EAZIPLAY PIANO PART 4 - 2019

Piano

Instantly Play Piano

Deck The Halls

Simple, fast and fun approach to learning piano



Piano

Instantly Play Piano

Index 3 ➢ What is a Chord Progression? 35
➢ Introduction 4 8 Bar Blues Framework 36
➢ History of Music 6 12 Bar Blues Framework 39
➢ Protecting Your Hearing 7 16 Bar Blues Framework 40
➢ Music Theory - Seventh Chords 9
➢ Music Theory - Seventh Scales 11 ➢ The Irish Rover (Chords c/w Lyrics) 42
➢ Molly Malone (Chords c/w Lyrics) 12 ➢ Music Theory - What are Modes, Chord Inversions, 43
➢ This Old Man (Chords c/w Lyrics) 13
➢ What is Dynamic, Emotion, Rhythm & Tempo? 16 Naturals & Sharps? 48
➢ Early One Morning (Chords c/w Lyrics) 17 ➢ Auld Lang Syne (Chords c/w Lyrics) 49
➢ Music Theory - What is Music Dictation / Recognition? 21 ➢ Music Theory - Eaziplay Chord, Scale, Arpeggio
➢ He's Got The Whole World In His Hands (Chords c/w Lyrics) 22 55
➢ Music Theory - What is the Rule of the Octave? 26 & Mode Formula
➢ On Top Of Old Smoky (Chords c/w Lyrics) ➢ Music Theory - Glossary of Musical Styles, Tempo/Speed, 58
27 59
➢ Introduction To The Blues 28 Music Dynamics Moods of Music & Dotted Note Values
Hexatonic Blues Scale (6 Notes) 28 ➢ Teachers Practice Schedule 11
Heptatonic Blues Scale (7 Notes) 28 ➢ Course Certificate 12
Nonatonic Blues Scale (9 Notes) 16
31 SONG LIST 21
➢ Playing Blues Scales & Grooves With Chords 32 ➢ Molly Malone 26
➢ Eaziplay Blues Groove Formula ➢ This Old Man 42
33 ➢ Early One Morning 48
Nyx Blues Groove Root Set (A-E) 33 ➢ He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands
33 ➢ On Top Of Old Smokey
Nyx Groove Root Set A (8) 34 ➢ The Irish Rover
34 ➢ Auld Lang Syne
Nyx Groove Root Set B (8)

Nyx Groove Root Set C (12)

Nyx Groove Root Set D (13)

Nyx Groove Root Set E (14)

Published by Eaziplay
Web: www.eaziplay.ie

This book © 2017 by Eaziplay

While every effort has been made to trace the owners of copyrights, in a few cases this has proved impossible, and we take this
opportunity of tendering our apologies to any owners whose rights may have been unwittingly infringed. Suitable arrangements will
be made with those holders of copyright whose permission had not been obtained at the time of going to press.

Eaziplay Piano Series

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

www.eaziplay.ie

Introduction

WELCOME to the exciting world of playing piano / keyboard. This course will help you get the best out
of your keyboard – the most versatile musical instrument yet invented!

This complete self teaching programme will enable anyone to pick up a musical instrument and play it within a matter of weeks. Our 4
part series of books dedicated to each instrument, help guide the student through the most difficult parts of learning and playing a musical
instrument, Our ultimate goal is that everyone enjoys playing music, and with Eaziplay they will explore an alternative side to playing a
musical instrument. The journey will be fun, easy and extremely beneficial to a child’s intelligence, motor skills and self confidence levels.
This book is Part Four in the Eaziplay Series. Before commencing Part Four, it is advisable to complete Part Three so as you will have a
better understanding of the topics covered in Part Four. By the end of this book you will be skillful in:

❑ Reading Sheet Music (All Black & White Notes)
❑ Playing Popular Melodies (10 Songs)
❑ The Eaziplay Chord, Scale, Arpeggio & Mode Formula
❑ Music Theory (Dynamic, Emotion, Rhythm & Tempo, Music Dictation / Recognition, Rule of the Octave)
❑ Music Theory (Modes, Chord Inversions, Naturals & Sharps)

While the book is aimed toward children it is advisable that young children are accompanied by an adult when playing electronic
keyboards, especially where keyboards are operated from mains supply rather than with batteries. Safety for children should be the
highest priority.

Although written primarily as a ‘teach yourself’ system, The Eaziplay Series books have been taken up eagerly by teachers especially at
elementary and high school level. The course is equally beneficial to special needs centers' and hospitals that deliver music therapy
programs to individuals.

If you are teaching yourself to play, two helpful features are available to budding musicians – stickers for your keyboard (located at the
back of book) – which remind you of the reference for the musical notes and audio files of the songs which can be
downloaded from our website @ www.eaziplay.ie so you can play along. The audio files enable you to learn
about playing in time to a metronome which is a clever device that measures timing in music. Our website contains
lots more songs to play and registration is free. So let’s begin.

Good luck!

Eaziplay

3

History of Music

Congratulations on getting this far in your musical journey! We are now on the last part to the point of building all the theoretical and
practical foundation you will require to excel at piano/keyboard at the highest level. After Part Four the music journey is practical i.e.,
you play, improvise and compose your own music to develop advanced skill on your instrument.

History of Music Theory
Music theory (the mathematics of music) is a relatively new concept in music education particularly in the last 80 -100 years. The
greatest composers of all time lived prior to this era i.e., 1600s, 1700s, 1800s and up to the 1900’s. The high output of great composers
began to decrease from 1900, and by 1920 music education began to take a foothold in schools and colleges, who perpetrated music
theory in vast quantities to students. Not since the 1920s has the world seen or heard such a high standard that was delivered between
1650 and 1920.

Music education today is an academic (school) subject with a large proportion of its education assigned to music theory. Since the
1970’s governments began to remove funding for music in schools and changed the curriculum and infrastructure so as the education
of it is predominantly theory, which obviously removes the need for funding of the stock of musical instruments in schools.

This has proved detrimental to the standard to which any student can now receive the highest Grade A in Honours Music at Secondary
School level, without ever having learned a high caliber musical instrument like Violin, Drums, Piano or Guitar! This Honours A Grade
can be very easily achieved by knowing all the music theory and simply singing four songs in the presence of a music examiner at
Junior & Leaving Certificate level..

During the Mozart, Haydn eras there was no such thing as music theory as we know of it today, hence why the great composers were
already composing at a very young age. Mozart began composing when he was just five years of age! The great composers had all the
foundation for composing and dictation by the time they were eight years old. So what did the great composers learn?

What separates the great composers prior to 1920 from today’s musicians are three main components:
➢ Advanced Practical Playing Ability
➢ Advanced Composition/Improvisation Standard
➢ Advanced Dictation/Recognition Standard
These three MAIN components were at the center of all the great composers music education and
began as soon as they were able to depress a key on a piano keyboard. The 1st component was
centered around practically playing a large proportion of music that was already out there, the 2nd
component was centered around what was called ‘the rule of the octave’, and the 3rd component
was centered around hearing a piece of music once and playing it back on an instrument without
mistakes.

4

In Part Four of the Eaziplay Series you are going to learn these three vital components and from there your musical journey will take on
a whole new level, where the freedom to play anything you wish will develop you into a high level musician faster than you ever thought
possible, as well as making the journey fun beyond your wildest dreams!

How Important is Playing A Musical Instrument?
Music is called the quickening art for out of all the arts playing an instrument instantly begins to relieve stress, exercises the brain and
releases positive endorphins throughout the body. Playing an instrument is taken so seriously by the Medical Industry that if two college
graduates are looking for a place in Medical School (one who is able to play an instrument to a high standard and one who does not
play an instrument), the former will be accepted over the other because of their musical background.

