The Open Position Chord (OPC) allows you to create a vented sound. A sound that is open, literally, as opposed to the closed triads taught in most course books.

The OPC covers more than two octaves of the keyboard allowing you to create without moving the hands around too much. Perfect for the beginner and advanced player. New Age music in particular has an open quality that is created in a number of ways. The first way is by the chord choices used. Most of this music is in a Major Key. The sound is pleasant without any dissonant tones.

The second way is how the chord is played or voiced. The OPC voicing gives you the ability to separate the chord into three different parts; low end or bass note, middle notes, and high or melody notes. With this configuration you are able to make more music than if you were just playing a triad in your left hand and playing melody in your right.

It also allows you to play in counterpoint. When you are improvising with the OPC, your fingers will automatically begin to create a countermelody. How? Because you already have six tones underneath your fingers to begin with. Just by moving your fingers over the keys in different rhythms, you begin to have harmony with melody.

It allows you to play piano with both hands together right away. This is entirely different than the way most pianists learn how to finger a chord. They are usually taught triads first fingered in the left hand then in the right and finally both hands together. Is this music making? Of course not.

The Open Position Chord allows you to use both hands together to create solid chords, arpeggios - pretty much anything you can imagine. This chord structure allows the complete beginner to sound like a pro faster than any other approach. Why? Because you are already using seventh chords - the foundation sound for most modern music today. It's used in Jazz and contemporary instrumental music about 90% of the time. After you begin to play the OPC as a seventh chord, there's no end to the possibilities./Edward Weiss

Hi Taike,
have you joined Edwards New Age Piano class? or is that from his blogg.
He's got some very interesting ideas.

best wishes
Rikki

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Taike:
[B]

Hi Rikki,

I haven't joined Edward's New Age Piano class but I apply OPC to quite a lot of songs as it doesn't apply to New Age music only. Have you signed up for his class, Rikki?

The post is indeed from his blogg.

Regards

Taike

Of course, if you want to take advantage of 'open' chord voicings on an arranger, you'll generally have to use your 'Piano Mode' or whatever your arranger calls it, where it looks at the entire keyboard as you play pianistically.

Roland have a nice feature of Pianostyle Mode, where you HAVE to play at least three notes to get a chord change, so you play your big 'open chord', and then solo one note at a time over it, and the chord won't change. Perfect for new age things.... (you can also try programming a foot-switch to turn Chord Recognition 'off' while you solo, and back on for the next 'open' chord - new age tends to have very slow chord changes!)

Hi Taike,
yes, I have actually joined up a couple of times, mainly to see what he's been doing.
It's a bit of a strange setup, ( unless it's change recently) you actually pay by the month, which gives you the opportunity to join up for a month or 2, drop out, & rejoin a few months later down the track. Probably not the way you're supposed to do it, but I keep getting sidetracked ( not enough hours in the day for me).
His lessons (examples, whatever you want to call them,) are online ( from lesson 1 onwards), & he just keeps adding to them.
The lessons don't have to be taken in any particular order.
I haven't been involved recently, so hopefully the way he runs it , hasn't changed. Maybe it's time for me to check in again haahaa.
He also runs a New Age piano group on Yahoo, though I don't know how active it is.

best wishes
Rikki
p.s. he's currently got a 1 week introductry offer going.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Taike:
[

[This message has been edited by rikkisbears (edited 05-13-2007).]

Hi Diki,
I actually have a Clavinova for piano playing..
Haven't really thought to try it in on a keyboard. Probably because both of my keyboards "LACK" new age styles. I don't think any of the brands are particularly big on newage.
Closest I've gotten is the newage styles in BIAB. May have to create my own haahaa

Both my keyboards do have "Piano Style " mode, be interesting to see how they cope with the Open Chord Voicing, whether or not the chord recognition gets it right.

best wishes
Rikki
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Diki:
[B]

Hi Taike,

Is the Edwards that you're speaking of Edward Weiss? This sounds really interesting. Please send me the web address for this blog of his.

Thanks a lot,

Tom J

Hi Tom,

Here are some links. About the course itself, Rikki has firsthand experience.
http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html (talks about the course)
http://pianomusings.blogspot.com/ (his blog _ some nice videos)
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Edward_Weiss (234 articles by Edward Weiss - very interesting reading material)
http://cdbaby.com/cd/eweiss2 (about his CD Anza-Borrego Desert Suite + some song demos)

Enjoy!

Taike