Comments for Playing The Bass in the Left Hand

Thank you
by: jerry

Thanks David, for your explations.
They were very helpful. I am glad that I have found someone who is prepared to answer any silly question asked by me and I am sure more questions will come.
I love asking question only when I am not sure about something and looking for clarification. Regardinmg tutorials - those were some of the songs i am fond off. But I respect your views sorry about that.

rgds

Jerry

How to Accompany with the left hand
by: David from www.piano-play-it.com

Yo Jerry,

To begin I'd like to say that I'm going to consider your suggestions for piano tutorials. You'll hear from me when they're their.

As for your question. It's a really good one.

I believe beginners should be playing the bass (you're so called one note chord) in the left hand when they first start to accompany songs on the piano.

Music is basically made out of the melody, the harmony and the bass. Since we only have two hands, you can imagine it's quite a task to play these three elements well.

I believe that people who just started to play the piano should first realize how these three elements work, and so playing the bass (so, it's not a one note chord but just the basic note of the chord in the right hand) is the most important role for the left hand, if you want to understand the nature of the chord you playing.

All the other notes of a chord are actually related to the bass. Keep that in mind!

Playing many notes together in the left hand is not recommended at all since the lower register of the piano sounds quite muddy and so to play close intervals one next to the other doesn't compliment your sound.

More so, since the lower register you produces more overtones (I'm going to discuss that soon in the piano theory area, but when you play a pitch you actually produce more pitches with it, these are called overtones) you have to give the lower notes more space, other wise the overtones will blur in your ear.

However, there are other and more complicated ways to play the harmony in the left hand.

Take the shell voicings for example. You basically play the bass in the left hand and an extra important note from the chord like the third or the seventh of a chord.

It still gives space and opens the sound of the chords.
But trust me, If you're a beginner in playing chords stick to the bass for a while.

Hope I answered you question. Cheers and success with playing!

I love your question by the way! You're so interested. Keep that flame burning man!

David
from www.piano-play-it.com

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