Chord Play3

The first section explores ways to create the fullest sounds by

playing chords in both hands. Then, its all about 7th chords.
The student first plays a tune with triads, then with 7th chords
to hear the difference.

The student learns to play 7th chords with the resonant,

open Chopin Voicings.

In Exploration 11, the student learns to invert 7th chords

omitting the fifth to create chord fragments.

Exploration 13 is about Jump Bass Styles. This leads to an

exploration of arpeggios with 7th chords in Exploration 14.

About the Chord Play Series

Next is an exploration of Bass Lines in various styles.

Here, 7th chords dance to a Latin beat.

Each 64-page book is filled with approximately

20 Explorations. By exploring and playing at the
piano, you learn the chords in use today as you
cultivate the art of arranging. Each new chord
becomes a friend to create with rather than a
theoretical abstraction to remember.
You explore in three main ways: by playing
sample arrangements written in normal musical
notation, by reading lead sheets and filling in the
missing chords, and by playing and transposing
by ear. This three-way approach cultivates
knowledge and skill in an intuitive, hands on
way. For anything to become an art, intuition
must be a key player!
About the Author

Playing 7th chords with both hands is then explained.

This way of voicing chords features the root and seventh
of the chord played by the left hand

Forrest Kinney, NCTM, is a music educator

dedicated to helping others learn the four
arts of music: interpretation, composition,
improvisation, and the art of arranging. He is the
composer and author of the Pattern Play series
on improvisation, and the Chord Play series on
arranging. He is also the author of Creativity
Beyond Compare, a book about creativity. He has
taught music for over 30 years, and has worked as
a professional pianist for over 25 years.
The author would like to thank Thomas Green for
his many helpful suggestions.

After playing the sample arrangement, the same technique

is used with a familiar tune. The student is frequently
encouraged to transpose pieces to learn chords in all the
keys and develop the ear.

The Frederick Harris Music Co., Limited

Canada: 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1W2
USA: Suite 882, 60 Industrial parkway, Cheektowaga, NY 14227
Tel: 416-673-1426 Toll-free 1-800-387-4013 Fax: 416-408-1542

Introducing

Chord Play
The Art of Arranging at the Piano
You and your students can learn to do all these things with
the new Chord Play series by Forrest Kinney, author of
the acclaimed Pattern Play books on improvisation. Chord
Play offers an exploratory and intuitive approach to the
art of making spontaneous arrangements at the piano. This
series is designed to complement both traditional piano
lessons and the Pattern Play series.

Enjoy creating!

Do You Wish You Could?

Create artistic arrangements for yourself
and your students
Read fake books and make spontaneous
arrangements at the piano
Improvise new melodies over the
arrangements you have created
Create accompaniments for singers or for
your own voice
Be able to play by ear and have a good
aural memory
Develop a repertoire to play at various
events and services
Know folk melodies, hymns, and classical
themes that comprise part of our musical
heritage
Learn music theory (chords, keys, and
scales) in a musical and practical way
Memorize your pieces more securely and
reduce performance anxiety

Chord Play1
The series begins with familiar tunes played either by ear or by
reading. The student adds simple major chords guided by a lead
sheet. Beginners who do not read music can do this by ear with
the help of the teacher.

Then come the minor chords in the key. When a tune appears
for the first time, it has an introduction marked by a bracket.

Each chord can be played in many styles. This book explores

how to transform simple triads into stylish chords.

Chords can also be played in different voicings (different ways

of distributing the chord notes).

Here the student learns arranging both by playing sample

arrangements and by completing the lead sheet, adding the
suggested chords in the same style.

In Exploration 15, the student learns the arranging technique

of chord substitution. In this case, minor chords are
substituted for the common major chords.

Chord Play2
In a later section, color tones are added to the basic triads.

This book is all about the powers of inversions. It begins by

exploring how inversions allow us to create strong bass lines that
move stepwise.

In Exploration 4, the student learns to combine inversions with

the technique of Chord Substitutions.
In the Finishing Touches section at the end of the book,
Introductions, Endings and Fills are explored.

By the final page of this book, the student understands that

Auld Lange Syne can become something special by combining
the ideas of Jump Bass, Chord Substitution, and Added Second
Chords.

In Exploration 5, the student learns to play inverted triads with

the Chopin Voicing introduced in book 1. This leads up to an
exploration of arpeggios in Exploration 8.

Exploration 9 introduces ways to play chords and their

inversions with the right hand to make accompaniments.

Exploration 12 takes the ideas in the previous Exploration

into a different style: ragtime.

In Exploration 10, the right hand plays both a melody and

chord tones.

Explanations always include sample arrangements of

familiar melodies or classical themes.

In Exploration 11, this is taken a step further. Here, we explore

ways to play melodies and inverted broken chords with the right
hand.

In Exploration 16, right-hand inversions are played in gospel

styles.