On July 22nd 2014 a landmark scientific study by Anita Collins on the effects of playing an instrument was presented at the TED
exhibition in the United States. The video has well over 4.4 million views on YouTube. It showed that playing music does more for the
brain than all other activities including all sports, all the other arts like dance, drawing & drama COMBINED. It also showed startling
research of how even the study of all school subjects can not attain the level of effects on the brain that playing a musical instrument
can. Additionally, just 20 minutes of music practice before homework can reduce homework duration by 40 – 50% as music practice
instantly sets off fireworks in the brain, thus increasing alertness and problem solving capability.

As well as building extreme confidence, the advantages of playing a musical instrument are vast. A typical ‘Steve Vai’ two hour concert
requires the artist to perform well over 50,000+ notes FROM MEMORY in front of a live audience. The same would be typical of a
concert pianist performing a 45 minute classical piano or guitar concerto. As shown at the TED exhibition playing a musical instrument
nourishes the development in the brain of a highly complex memory system that enhances the speed and intake of information into the
brain, hence why the Medical Industry take playing a musical instrument so seriously. To become a Medical Doctor requires a large
intake of information over a 8-10 year college period. Other attributes required are patience, stress control management skills, problem
solving skills, as well as high levels of dexterity and motor skills in hands and fingers. These attributes and skills are at their highest
levels in musicians.

What Age Should Children Start Playing An Instrument?
Buddy Rich was born September 30, 1917. His talent for rhythm was first noted by his father, who
saw that Buddy could keep a steady beat with spoons at the age of one. He began playing drums in
vaudeville when he was 18 months old, billed as "Traps the Drum Wonder". At the peak of Rich's
childhood career, he was reportedly the second-highest paid child entertainer in the world
after Jackie Coogan. He is considered the world’s greatest ever drummer and well known for his
virtuoso technique, power and speed. So the answer to the question is ‘a child can start playing an
instrument as soon as they show interest, however it must be fun for them’.

5

Protecting Your Hearing

Musicians who play high pitched and large dynamic range instruments like Violin, Clarinet, Drums, Bagpipes etc. are most at risk of
hearing damage from musical instruments. These instruments are particularly harsh on human hearing so as a responsible musician you
should take care of your hearing at all costs. If you are deaf you will not be able to hear the beauty of music but the permanent 24/7 high
pitched frequency of tinnitus. This damage is permanent. You have only one pair of ears and no amplifier, speaker or processor on earth
can replicate the ingenious design and functionality of the human ear.

While the results are expressed in decibels, hearing damage is usually described as mild, mild-moderate, moderate, moderately severe,
severe, or profound. Hearing damage is usually acquired by a person who at some point in life had no hearing impairment. Noise is the
cause of approximately half of all cases of hearing damage, causing some degree of problems in 5% of the population globally. In the
USA, 12.5% of children aged 6–19 years have permanent hearing damage from excessive noise exposure. Hearing Education and
Awareness for Rockers (HEAR) quotes that "60% of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are hearing impaired”.

Intolerable ‘Tinnitus’ as a result of hearing damage is described
as the perception of noise in the absence of any
Jet Engine @ 100 feet Pain outside source, and usually leads to ringing, buzzing,
Live rock band Very noisy humming or whistling sounds. A common cause is inner-ear
Pop Concert Loud damage, which results in random signals being created by
Hi-Hat cymbal strike the brain’s auditory cells.
Moderate to quiet
iPod, iPad at peak headphone volumes How to Prevent Hearing Damage Playing Drums
Full Symphony Orchestra Faint There are several options available to students who
wish to learn to play the drums. They are as follows,
Singer fortissimo at 1m, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Drum
Piano fortissimo 1) Use conventional Ear Plugs available in Pharmacies.
2) Use Custom Moulded Filter Plugs.
Bar in Nightclub, Violin, Cello 3) Use In-Ear Monitors on Stage.
Average personal stereo 4) Do Not Listen to Loud Music on Personal Devices.
Loud Radio 5) Use conventional Ear Plugs at Local Gigs, Concerts,
Normal piano practice
Nightclubs.
Soft radio music in homes 6) Purchase a portable Decibel Meter for your room,

Background TV Studio or local gig settings.

Quiet Office

Rustle of leaves Very Faint

Conventional Ear Plugs Threshold of hearing
6

7th Chords - Both Hands

C7 28 32 35 38 C7 40 44 47 50
C#7 29 33 36 39 C#7 41 45 48 51

D7 30 34 37 40 D7 42 46 49 52

D#7 31 35 38 41 D#7 43 47 50 53

E7 32 36 39 42 E7 44 48 51 54

F7 33 37 40 43 F7 45 49 52 55

A BCD GH I J
E F

7

F#7 34 38 41 44 F#7 46 50 53 56
G7 G7
G#7 35 39 42 45 G#7 47 51 54 57
A7 A7
A#7 36 40 43 46 A#7 48 52 55 58
B7 B7
37 41 44 47 49 53 56 59
8
38 42 45 48 50 54 57 60
39 43 46 49
51 55 58 61
A BCD
E GH I J
F

7th Scales – Both Hands

A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

C7 28 30 33 35 37 38 40 40 42 45 47 49 50 52

C#7 A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

29 31 34 36 38 39 41 41 43 46 48 50 51 53

A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

D7 30 32 35 37 39 40 42 42 44 47 49 51 52 54

D#7 A BA BC DE F GF GH I J
E7
F7 31 33 36 38 40 41 43 43 45 48 50 52 53 55

A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

32 34 37 39 41 42 44 44 46 49 51 53 54 56

A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

33 35 38 40 42 43 45 45 47 50 52 54 55 57

9

F#7 A BA BC DE F GF GH I J
G7
G#7 34 36 39 41 43 44 46 46 48 51 53 55 56 58
A7
A#7 A BA BC DE F GF GH I J
B7
35 37 40 42 44 45 47 47 49 52 54 56 57 59
10
A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

36 38 41 43 45 46 48 48 50 53 55 57 58 60

A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

37 39 42 44 46 47 49 49 51 54 56 58 59 61

A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

38 40 43 45 47 48 50 50 52 55 57 59 60 62

A BA BC DE F GF GH I J

39 41 44 46 48 49 51 51 53 56 58 60 61 63

A BCD GH I J
E F

We are now going to play the bass root notes with the left hand while we play the chords below with the right hand. The bass root notes
are: G (23rd key), E (20th key), A (25th key), D (18th key), and D (18th key). When you play the G Chord (35th, 39th and 42nd keys) all
together with the right hand fingers, you play the G (23rd key) with the left hand finger at the same time. Moving on to the Em Chord we
play the Em Chord (32nd, 35th, 39th keys) all together with the right hand and play the E (20th key) with the left hand finger at the same
time. Play the correct bass root notes as you play the rest of the chords in the song. Play slowly!

Molly Malone

G 35 39 42 Em 32 35 39 Music by J. Yorkston & E. Forman

Am 37 40 44

D7 37 40 46 D 30 34 37

Beat 3
One 2

G Em Am D7

In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I __

G Em Am D

first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone. She__

G Em Am D7

wheeled a wheelbarrow, through streets broad and narrow, Crying__

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 G Em Am G

C# D# F# G# A# cockles and mussels, A-live, Alive oh. A___
C DE F G A B
G Em Am D7
11
live, alive O, A-live, alive O, Crying__

G Em Am G

cockles and mussels, A-live, alive oh.

As in the previous song we are going to play the bass root notes with the left hand while we play the chords below with the right hand. The bass root
notes are: D (18th key), E (23rd key) and A (25th key). When you play the D Chord (30th, 34th and 37th keys) all together with the right hand fingers,
you play the D (18th key) with the left hand finger at the same time. Moving on to the G Chord we play the G Chord (35th, 39th, 42nd keys) all
together with the right hand and play the G (23rd key) with the left hand finger at the same time. Play the correct bass root notes as you play the rest
of the chords in the song. Play slowly!

