1-6-4-5

       Last week I learned how to play one of the most basic chord progressions on the piano, a 1-6-4-5 in C. That’s basically all I can do, though. I learned it in a brief music theory class in all of ten minutes, so I’m no Beethoven, but I’ve got some skills. If I sat down at a piano and played a C chord, you’d assume I know how to play piano, unless of course you are so musically inclined to know that pretty much anyone can play a C chord. But! I still feel accomplished! It’s a new skill I get to play around with.

       If you’re not familiar with the 1-6-4-5 progression, you probably would be if you heard it. It’s the same progression as “Heart and Soul”. Here's a video.

       Since learning it, I’ve spent probably too much time playing it, yet, I haven’t grown tired of it. I feel so accomplished, having learned a new instrument, even if all I can play is four chords. It’s exciting too, to be able to play more than just “Chinese rain” on the black keys. Having a start, even just a basic start, means I can do some really cool stuff. With a very basic knowledge of music

theory in my bucket of skills, I can learn to layer different chords
with melodies and harmonies, so that they might become actual songs.

       I have been experimenting with this a bit. From my limited knowledge of theory, which I hope will expand, I know that thirds and fifths sound nice. So, if I were to play a C, I might play an E or a G on top of it in a different octave. While playing around with this idea, I stumbled across the tune to the chorus of “Come Sail Away”, which is weird because that’s not exactly the sort of music I usually listen to. But, somehow, the ancient melody was resurrected from the time I played it in orchestra for our annual rock concert. I played a C and layered some E eighth notes on top, and before I knew it, I was playing something that resembled that song.

       Viola is the only instrument I’ve ever played, and the piano feels foreign, like Paris. I feel like a double threat now. I feel like a real musician. Now that I have a very basic understanding of theory,and a new way to experiment with that knowledge, I feel like I could eventually learn to compose.