If you love gospel music and would like to learn to play the piano, then you may be interested in beginner gospel piano lessons. Whether you want to play in your local church or simply at home for the pleasure of the friends, family or even just yourself, then learning how to play gospel music can be both spiritually and musically fulfilling.
The good news is that learning to play gospel is usually easier than other kinds of playing, like classical music for instance, since it doesn’t need exactly the same level of proficiency, dexterity, or musical knowledge. Therefore, even with only a basic grasp of music theory, you can study to experience a number of your favorite gospel songs and hymns.
Learning to Play Gospel Piano: Chords
Before beginning to experience gospel, you will need to discover 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 experience a chord. Chords are often three notes (but can be more) played simultaneously. The good news is that you don’t need to know each and every chord to be able to play a gospel song. Actually, 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 comprised of the notes C,D and G; the F chord, which is created by playing F,E and C; and also the G chord, that is used G,B and D.
First, try playing these three chords one by one. Your fingers will soon become familiar with the career, so eventually, you can discover the chords quickly and without thinking way too hard about the fingering.
In many pop and gospel music scores, the chords are written over the score for that guitar. However, your guitar chords can be used on the piano. This makes playing easier, because you do not need to be worried about reading complicated piano music (with two lines of notes).
Learning to Play Gospel Piano: Rhythm
At the top left hand corner from the written music, you will see two numbers one on top of the other. This tells you how many beats you will find in each bar of music. The commonest time is known as “four-four” or “common” time, meaning 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 find most often.