Hi all,

As new player, I've got a quick question about my left hand, please.

I have Greg, Steve, and Emmett's books and have been working through various exercises in each. I'm now at a point where I want to start to play some songs to add to my practice routine, and am thinking about starting with some sheet music I have of Beatles tunes arranged as simple piano pieces.

My question is this... the arrangements mostly call for octaves, one-five's, or other simple bass patterns in the left hand (the right hand is obviously working harder with melody/chords/harmony). Is there any reason that I should be pushing more toward developing my ability to play chords in the left hand as a beginnner, or are simple bass figures combined with a more active right hand an ok approach?

Thanks for any insights,
Karma

Hello Karma,
Well, I would say, first of all, I don't know if there isn't really a should or shouldn't. I don't know how long you have been playing, and by all means 1-5-8s in the left hand are useful and great practice, but starting to use and "feel" some of the basic left hands chords would be very useful whenever you feel comfortable doing so.
I play some beatles songs, Michelle for example, you can see a video on youtube, and I think these are very useful, because you can get "Bass" and basic harmony out of the way with just your left hand, and use the right for other things. There are very comfortable and useful Dom7, min7 and Maj7 chord shapes for the left hand, and these are great for Bossa, Latin, etc. For example, Greg Howard's Grillos is a great song not only to listen to, but to practice independence, harmony in the right, and a great Dom7 chord in the left.
It was a bit difficult for me at first, but since its all 1 chord, its great practice for many things. I still play it with some variations live, and find it very fun...
Keep practicing!
-JBA

Hi Karma (great handle) - arrangements that you find in piano sheet music are deliberately made very simple so that the publisher can get a wide customer base on the music. You should pretty much ignore what is printed for the piano chart.

One way to get some nice things happening on those Beatles tunes is to just begin with the melody and create a bass line (keep your eye on the chords printed). Play that idea through until you're comfortable with the tune. Then go back, slow it down and look to see where you can add chords or a moving figure (maybe arpeggiate a three note chord up to the melody note). Remember you can always play the melody on the high bass strings.

Put in the left hand figures that you're familiar with and as a complete left turn when you come back to the beginning of the tune - try playing the melody with the left hand somewhere. You can then accompany that with your right hand. There's tons of things you can do

If you have Steve's book, you should also get his DVD. You'll see lots of things there which will suggest moves you can do to create your own Stick arrangement.

Good luck and keep us informed on your tunes.
Sean Stirling

You'll end up creating your own Stick arrangement.

Ahhh Stick and The Beatles!

Good question Karma! I play almost exclusively Beatles tunes on Stick and I can say that its a great way to get comfy on the Stick. This being said, I think Japhlet got it right, there really isn't a right or wrong way of going about this, but what works for you! Remember that the Stick is maybe the ultimate instrument for self expression and musical exploration and you will find your way just like Emmett did! I find for me that I need a tune to work out a left or right handed technique, yet I can only really master that technique if i have an arrangement for it and if and only if it sounds good to me. Follow your ear and your heart and remember that you can do so much more on the Stick then bass and melodies! If you search Steve Gajdos in Youtube, you can see my progress with Beatles tunes. I hope they help!