This Old Man

Words & Music by Unknown

18 D 30 34 37 23 G 35 39 42 25 A 37 41 44

Beat 34
One 2

DD G A

This old man, he played one, He played knick-knack on my thumb;

D D A GD

Knick-knack paddywhack, Give a dog a bone, This old man came rolling home.

DD G A

This old man, he played two, He played knick-knack on my shoe;

D D A GD

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Knick-knack paddywhack, Give a dog a bone, This old man came rolling home.

C# D# F# G# A#

C DE F G A B © 2017 by Eaziplay - All rights reserved.
12

What is Dynamic, Emotion,
Rhythm & Tempo?

As a musician there are four elements

that you use to make the experience for

the listener more enjoyable, heartfelt and Intolerable

memorable. These are Dynamic, Jet Engine @ 100 feet
Emotion, Rhythm and Tempo. Live rock band

Pop Concert

What is Dynamic? Hi-Hat cymbal strike Pain FIG. 18
Dynamic is basically how hard or iPod, iPad at peak headphone volumes Very noisy
soft you play or sing a note. Loud
Full Symphony Orchestra

Singer fortissimo at 1m, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Drum

When introduced into your playing Piano fortissimo
it shows the control you have over your Bar in Nightclub, Violin, Cello
instrument rather than simply just banging
out notes. Ever see a small baby go up to a piano Average personal stereo

Loud Radio
Normal piano practice

and play it! They just bang on the Soft radio music in homes Moderate to quiet

keys because they love the sound of the notes. Background TV Studio
Quiet Office
As a player you need to be able to play softly as well
as hard because some music just doesn’t sound good
when banged out on the piano.

Dynamic is measured in ‘Decibels’ (dB) and this measure Faint

basically shows the sound pressure level of any sound i.e.,

the pressure the sound is emitting in air or water. Its range Rustle of leaves Very Faint
goes from no sound to the highest pressure level i.e.,

sounds that can burst your eardrum or cause pain in humans or animals. Threshold of hearing How good are you at
From the image to the right you can see how there are various dynamic whispering? How good
ranges around us and by knowing these ranges enables us to protect our
hearing and ensure we can appreciate not only music but sound for our are you at whispering, how

good are you at whispering!!!

entire lives. Take note how a Hi-Hat Cymbal is near 130dB!!!

13

What is Emotion?
Emotion was explained briefly in Series Book Part One on page 29. Along with giving you a list of some of the main emotions we feel as
people, some we experience more profoundly than others. Emotion is basically the feeling that we put into the playing of a song. Music
has the power to make us happy, sad, angry etc., and when we play a song, we want to get that feeling across to the listener so they
enjoy it just as much as you did playing it.

All four elements Dynamic, Emotion, Rhythm and Tempo are linked together to breathe life into the sheet music that is in front of you.
The music you see in front of you is nothing but a sheet of paper until its played and everyone will play it differently. You will also never
play it exactly the same way a second time. This is the beauty of being a musician.

What is Rhythm?
Rhythm is how lyrics or melody fit within a song or piece of music. A drummer will provide the rhythm for a song and it can vary
depending on the style of music. This is the same as ‘the syllables’ that we learn about in school i.e., how words fit together in a
sentence, poem or lyrics of a song. Let’s use a few words as examples to show this.

Jack Tom Can Lyr__ics Point__less

These three words above contain one syllable. When you say These two words above contain two syllables. When you say
the words clap at the blue dot where indicated. the words clap at the red dots where indicated.

Let me show you how to en __ joy the mar __ vel __ ous gift of mu __ sic!

Now let’s say the sentence above and clap where the purple dots are. Some words have one syllable, two syllables or three syllables. When a
drummer is listening to a song they are listening to how the rhythm of the lyrics are going and then they create a rhythm pattern that best suits the

lyric. This is what rhythm is. As a basic foundation rhythm consists of a guide using a kick drum and a snare.

Microphone What is a Microphone? Microphones are clever
Speaker devices that convert a sound wave into an electrical signal of which is
output through speakers. The sound wave can be anything whether it be the sound
of a bird, the sound of a person singing, rapping, talking or even the sound of the
sea as its waves wash up on the shore! Once the sound goes into the microphone
we can hear it through speakers but we can also record it using a variety of ways.

Microphones are rated according to their frequency range.
The wider the range, the more expensive they are.

14

What is Tempo?
Tempo is the pulse or speed of music. It is measured in beats per minute (bpm). Using the image below the specifics shown are Tempo
@ 120 bpm, the Bars of Music and finally the Pulse associated with the piece of music.

Musicians need to be able to play in time (rhythm) but they also need to be able to play at the correct speed (1) Digital Metronome
(tempo). A very useful device that is used to teach tempo is a metronome. It can come in three forms
1) Analog
2) Digital
3) App (Downloaded onto a phone or computer)
The tempo is directly related to the time signature (how many beats in a bar) and the metronome will emit a
primary sound click (LARGE DOT) and a specific amount of secondary sound clicks (SMALL DOTS).

As indicated below a 4/4 time signature will emit one primary click on the first beat and three secondary clicks.
A 3/4 time signature will emit one primary click on the first beat and two secondary clicks. If we increase the
tempo the clicks will emit at a faster speed but will still retain the exact timing. It is the same as playing Happy
Birthday slowly then playing it faster the second time.

(2) Analog Metronome

Tempo = 120 bpm Bars of Music
4
4 (3) Sound Module (Korg M1)

Pulse of Music

There are two types of musicians no matter how simple or difficult the music they are At the back of your
playing is. The 1st type is called a ‘Karaoke Musician’ and the 2nd type is called a keyboard you may see some
connections called MIDI IN &
‘Real Musician’. The first type will play with no feeling and is merely playing or singing MIDI OUT. MIDI is an electronic language
which allows lots of machines to speak to
from the impulses in their brain i.e., they are reading lyrics from a karaoke screen. each other i.e., when you press a key on
your keyboard it magically can trigger a
The 2nd type plays with feeling and plays from their heart. Listening to a karaoke sound in a sound module like the

musician/singer they are simply going through the motions, some better than others, one pictured above!

but they are still not singing/playing from their heart. This is why it is so important to 15
learn your sheet music for songs ‘off by heart’ because when you play
it you are playing it just from that, ‘your heart’.

The bass root notes are: G (23rd key), C (16th key) and D (18th key). When you play the G Chord (35th, 39th and 42nd keys) all together with the
right hand fingers, you play the G (23rd key) with the left hand finger at the same time. Moving on to the C Chord we play the C Chord (28th, 32nd,
35th keys) all together with the right hand and play the C (16th key) with the left hand finger at the same time. Play the correct bass root notes as you
play the rest of the chords in the song. Play slowly!

Early One Morning Words & Music by Percy Grainger

23 G 35 39 42 16 C 28 32 35 18 D 30 34 37

Beat
One 2 3 4

G GC D

Early one morning, Just as the sun was rising,

G G GD

I heard a young maid singing, In the valley below.

C GC G

Oh, don't deceive me, Oh, never leave me,

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 CG CD

C# D# F# G# A# How could you use A poor maiden so?
C DE F G A B
16 © 2017 by Eaziplay - All rights reserved.

What Is Music
Dictation/Recognition?

Music Dictation / Recognition is one of the three main components that the great composers of the classical era had within their
abilities. Basically it means being able to listen to a piece of music or song only once irrespective of how many bars are in the music
and play it back on an instrument or write it down from memory! It is a fine art in itself and takes lots and lots of practice.
There is a true story of an autistic artist named Stephen Wiltshire who was flown over New York City in 2009 for 20 minutes in a
helicopter. Subsequently, he then proceeded to sketch the entire New York City skyline in microscopic detail on a large 18 foot wall
mural from memory. You can see from the images below about how it speaks volumes about the power of the brain in visual mode
(what we see). He has sketched many other famous cities from memory.

The great composers learned this great ability in audible mode (what we hear) to the point where they could listen to large volumes of
music and repeat them on an instrument note for note. Competitions / challenges between musicians and composers across Europe in
the classical era were aplenty and this treasured ability showcased their talent on a grand master level.

