symbols in the MS. These little line diagrams how the three notes of the chord (the ‘voices’) move up or down or stay the same when the chord changes.

You see the same lines arranged vertically between the keyboards in the keyboards diagram. VMDs are very helpful in learning strings of chords.

Notice that we are learning the right hand chords as vertical ‘block chords’ for now - all notes at once. Afterwards, we will break them up and play the notes one by one.

Step Two: The bass notes

Here is the teaching video for this section of the module.

Rehearse the first four bass notes, then play them with the right hand chords. Fingering will change, but start on LH1 (thumb) for now.

Step Three: The LH-over notes

Here is the teaching video for this section of the module.

'Chords for Carl' teach-yourself solo Now a fully video-supported approach to keyboard chord texture and building a full modern solo performance, this unique teach-yourself opportunity shows you only what you need to know and exactly how to learn it.	Get the download for only $14.95 LEARN MORE!

  Step Four: The bass notes plus LH-over notes

Here is the teaching video for this section of the module.

Practice the pairs of left hand bass and LH-over notes using the index fingers of your left and right hands. You’re ‘spelling out’ the pairs of notes your left hand is going to jump between. Exaggerate the shape of the two lines in your mind’s eye to help fix it.

 ‘Say and play’ the up/down/same sequence of the two lines out loud.

Step Five: The left hand leaps

Here is the teaching video for this section of the module.

Practice the LH leaps, first without, then with the RH block chords.

There’s a bit of ‘marksmanship’ about this. You ‘throw’ your hand over to the LH-over note – and back down to the next bass note. The more you practice, the better your aim becomes!

Tip: Remember that the LH-over note is an octave above the right hand thumb.

Step Six: The two-handed pattern

Here is the teaching video for this section of the module.

Practice the actual as-written pattern on just the C chord, slowly but in rhythm.

You play the left hand bass note (L) on its own first, then start on the RH broken chord notes (R). The left-hand-over note comes together (T) with the top right hand chord tone.

The full sequence of notes in a pattern is:  L  R  R  T  R  R

(Left, right, right, together, right, right)

Build up speed! This is the first practice fragment with repeat signs (to avoid visual overload), but you should aim to be able to repeat all practice fragments from memory.

Practice the A minor pattern over and over the same way.

Play a little practice chord sequence: two bars of C, two bars of A minor.

 C  C  Am  Am

Then, alternate the chords more quickly.

 C  Am  C  Am

Now repeat the exact same two-handed pattern build-up build-up with the F-and-G chord pair.

'Chords for Carl' teach-yourself solo Now a fully video-supported approach to keyboard chord texture and building a full modern solo performance, this unique teach-yourself opportunity shows you only what you need to know and exactly how to learn it.	Get the download for only $14.95 LEARN MORE!

Step Seven: Bars 1 to 8 performance

Here is the teaching video for this section of the module.

Play the first four chords in rhythm.

Most keyboard learners stop actually practicing as soon as they have played a section once through without stopping. That won’t give you a reliable performance!

You should run through this performance build-up, from scratch, several times – and the same with the following sections, too. Your performance will be much more secure, and the broken chord texture will become available for you own improvising and arranging.

Understanding the written music

It’s not too difficult to read the written music when you have the keyboard diagrams and the video to guide you.

Look how the keyboards diagram and the music match up.

You don’t have to read every note perfectly to make a start! Listen to the section on repeat until you can ‘see the sound’ in the written-out music.

'Chords for Carl' teach-yourself solo Now a fully video-supported approach to keyboard chord texture and building a full modern solo performance, this unique teach-yourself opportunity shows you only what you need to know and exactly how to learn it.	Get the download for only $14.95 LEARN MORE!