Gospel Piano Course

Lesson 1 • History and Style Overview

Traces gospel piano from its spiritual and blues origins to contemporary worship styles. Provides cultural context that informs every technical choice made later in the course.

Lesson 2 • Keyboard Geography and Posture

Establishes correct hand position, seating height, and finger curvature for gospel playing. Proper posture prevents injury and enables the dynamic range gospel demands.

Lesson 3 • Major Scales and Key Signatures

Covers all twelve major scales and their corresponding key signatures as the harmonic foundation of gospel. Fluency here unlocks chord construction in every subsequent chapter.

Lesson 1 • Chord Shells and Two-Hand Voicings

Teaches shell voicings and two-hand spread voicings that maximize harmonic richness. This section bridges isolated chord knowledge to full gospel accompaniment textures.

Lesson 2 • Minor Seventh and Half-Diminished Chords

Adds minor 7th and half-diminished chords to complete the diatonic seventh-chord palette. These chords appear frequently in gospel ii–V–I and turnaround progressions.

Lesson 3 • Extended Chords: 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths

Expands harmony to ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths that give gospel its lush, full sound. Students learn practical voicings that omit unnecessary tones for clarity.

Lesson 4 • Dominant and Major Seventh Chords

Introduces dominant 7th and major 7th chords as the backbone of gospel progressions. Students voice these chords in close and open positions for immediate use.

Lesson 1 • Chromatic and Passing Chord Techniques

Adds chromatic passing chords and secondary dominants to create forward harmonic motion. These techniques elevate basic progressions to professional gospel arrangements.

Lesson 2 • Circle-of-Fifths Progressions

Explores descending-fifths chord motion common in gospel vamps and praise sections. Students build fluency moving through the circle with seventh and extended chords.

Lesson 3 • The IV–iv–I Gospel Cadence

Covers the borrowed minor-IV chord cadence that is a hallmark of gospel and soul music. Students learn to voice and time this cadence for maximum emotional impact.

Lesson 4 • The I–IV–V Progression

Establishes the foundational three-chord progression in gospel and its rhythmic applications. Students transpose it through all twelve keys to build harmonic muscle memory.

Lesson 1 • Syncopation and Anticipation

Develops syncopated chord attacks and anticipated beats that create gospel's forward momentum. Students practice anticipating beat one and the downbeat of beat three.

Lesson 2 • Right-Hand Comping Rhythms

Teaches rhythmic comping patterns for the right hand that complement the left-hand bass. Students develop independence between hands through targeted exercises.

Lesson 3 • Left-Hand Bass Patterns

Builds independent left-hand bass lines including stride, octave, and walking patterns. A strong left hand frees the right hand to comp and embellish simultaneously.

Lesson 4 • Understanding Gospel Rhythmic Feels

Distinguishes straight, shuffle, and triplet-based feels used across gospel sub-styles. Students identify and replicate each feel by ear and by notation.

Lesson 1 • Pentatonic and Blues Scale Runs

Introduces major and minor pentatonic scales and the blues scale as the source of gospel runs. Students build speed and accuracy through targeted scale-run exercises.

Lesson 2 • Signature Gospel Licks

Presents a vocabulary of classic gospel licks derived from the pentatonic and blues scales. Students memorize and transpose each lick to internalize the gospel melodic language.

Lesson 3 • Diatonic and Chromatic Fills

Covers stepwise diatonic fills and chromatic approach patterns used between chord changes. Students learn to connect chords smoothly with melodic filler phrases.

Lesson 4 • Gospel Trills and Tremolos

Teaches finger trills and hand tremolos as expressive ornaments in gospel piano. Students develop the finger independence and speed needed for clean execution.

Lesson 1 • Accompanying a Soloist

Develops the listening and comping skills needed to support a lead vocalist effectively. Students practice dynamic shaping, space, and harmonic support behind a melody.

Lesson 2 • Intros, Outros, and Transitions

Builds idiomatic introductions, endings, and between-section transitions for worship songs. Students craft intros that set key, tempo, and feel for the entire ensemble.

Lesson 3 • Congregational Worship Accompaniment

Adapts piano technique to lead and sustain congregational singing in a worship service. Students learn to maintain energy, adjust tempo, and guide the congregation musically.

Lesson 4 • Song Structure and Form

Maps standard worship song forms including verse, chorus, bridge, and vamp sections. Understanding form allows pianists to anticipate transitions and cue the band.

Lesson 1 • Upper-Structure Triads

Layers triads above dominant seventh chords to create rich, orchestral gospel voicings. Students build and voice upper-structure triads on all dominant chord types.

Lesson 2 • Reharmonization Techniques

Replaces standard chord changes with richer substitutions to create harmonic interest. Students apply tritone substitution, back-cycling, and chord quality changes systematically.

Lesson 3 • Altered Dominant Chords

Covers flat-nine, sharp-nine, flat-thirteen, and sharp-eleven alterations on dominant chords. These tensions create the dramatic resolution gospel music demands at cadence points.

Lesson 4 • Polychords and Cluster Voicings

Introduces polychords and tight cluster voicings used in contemporary gospel and praise music. Students voice these dense harmonies and learn when to deploy them for impact.

Lesson 1 • Building a Full Solo Arrangement

Guides students through arranging a gospel song for solo piano from intro to final chord. Each structural section is developed with idiomatic gospel techniques from prior chapters.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Gospel Arranging

Establishes arranging concepts including texture, density, dynamics, and motivic development. Students apply these principles to transform a simple song into a full gospel arrangement.

Lesson 3 • Modulation and Key Changes

Teaches planned and spontaneous modulation techniques used in gospel to build energy. Students execute half-step, whole-step, and pivot-chord modulations in live contexts.

Lesson 4 • Rehearsal Strategies and Practice Routines

Designs efficient daily practice routines that maintain and expand gospel piano skills over time. Students build a sustainable practice framework targeting technique, repertoire, and ear training.