Workshop #2: Developing Chord Fluency with Bradley Sowash
Date: Monday, April 25th 2022
Time: 10-11:30am
Format: Zoom, hands-on (please have your instrument nearby)
RSVP Before April 22nd: RSVP HERE
*Note: This workshop is only available to our branch members due to a limited enrollment of 50 participants so please sign up early!
There's a difference between harmony theory and practical chord fluency. The latter opens the doors to so many musical skills including analysis, memorization, improvisation, lead sheets...Learn drills, exercises, and creative prompts from a master improvisation teacher to help your students recognize and play chords effortlessly both on and off the bench in any genre.
Rationale: Like language students who have memorized vocabulary but are not yet conversant, pianists who have learned to construct chords may not yet be "chord fluent". So how do we help our students move beyond music theory worksheets to being able to interpret chord symbols and identify underlying harmonies in literature?
Content: Step-by-step guide to teaching chords at the piano without theory books including drills, exercises, and how to integrate chord fluency with literature and improvisation.
Bradley Sowash is a jazz pianist, multi-instrumentalist, and educator specializing in improvisation. After many years as a performing and recording artist, his current focus is in introducing traditionally trained pianists to the joys of jazz/pop improvisation through live online classes and publications. In between, you'll find him on a tractor or horse in the Appalachian foothills of his family farm in southern Ohio.