This particular component will not come overnight. It requires extreme patience, and expanding upon the natural abilities of the human
ear. In pop music there is a element called ‘the hook of a song’. This hook melody/riff is normally within the ‘chorus’ and is the part that
the listener will remember sometimes from just hearing the song for the first time. It is called ‘the hook’ because like a fishing hook it
grabs your attention. These hook melodies/riffs are repeated throughout the song so as to quickly enter the memory of the listener and
then the listener will hopefully go out and buy the song. Advertising and marketing companies operate on the same approach so as a
consumer will remember a product they have seen on television or heard advertised on the radio etc. So how do we start to learn this
great ability? We simply start with Baby Steps, then Little Steps, then Big Steps and then Giant Steps!!

17

We can use a variety of ways to split up each level whether it be note content (how many notes in 1-30 seconds etc.) or duration
content (how long the music or song is). A simple guideline using duration of music is as follows:

➢ Baby Steps Hearing 1 – 30 seconds of music for the first time and play it back perfectly with all the correct rhythms and tempos.
➢ Little Steps Hearing 30 – 60 seconds of music for the first time and play it back perfectly with all the correct rhythms and tempos.
➢ Big Steps Hearing 1 – 15 minutes of music for the first time and play it back perfectly with all the correct rhythms and tempos.
➢ Giant Steps Hearing 15 – 60 minutes of music for the first time and play it back perfectly with all the correct rhythms and tempos.

Baby Steps Process
The baby steps process is not a reference to a baby! It refers to starting a highly complex process from the very
beginning using baby steps. There is no use in jumping straight in at the deep end and trying to master the ‘giant
steps process’. It will only be wasted energy. Start slow and small first and you will learn much faster. So let’s begin!

An artist who is sketching or drawing an image whether it be from a book or in his/her real life viewpoint
uses the baby steps process. First comes the outline of the figure then comes the detail. If we look at the
eagle image to the right a beginner with no experience will start drawing what they see i.e., an eagle. An
experienced or trained artist will see past the eagle and just see straight/horizontal/vertical/diagonal curved
lines and shapes that make up the object they are drawing. They can see past the eagle.

As a musician you must do the same. You must learn to ‘really listen’ to music i.e., get past the
lyrics and structure of the song and identify all the instruments, the bass root notes, and
melody. You must break it down to just Baby Steps. Start humming the basic melody
rather than singing the lyrics. When you sing you are allowing all the ambience to
expel out through your mouth. When you hum, you close your mouth and all
the ambience vibrates all around your body.

18

To make things easier to grasp, each musical note from all the following samples are to be played on each second i.e., the seconds of
your watch or clock on the wall. This tempo is called 60bpm or 60 beats per minute. There are two areas in Dictation/Note Recognition.
1) Hear The Musical Notes for the first time, 2) Play Back The Music Notes you have just heard. If you have a friend who is also
learning music, they will be able to play the music notes from the samples below. If doing so make sure you can’t see what notes they
are playing.

Once played by your friend you can either hum back the notes they have just played or play them on the piano. The other option is to
play the notes from the ‘Dictation Sample I’ yourself and then close your eyes and hum the notes you have just played. Do the same for
‘Dictation Sample II’ and ‘Dictation Sample III’. By closing your eyes you are locking out any distractions that maybe in the room.

Dictation Sample Theme I, II & III

Tempo = 60bpm

Theme I – Duration = 8 Seconds

Words & Music by Eaziplay

47 50 49 49 50
40 47

40

Theme II – Duration = 16 Seconds

50 51 50 52 48 52 50 52 52
40 40 40 47 47

41 40

© 2017 by Eaziplay - All rights reserved. 19

Theme III – Duration = 32 Seconds

51 52 40 43 42 40 52 40
40 42

38 36 38 38 39

35

36 38 35 36 36 38 35 35

So how did you do! Don’t be too worried if you got some notes wrong the first time around. With practice you will become so much better
as time goes on. Now that you have been introduced to this component, start really listening to all types of music and hum the melody.
Do not sing the melody. Then at various times play 1 - 30 seconds of a song, listen to the melody, hum back the melody, then try and
play the melody on the piano with correct rhythm and tempo. You can also try writing down the melody you have just heard on page 45
of the Part One book in the Eaziplay Series. Have fun learning this component because if something is not fun you really won’t benefit
from the process. When you start to improve start listening to longer passages of music and challenge your friends etc.

A famous example of this skill is the ‘Allegri Miserere’. Once a year, this beautiful piece was played at the Vatican, for one mass. It was
so special to the church that it was illegal to write it down, and the choristers passed it down to one another aurally, so nobody could
profane it by performing it the rest of the year. Wolfgang Mozart went to hear it one year, and copied it down in five parts days after
having heard it. He could easily do this with other composers' music, and did! The Vatican were not too happy with Mozart for doing so.

20

The bass root notes are: C (16th key) and G (23rd key). When you play the C Chord (28th, 32nd and 35th keys) all together with the right hand
fingers, you play the C (16th key) with the left hand finger at the same time. Play the correct bass root notes as you play the rest of the chords in the
song. Play slowly!

He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands

Words & Music by Unknown

16 C 28 32 35 23 G 35 39 42

Beat 4
One 2 3

C CC C G GG G

He's got the whole world, in His hands, He's got the whole wide world, in His hands,

CCC C G G CC

He's got the whole world, in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands.

C CC C G GG G

He's got the little tiny baby, in His hands, He's got the little tiny baby, in His hands,

C CC C G G CC

He's got the little tiny baby, in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

C# D# F# G# A#

C DE F G A B

© 2017 by Eaziplay - All rights reserved. 21

What Is The Rule Of The Octave?

The Rule Of The Octave is one of the three main components that the great composers of the classical era had within their abilities.
Basically it means being able to play / improvise in harmony or out of harmony any chord(s), melody in any shape or form along with a
resonating bass root note, chord or pattern at any speed. In the era of the great composers it was the greatest skill that a musician or
composer could showcase. Wolfgang Mozart was the greatest at showcasing this skill even as a child touring Europe with his father.
Adult musicians would often challenge him throughout his short life and he would embarrass them with his incredible skill in this art.
It is a skill that has been lost over the past 80 -100 years and its loss is the number one reason why the greats have not been
superseded in compositional skill since the 1920s. The rule of the octave will teach you more about the piano than any other technique.

Musicians trained in Jazz learn elements of this wonderful skill, for Jazz is at the top of the musical skill level in which improvisation is
paramount. While ‘Cool White Jazz’ (from New York) is not everyone’s favorite style of music the ‘Cool Black Jazz’ (from New Orleans)
showcases this wonderful skill which is more in tune with contemporary listenership. Walking through the streets of New Orleans you
can experience great skill in the rule of the octave from musicians, the results of which will send shivers down your spine.
It is truly that powerful!

So how do we start to learn this great ability? We simply start with Baby Steps, then Little
Steps, Big Steps and Giant Steps as we did with Music Dictation / Recognition. We can
use a variety of ways to split up each level but here we will use note content versus
duration i.e., monophonic, duophonic or polyphonic (amount of notes played). A simple
guideline using note content of music follows:

➢ Baby Steps Play four root notes in monophonic mode (basic melody, no chords)
➢ Little Steps Play six root notes in duophonic mode (intermediate melody, chords)
➢ Big Steps Play 10 root notes in polyphonic mode (advanced melody, chords, speed)
➢ Giant Steps Play 12 root notes in polyphonic mode (chords, modes, scales, octave runs).

The ‘Rule of the Octave’ is about one thing ‘FREEDOM TO MAKE MISTAKES’. Music education has become so obsessed with
ensuring students do not make mistakes that it makes students afraid to do so. The ability to play Scales, Modes & Arpeggios will widen
your ability to play music and with these tools you can step outside the box and create new melody and technique. The freedom to make

mistakes opens up the door to enormous creativity and this is vital if one is to become highly skilled in the rule of the octave. Just
because a person doesn’t understand what you are playing is no reason to play something they do understand. Mozart and Haydn were
ridiculed for their creativity and it was only after they had passed away that the world began to appreciate and understand their genius.

