NOTES FROM THE PIANO BENCH
15 minutes to connect theory with your piano
A short practice session becomes more useful when it centres on one question. Try this sequence with C and Am. The aim is to discover something you can use in your own playing.
Minutes 0–4: Find and hear the material
Play C–E–G slowly. Say the note names and find them an octave higher. Play Am: A–C–E. Which notes are shared? Do not move on just because your fingers can find the shape. Listen to the difference and try singing a note before playing it.
Minutes 4–8: Keep one thing fixed
Hold E in your right hand and alternate C and Am in your left. Find a spacing where the hands do not collide. Try retaining common tones and moving as little as possible. With just two chords you are exploring both harmonic role and voice leading.
Minutes 8–12: Make a small phrase
Use E, G and A for a short melody. Play it over C and then try Am. Leave pauses. Lengthen one note and notice how its tension becomes more apparent. Not every note needs to feel like an ending.
Minutes 12–15: Transpose and remember
Move the idea up two semitones: C becomes D, Am becomes Bm and E becomes F♯. Write one sentence about what you heard. Tomorrow, repeat it in a new key or with another melody note. Repetition with small changes makes the understanding useful.