Role of left hand on Piano

Axe_meister

When watching various youtube videos on music theory, even when explaining basic topics on Piano like triads, the left hand is still playing stuff.
Is it just for the root and 5th or root and 3rd to make the chord sound bigger.

jeromegreenday

This will make you laugh, I can read piano sheet music, on guitar I just stick to tab! On Piano The left hand can play chords and the right hand too, two chords played at the same time are called Polychords and they sound very cool, similar to stacking notes, There is so so much you can do, the left hand can play a triad and the right hand can just break down that chord and appreggio it, or again the left can do the triad and if your a jazz pianist your right hand can be playing 9th's and 11ths or play the chord with a right hand and see what the melody sounds like on the left hand

octatonic

What genre?
Say you are playing Jazz and want to play an C 13 chord.
That is done by playing C E G Bb D F A.
(You don't have to play all the notes, the G, D and F can be left out, provided you have the 3rd, b7 and 13 (E, Bb, A) over the C).

But let's say you DID want to play all of those notes, you have a C maj 7 on the left hand and a D minor triad on the right.

viz

Hope this helps:

https://youtu.be/ZbEtk1kdYx4

https://youtu.be/ccA7BqQBtaE

axisus

I mostly just bash out root octaves with my left hand whilst playing chords or sometimes chords plus melody with my right hand. It's 'piano lite' but it's a bloody good backing for a singalong if I have a lyrics/chord sheet.

Benm39

Wait till you get to the Bach stuff where each hand is playing two separate melodic voice lines simultaneously whilst sharing others between the hands... mindboggling!

fretmeister

Arguably the best jazz pianist ever...




Old joke was - Who is the greatest piano player in the world? Oscar Peterson's right hand. The 2nd best is his left hand. 

Dominic

axisus said:

I mostly just bash out root octaves with my left hand whilst playing chords or sometimes chords plus melody with my right hand. It's 'piano lite' but it's a bloody good backing for a singalong if I have a lyrics/chord sheet.

Mrs Mills is in the house

Dominic

fretmeister said:

Arguably the best jazz pianist ever...




Old joke was - Who is the greatest piano player in the world? Oscar Peterson's right hand. The 2nd best is his left hand. 

Not much arguably about it .......he was just exceptional in every way .Incredible Jazz genius.

fretmeister

I love his trio work best.

Could listen to that all day.

Benm39

My mum took me to see him playing a small theatre gig when I was about 11. Just astonishingly good.

telehack

Some good stuff on here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz14h8kQAGE

fretmeister

Benm39 said:

My mum took me to see him playing a small theatre gig when I was about 11. Just astonishingly good.

I am jealous!

guitars4you

There was a great interview/lesson with Jools Holland, where he showed the various changes of the left hand, from the styles of 40's/50's/60's from jazz, to boogie woogie to jump jive to rock n roll, via various piano players of the day - Subtle tweaks sometimes - But many great walking bass lines