Ballad Master - Ballad Style Piano Course

Build major and minor triads using a 4+3 semitone formula to shape ballad style harmony, with C major, E minor, and G major bass motion.

Master ballad-style accompaniment by using four-beat bars and four-bar phrases, play bass with the left hand, and use pedal for smooth chords; explore note choices between chords and varied accompaniments.

Explore suspended chords in ballad style, learn how major and minor triads become suspended with a second, create tension, and resolve to major or minor.

Learn how to transform triads into seventh chords in ballad style, building major, minor, dominant sevenths from the second scale degree and applying them across left and right hands.

Develop left-hand rhythm with eight-note patterns to embellish basic harmonies and ballad-style sound in 4/4 time. Coordinate left on 2, 4, 6, 8 and right on 1, 3, 5, 7.

Learn to enrich the left hand by adding octave figures, bass triads, and occasional two-note extensions, then synchronize left and right hands with accented and unaccented beats.

Explore sleights and bass slides in ballad piano, use C in bass, slide between notes like G to F, and practice 1 2 3 1 pattern for harmonic motion.

Develop right-hand rhythm through five progressive exercises, coordinating with the accented left hand and pedal. Learn to combine hands, vary rhythms, and improvise melodies in different keys.

Combine both hands to master the rhythmical exercise, playing the three right-hand parts g, c, d with the left-hand pattern from the previous lesson; listen with eyes closed.

Review and combine bars from prior sessions, practice right-hand passages with D-plus and alternate rhythms, slow then speed up, and explore improvisation within the exercise framework.

Explore how to create expressive piano accompaniments from a simple four-chord progression by example, using the song Don't Let Me Down, adding melody, pedal choices, and varied left-right hand patterns.

Improve piano accompaniment by evolving a simple one-bar pattern into richer textures, adding melodies and chord extensions, and exploring duplets, triplets, and solo accompaniments.

Master a slow ballad accompaniment using a C–G–F–C major progression, with chords on each quarter, left-hand rhythm, and beat three syncopation, enriching with simple chord tones.

Practice slow ballad overplay by weaving a right-hand melodic phrase between C major, G major, and F major chords, using bass chord tones and offbeat rhythm.

Practice slow ballad overplay by combining offbeat phrases on the first beat, alternate between the first and second phrases, and explore downward arpeggio and RPG variations to strengthen rhythm.

Master arpeggios in the left hand by coordinating with simple right-hand chords. Practice C major, A minor, F major, and G major progressions, building melody with chords and intervals.

Modify the left-hand arpeggios by varying melodies from C, then combine with right-hand patterns to practice two-hand chords in C major, E minor, and F major, following the two-semitone rule.

Learn to play arpeggios in the right hand over ballad chords, starting from C major, with bar-by-bar chord changes and melodies that harmonize with the left hand.

Discover how descending harmony in ballad style piano weaves bass movement with right-hand chords, using semi-tones and whole tones, third-interval patterns, and major-minor blends.

Explore ascending harmony in major for ballad piano, adapting chords on scale degrees with minor and major chords, minor seventh accents, and circle of faith across a four-bar progression.

Explore how minor harmony creates dense textures using diminished seventh chords on the second degree, dominant chords, and melodies built around C minor and related progressions.

Learn the passing bass technique, where the left hand shifts bass notes without chords while the right hand keeps the melody, exploring ascending and descending sequences.

Learn to play a melodic bass by integrating the melody with left-hand accompaniment, using arpeggios and chords, while mastering pedal, dynamics, and tempo for expressive ballad style.

Master note-by-note accompaniment in a ballad style by pairing melody with left-hand chords. Practice balancing two hands, playing melodies and chords together or separately with practical fingering.

Learn a new way to play ballad-style accompaniment with left-hand harmony and right-hand melody, connected at the downbeat, and practice improvisation to create your own melody.

Learn piano accompaniment by building chord sequences with left-hand bass notes, right-hand voicings, and hands-together on the downbeat, using chords such as G major, C major, and D minor.

Master improvisation by pairing left-hand accompaniment in C major with right-hand melodies, using strong notes (C, E, G) and aligning with harmony.

Develop improvisation skills by filling melody gaps between basic notes, moving up or down to shape engaging phrases with pauses and deliberate timing.

Master improvisation with alternative notes to strengthen strong beats across C major, minor, and G major chord sequences.

Explore free fret improvisation in a single scale like C major, creating musical phrases and riffs across chords from the same key, with repeatable groups and blues-inspired ideas.

Explore typical ballad improvisation techniques, including slides with halftone embellishments, six-interval patterns across major chords, and major pentatonic phrases for C and G major, with practical fingering tips.

Learn to craft intros and endings by building chord sequences around the song's first chord, using C major with subdominant f and g, and finishing on dominant notes.