Female Artists Keyboard Pack

Lessons

• Lesson 1: If I Ain't Got You - Piano Lesson

  If I Ain’t Got You was written, recorded and produced by Alicia Keys. It was released in 2004 and was peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. In this lesson, we’ll talk about the 9 different triads used in the song. Several of them are played as “7” chords of different types and the intro uses chords with bass notes other than the root – so we’ll cover slash chords. As usual, we’ll first go through each part of the song with chords in root position – then follow that up by using the technique of finding the nearest inversion. In some cases I will show you the specific inversions that Alicia uses in the recording. In the song specific techniques section, I’ll spend time talking about the little licks that she plays on the way to a chord – and how to use rhythms to get the feel of a whole band behind you when all you’ve got is piano.

• Lesson 2: Criminal - Piano Lesson

  Criminal was written and sung by Fiona Apple. It was released that in 1997 both as a single and on the album, Tidal. In this lesson, we’ll talk about the 9 different triads used in the song. Three of them are played with an added 7, so we’ll talk about how to do that. As usual, we’ll first go through each part of the song with chords in root position – then follow that up by using the technique of finding the nearest inversion. In the song specific techniques section, I’ll take you through the song front to back – detailing many of the signature licks in the song. I will also be showing the C-minor blues scale as part of the lesson.

• Lesson 3: Don't Know Why - Piano Lesson

  Don’t Know Why was written by Jesse Harris in 1999. It was recorded and released as a single by Norah Jones in 2002. In this lesson, we’ll talk about the 6 different triads used in the song. Several of them are played with an added 7, so we’ll talk about how to do that. There are also a few chords that are played with a bass note other than the root – so we will cover slash chords As usual, we’ll first go through each part of the song with chords in root position – then follow that up by using the technique of finding the nearest inversion. In the song specific techniques section, I’ll take you through the song front to back – detailing many of the signature licks in the song. This includes the lovely melodic line in the introduction, and the rhythmic feel of the song, and sliding off black notes on the way to a white note to get a note-bending effect.

• Lesson 4: Love Song - Piano Lesson

  Love Song is the first single by Sara Bareilles. It was recorded in 2007 and was on the charts throughout much of 2008. In this lesson, we’ll talk about the 9 different triads used in the song. One of them is played as “7” chords, one has an added “2”, and many are played with bass notes other than the root – so we’ll cover slash chords. As usual, we’ll first go through each part of the song with chords in root position – for this song, we will then follow that up by showing the specific inversions that Sara uses in the recording. In the song specific techniques section, I’ll spend quite a bit of time on the rhythms of this song.

• Lesson 5: Angel - Piano Lesson

  Angel was written and recorded by Sarah Mclachlan in 1997. It was released that same year on her album, Surfacing. In this lesson, we’ll talk about the 8 different triads used in the song. Several of them are played with an added 7 or 2, so we’ll talk about how to do that. There are also a few chords that are played with a bass note other than the root – so we will cover slash chords. The “sus” chord is also a big part of this song. As usual, we’ll first go through each part of the song with chords in root position – then follow that up by using the technique of finding the nearest inversion. In the song specific techniques section, we’ll mostly talk about the sustain pedal and how to use it to make a song sound connected and complete.