Genos Song Request

[Mike2]

I don't know if this is appropriate, but here goes.  I play liturgical music, and one of many songs that is requested, of many is this one. "The Prayer" I can play it on the Genos using Free Styles, or a soft rhythm, and get by, but far from playing all the detailed chords. If anyone wants to share that song played on the Genos, I would appreciate it.  I don't read a note of music, but hearing it from someone else playing that song on the Genos, or any model, will be a great help for amateur musician.
Thanks..

[JanCK]

There are piano versions of that song (and just about any other song) on YouTube.  Just go to YouTube and type in the name of the song along with "piano solo" in the search bar and you'll generally find multiple versions.  Also check on Spotify or any other music streaming service.

[Mike2]

I am no piano person, as this would maybe confuse me more than not. I see many piano playing of that song on you tube as you say. Once again, I can get by and play piano for someone who knows nothing about playing. If possible, just using the Genos or any Yamaha keyboard, free style or a soft rhythm for that song.

[Lee Batchelor]

Mike, I'd like to help. Can you post a link from the YouTube version that you really like, and I'll try to give you the chords in a simplified version. Will that work for you?

[Mike2]

Thanks Lee; I'll send an mp3 file of me playing this song tomorrow, so you can tell where I am as far as this song is concerned.
Thanks..

[Lee Batchelor]

Glad to help, Mike.

[mikf]

Mike, you say you can't read a note of music, can you read chord symbols? If so you can find the chords on a chord site like Chordify. The semi classical arrangements of this song by Bocelli etc may make it sound complicated, but in fact the chords are quite straightforward. If the chords are in an awkward key for you, just can fairly easily transpose them.ie if they are in Bb, just move every chord up two notes and you are in C.
Mike

[Lee Batchelor]

That's good advice too, MikeF.

On the other hand, chords are often not that simple. I suppose they are if you know your intervals, which sort of requires you to be a reader. As for reading music, I can read but not for the purposes of playing the keyboard. I'm a heavy ear-trained musician. If I need to play a melody, I learn it by sight and ear; mostly the latter. When I learn the chords, I initially learn the notes but after a while, I remember the chord by its shape in my fingers, not the notes.

Music is a strange science!

[Mike2]

This is a link to the song I just recorded of me playing The Prayer.  There is much more to the song.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/utvk8v5qnrckllw/The%20Prayer.mp3?dl=0

[mikf]

Well you stop short of playing the bridge, which I guess is the part that you are struggling with. But what you posted is not too bad. Maybe a little stilted and slow in playing, but the harmony (chords) are fairly OK. Have you listened to the Celine Dion/Bocelli version freely available on tube?. You can pick up the bridge by ear from this if you struggle with reading music. I looked at Chordify and you can get the chords for the whole song there in Bb. They are somewhat simplified chords, compared to the official sheet music, but that may suit you. As I said not hard to transpose chords from Bb to C, just move two notes to the right, - so Bb becomes C, F becomes G and so on. The chord remains the same so if it is D Minor it just becomes E minor. Just print out the Chordify sheet and go over it writing down the transposed chord. I find that playing by ear, it helps to get the melody into your head in difficult sections if you have the correct harmony.
Mike

[Lee Batchelor]

I listened to your score, Mike2. It's very nice, and the chords are basically correct. There are some chord substitutions I can give you that will add interest. I'll write a simple chart and get back to you here.

[Mike2]

Thanks guys.  I played guitar for over 35 years, and I was able to figure out the chords to a song as long as I had the music in my head. Same with the keyboard. The Beatles were my favorites early 60's and it was such a challenge to figure their chords. I taught myself to play keyboard like guitar. Melody with the right hand, and chording with the left. I gave guitar up a long time ago, because keyboard is so much more exciting. Slow difficult songs like The Prayer for me, is that I tend to speed up, and every mistake is amplified. Other songs with styles, I can wing it pretty good, and unless your a musician, I can pull it off.

[mikf]

Another thing that might catch you out in this song is that it modulates into the sub dominant for the finale ie after the bridge. What that means in plain English is that if you start in the key of C, you would move into F for the final verse. The chord sequence remains broadly the same but in the new key.
I might also add that it can be hard to catch onto the correct chord by ear in songs like this where there are a lot of suspensions ie where the bass holds and the chord changes.
Mike

[Lee Batchelor]

Okay, my turn .

I agree with all comments. This song was created by four people, the least of which was David Foster -  a master of chords. What makes this song interesting are the following:

1) His use of suspended fourths before some of the chord phrases resolve. Pretty standard trick but effective.
2) Thirds and fifths in the left hand piano bass part. Thirds especially create tension and interest.
3) The song map doesn't follow the traditional 4, 8, 12, 16, bar patterns. The Intro has 5 bars, while the Verses have 17 - assuming I counted everything correctly!

I attached the chart in D. Let me know if you don't understand what I wrote. I did it in a free program called Musescore. Software won't allow this!!

One other tip for Mike2. By default, Yamaha puts a TON of reverb and/or sustain on almost every patch. While it may give one the impression that they are playing in front of 20,000 people in a huge space somewhere, it also serves to mask errors that eventually bleed through. By then, it's too late to correct the error. It leaves you wondering why you can't get a musical sound out of any song. You can't add expression to any song when the notes are all chained together like the reverb junkies at Yamaha think. Learn to play the song with a dry piano voice first. If you can get it right, use your previous patch with a lot less reverb. You'll be shocked at how good you'll sound.

When there's that much reverb, you can't hear what you're doing wrong. When you can't hear what you're doing wrong, you can't fix it. Enjoy .

- Lee

Note
I just discovered I can't upload a PDF file!! This forum software is ancient. I'll send it to Mike2 in a PM, I guess.

Edit
I guess I can't send Mike2 the PDF through a PM. Suggestions, anyone? For now, I attached a picture of the score.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Mike2]

Lee;  You are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy out of my league, but thanks, like we say in Maine, You Know Your _ hit!!!  Try copy the pdf and paste on to the pm.

[Lee Batchelor]

Thanks, Mike2. I can explain a lot that for you through a PM if you wish. I tried attaching the PDF to the PM but it's the same software that's used here. It won't let me. The only other way is through a regular email message. Let me know how much further you want to kick the can down the road on this song .

[Mike2]

Lee, send it to this e-mail    mike194930@outlook.com I am always interested...Give that can one more kick...Thanks again

[mikf]

Spot on Lee.
Mike2 - a little trick if you find sus chords difficult. Play the root of the chord called and over that play the triad of the chord one tone lower. So for Gsus play a G in your left hand and the F triad in your right. Strictly speaking that would be G7sus, but doesn't really matter. Or you can think of it as F/G.
Mike

[Lee Batchelor]

Thanks Mike.

Mike2, I just sent the score to your email address. Let me know if you need further clarifications. Mike has explained it well.