How to Play Bluegrass Gospel on the Piano

Practice, practice, practice!

Learning how to play gospel bluegrass piano takes time and practice. There are no shortcuts but there are efficient and effective strategies to follow that will help you develop the requisite skills and knowledge. If you are interested in playing gospel bluegrass piano on the piano become a student of the genre. There are numerous gospel bluegrass festivals and this will give you the opportunity see piano players in action. Watch, listen and learn. Pay close attention to how they play with, and interact with, the other musicians.

Things You'll Need

• Church Music Series by David Carr Glover
• Metronome

Instructions

1. Purchase a book that teaches music theory for the piano. The ability to improvise and arrange hymns requires a thorough grounding in the elements of music theory. A strong foundation in music theory gives you the knowledge to analyze chords and chord relationships and teaches you all the different types of scales needed for improvisation. One of the best books is "Church Musician Series" by David Carr Glover. It is sold at many local music stores and can be found online at alfred.com.

2. Set up a practice schedule and regimen. The chapters in piano instruction books are divided into lessons. Study one lesson at a time. Ideally the aim is to master one lesson a week but the important thing is be able to play and understand a lesson before proceeding to the next one. As you make progress your knowledge of theory and your technical skills should be improving. Music theory books will begin with the key of C major. Several weeks into the lessons you should know the major scales for all the keys and know the major chords for all the keys as well. For example, the most typical chords for bluegrass are the I, IV, and V chords. You should know these chords for every key. In C major this would be C, F and G. In the key of E major it would be E, A, and B.

3. Develop speed and dexterity with a metronome. A metronome is a mechanical device that keeps time. Musicians use metronomes to work on timing and speed. Gospel bluegrass is often played at blistering speed and this requires the ability to play fast with accuracy. One of the best exercises is to practice all the scales in a series of quarter notes, eighth notes, triplets and sixteenth notes. Begin with the C major scale and set the metronome at a slow speed. Play the scale with quarter notes, one note per beat; eighth notes, two notes per beat; triplets, three notes per bear; and sixteenth notes, four notes per beat. If is difficult to play sixteenth notes then the metronome speed is set too fast. Once you are able to play through the series, slightly increase the speed of the metronome. Keep increasing the speed and eventually you will be able to play very fast.

4. Develop improvising skills and chops by listening to and imitating other bluegrass gospel players. Theoretical knowledge and technical skill still needs to be fine tuned in order to make it musical. Musicians can develop their skills by studying and copying licks from their heroes. Play attention to phrasing. This is the most personalized element of a musician's playing. The goal is to develop your own voice and style.

5. Build a gospel bluegrass piano repertoire. Start working out your own arrangements of gospel songs and hymns. Listen to other players' arrangements as well.

References

• Families For Jesus: Gospel Bluegrass Learning Resources
• Alfred: Piano Methods