Inversions and accompanying

Dream On Chords Lesson

In this lesson, we're going to look at the chords of Dream On and talk about how you might accompany someone playing the tune, such as:

• Flute
• Saxophone
• Trumpet
• Voice

Accompaniment Style

You might want to do a two-feel bassline and play some chords in the right hand.

• Tip: Don't play all the chords on the beat like we did in the left hand; try mixing up on and off the beat chords.
• This creates a kind of Latin feel.

Chord Inversions

Make sure to explore different inversions of the chords. You don't have to stick with the root positions I've given, apart from the Ab, which is a second inversion.

Inversions Routine Practice

One good way to practice would be an inversions routine. For instance, if we go back to C major 7, perhaps with a metronome:

• Start with four flexor chords.
• If you find that easy, try two clicks of each chord.

This involves going through all the inversions of the chord, starting from root position up to root position on top.

Left Hand Practice

Now, we'll try the left hand:

1. Count: Two, three, four.
2. Then, double up.

Aim to play all those shapes cleanly.

• This chord lends itself to third inversion, which has a nice semitone on the bottom.
• The second inversion is nice as well, with the semitone in the middle.

This is a distinctive aspect of major seventh chords. Practice this for all the chords you need in Dream On.

Major Seventh Workout

In the next piece, Major Seventh Workout, we'll group the chords together in pairs, as we did with:

• Major triad workout
• Natural minor workout

Chord Pairs

The first two will be:

• A major seven and D major seven

Then we'll move on to:

• G major seven and C seven

And so on around the cycle.

Key Analysis

Notice that, because we're repeating each pair of chords several times, each key will play for 16 bars. When we keep going back to A, it sounds like those two chords are in A major.

• Play a single scale on top, A major, for both the A and D chords.
• When moving to G and C, play G major on top, and so on around the cycle.

Chord Exercises

In Major Seventh Workout:

• We'll start with the right-hand chords in second inversion, moving to root position.
• This is a nice register for these chords.

Bass and Rhythm

We'll play bass in the left hand, allowing you to explore different rhythms in the right hand against this walking bass line.

• With these two chords, there will always be two notes shared between the first and the second chord.
• In this configuration, the top two notes stay the same, while the bottom two notes move down.
• This holds true for every chord pair.

Structure of the Piece

In the first half of the piece, you'll be playing with drums.

• With the left hand on bass and chords in the right, this forms an accompaniment style.
• Notice: The drums are the missing element.

When we change to the second half:

• The bass will replace your left hand, and you'll start playing chords in the left hand.
• The configuration will be root position first, then second inversion for the D major.

Each chord pair will maintain that movement:

• This time, the bottom two notes stay the same.

Progression

1. Move to G major root position.
2. Keep the top two notes the same.
3. For the second chord, remember the bottom two notes are shared.

Because we repeat A to D over and over, it sounds like we're in the key of A.

• We're doing one to four in A, allowing you to play one scale.
• When you move to G and C, you'll play G major, and so on.

Scale Revision and Improvisation

Now's a great opportunity to revise your scale fingering for all the scales you'll need.

• Especially check out D flat major and any other scales that you're uncertain of.

You'll also need to improvise because you'll get four bars in each key.

• Tip: Don't just play the scale up and down.
• Take the opportunity to go over the track several times.
• Each time you transition to a new key, improvise with the major scale while keeping the chords going in the left hand.