mark harrison - beginning rock keyboard_split16

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MORE ROCK KEYBOARD VOICINGS AND PATTERNS

Right-Hand Arpeggios Using Eighth Notes In this chapter we'll build on the foundation in Chapter 2 by adding lots more cool voicings and patterns that the rock keyboardist should know! We'll begin with triad arpeggios (broken chords). This involves playing the notes of a chord one-at-a-time instead of all together. Again this is a common guitar technique in pop and rock styles, which we can adapt for use on the keyboard. First we'll look at a chord progression in the key ofF, which will be a good vehicle for this arpeggio technique:

o a TRACK 26 TRACK 2: piano only piano pi~

rhythm sed F c Gm Dm

(j

) u

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.. ·-· • ~· ~' .~ ~ - -,;-. -,;-'--'-,;-

This is a simple pattern, voice leading between whole-note triads in the right hand, and supported by a rhythmic root note pattern in the left hand. The chord progression is 1-V-11-VI (one, five, two, six) in the key of F. Review the diatonic triads in the key ofF back in Chapter 2 if you're not sure about this! Now we'll apply a right-hand eighth-note arpeggio pattern to the above voicings:

0 TRACK 28 piano only

F c G m D m

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a TRACK 2 piano pi~

rhythm sec

(j I I I I

u I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

.. ·-· • ~· ~- .~ ~ - -,;-. -,;-'--'-,;-

This pattern is reminiscent of the alternative rock anthem "Clocks" by Coldplay. Note that the right-hand arpeggio is created by playing the notes of the inverted F major triad in a descending sequence, and that the eight eighth-notes in each measure are split into a "3-3-2"-type pattern-i.e., in the first measure there are two decending three-note arpeggios (F-C-A), followed by a two-note'figure (F-C). This creates a type of rhythmic displacement that is typical in pop and rock keyboard styles.

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