22

So let’s begin your journey into learning the basic foundation to the rule of the octave.

What is melody and where does melody come from?
Melody is the musical notes that are sang/played with or without the accompaniment of lyrics. Melody is everywhere whether it be
the sound of a car horn, school chime, siren of an ambulance, or the melody our ears can’t hear i.e., the low or high pitched
language of animals or insects. Melody is truly everywhere and it provides a language for animals and humans to communicate with
each other.

Your two ears provide a Stereophonic Perception for all sounds in that we can identify an exact location of a sound within a 360°
degree region. This goes back to when early humans could sense and hear danger approaching before they saw it. Animals still use
this vital sense today. That is why it so important to protect your ears from hearing damage for the entire duration of your life. As
mentioned before in Part One of the Series, you were able to create a simple melody over a few root notes during the process ‘Write
Your Own Song’. Now we will learn how to expand this skill.

Baby Steps Process
This process involves playing up to four root notes with the left hand while playing in monophonic
mode with the right hand (one note at a time). You play a basic melody and play no chords with either hands.
To show this rule of octave at work play the passage on the next page. The passage on the next page will
not make any sense because the melody is not in harmony with the root notes. The point we are trying to
get across is that with the rule of octave ‘there are no rules’. Your creative mind is what expands
your ability in the rule of the octave. This is where this ‘freedom’ in playing melody comes from.
Artists since the 1920s who have learned to do this are 1) Drums (Buddy Rich), 2) Guitar (Steve Vai),
3) Bass Guitar (Stuart Haam), 3) Keyboards (Freddie Mercury) and bands like Pink Floyd, Van Halen,
Queen, Evanescence to name a few. These artists did/do not care what anyone thought/thinks of their
music, for they play to be different and when you see them play you know deep down within their hearts
they truly love playing. They are telling a story and everyone is invited to hear it!

Music is about communicating with people and maybe resonating with them on a whole new level, where they feel EXACTLY what you
are trying to communicate with them through the medium of YOUR music. Animals, Insects do this on a daily basis. Ever watch a
collection of birds fly in harmony with each other? How do they not crash into each other? They can not crash because they are all
flying in harmony with each other. They are resonating with each other on a whole new level that humans still don’t understand even to
this day. It’s very easy to imitate any art whether it be art, dance or music. It takes exceptional talent to create something from
nothing. Those who imitate are easily forgotten, those who create are never forgotten.

23

Rule Of The Octave Sample Theme I & II

Tempo = 60bpm

Baby Steps Rule of the Octave – Theme I Words & Music by Eaziplay

63 63 62 61 60 63 61

56 55

53 51 50

36 36
31
31

28 27 28 27

Remember the above passage and subsequent passage are not supposed to make any sense i.e., the notes are not in harmony with each other.
This is deliberate for we want to show you that there are no rules in music. You play what you feel. As with Dictation / Recognition to make things

easier to grasp each musical note is played on each second (Red Dot Indicated) i.e., the seconds of your watch or clock on the wall.
This tempo is called 60bpm or 60 beats per minute.

The baby steps ‘Rule Of The Octave’ process involves picking any four bass root notes from the lower end of the keyboard (e.g., any note
between the 16th – 39th key) which are played with left hand fingers, whilst also playing any notes from the higher end

(e.g., any note between 40th key – 76th key) in time with the bass root notes. Scales, Arpeggios & Modes will teach you how to create
in harmony melody of which you can then expand upon when creating your own melody and songs.

Baby Steps Rule of the Octave – Theme II

52 51 49 50 48 53 52
45
44 44 40 42 44 45 44 43

36 36
31
31

28 27 28 27

24

52 51 49 50 48 53 52
45 44 44
40 42 44 45 44 43

36 36 31
31 28 27

28 27

One of the many wonderful aspects of the brain is how it learns and adapts to new encounters with the five senses. Every person has
their own identity i.e., their own name, personality type, their likes and dislikes, the sensitivity of their five senses (Smell, Touch,
Hearing, Sight & Taste). This unique identity is developed from early childhood and continues throughout our entire lives. Have you
ever heard the saying ‘you learn something new every day’?. To allow yourself to learn something new everyday is the key to
innovation and creativity.

If we take for example Theme II which begins on the previous page. By right Theme II (bars 1 and 2) should not make any sense
(harmonically) when played at the correct tempo i.e., 60bpm because they are not in harmony. However by repeating the first two
bars again (bars 3 and 4 as above) the brain having heard the melody in bars 1 and 2 instinctively adapts and when it hears the two
bars a second time, the new melody seems to make more sense. Subsequently, the brain takes the melody as something that is
actually melodic or in harmony. How can this be? This is the core value behind creativity, evolution and exploration in human beings.
When you play freely you will explore new avenues for the rules will not apply. This is the great thing about the rule of the octave.

You can apply the rule of the octave to any song you have ever heard. The steps to take are 1) Learn the chords and bass root
notes of the song 2) Learn the melody of the song 3) Play the bass root notes only, disguise the song by playing alternate
melody 4) Explore and improvise new melody using the songs original bass root notes.

Music Genres describe the category a piece of music or song falls into. The 12th and final Category we will introduce is World
Music Style/Genre. World music is a musical category encompassing many different styles of music from around the globe, which
includes many genres of non-Western music including folk music, ethnic music, traditional music, indigenous music, neotraditional
music, and music where more than one cultural tradition, such as when ethnic music and Western popular music intermingle. The

term was popularized in the 1980s as a marketing category for non-Western traditional music. Globalization has facilitated the
expansion of world music's audiences and scope. It has grown to include hybrid subgenres such as world fusion, global fusion,
ethnic fusion and worldbeat. In the age of digital music production the increased availability of high-quality, ethnic music samples,
sound bites and loops from every known region are commonly used in commercial music production, which has exposed a vast

spectrum of indigenous music texture to developing, independent artists.

25

The bass root notes are: D (18th key), A (25th key) and E (20th key). When you play the D Chord (30th, 34th and 37th keys) all together with the right

hand fingers, you play the D (18th key) with the left hand finger at the same time. Play the correct bass root notes as you play the rest of the chords in

the song. Play slowly!

On Top Of Old Smokey

Words & Music by Traditional

18 D 30 34 37 25 A 37 41 44 20 E 32 36 39

Beat 3
One 2

DD

On top of Old Smo______________key,

D DAA

All covered in sn_____________ow,

AA EE

I lost my true lo________________ver,

E EAD A

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 By sparking too sl_________________ow.

C# D# F# G# A#

C DE F G A B © 2017 by Eaziplay - All rights reserved.
26

Introduction to the Blues

The ‘Blues’ is a genre and musical form originated by African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the end of the
19th century. "Dallas Blues", written by Hart Wand, is an early blues song, first published in 1912. It has been called the first true blues
tune ever published. The genre developed from roots in African musical traditions, African-American work songs, spirituals, and folk
music. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads.

William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) is known as ‘The Father of the Blues’, while Ma Rainey (April 26,
1886 – December 22, 1939) is known as the Mother of the Blues’.

Because the blues form is ever-present in Jazz, RnB and Rock and Roll, it is an essential part of a Pianist, Guitar & Bass Player’s
repertoire (knowledge). It is characterized by the 1) Call-And-Response Pattern, 2) the Blues Scale and 3) Chord Progressions.

Call-And-Response Pattern
In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases or themes usually played by different musicians, where the second
phrase / theme is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first. It corresponds to the call-and-response pattern in human
communication and is found as a basic element of musical form, such as verse-chorus form, in many traditions.

