First up: Editor's Note from the laptop of Robert Curtis,
your songwriter in residence at Songwriting Software Plus.

Robert Curtis song samples at Broadjam.com/RobertCurtis.

Followed by Items:

1. Keys To Learning Keyboards
2. This Month's Notable Quote
3. Songwriting Software Plus Software Superstars

Editor's Note:

It's keyboard month at Songwriting Software Plus and accordingly this issue will delve into some programs that focus on learning the chord style approach to playing.

Chord style as in approaching the keyboard from the angle of how music is constructed and played by understanding the relationships of chords primarily.

This chord approach as opposed to fully learning how to read music and learning to play from fully notated sheet music - where you might learn to play - but not understand the chord and melodic concepts underpinning what you're playing.

Chord style playing can involve some note reading especially of a melody line but for the most part, especially for songwriting, you don't need to play a melody as you'll likely sing it.

So at most you'll only need a chord based lead sheet with chord symbols (chord shorthand) or simply play from memory - "playing by ear" as it is often referred to.

Item 1

Keys To Learning Keyboards

There are many programs available to teach you chord style playing and in this issue three of the most popular programs will be focussed on.

Each takes a slightly different approach but they all have value depending on your current level of playing or needs - and all can be learned in your own home by yourself.

New School Of American Music

Robert Laughlin started the New School Of American Music and his one day piano workshops over twenty years ago and they're still going strong.

Having taken his course several years ago and again as a guest a little over a year ago I can say that this is a very good program - for the absolute beginner to the classically trained pianist who has no real chord knowledge.

His introductory course starts with all the basics and then takes you through a methodical process of playing more and more elaborate chords and song arrangements. You leave with a good foundation and from there you can develop on your own.

If you can't avail yourself of actually attending a workshop his materials are designed for home study as well with booklets available - the main one with a dvd and all of them with cds.

Check it all out at pianofun.com.

PianoForAll.com - Home Study With A Contemporary Edge

Piano For All is a multistyled system that has a contemporary focus on styles attributable to such contemporaries as Elton John.

Robin Hall is the proprietor and has created a series of ebooks that smartly include not only audio samples of the material being presented but video snippets as well - and they appear along side the written material as it is presented page for page in each ebook - this makes it so much more understandable and immediate.

His site is fairly descriptive and he has a video demonstration program on his site that gives a nice taste of how that part of his program works.

The ebooks are all reasonably priced and incredibly under $80 US if you buy them all together.

Take a closer look at pianoforall.com.

The Sudnow Method - For The Novice Seeking Sophistication

Back in the '80's a Ph.D. from Berkeley, David Sudnow, figured out a way to make playing sophisticated sounding song arrangements easy to grasp and play by coming up with a dot system of music writing.

I'm over simplifying it a bit as his dot system is merely a stepping stone to help you paint by number, so to speak, until you can use his shorthand system that follows it more readily.

Anyway, as simplistic as his system is, it is best for a novice player but a complete beginner could start with it too - it will just take a lot longer to learn it and to be able to play it.

I've been experimenting with this system lately - to expand my own playing and writing abilities and have fun too - and I really appreciate its cut to the chase, jump into the deep end, approach to being able to write and play very sophisticated sounding arrangements - rather jazz like one might say.

However, although the method taught leads to rich voicings of chords, you can scale back the notes to lighten the sound and make it more pop like.

Also bear in mind if you're so motivated to order his system he was a bit slow at mailing and only has an email contact - no phone - so be prepared to wait a bit. I was happy once I got my package of written materials and CDs/dvd although I had to send an email to prod them being sent. Maybe he was on a vacation - but nonetheless it was worth the price and the wait I felt.

Find out more at Sudnow.com.

Putting It All Together

Playing chord style is one thing but applying it to your songwriting is another.

To get the scoop on just how to best use chords to construct your songs a few great resources are any of the Ricky Rooksby books of which his keyboard one is linked here, Jai Josefs' book Writing Music For Hit Songs and Roedy Black's CompleteChords.com and his site's books How Songwriting Really Works (volume 1) - and be sure to check out volume 2 for lyrical insight if you need to - and also for more on music their How Music Realy Works too.

All of these sources get to the idea of how to put chords together to write the best songs you can.

End of Item

For Inspiration And Thought On Your Path To More Songwriting Success:

"Effective people are not problem-minded; they're opportunity-minded."
-- Stephen Covey

Songwriting Software Plus Software Superstars:

Lyric Writing (Windows and Macs):

Lyricist - the premiere indispensable and affordable lyric and lead sheet music writing program.

Performing Songwriter Magazine said this about Lyricist - "...what it does, it does well." March/April 2004

Click here for all the benefits Lyricist gives your songwriting and enjoy the Songwriting Software Plus discount - save $5.00. Or try it FREE for 30 days. CD or download.

MasterWriter - the most comprehensive program for writing lyrics with a recorder for melodies and preprogrammed grooves.

Used by hit songwriters Gwen Stefani, Rob Thomas, Jimmy Webb, Kenny Loggins, Trent Reznor, Clint Black, Jeffrey Steele, and many more. Windows and Mac compatible.

Click here to read more about MasterWriter and save big with Songwriting Software Plus. Or try it FREE for 30 days. CD or download.

Music Writing (for Windows):

Play Music - the easiest, most bang for the buck, music notation program around. Our top selling notation program - click here to see why.

Music Recording (for Windows)

Mixcraft - easy, affordable, and quite capable, recording software. Just released in version 3.

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