Book · Music
Beginner to Composer in 14 Days · Digital edition
Patterns In The Rain
Day 12
Left hand patterns
Changing the LH chord patterns has a huge impact on the mood of a piece. Here are two common approaches for you to experiment with. After all, why should your RH have all the fun?
Oom-pah chords
To create a joyful, bouncy feeling split your LH chord like this:
Oom - Will be your root note anywhere in the lower half of the piano. Pah - Will be your whole chord around the middle of the piano.
Variation 1: Oom-pah
The simplest form is for both the Oom and the Pah to be half notes on beats one and three. Start with the Oom only one octave below the Pah. Then as you get more comfortable, try playing it lower in the piano so you have to jump up much further for the Pah chord. Remember, this is all being played with your LH!
- Try Variation 1 with your B section chord progression.
Variation 2: Oom-pah-pah
Play the Oom on beat one as a quarter note and then play two pahs: the first as a quarter note on beat two, followed by a half note on beat three.
- Try this with your B section chord progression.
Variation 1 can be used to add a little interest (oom pah close together) or a lot of interest (oom pah far apart). Variation 2 sounds very different, more like a French waltz. Think about whether either of these variations could suit your composition, or come up with your own variation. There are an infinite number of ways to bring to life the Oom-pah technique, each creating a different energy and mood.
- Apply Variation 1 to the LH chords in your B section. Practise your LH only until you get through without stopping.
- Still focussing on the B section only, try adding your RH rhythmic phrase, improvising with the notes of the key but keeping a strong focus on chord tones. Go slowly, only speeding up to your desired tempo when you’re confident you can keep up the Oom-pahs and your RH perfectly.
- Now try with Variation 2.
Arpeggiated chords
Now this one is truly dreamy. Done well it can sound like sparkling, flowing water. To ‘arpeggiate’ your LH chords all you need to do is break them down into individual notes. Remember your chord is made up of the 1, the 3 and the 5. Try these variations of arpeggiated chords to get started, one cycle per bar:
Variation 1
Example: A C E C
Notes span one octave
Variation 2
Example: A E C
Notes span two octaves
- Apply Variation 1 to the LH chords in your B section. Practise your LH only until you can get through without stopping.
- Still focussing on the B section only, try adding your RH rhythmic phrase, improvising with all the notes of the key but keeping a strong focus on chord tones. Go slowly, only speeding up to your desired tempo when you’re confident you can keep up in both hands.
- Now try with Variation 2.
Now that you’ve got to grips with some new LH patterns, reflect on whether any of them could enhance your composition. Perhaps many of the patterns felt good to you, or perhaps only a few complemented the mood and picture you’re trying to paint. Whether you choose to oom-pah your way through your entire composition, or arpeggiate just here and there, don’t forget to add your LH patterns to your worksheet, just like I have in the example below.
Use my abbreviations: OP1 = Oom-pah chords variation 1 OP2 = Oom-pah chords variation 2 AC1 = Arpeggiated chords variation 1 AC2 = Arpeggiated chords variation 2 If you’re not adding a pattern just note down the simple chord you want to play: R = Root chord 1st = 1st inversion 2nd = 2nd inversion