A-flat Major & Minor Improvisation (Unit 5)

Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman.
Today we have two new black key
pentascales to learn: A-flat major and minor.
Let's come to the piano to get started.
Here we have the A major pentascale, but we'd like to turn this into A-flat major.
So to do that we'll just color reverse it like we've done
before.
We'll take these two white notes and move them down a half step to black keys.
This black key will become a white key,
and these two white keys will step
down a half step to become black keys.
So we moved everything down one half step,
and now we have another Oreo cookie position: A-flat major.
Now can you point and name each note one at a time using only flat names for the black keys?
Try it by yourself, go.
Here's the correct answer. We have A-flat,
B-flat, C, D-flat, E-flat.
Now let's try a tricky challenge. Let's name these same
notes enharmonically using only sharp names.
And remember, we want to use each
letter of the alphabet in order and only once.
Can you try to name these with
sharps?
Here's the answer:
We have G-sharp, A-sharp, then a B-sharp, C-sharp, D-sharp.
Well, you might be asking well why not just call this C?
Well remember we want
to use the letters in order. We had a G,
we had an A, G-sharp and A-sharp, then the next letter in the alphabet is B.
So if we want to use sharp
names we have to call this a B-sharp,
and then a C-sharp. If we had a C and a C-sharp, then we'd be using C twice and no B.
So we have to say G-sharp, A-sharp, B-sharp, C-sharp, D-sharp.
If we want to spell it by sharps.
Now, can you tell me
which note I would have to change to make this minor?
If you said this third note here, the B-sharp or C,
you're correct. We need to lower that a half step to B.
So now we have G-sharp minor, or we could say A-flat minor.
All right, let's try 'Stepping and Skipping' hands together.
Right off the bat with both hands in the A-flat major pentascale.
Can you find this with me?
We'll go nice and slow, 'Stepping and Skipping' hands together in A-flat major.
1 2 ready, go: ♫Stepping up, and stepping down, and skipping up and down♫
Now play a chord. I chord, let's try the V7 chord,
and then back to the I chord.
Now just in case you
forgot how to find the V7 chord,
you move DO down to TI which in this
case is a white key. It's always a half step below DO.
And then we use FA and
SO, which in this case are these two black keys here.
Together with this G make the V7 chord. We have I chord,
V7 chord, I chord.
Now let's turn that into G-sharp minor.
So this white key moves down a half step to the B natural.
The V7 chord in minor is the same but the one chord will now have this B in the middle.
'Stepping and Skipping' in G-sharp minor. 1 2 ready go:
♫Stepping up, and stepping down, and skipping up and down♫
I chord, V7 chord, I chord. Good.
Now I have a challenge for you. Can you transpose "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" to A-flat major.
Let me give you a couple of hints.
You'll place your right hand in the A-flat major
pentascale.
You'll play along,
and then when your left hand needs to cross over,
remember DO is now on A-flat.
So when you get to the 'merrily' part where your left hand crosses over you've got to find this A-flat up here
for ♫merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily♫
I'd like you to press pause and try to play "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in A-flat major.
Press
play when you're ready to watch, and try it with me.
All right, let's try "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in A-flat major together.
I'll count 1 2 3 and then we'll start.
Here we go: 1 2 3 ♫Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream♫ Left hand crosses over.
♫Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream♫
Nice.
Now, today I'd like to
try an epic improvisation with you.
This improvisation is going to involve both a
flat minor and A-flat major.
It's going to kind of tell a story.
At first I'd like you to start with your right hand
or left hand in the G-sharp minor slash
aka A-flat minor position
like this:
And I'm going to be playing kind of a pensive, flowing, and thoughtful accompaniment like this:
And I'd like you to make up a melody
that matches that mood.
Remember we're going to try and tell a story together,
so maybe this is the start of some adventure.
There's something wrong in the
forest, or there's a dark cloud over the mountain.
An adventurer has to go forth to explore it.
Okay, so you'll be telling that story in the G-sharp minor
pentascale, and if you get bored in one octave,
you can always move your hand up
an octave or even down an octave.
Sometimes maybe your left ...