Chords or Melody First... Which is Best?

There are basically two ways you can compose a piece of music. The first and most traditional way is to write out the melody and then harmonize it. Some call this working from the top (as opposed to the chords on the bottom.) The second approach is where you create some kind of rhythmic harmonic pattern and improvise (or compose) the melody on top. Now, which one is best for New Age music?

The answer is neither approach. Each has its own merits and own special benefits. For example, if you start with a pattern in your left hand and improvise a melody with your right, you are doing what most new age composers/improvisers do. This is what George Winston does most of the time. He has chords he sets to a certain rhythm and does his thing with that amazing right hand of his.

This is the style that I have been playing, but I've recently lost interest in it. Not because it isn't good but because I don't feel like playing that way anymore. Currently I'm leaning towards a softer sound that comes from leading with the melody first. What I do is get the first 2-bars down and then improvise the rest till I fill up 8 measures. This way I can vary the chords and patterns without it sounding very repetitive (minimalism). It's actually another style. You can call it melodic while the other one (Harmony approach) is more textural. IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR MOOD!

Don't let one style freeze you into something where you can't maneuver artistically! Remember that your feeling must come first. Everything else is secondary. Let your feeling lead you and your creation will be truly inspired, however, if you try to mold what you have to say into a specific style, the result may be less than satisfactory.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lesson s.html for a FREE piano lesson!

---

Its Jewish Music, But Is The Music Jewish?

A while back I was driving along the Jerusalem highway scanning the radio stations. On one frequency, a very intense dance beat was exploding out of the speakers. I was about to move... Read More

Hip Hop Clothing

Celebrities now such as Outkast, a fashion wear can be a must have. Likewise gainful for celebrities included within the clothing lines world, which is how come we are in possession of these... Read More

Zen and the Art of New Age Piano

We all want to be in the moment. That's where real transformation takes place. For some, walking gets them there. Others like to play sports or watch movies. For me, it's playing the... Read More

How To Make Money On A Music Website Through Pay-Per-Click?

Interested in making money while you're asleep, or making money while you're not even on the computer? Well here is a way that you can do that, clicks!! Once you have gone through... Read More

Bono: From Music To Fashion To Helping The Poor

U2s lead singer Bono isn't content with being part of a top band. Fashion and Music ? well I'm sure they can mix! Bono was born Paul David Hewson in 1960 in Dublin... Read More

Piano Lessons and Perfectionism

Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy of music making. Most... Read More

The Didjeridu

In Northern Australia the Didjeridu is seen as a phallic symbol and therefore a male instrument. Women are prohibited from playing.Stories of the Didjeridu vary from place to place among the different language-speaking... Read More

They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano... but When I Started to Play...

Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in magazines and newspapers:"They laughed when I sat down at the piano...but when I started to play..." ?I remember very well the first time... Read More

Music to Echo Your Mood

In what way do the kinds of music (rock, rap, classical, instrumental, etc.) change or alter our mood and in what way do our moods effect what music we listen to?Music has been... Read More

Bluegrass Music - Alive and Well in the Appalachians

One of the Appalachian Mountain region's greatest contributions to the world is Bluegrass music. Born in hills and hollows, Bluegrass is simply mountain folk music with heavy Celtic influences.Today, you can hear the... Read More

The Irish Harp

The harp that once through Tara's halls the soul of music shed, now hangs as mute on Tara's walls, as if that soul were fled. So sleeps the pride of former days, so... Read More

Why You Cant Play Piano

It's really not your fault. You see, you've been taught that in order to play piano you need to first learn how to read music, and second, play other peoples music.Don't feel bad.... Read More

Open Position Piano Chords - Perfect for the New Age Style

The Open Position Chord (OPC) allows you to create a vented sound. A sound that is open, literally, as opposed to the closed triads taught in most course books.The OPC covers more than... Read More

?Who Else Wants to Get Screwed When Signing a Recording or Songwriting Deal?!?!?

You've got your recording (or songwriting) contract in hand and everything's coming up roses, right? You get your check, finally, but it's not quite what you expected. If you sign not knowing what's... Read More

Five Secrets to Playing in the New Age Style

1. Learn how to ImproviseLearning how to improvise is the key to playing in this style. Period. You must learn to experiment and take musical risks - within certain frameworks of course. You're... Read More

Making Music As A Lefty

Author Interview with Ryan Thomson, seacoast New Hampshire resident, and author of a new book advocating left handed violin playing by lefties. - Playing Violin and Fiddle Left Handed.This piece started out as... Read More

The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons

How would you like to spend 4 years in a University learning how to play other peoples music? If you think this is ridiculous, you're right! Because that's what thousands of piano music... Read More

Benatar and Geraldo - Still Rockin on a High Note

Most people look forward to the summer months because they bring warmer temperatures, vacations, outdoor gatherings, and longer days. Those are all fine and dandy, but what really gets my fires stoked for... Read More

A Dying Cat And A Nylon String Guitar

"Music isn't just learning notes and playing them, you learn notes to play to the music of your soul" ? Katie Greenwood.Why are you learning music anyway? Is it to pick up chicks?... Read More

Music and Emotion

The Age-old Puzzle of Human ResponseIf you've listened to more than a little music, you've most likely received an emotional reaction from some of it. You've probably noticed that whenever that happens, the... Read More

Music for Cross Cultural Accelerated Learning

The Search for the Right MusicEver since Georgi Lozonav, the noted Bulgarian physicist and accelerated learning pioneer, conducted his ground breaking studies about the impact of music on learning, trainers around the globe... Read More

1973 Interview with Paul McCartney - Forming Wings

July 6, 1973 Birmingham EnglandSteven: Has it been difficult for you putting together a new band? There would seem to be an extraordinary amount of pressure on you to come up with a... Read More

3 Secrets To Understanding What Makes Music Tick

It's no secret that virtually everyone loves music in some form or other. After all, music is the universal language. In one way or another we all participate in it from our cradle... Read More

The King of the Delta Blues Singers - Robert Johnson Still Stands at the Crossroads

Probably the most enigmatic Singer and Guitarist of the twentieth Century is now one of the most revered and respected of all Musicians who make up the Genre of the 'Blues'. I speak... Read More

SOUNDS GOOD TO ME - Eliminate Throat Tension

As a vocal coach, I hear it all the time. I love to sing but when I do, I get hoarse and need to shout to be heard after only a few hours.... Read More

How To Play Piano Using Chord Symbols

Chord symbols (for example, Fm7, Cmaj7 or G6) are a type of notation used frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to notate chord progressions and changes. This type of notation... Read More

Getting Rhythm - Three Tips for Guitar Beginners

If you are just starting out learning guitar one of the hardest things can be getting a good rhythm and keeping that rhythm going while you change chords with your left hand.When I... Read More

The Record Industry Continues Battle Against Free Music Downloads

Movie and record producers alike are saying file-sharing networks that permit its users the ability to make copies from other network member's computers are infringing on the copyright laws and costing billions of... Read More

So You Want to be President? Learn to Play a Musical Instrument!

President Harry S. Truman, the man in the White House when the United States intervened on behalf of the millions of innocent people who were being displaced and massacred by Hitler's Nazi Germany,... Read More