| A fake book can be a source of many inspiring piano | | | | to be a good piano player in the area of improvised |
| exercises. It contains a lot of melodies written in a | | | | piano music. Let us take an example from a fake |
| concise format that includes only the melody and | | | | book. You have a song of your choice in front of you |
| chord names. Let us take a look at how you can use | | | | with melody, chord suggestions and nothing more. |
| these melodies to become a better pianist! | | | | What can you do to use this song as a starting point |
| First of all we will take a look at how melodies are | | | | for a piano practice session? |
| notated in a fake book. Usually you will find the melody | | | | We suppose that the song starts with the chord |
| of a song in sheet music notation together with chord | | | | C-major and then in the next bar you will find the |
| suggestions above the notes. This economical way of | | | | chord F-major. Here are some suggestions on what to |
| notating makes it possible to fill a fake book with a lot | | | | practice drawn from these two bars of music. |
| of melodies. | | | | 1. Work on chord voicings. Practice playing C-major |
| The advantage of this way of notating melodies is that | | | | triads with your left hand in the three inversions. That |
| you can have a fake book as a reference book with | | | | means that you play the chord C-major with the three |
| a lot of melodies at your disposal. | | | | notes involved, C, E and G, in three combinations, that |
| The drawback is that you do not have a written out | | | | is, CEG, EGC or GCE. Do the same with the chord |
| arrangement of the song for piano. You have to figure | | | | F-major. Practice also to move from C to F in various |
| out how to play the song by yourself. Actually this can | | | | combinations. |
| be an advantage that will help you develop as a pianist | | | | 2. Work on playing the melody in different ways. Single |
| letting you interpret the song's performance as you | | | | right hand notes, playing right hand octaves, playing the |
| feel is appropriate. | | | | melody with your left hand and chords with your right |
| One little melody in a fake book can give you many | | | | hand and more. |
| exercises in different areas of your piano playing and | | | | 3. Work on adding more chords. For example, taking |
| help you in your development as a musician. Here are | | | | the C-chord to F could go via Gm7 and C7 thus |
| a few examples: | | | | creating the following chord sequence, C, Gm7, C7, F. |
| 1. Learn to play chords together with a melody. For | | | | Much can be done to spice the song by adding more |
| example, play chords with your left hand and melody | | | | chords to the ones in the fake book. |
| with your right hand, play bass notes with your left | | | | 4. Add notes to the chords you use in your song. A |
| hand and combine melody and chord notes with your | | | | C-major chord can easily be substituted with a Cmaj7 |
| right hand, play various combinations of bass notes, | | | | chord or a Cmaj9 and you can find more interesting |
| chord notes and melody notes with both hands. | | | | chords if you focus on one chord at a time. Of course |
| 2. Learn to find the right chords to use when playing a | | | | you can work on playing these new chords in different |
| melody. In a fake book you will find chord suggestions | | | | combinations and inversions too. |
| that can easily be supplemented with more chords | | | | 5. Use the song as a foundation for improvisation. |
| making the voicings and chord progressions more | | | | Learn a melody passage by heart. Play this passage |
| exciting. | | | | over and over again with small changes in the melody |
| 3. Learn to improvise by using the melody as a starting | | | | thus practicing melodic improvisation. Or use the |
| point. This is often called melodic improvisation. You | | | | chords. The chord C-major suggests two major |
| can also use the chords or the fitting scales as a | | | | scales to use when improvising. You can use a |
| foundation for your improvisation. This is called chordal | | | | C-major scale or a C-major pentatonic scale for |
| improvisation and scale improvisation. | | | | example. |
| 4. Learn to play the songs in the piano fake book in | | | | To sum up you can use one single song in a fake |
| different keys thus developing your ability to play by | | | | book as the basis for piano exercises in many areas |
| ear and understand the piano keyboard by transposing | | | | of your development as a pianist and at the same |
| songs you have learned. | | | | time you build up a repertoire with popular melodies for |
| Actually you can use a song in a fake book as the | | | | your own benefit and the enjoyment of other people. |
| basis for your development as a pianist if your goal is | | | | |