subject: Beginner Gospel Piano Lessons: Top Tips [print this page] Beginner Gospel Piano Lessons: Top Tips Beginner Gospel Piano Lessons: Top Tips
If you're interested in beginner gospel piano lessons, you'll find that learning to play gospel piano is easier than learning other forms of playing. With only a basic knowledge of music theory, you can quickly learn to play your favorite gospel hymns and songs.
Learning to Play Gospel Piano: Chords
Before you begin to play gospel, you will need to learn the basics of the piano. When you sit at the instrument, you will notice that there are groups of 12 keys that consist of 7 white keys and 5 black keys. The 7 white keys create what is known as the C major scale, which is made up of the notes C,D,E,F,G,A and B.
With this in mind, you can begin to play a chord. Chords are usually three notes (but can be more) played simultaneously. The good news is that you do not need to know every single chord in order to play a gospel song. In fact, a tune like Amazing Grace contains just three chords.
The three most commonly used chords in the key of C major are C, which is made up of the notes C,D and G; the F chord, which is created by playing F,E and C; and the G chord, which is played with G,B and D.
First, try playing these three chords one after the other. Your fingers will soon become accustomed to the positioning, so eventually, you'll be able to find the chords quickly and without thinking too hard about the fingering.
In most pop and gospel music scores, the chords are written above the score for the guitar. However, the guitar chords can be used on the piano. This makes playing much easier, because you do not need to worry about reading complicated piano music (with two lines of notes).
Learning to Play Gospel Piano: Rhythm
At the top left hand corner of the sheet music, you will see two numbers one on top of the other. This tells you how many beats there are in each bar of music. The most frequent time is known as "four-four" or "common" time, which means there are four beats to each bar. Another common time signature is "three-four" time, which indicates three beats to the bar. When playing gospel music these two time signatures are the ones you will come across most frequently.
The above advice just gives you the very basics of learning to play gospel music, but it gives you a great starting point. Remember, you do not need to have any formal gospel piano lessons in order to begin playing gospel songs. And, more importantly, the aim is to have fun with your music, so enjoy yourself!
