Now that you’ve admitted that you’ve not really given your left hand the attention it deserves, I’m going to show you how you can get started with the enhancement of your left hand using left hand techniques.<\/p>\n
Although there are a variety of these left hand techniques, there are five of them that top the list and I would want you to learn, master, and apply them in all the degrees of the major scale.<\/p>\n
If you do that, then you’ve achieved the goal of this lesson.<\/p>\n
So, let’s start with an overview of the left hand techniques before seeing their examples in the key of C major.<\/p>\n
An Overview Of The Five Left Hand Techniques<\/h2>\n
You can mix and match these techniques to create even more techniques and add variety to your playing.<\/p>\n
Analogy:<\/strong> See them as different types of wine that you can mix two or three varieties to create a new, tastier, and better wine. Well, I’m no brewer but I’m just saying.<\/p>\n But if you don’t want to mix and match, please feel free to stick to these five techniques.<\/p>\n The root note is the most important note of the chord because every chord originates from its root note. So, for the C major chord: Just in case you don’t like the root note because it’s a single and one-finger left hand technique, move on to the next technique: the power chord.<\/p>\n Now, once you play a chord and take away what makes it major or minor, you’ve kinda neutralized the chord.<\/p>\n The question is, if this is C major: Well, if you make a close observation at both chords, you’ll notice that while C and G: Analogy:<\/strong> What’s that one thing that differentiates a man from a woman, that can be taken away and we’ll all be the same? For the C major and C minor chord, it’s their third tones respectively.<\/p>\n So, playing only the first and fifth tones of a chord produces the power chord and the first and fifth tones of the C major chord: If we play the power chord on the left hand: Doubling the root note on the left hand produces the octave.<\/p>\n For example, instead of playing C: Now, try playing the C major chord with the octave on the left hand: The left hand technique gets even more interesting with the filled-in octave; where we add an extra note in between the octave.<\/p>\n Already, you know that you can play the C octave: Analogy: <\/strong>This is pretty much like making sandwich. We have two Cs and then a G in between and it tastes like a burger or something.<\/p>\n So, if you’re interested in making left hand sandwich on the piano, the filled-in octave is the way to go.<\/p>\n The open triad literally looks like we’re opening <\/em>the triad and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a major or a minor triad.<\/p>\n “Let’s Use The C Major Chord As A Reference…”<\/em><\/p>\n Now, the C major chord: But using the open triad technique, you can still play the C major chord (or any other given chord): Take the middle note of the C major chord: So, we’ll now have C-G: Now that you’ve learned these left hand techniques, I would appreciate it if you can practice and master them in all other tones of the major scale in the key of C major: Here’s the note: You can do the same for the 3-chord: Here’s the note: We can also go to the 4-chord: Here’s the note: Now that I’ve provided you with the second, third, and fourth tones, it behooves you to figure out and master the rest of them and I’ll see you in the next lesson.<\/p>\n All the best!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The left hand techniques covered in this lesson will provide you with a variety of techniques that would help you develop a rock-solid left hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":22012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[416,350,9,20],"tags":[17,2933,2603,2932,653,2101,663,2031],"class_list":["post-20568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-experienced-players","category-music-etc","category-piano","category-playing-songs","tag-basic-songs","tag-filled-in-octave","tag-filled-in-octaves","tag-left-hand-techniques","tag-octave","tag-open-triad","tag-power-chord","tag-root-note","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"yoast_head":"\nTechnique #1 — “Root Note”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n
\n…you should know that the root is C:
\n
\n…so, we can play C on the left hand:
\n
\n…and that’s the root note.<\/p>\nTechnique #2 — “Power Chord”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n
\n…and this is C minor:
\n
\n…what makes one major and the other minor?<\/p>\n
\n
\n…are in both chords, the C major chord:
\n
\n…has a E note:
\n
\n…while the C minor chord has an Eb note:
\n
\nTechnically speaking, what makes the C major chord:
\n
\n…a major chord is the E note:
\n
\n…and when we take it off the C major chord, we’ll be left with “C-G”:
\n
\n…and that’s the power chord.<\/p>\n
\n
\n…are C and G respectively.<\/p>\n
\n
\n…and still have the C major chord (on the right hand):
\n
\n…we’ll have this full-sounding C major chord:
\n<\/p>\n
Technique #3– “Octave”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n
\n…on the left hand, we can double it (C-C):
\n
\n…to give us an octave.<\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
Technique #4 — “Filled-In Octave”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n
\n…for the C major chord:
\n
\nInstead of playing an octave:
\n
\n…we can fill it in with the fifth tone:
\n
\n…and that produces the filled-in octave:
\n
\n…consisting of the root, fifth tone, and octave.<\/p>\nTechnique #5 — “Open Triad”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\n
\n…if we’re to play it on the bass:
\n
\n…would sound muddy.<\/p>\n
\n
\n…on the left hand and here’s how:<\/p>\n
\n
\n…(which is E):
\n
\n…and play it an octave higher than usual.<\/p>\n
\n
\n…then the E (an octave higher):
\n
\n…and altogether, that’s C-G-E:
\n
\n…because we’re playing this E:
\n
\n…as this:
\n<\/p>\n
Final Words<\/h2>\n
\n
\nIf you go to the 2-chord:
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n…followed by the power chord:
\n
\n…then the octave:
\n
\n…and then the filled-in octave:
\n
\n…and we can also add the open triad to it:
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n…followed by the power chord:
\n
\n…then the octave:
\n
\n…and then the filled-in octave:
\n
\n…and we can also add the open triad to it:
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n…followed by the power chord:
\n
\n…then the octave:
\n
\n…and then the filled-in octave:
\n
\n…and we can also add the open triad to it:
\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n