Accompaniment 1 – Root Chords
Found in: Accompaniment
Sharon I. , Australia
My query is on the subject of Accompaniment. Half my studio have just started Acc1 and everyone is wanting to learn a song of their choice.
I notice with a lot of popular music that there are full of chord inversions and we have only learned the root positions so far, how would you approach teaching these songs that they are eagerly looking forward to learning.
Vee S., Florida
Teach them in the root position. If you look at our Accompaniment book, the chords are on top with the melody line below (a fake sheet). There is no indication of what position the chord is played. Later on they can learn inversions. I use inversions all the time playing at church for easier chord progressions. Sometimes I have to stop myself from playing them when I play the Accompaniment songs for students.
Georgia H., Australia
I think it is very important for them to stick to their root position chords for a long while before they start doing inversions, even though it may sound better or be easier to use an inversion. I have made the mistake in the past of doing inversions too early on which lead to a lot of confusion. I’d say once they know their roots and can inherit all other forms of the chord from that root, they are then ready to learn inversions. Neil teaches inversions in Advance Australia Fair, but doesn’t call them that.
Dorothy H., Australia
Chords in inversion are usually represented as “split chords”, or “slash chords”, and these chords are introduced in Level 2, in the Variation version of Amazing Grace.
E.g. To play C in 1st inversion, the chord is given as C/E (Play the C chord in the RH, and single note E in the LH.) Split chords appear further along in the Accompaniment book too.
Hilary C., Australia
Teach them as they are written – split chords – no need to define them as anything other.