Blues Scale
The Blues Scale is a reference to a collection of Scales (contain sequence of musical notes/pitches) that provide a foundation to
musicians when playing and improvising within the Blues Genre. There are three main Blues Scale from which many others are
generated from. They are: 1) Hexatonic Blues Scale (contains 6 notes), 2) Heptatonic Blues Scale (contains 7 notes) and
3) Nonatonic Blues Scale (contains 9 notes).

Chord Progressions
A chord progression is a succession of musical chords within a song. Chord progressions
are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition. For example ‘Shape of You’
by Ed Sheeran contains a chord progression of four chords specifically: C#m, F#m, A, B.
These four chords do not change throughout the song and in essence
‘the chords are repeated as you progress through the song’.

So now let’s introduce the three main types of Blues Scales and begin playing them on
your piano. Make sure and play them slowly with the correct fingers.

W.C. Handy Ma Rainey

27

Hexatonic Blues Scale (6 Notes)
The Hexatonic Blues C Scale consists of the following six notes depending on the octave the musician is playing in: the 40th note, the
43rd note, the 45th note, the 46th note, the 47th note and the 50th note. The interval formula for the Hexatonic Blues Scale across all
ROOT NOTES (C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B) is +3, +2, +1, +1 and +3.

The ‘INTERVAL’ is basically the amount of notes between one reference note and the next reference note for example:
16 + 3 = 19, so the interval between the 16th note and the 19th note is +3. Knowing an interval formula enables musicians work out an
infinite amount of Scales. Chords, Arpeggios and Modes. Intervals will be dealt with in more detail in Part Four of the Series.

F GF GH I

40 43 45 46 47 50

Heptatonic Blues Scale (7 Notes)
The Heptatonic Blues C Scale consists of the following seven notes depending on the octave the musician is playing in: the 40th note,
the 42nd note, the 43rd note, the 45th note, the 46th note, the 49th note and the 50th note. The interval formula for the Heptatonic Blues
Scale across all ROOT NOTES (C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B) is +2, +1, +2, +1, +3, +1.

F GH FG H I

40 42 43 45 46 49 50

Nonatonic Blues Scale (9 Notes)
The Nonatonic Blues C Scale consists of the following nine notes depending on the octave the musician is playing in: the 40th note, the
42nd note, the 43rd note, the 44th note, the 45th note, the 47th note, the 49th note, the 50th note and the 51st note. The interval formula for
the Heptatonic Blues Scale across all ROOT NOTES (C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B) is +2, +1, +1, +1, +2, +2, +1, +1.

F GH I F GH I J

40 42 43 44 45 47 49 50 51

28

Hexatonic Blues Scale (6 Notes)
By knowing the Interval Scale Formula we can easily work out how to play the Hexatonic Blues Scale in various root notes. For
example: the Hexatonic Blues Scale Formula is +3, +2, +1, +1 and +3. From the previous page we already played the C Hexatonic
Blues Scale. These notes were the 40th note, the 43rd note, the 45th note, the 46th note, the 47th note and the 50th note. Let’s try and play
the C# Hexatonic Blues Scale using the same formula. All you do is move up one note to the 41st note (C#) on your piano and apply the
formula i.e., 41, 44, 46, 47, 48 and 51. So play the 41st note, the 44th note, the 46th note, the 47th note, the 48th note and the 51st note.
You can play these notes on several positions across the keyboard once you use the correct formula.

Your teacher can also play the C Chord as you play the sequence of notes. Once you have mastered the first C Hexatonic
Scale, you can get the teacher to play all 12 root chords as you play all 12 scales from the Formula table below.

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

C# D# F# G# A#

C D EF GA B

Let’s now create a Formula table for all 12 Root Notes in the Hexatonic Blues Scale Pattern!

Root Note Scale Notes +3, +2, +1, +1 and +3 Root Note Scale Notes +3, +2, +1, +1 and +3
C
C# 40th 43rd 45th 46th 47th 50th F# 46 49 51 52 53 56
D 41 51
D# 42 44 46 47 48 52 G 47 50 52 53 54 57
E 43 53
F 44 45 47 48 49 54 G# 48 51 53 54 55 58
45 55
46 48 49 50 A 49 52 54 55 56 59

47 49 50 51 A# 50 53 55 56 57 60

48 50 51 52 B 51 54 56 57 58 61

29

Let’s now create a Formula table for all 12 Root Notes in the Heptatonic Blues Scale Pattern!

Root Scale Notes +2, +1, +2, +1, +3, +1 Root Scale Notes +2, +1, +2, +1, +3, +1
C 40th F# 46
C# 41 42nd 43rd 45th 46th 49th 50th G 47 48 49 51 52 55 56
D 42 51 G# 48
D# 43 43 44 46 47 50 52 A 49 49 50 52 53 56 57
E 44 53 A# 50
F 45 44 45 47 48 51 54 B 51 50 51 53 54 57 58
55
45 46 48 49 52 51 52 54 55 58 59

46 47 49 50 53 52 53 55 56 59 60

47 48 50 51 54 53 54 56 57 60 61

Let’s now create a Formula table for all 12 Root Notes in the Nonatonic Blues Scale Pattern!

Root Scale Notes +2, +1, +1, +1, +2, +2, +1 Root Scale Notes +2, +1, +1, +1, +2, +2, +1
C 40th 42nd 43rd 44th 45th 47th 49th 50th 51st F# 46 48 49 50 51 53 55 56 57
C# 41 43 44 45 46 48 50 51 52 G 47 49 50 51 52 54 56 57 58
D 42 44 45 46 47 49 51 52 53 G# 48 50 51 52 53 55 57 58 59
D# 43 45 46 47 48 50 52 53 54 A 49 51 52 53 54 56 58 59 60
E 44 46 47 48 49 51 53 54 55 A# 50 52 53 54 55 57 59 60 61
F 45 47 48 49 50 52 54 55 56 B 51 53 54 55 56 58 60 61 62

30

Playing Blues Scales &
Grooves With Chords

The next area we will delve into is playing Blues Scales & Blues Grooves over Chords. In other words one musician plays the Scales or
Grooves the same time as another musician plays the Root Chords. This is essentially the building blocks to create harmony, as well as
songs through improvisation.

Below is the C Hexatonic Blues Scale and the F Hexatonic Blues Scale we learned in the previous section. Above those scales you will
also notice the C Chord and the F Chord indicators. The two Scales are played by one musician while another musician plays the two
chords. You could also first record the C Chord into your mobile phone six times then the F Chord six times and during playback, play
the 12 notes over the 12 bars. Notice how all the Scale notes are in harmony with the two chords when played at the same time!

16 C 28 32 35 21 F 33 37 40

1 CC C C C C

43 45 50
40 47
46

FF F F F F

7

50

43 45 47
40 46

31

Eaziplay Blues Groove Formula

The Eaziplay Blues Groove Formula is a graphical representation of a collection of grooves for the Guitar, Piano and Bass of which have
a direct relationship with the patterns developed for the Drums. The various music genres are assigned a specific set of instructions on
how to play patterns upon an instrument. In this case we are only going to concentrate on the Blues Genre. The categories have been
assigned Greek terms so a complete and universal organizational family tree structure can be learned and remembered by the musician.

This enables musicians to learn the foundations of music rapidly and effectively, without having to learn a massive overload of complex
music theory. Let’s take a look at the Blues Category.

Blues (A-L)
6. Nyx

7. Typhon
8. Uranus
9. Ourea
10. Pontus
11. Aether
12. Hemera
13. Moros

The Blues Groove Formula for Piano contains 8 sections. Each of these sections has a Groove Set A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K and L. So in total
there are 96 Groove Patterns (8 x 12 = 96) for the Blues Genre. In this Part Three book we are going to reference the Nyx section particularly
Groove Set A, Groove Set B, Groove Set C, Groove Set D and Groove Set E. Groove patterns are not scales but a sequence of notes that contain a
musical quality from which improvisation can generate from. The chords to accompany these grooves are indicated above the groove pattern.
In the next chapter we will introduce Blues Bar Frameworks upon which you can expand on these groove patterns i.e., playing them on various
positions on the piano. The Groove Set A Formula is: +3, +2, +2, Δ, -2, -2, -3. Let’s take a look at how the Groove Set A is played on the piano!

