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We've been easy on ourselves so far, playing two patterns on one chord. The actual Majestic River performance has only one bar of each pattern - you have to change chords every bar.

This will stress-test how well you know the chords and fingering!

Here's your module reference performance.

Jumps and hand positioning

Changing chords every bar makes knowing where your fingers have to get to next even more critical.

And in piano playing as in life, to be there on time, you have to set off in good time.

So use the voice movement diagrams to help you memorise where you're going, and use this jumping-in-advance practice technique to make sure you're over the right notes before you play them.

Performance with scrolling manuscript

There's a lot more chance of you playing fluidly if you really know - in advance - what you're trying to play. Studying away from the keyboard is useful here.

Try playing along with the performance just on your desktop. Do you know what the next chord is? Which fingers you'll be using?

Alternative bass lines

We can make our performance more interesting by playing a slightly different version "on the repeat" (the second time through).

In both the following examples, only two left hand notes are different.

Type One

For the F chord, play A in the bass; for the G chord, play B.

This gives us 'slash chord' chord symbols: F/A - "F chord with A in the bass", and G/B - "G chord with B in the bass".

Type Two

Alternatively, you can just repeat the C in the bass for the whole four bars.

This 'pedal C bass' - meaning the foot pedal of an organ - throws up two more 'slash chords': F/C - "F over C", and G/C - "G over C".

(Note that these slash chord symbols don't tell you what inversion you're playing in the right hand.)

Now go on to Module Six, where you start to learn a contrasting 'B strain' to fill out our solo.

Musicarta is streaming on Twitch TV! Bookmark keyboardcomposing and check the schedule for your local times!