Black Gospel Piano Chords –
The Soul of Religious Music
Learning
to play black gospel piano chords can be spiritually rewarding,
especially if you are employed as the piano player or organist in a
gospel style church. This style of music really gets people in the mood
to move, shout, and express themselves with great conviction.
It’s a good idea to understand basic chord structures before you begin
to study this specialized genre. If you are just beginning to learn
piano, or your skills are limited, I’d recommend you play in the key of
C because, for keyboardists, it is the simplest key to master.
First, you need to know some basic terms when referring to chords. The
key you are playing in is the tonic. The fourth step up in that scale is
the subdominant. The fifth step up in that scale is the dominant.
The three chord progression of C, F and G will come in handy when
beginning to play spiritual music. You will want to add 7ths as well as
extended chords such as 9ths and 11ths. Gospel music is very expressive
to match the enthusiasm of the preacher and the congregation. Compare
the sounds of the two following examples of black gospel piano chords.
They are shown here as Bass/Chord: Style One:
C/C F/F C/C G/G C/C
Style Two:
C/C E/C9 F/F7 C/C
I hope you’ll agree, the second example is much more inspiring!
Another device used in gospel music has you matching the bass to the
chord; then on the fourth beat, you play the subdominant chord, and then
back to the tonic chord. It is difficult to describe in words, but once
you hear it, you’ll recognize it. Mix those in once in awhile, but don’t
overuse this particular device.
Finally, take your gospel
playing to the next level with what is commonly called preaching
chords or preacher chords. This is a complex, advanced skill
but can be accomplished with memorization of certain
elaborate chord progressions. Preacher chords are used when the
preacher is in one of his emotional moments; his sentences are more like
poetry, he often moans or grunts at the end of each phrase, and the
excitement really builds. Your preacher chords are played after each of
these phrases to create an audible form of punctuation. They are not
intended to be played while the preacher is speaking, but rather to fill
in the gaps.
Here is a relatively simple chord progression you
can learn to back up a preacher. For this example, I’ll use the key of
C.
Your first chord is the tonic 7th (C7). Play the first
inversion (begin your chord on the E key). The bass is C.
Your
second chord is the subdominant 7th (F7). You don’t need to move much
here; begin the chord on E flat. The bass is F.
Now play the
tonic diminished. Your thumb doesn’t move, so build the chord from
there. The bass is the tonic’s diminished 5th note, or A.
The
fourth chord is the subdominant again, but this time, play it over the
dominant bass, G.
Repeat this progression, or vary it. How
about that? You’ve got a great start to your side career of playing
black gospel piano chords!
Further Gospel Piano Resources:
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