Podcast
Melodies with Morgan
Hosted by Morgan Showalter · EN
This is the place to learn piano chords and playing by ear the simple way. I've seen experienced and beginner pianist fall into the same dilemma: MOST of the popular piano methods fail to connect the dots with foundational piano patterns. It takes years to learn enough piano theory to finally see how it all works together. In this podcast, we'll be approaching music theory from a completely different angle allowing you to play by ear as a beginner or classically trained musician. You'll learn how piano chords connect like a chain and how to confidently weave through any piano key as you improvise. Also - to all the piano teachers out there - we'll be diving into how to teach piano classically AND by ear. You'll hear some fun (and failed!) stories from my years of teaching piano since 2013. Let's get started!
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
011 Master These 4 Chord Patterns and Memorize Any Chord
Jun 10, 202500:26:05Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we break down the four patterns to quickly memorize all 12 major chords, then we learn the most common ways we can alter these chords. (Once we know the rules of music theory, we can break them to create more unique sounds.) The first six chords are SO easy and a great way to get started.
Transcribe →010 The "Aha" Moment Story (Everything Clicked to Play by Ear)
Jun 3, 202500:30:53Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I'm sharing my story and the three things that combined at just the right time to understand how to play by ear. One reason I believe playing by ear is not commonly taught is because it requires looking at the piano in terms of patterns and understanding chords more-so than scales. There were three specific thought processes from piano lessons, choir, and worship team that helped piano theory and the circle of fifths make sense in a new way! My goal is to replicate the same process for others and help them achieve freedom in playing.
Transcribe →009 From Beginner to Chord Charts!! (Everything to get started)
Jul 1, 202400:18:57Tap to summarizeLet's dive into piano chords, learn the entire overview to find any chord, and then learn how to read a chord chart! This episode is a fast, broad overview of piano chords. We go over questions like: how many total chords are there? What do the different numbers or symbols mean beside each chord? How can we find mixed chords like F#m7/D? These are the answers I wish someone would have taught me when I was first learning chords!
Transcribe →008 Learning Chord Inversions (and why the I, IV, V pattern isn't ideal)
Jun 27, 202400:19:36Tap to summarizeIn this episode we explore chord inversions: what they are, how to find them from any chord, and how to use them for a melody and song. We also talk about why the traditional I, IV, V chord progression isn't ideal and teach it in a more thorough approach.
Transcribe →007 Where Do I Begin? Learning Piano Chords!
Jun 24, 202400:17:04Tap to summarizeWhether you have been playing classical piano for a few years or are a beginner to piano, this episode gives a clear action plan for learning your first piano chords! (And it's different than the traditional piano method!) What if there was a way to recognize patterns and have fun while learning your favorite songs and chord charts? Let's explore some ideas!
Transcribe →006 From Basic to Beautiful! Realtime Piano Chord Examples
Jun 20, 202400:20:16Tap to summarizeLet's dive into some piano examples together taking a basic chord progression and turning it into a beautiful melody! We'll cover how to expand a chord with voicing and how to use inversions to guide a melody. This episode's a must for all composers and gives some creative ways to get started for beginners.
Transcribe →005 Don't Google Piano Chords! Learn This Simple Method Instead...
Jun 17, 202400:33:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode, we start where most method books end. We can derive chords from the scale (traditionally) but that leaves us with a lot of memorization and work to do before learning any chords. We would first have to learn 12 key signatures and the different sharps and flats in those scales. What if there was a way to learn chords, even as a beginner? Let's use a different approach to find the easy patterns for chords and start playing ASAP!
Transcribe →004 My Secret (tried and true) Method for First Piano Chord
May 6, 202400:19:51Tap to summarizeI wish piano chords were taught like this!! Learning the first chord can be so simple, easy, and fun! In this episode, I teach my method for learning the very first chord, and it's been tested successfully with so many of my students.
Transcribe →003 How to Read a Chord Chart vs Sheet Music
Oct 9, 202300:21:33Tap to summarizeThis episode is all about reading a chord chart, which is so different from playing traditional sheet music. I wish someone would have told me these differences when I was first starting out with chord charts. Even if you have quite a bit of knowledge on reading sheet music, there's a few simple things to know about chord charts to kickstart your learning. I also share a few stories about my own journey and student success stories in this episode!
Transcribe →002 What are Piano Chords?
Jul 25, 202300:20:24Tap to summarizeIn this episode we'll dive into what piano chords are, how many chords there are on the piano, what chords do when combined with a melody, and ways to play and expand chords to sound magnificent. :) I am playing along at my piano with different examples throughout the podcast, so enjoy a piano lesson type of episode.
Transcribe →