Left hand by ear?

at the moment I'm trying to figure out the chords to the rolling stones song 'angie'. I'm figuring out the melody and chords to the intro with my right hand, and now I'm kind of at a loss as what to exactly do with the left hand.

Usually when I start off playing by ear in the most simplest stages of learning a new song, I usually play the chords and melody with the right hand, and I'll try to set a rhythm by playing single notes with the left hand. In other words, I try to keep the left hand part simple, especially when I'm first learning a song. I'm not sure if I'm exactly synchronizing what I'm doing with the left hand with the right, because when I play with the left hand, I just play what I think 'sounds good'. I don't exactly look at my right hand and say 'looks like I'm playing something that looks like a Fmajor7 chord with my right hand, so I better play the root note with my left hand'. I will just play any note with the left hand, as long as it doesn't sound like it clashes with what the right hand is playing.

Now I'm playing this song 'angie', and I'm wondering if I should use more of a 'thought process', when playing with the left hand. I'm playing chords and sprinklings of melody with the right hand, and now I'm wondering if I should make sure that the left hand plays the bass note or the fifth note of the chords I'm playing with the right hand. But if I do that, it will take some more memorizing, as I will have to keep track of what chords I'm playing with the right hand, and synchronize the left hand. I will also have to look down at my hands much more, to see what I'm playing, so as to move the left hand around to play the root notes of chords, as opposed to what I'm doing now by just playing any single note that sounds like it doesn't clash. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. .

I think I do it the opposite: flesh out some skeletal chords (root-fifth-tenth) in the l.h., pick out melody in right (and hopefully add a few harmonic notes there, too).

I think you're doing fine. Angie is a cool melody/song. I saw Tori do it...wow. http://tinyurl.com/w9ye

David

: at the moment I'm trying to figure out the chords to the rolling stones song : 'angie'. I'm figuring out the melody and chords to the intro with my right : hand, and now I'm kind of at a loss as what to exactly do with the left hand. : : Usually when I start off playing by ear in the most simplest stages of learning : a new song, I usually play the chords and melody with the right hand, and I'll : try to set a rhythm by playing single notes with the left hand. In other : words, I try to keep the left hand part simple, especially when I'm first : learning a song. I'm not sure if I'm exactly synchronizing what I'm doing : with the left hand with the right, because when I play with the left hand, I : just play what I think 'sounds good'. I don't exactly look at my right hand : and say 'looks like I'm playing something that looks like a Fmajor7 chord with : my right hand, so I better play the root note with my left hand'. I will just : play any note with the left hand, as long as it doesn't sound like it clashes : with what the right hand is playing. : : Now I'm playing this song 'angie', and I'm wondering if I should use more of a : 'thought process', when playing with the left hand. I'm playing chords and : sprinklings of melody with the right hand, and now I'm wondering if I should : make sure that the left hand plays the bass note or the fifth note of the : chords I'm playing with the right hand. But if I do that, it will take some : more memorizing, as I will have to keep track of what chords I'm playing with : the right hand, and synchronize the left hand. I will also have to look down : at my hands much more, to see what I'm playing, so as to move the left hand : around to play the root notes of chords, as opposed to what I'm doing now by : just playing any single note that sounds like it doesn't clash. Any thoughts : on this would be appreciated. . : : thanks, :

When playing pop songs, including Angie, most of the time I play chords in the RH, and either single note bass or octaves in the LH. I sing the melody.

Working from this basic arrangement, I can 'flesh it out' with a busier bass line or by incorporating melodic fills in the RH.

I would think it very important to know what chord your RH is playing. Say I am playing a G chord in RH, I automatically go for a G bass note, or G-G octave or G-D partial chord or G-B partial chord.

Of course, there are many ways ('arrangements'to play the same song.

Download the guitar chords for 'Angie' from olga.net . You just have to learn the verse + chorus, then rinse and repeat. Its in the key of Am, AFAIK (mostly white keys!).

: When playing pop songs, including Angie, most of the time I play : chords in the RH, and either single note bass or octaves in the LH. : I sing the melody. : : Working from this basic arrangement, I can 'flesh it out' with a : busier bass line or by incorporating melodic fills in the RH. : : I would think it very important to know what chord your RH is playing. : Say I am playing a G chord in RH, I automatically go for a G bass : note, or G-G octave or G-D partial chord or G-B partial chord. : : Of course, there are many ways ('arrangements'to play the same song. : : Download the guitar chords for 'Angie' from olga.net . You just have : to learn the verse + chorus, then rinse and repeat. Its in the key of : Am, AFAIK (mostly white keys!). : : Bruce

The difference with what I'm doing is that I'm not singing the melody of Angie. I'm doing a balancing act where I play the melody and chords on the piano.

the root note could be played with the left hand, as you suggest, but a lot of times when you listen to the recording, it's not always the root note that's being played, right? I guess just to keep it simple you and avoid a bunch of memorzing you could just play the root note or octaves. I'm wondering, Bruce, when you are learning a pop song like this by ear, do you write the chords down, or you don't bother?

I will have to re-evaluate how I play this song, Angie, by ear. I guess I will have to see what I'm doing with the right hand, and in context figure out what chord it is I'm playing. And then play something with the left hand that relates to the chord, as opposed to playing any single note at random to give it a sense of rhythm.

The problem I potentially see will be when I play the single note melodies of the song with the right hand, since I'm not singing the melodies. It will be interesting to see which notes in the bass I will choose to give it a sense of rhythm. But I think that you could play any note at random there. But then again, I guess I've just created a new chord the moment I play a single note melody with the right hand, and at the same time strike any single note bass with the left. So even there, I guess I need it have to related to the chord progression of the song.

thanks, Ty Steel

I just found out that I have an arrangment of the song 'angie' in a sheet music book, and it's in the key of Am, as you said. But I noticed that there's some chords of Bb in the song. How does that fit into the key of Am? It's not a step on the am scale.

I work from a guitar chord sheet and then try to 'bash out' an arrangement on the piano based around the chords and my knowledge of the song. On pop recordings, bass notes are usually played on bass guitar. So transferring the whole group arrangement to piano is a compromise anyway.

Your approach seems random. For pop music, I suggest you learn which chords are in a song, which key it is in etc.

I haven't noticed a Bb in 'Angie'. Maybe it is a passing chord. AFAIK the only sharp/flat is G# for the E7 chord.

I could be wrong, though.

actually I have the same problem playing a chopin nocturne ...evenh though I tried to analyse the cords with music theory .. .but when many double diesis show up in the second page, I hear the whole harmony like in a mi bemol tonality ..and not in a re sharp, which is the correct ... maybe is my ear 'wrong' ...

Just because a song is in a given key doens't mean that every single note and chord in it will come from that key. Notes and chords not in the key are called 'non-diatonic' (gess what ones *in* the key are called...). It's not atypical to see a song whose melody notes are 95% diatonic, but only about 60% of the chords are. Non-diatonic chords in a song usually have some sort of explanation to them to justify how they work in the key; that's an important part of the study of harmony.