First I get it then...I get confused

[masina79]

I've been looking at this site for so long. And all I seem to get is confused and so overwhelmed.

I've learned to play the piano by myself and can play by ear. When I learned about chords I played songs that were written in this format:


F    G   A   F#   
(Words to song)
I can play any and every song becuase it's in this format. When I figure out the chords to a song for myself I write them in this format.

I come to this website to find chords to songs but can't understand for the life of me what the chords are that are posted and how to play them.

Then, I try my very hardest to understand  the Roman numerals you all use for chord progreessions and dont' get why you use them and why what chord progressions are for anyway.

AND, I try also to understand what you all mean by runs, walking, and other things that sound soooo cool, and would probrobly help my playing skills but I seriously get lost when you guys use the F/B C D format to explain how to play them.


I"m sooo confused

I just want to improve what I know but I can't cuz I don't get it. How can I practice what I don't understand.

please answer these questions. And also explain to me simply what are runs, and all the other terms you all use, and how to use them. Like shouting music, I understand what it is, but I don't get how you would play them.  I don't have any media players  so I can't watch video samples. I'm at the library using the computer so I can't watch or listen to anything. Please try to explain simply so I can practice.

Thank you!!!

[T-Block]

I come to this website to find chords to songs but can't understand for the life of me what the chords are that are posted and how to play them.

Many people post stuff in different ways on this site.  The most common way is to have the chords in Left Hand / Right Hand format.  For example: C / G-C-E  When you see this, you are supposed to play the C with your left hand and the G-C-E with your right hand.  When I post I usally have a key at the top telling how to play what I have posted.

Then, I try my very hardest to understand  the Roman numerals you all use for chord progreessions and dont' get why you use them and why what chord progressions are for anyway.

When you see Roman numerals being posted, it is refering to scale degrees of the major scale.  You have 7 members of any major scale, and each member gets a number.  In real theory books, the numbers are written in Roman numerals, but on here you can write them in regular numbers or Roman numerals.  Here is an example using the key of C:

C major scale: C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C
Scale degrees in numbers:  C=1,  D=2,  E=3,  F=4,  G=5,  A=6,  B=7,
Scale degrees in Roman numerals:  C=I,  D=ii,  E=iii,  F=IV,  G=V,  A=vi,  B=vii

The capital Roman numberals refer to the scale degrees that have major chords built off of them, and the lower cased Roman numerals refer to the scale degrees that have minor chords built off of them.  The 7th scale degree has a diminshed chord built off of it.  The vii is usually shown with a degree symbol next to it, but I don't know how to put a degree sybol next to a number.

AND, I try also to understand what you all mean by runs, walking, and other things that sound soooo cool, and would probrobly help my playing skills but I seriously get lost when you guys use the F/B C D format to explain how to play them.

Runs and walks is just another name for playing notes really fast.  They are really just scales or parts of scales being played fast in between chords to add flavor.  The F / B C D format again is just playing the F with your left hand and B C D with your right hand.

[4hisglory]

The Legend has spoken.

[jt3n1]

Chord progressions are like the skeleton of the music. They are the foundation of the different songs.
For example, like T- Block wrote, the scale degrees of the C scale, you would use those scale degrees to figure
out the skeletal structure of the music. They give you a clue of what will come next. This is the purpose of progressions in gospel music. It kind of comes from the Classical music structure, but they use different progressions in their music.

Roman numerals were also a convention of the classical system that is used to describe the different functions of the chords used for the songs. Again, this was converted to gospel music to easily be able to tell what was going on in different places of the music.
It is not enough to know that you are play a C chord, but what context you are playing that C chord in. for example, in the key of C major, a C chord is a 1 chord, and therefore major, and the tonic(the place where the music is at "home") in the key of G major, a C chord is a 4 chord, and therefore also major, but used different than a C chord in the key of C, because it is not at home. In Bb major, the C chord is a 2 chord, and is therefore minor, and is certainly not the same as the keys C and G.

As an example of chord progressions, on the C scale let me list it here for you:

C-1  D-2  E-3  F-4  G-5  A-6  B-7  C-8 these numbers represent scale degrees(T-block also posted about a progression in another post)

The most basic progression that is always used is a 2-5-1. This is whether you are playing, classical, jazz or gospel. The difference is the way they are played. You probably already play a 2-5-1 without knowing it. It is most recognized at the end of a phrase(the end of a section of the song) or at the end of a song.
In the key of C, this would be a D chord, because D is 2, a G chord, because G is a 5, and a C chord because C is 1.
I don't have time to list all of the most basic uses of the numbers system, but for now, know that in ALL major keys, a 2 chord is minor, a 5 chord is Major, and a 1 chord is Major.

Hopefully this helps. If you have anymore questions just ask me and I will try to help out.