To play press the 40th note on the keyboard, then the 43rd note, then the 45th note then the 47th note. In the next bar play the 47th note again, then the
45th note then the 43rd note and then the 40th note to complete the pattern. Play all the notes in a legato movement i.e., one note after the other
without a rest or break. Set your metronome to 70bpm and pluck a note on each click.

Groove Tempo: 70bpm C

C

1

45 47 47 45
43
43 40
40

32

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set A) (contains 8 notes) Formula: +3, +2, +2, / Δ, -2, -2, -3
Groove Tempo: 80bpm
C
C
47 45
1 43
40
45 47

43
40

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set B) (contains 8 notes) Formula: +4, +3, +2, +1 / -1, -2, -3
Groove Tempo: 80bpm
C
C
50 49
1 47
44
47 49

44
40

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set C) (contains 13 notes) Formula: +3, +2, +1, +1, +3, +2 / -2, -3, -1, -1, -2, -3
Groove Tempo: 80bpm

1C

45 46 50 52 50 46 45
47 47

43 43
40 40

33

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set D) (contains 13 notes) Formula: +3, -3, +5, -5, +7, -7, / +7, -7,+5, -5, +3, -3
Groove Tempo: 80bpm

C

1

45 47 47 45 43 40
43 40 40 40 40
40 40

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set E) (contains 15 notes) Formula: +3, +2, +2, +3, +2, +3, +2 / -2, -3, -2, -3, -2, -2, -3
Groove Tempo: 80bpm

C

1

50 57 55 50
55 52 47
52

47 45
45 43
43
40 40

34

What is a Chord Progression?

Chord Progression are a set of Chords that make up the foundation of a song. There are prominently used in Pop music where a set of
just four chords can be repeated in a song and those same chords can be used to make thousands and thousands of songs! From the
chosen set of chords the song progresses through its intro, 1st verse, pre-chorus, chorus, 2nd verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus,
outro without having changed the same set of chords. It is particularly used in Blues as the singer or singer(s) can take part in the call-
and-response pattern with the musicians and musicians can also perform instrumentals over the chosen chords.

We are now going to learn how we can play the Groove Patterns (learned in the previous chapter) with Chord Progressions that are
fundamental to the Blues Genre. There are three main types 1) 8 Bar Blues Framework, 2) 12 Bar Blues Framework and 3) 16 Bar Blues
Framework.

The reason they are called Eight Bar Blues, Twelve Bar Blues or Sixteen Bar Blues is because there is a specific collection of
chords within the eight bar phrase, twelve bar phrase or sixteen bar phrase of which are then repeated throughout the song.
Sometimes an artist / band might change some of the chords within the chord progression but typically they remain the same.

Below is a typical example of a Blues Chord Progression. Play the exact Chords where indicated and count 1, 2, 3, 4 as you do so.

16 C 28 32 35 21 G 33 37 40

23 G 35 39 42

Blues Chord Progression

C C F C G F CG

35

8 Bar Blues Framework

The Eight Bar Blues Framework contains eight bars of music which are typically repeated throughout a song. A standard pattern includes
the Chord Progression from the previous page. As well as the chord progression being indicated you will see how you can play the ‘Nyx
Groove Pattern (Set B)’ over the chords and switch the root of the first note accordingly to match the specific chord being played. As

aforementioned you can record yourself playing the Chord Progression into your mobile phone or other recording device and then simply

play the Nyx Groove Pattern (Set B) over the playback recording.

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set B) (contains 8 notes) Formula: +4, +3, +2, +1 / -1, -2, -3
Groove Tempo: 70bpm
50 49
C 47
44
1

47 49

44
40

C

2

49 50 49
47 47
44 44

40

C Chord change to F Chord = +5 Notes (40 + 5 = 45)

F

3

52 54 55 54
52
49 49
45

36

C

4

49 50 49
47 47
44 44

40

C Chord change to G Chord = +7 Notes (40 + 7 = 47)

G

5

56 57 56
54 54

51 51

47

G Chord change to F Chord = -2 Notes (47 – 2 = 45)

F

6

52 54 55 54
52
49 49
45

C

7

49 50
47 49
44 47
44
40

37

G

8

56 57 56
54 54

51 51

47

Congratulations. You have now successfully performed your first 8 Bar Blues Chord Progression! Let’s now have a go at playing the same Nyx
Groove Pattern (Set B) over a Twelve Bar Blues Chord Progression and a Sixteen Bar Blues Chord Progression. After you have mastered this
pattern try playing the Set A, Set C, Set D and Set E Groove patterns along to the Chord Progressions.

What are Special Effects in Music? Special Effects in music relate to the manipulation of a sound signal / sound wave(s). They can be pretty
cool and enhance the sound in many ways. There are two types of Special Effects 1) Natural 2) Artificial. The difference between the two is,

one occurs naturally around us while the other is created artificially i.e., electronically.

Take for example when you visit a church and you hear the priest or pastor speaking. The sound of his/her voice seems to echo all over the
church! This is what we call a ‘natural special effect’. What is happening is, the sound has bounced off all the walls in the church and you are
hearing the sound bouncing back to you from lots of different angles. This effect you hear is called REVERB. Lets take a look at a few basic

effects which are available on the more expensive keyboards, digital pianos and professional synthesizers.
Be careful though, by using too much of a special effect can end up ruining the sound you are playing. When you use them make sure and don’t

go overboard as our ears quickly adjust to an effect and what may have sounded good earlier, could
be oversaturated a few minutes later! By stepping out of the room and taking a break, your ears will quickly adjust back to normal.

1) REVERB - Reverb is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing a large number of reflections to build up and then decay as the
sound is absorbed by the surfaces of objects in the space which could include furniture, people and air.

2) CHORUS - Chorus occurs when individual sounds with approximately the same timbre, and very similar pitch converge
and are perceived as one.

3) DELAY - Delay occurs when an input signal is recorded, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be
played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.

38

12 Bar Blues Framework

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set B) (contains 8 notes)

Groove Tempo: 80bpm C

C

1

8 50 49 47 50 49 47
4 47 49 44 47 49 44
44 44
40 50 49 47
40 44
C
C 55 54
47 49 52
3 44 49
40
47 49 50 49 47 50 49 47
44 44 F 44

40 52 54 55 54
49 52
F 45 49

5 C

52 54 55 54 47 49
49 52 44
45 49 40

C F

7 52 54
49
47 49 50 49 47 45
44 44

40

G

9

54 56 57
51 56 54
47 51

39

C G

11 51
47
54 56 57 56 54
51
47 49 50 49 47
44 44

40

16 Bar Blues Framework

Nyx Groove Pattern (Set B) (contains 8 notes)

Groove Tempo: 80bpm C

C 47 49
44
1 40

8 50 49 47 C 50 49 47
4 47 49 44 44
44 47 49
44 50 49 47
40 40 44

C

3

47 49 50 49 47
44 44

40

F F

5 52 54
49
52 54 55 54 45 55 54
49 52 52
45 49 49

40

C C

7

47 49 50 49 47 47 49 50 49 47
44 44 44 44

40 40

G G

9

54 56 57 56 54 54 56 57
51 51 51 56 54
47 47 51

F F

11

52 54 55 54 52 54 55 54
49 52 49 52
45 49 45 49

C C

13

47 49 50 49 47 47 49 50 49 47
44 44 44 44

40 40

G G

15

54 56 57 56 54 54 56 57 56 54
51 51 51 51
47 47

41

The Irish Rover

23 G 35 39 42 16 C 28 32 35 Words & Music by J. M Crofts
20 Em 32 35 39
18 D 30 34 37

Beat 34
One 2

GG CC G G DD

On the fourth of July eighteen hundred and six, We set sail from the sweet cove of Cork. We were

GGC C GD G G

sailing away with a cargo of bricks, For the grand city hall in New York. 'Twas a

GG D D G G DD

wonderful craft, she was rigged fore-and-aft, And oh, how the wild winds drove her. She'd got

GG Em Em D D CG

several blasts, she'd twenty-seven masts, And we called her the Irish Ro_____ver.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

C# D# F# G# A#

C DE F G A B © 2017 by Eaziplay - All rights reserved.
42

What are Modes, Chord
Inversions, Naturals & Sharps?

