Most students new to piano playing really want to know what to do with the left hand. They think the left hand holds the secret to great improvisations and music. While it's true that the left hand has usually been the captain of the piano ship when it comes to setting arrangements, the right can also join in. Look, the right hand is where most of us create our melodies. It's considered easier than the workhorse part the left has to do with creating arpeggios, ostinatos and the like. But, we can also use the right hand to create arpeggios and ostinato patterns. For example, in the Lesson "April Rain," the right hand plays closed position seventh chords as arpeggios while the right plays bass notes as melody. This is not a new technique by far but it's not usually used in New Age piano playing. And like any other technique, it takes a while before you feel comfortable enough to play a left-hand melody using bass notes. The piano is such a versatile instrument because unlike many other instruments, the notes are all laid out for you. You can switch hands, criss-cross hands, and do many other things with a piano keyboard that you just can't do with something like a saxophone or even a guitar! |
