The melody is the thing.
I say it all the time – because it’s true. The tune is the melody and that’s what you want to push forward when you’re playing.
BUT…
We have the good fortune to play an instrument that is a platform for both melody and harmony. So, while you definitely need to get the melody out – after that, all that’s left…is left (harmony).
I almost hate to say Left Hand (LH) as if it is equal to harmony – because there is no rule that says the harmony must be relegated to the left hand. But it is fairly common practice, so we can shelve that line of thinking for another day.
That means that once you have deeply learned the melody, we need to add in that LH harmony. And to make that easy, fluid, practical, and supportive, we need to have strong LH patterns ingrained in us! There are loads of patterns available. Many are pseudodefined by the idiom of the music you’re playing, but that really only limits what you might think about playing. Without exploring the outer limits of harmony (we could do that another time if you ask), there are a number of LH patterns you could deeply learn so you can apply them at any time. These include:
5ths (often standard for Irish, Scottish, and Celtoid tunes)
1-5-8 chords (e.g., C-G-C or G-D-G using fingers 4-2-1)
1-5-8-9-10 (e.g., C-G-C-D-E or G-D-G-A-B using fingers 4-2-1-2-1)
1-5-8-etc (e.g., C-G-C-D-E-F-G (using fingers 4-2-1-4-3-2-1) or G-D-G-A-B-C (using fingers 4-2-1-3-2-1) or or G-D-B-A-G (using fingers 4-2-1-2-3)) and on until you’re done – I often go as far as needed to support the phrase and how I’m feeling it!
Boom chucks (this can be a triad, a 5th, a 1-5-8, or whatever, but played in two segments – boom (bottom note maybe) chuck (top two notes) or vice versa
Blocked chords (yup, just go to town on the whole thing at once!)
Alberti Bass (if you’re not familiar with this pattern, it’s a quintessential Classical pattern that is usually cheerful and upbeat sounding, played from a broken chord (e.g., 1-5-3-5, 1-5-3-5 repeated throughout the chord progression)
Walking Bass in single notes, octaves, 10ths, etc. (just like it sounds – “walk” up or down from one note to another (used a lot in pop tunes)
Once you have learned these patterns, oh, the places you’ll go! Because when your fingers can confidently place and play these patterns, you can change them up, reorder them, play simple or fancy chord progressions, and be comfortable moving around to support your tune.
So, my challenge to you this week is to spend a little time practicing each of these and getting a feel for any you don’t typically use. While you’re at it, try to name the feeling that each pattern evokes for you. Does the scale you’re in change your thinking (does a minor boom chuck make you feel blues-y or meh? Do you always love a broken 1-5-8 chord, or does it sometimes need something more?). Are there other patterns you use that we should add here to share? Let me know in the comments!
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