In simple terms a ‘MODE’ is a sequence of notes that have a melodic foundation of which are in harmony with one of the twelve roots of
music i.e., C, D, E, F, G, A, B (white notes) and C#, D#, F#, G#, A# (black notes). That’s it! They differ from scales in one main
characteristic i.e., scales do not contain the building blocks of melody, but modes do contain the building blocks of melody. The nine
main Greek Modes are, 1) LYDIAN (The Simpsons Theme), 2) IONIAN (Jingle Bells), 3) MIXOLYDIAN (Ghostbusters Theme),
4) DORIAN (Thriller / Earth Song), 5) AEOLIAN (Heaven), 6) PHRYGIAN I, 7) PHRYGIAN II (Eastern Music), 8) LOCRIAN (Asian
Music), 9) HYPOPHRYGIAN. Each of the modes contain a signature reference song or theme.

F GHF G H I

40 42 44 45 47 49 50

GH I To begin each finger on the your right hand is assigned a letter. The Left
hand is A, B, C, D, E and the Right hand is F, G, H, IJ. We will only use
RIGHT HAND fingers here. So take note of the finger and the note that

J is played when playing the Mode above.

Modes ➢ 40th note is played with the Thumb Finger. .
➢ 42nd note is played with the Index Finger.
F ➢ 44th note is played with the Middle Finger.
➢ 45th note with the Thumb Finger.
C# D# F# G# A# ➢ 47th note with the Index Finger.
C DE F G A B ➢ 49th note with the Middle Finger.
➢ 50th note with the Ring Finger

Notice how F, G, H, I All the notes are played ‘legato’ one
and J are letters after the other. We call this

assigned to your right the C Mixolydian Mode! See how you
hand fingers! get on playing all 9 types on the next page.

43

FG FGH IJ

LydiaLnYMDoIdAeN MODE 40 42 44 46 47 49 51

IonianIOMNoIAdeN MODE FGH FG H I J
40 42 44 45 47 49 51 52

Modes MMixoIXlyOdiLaYnDMIoAdNe MODE FGH FG H I
40 42 44 45 47 49 50
C# D# F# G# A#
C DE F G A B DoriaDnOMRoIdAeN MODE FGH FG H I
40 42 43 45 47 49 50
G HI
J AeoliAaEnOMLoIAdeN MODE FGH FG H I
40 42 43 45 47 48 50
F
PhPryHgRiaYnGMIAoNdeMIODE I FGH FG H I
44 40 41 43 45 47 48 50 57

PhPryHgRiaYnGMIAoNdeMIOI DE II FGH FG H I
40 41 44 45 47 48 50

HHyYpPoOpPhHryRgYiaGnIAMNodMeODE I FGH FG H I J
LocrLiOanCRMIoAdNe MODE 1 40 41 43 45 46 48 50 51

FGH FG H I
40 41 43 45 46 48 50

What is Chord Inversion?
Chord Inversion means what it says i.e., you are inverting chords using the same notes from the chord within different octave points on
the piano keyboard. Chord Inversion is used to play a selection of chords together as a group where inverting the chord has similar
chords grouped together within a specific octave. Do you remember the image below from Part One in the Eaziplay Series? You can see
how there are a group of two black notes and a group of three black notes of which are repeated all across the piano.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88

1st Octave 2nd Octave 3rd Octave 4th Octave 5th Octave 6th Octave 7th Octave
If we take the C Major Chord as an example we can invert this chord from the lower end of the piano to the higher end of the piano. The Red
Dots indicate the original C Major Chord i.e., 40th key, 44th key and 47th key played together. Take note how the 40th key is to the left of the
Group Two black keys, the 44th key is to the right of the Group Two black keys and the 47th key is to the right of the Group Three black keys.
To invert the chord higher use the Blue Dot marked keys i.e., 44th key, 47th key and 52nd key played together. To invert the chord lower we

use the Green Dot marked keys i.e., 35th key, 40th key and 44th key played together. We can do this all over the piano.

45

What are Naturals & Sharps?

In music there are two symbols we need to familiarize ourselves with. They are called: the natural symbol and the sharp symbol .
These two symbols are used to ensure the lines and spaces on a ‘stave’ can represent all the notes on the piano, thus ensuring we have
only 10 lines in the stave. The sharp symbol indicates a step forward while the natural symbol indicates a step backward from the sharp.

C# D# F# G# A# Looking to the left you will see what is called a stave. A
C DE F G A B stave is basically the building blocks upon which we place

musical notes. We use both the lines themselves and the
spaces in between them. The Middle C note is in the center

of the ten lines. Because there are so many notes on the
piano we also use ‘leger lines’ both above and below. Leger
lines are small horizontal lines that support musical notes.

All 88 notes of a full length piano have their own specific line or
space that they sit on. It’s similar to how you have a home

address and if someone wants to send you a letter or parcel from
anywhere in the world they write your address on the envelope
and the postman is able to deliver it to you because it has the
correct address. If they write the wrong address
the parcel may never get to you!

Middle C on piano Similarly all musical notes have their own address and if you read
them incorrectly you will play the wrong musical note! Thankfully

Eaziplay has made music notes a lot easier to read but we still do
need to know about Naturals & Sharps when playing with Chords,

Scales, Arpeggios & Modes.

Leger Lines From the image to the left you can see how each of the white
natural notes (C, D, E, F, G, A and B) are represented on the
46 stave lines and spaces, but what about the black notes (C#,

D#, F#, G# and A#)? How are they represented on these lines
and spaces? This is where the Sharp symbol is used. This
symbol is placed beside the music note to indicate a
different address. You can see from the image on the next
page how all the notes are represented on
the stave lines and spaces.

In the image below you can see where the natural white notes are indicated on the stave and now how the black notes are represented
on the stave by simply placing a sharp symbol beside the 40th key note address, the 42nd key note address, the 45th key note address,
the 47th key note address and the 49th key note address. Now all the twelve notes within the octave are represented on the stave without
adding more lines to the stave. This system applies to all the other notes on the piano when represented on the stave.

C# D# F# G# A#

C DE F G A B

45 46 47 48 49 50 51

40 41 42 43 44

The natural symbol is used in a different way. Within a bar of music a certain rule applies. Once the next bar is played the rule is
cancelled unless the note is tied to the next bar. This tie indicates a relationship from the previous bar. The rule is as follows:

When you see a sharp beside a note (41st key sample one) it indicates one of the black notes. If the same exact note appears again
(41st key sample two) within the same bar the note is still a sharp / black note even though the sharp symbol does not appear beside it.
The reason for this is to avoid too many symbols in bars of music. However, the rule is cancelled if the natural symbol is placed beside
the next identically placed note (40th key sample three). The image below indicates what this is about. For the moment because
Eaziplay works this complexity out for you, don’t worry too much about why this natural and sharp rule is so. Nifty!

49 49 51

47 48 46 46 45

Sample One 41 Sample Two 41 Sample Three 40

47

23 G 35 39 42 Auld Lang Syne Words & Music by Robert Burns

18 D 30 34 37 16 C 28 32 35

Beat 4
One 2 3

GD G C

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should

G D CG

auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne? For

GD GC

auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll

G D CG

take a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

C# D# F# G# A#

C DE F G A B

48 © 2017 by Eaziplay - All rights reserved.