When Johnny Comes Marching Home: Accompaniment

Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman, and today we are learning how to play the accompaniment
for "When Johnny Comes Marching Home".
In a previous lesson, we learned how to play the melody.
For this song, I encourage you to find a duet partner.
One of you can learn the melody, which is the primo part. The other pianist can learn the secondo part, which is the accompaniment,
and that's what we'll be focusing on today.
Let's take a look at the sheet music to get started.
This song is written in lead sheet style, which means we're going to improvise the accompaniment based on the chord symbols,
which you will see written up above the staff.
So the first chord begins on beat 1 of this measure, and you'll see this capital D little M, which stands for D minor.
So we will play a D minor chord, and then if you don't see anything, it's implied that you're just going to keep playing that same chord
for this measure and this measure. This will also be D minor, until we get to here and then we'll switch to an F major chord.
Now, we want to create the feeling of marching. This song is kind of a song you might sing as you were marching,
and to create that feeling, we're going to play a chord on beat 1 and 4 of every measure. So we have 1 2 3 4, here's beat 4.
We're going to play a chord here, 1 2 3, and then on beat 4 of every measure.
Okay, so be aware of where beat 1 and where beat 4 are in each measure. 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6.
That will be our accompaniment pattern for the chords.
Now, let's come to the piano to try playing it.
Let's start learning to play the accompaniment with the left hand only.
Remember generally when you're improvising an accompaniment from chord symbols, the left hand will generally
just play the root of the chord only.
Like I said, we're only playing on beats 1 and 4, so it will sound kind of like this: ♫When Johnny comes marching home again♫
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6
Let's slow it way down, and let's actually play
with finger 5. So place your left hand finger 5, here's my middle C, so come down kind of low on your piano.
Finger 5 on D, and we'll go 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6. Try that with me, count out loud, ready, go: 1 2 3 4 5 6,
1 2 3 4 5 6. So you're playing on every beat 1 and 4, and you'll notice in the music,
the sheet music, you'll see that we play for two measures. so 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6.
Then, we come to the next chord symbol which is F major. Remember, the left hand is just playing the root of the chord. The root of F major is F.
The root is always just the name of the chord. So now using finger 3, we're going to play F for two measures, okay?
So let's try the F's now. Count with me, go: 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6.
Good, then you'll see it goes back to D minor for two measures. So finger 5 on D again. 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6, then F major.
1 2 3 4 5 6, only one measure this time, then it goes up to A. We've got finger 1 on A, so 1 2 3 4 5 6.
Okay, see how that works? We have 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6.
Good, now press pause and on your own I'd like you to practice those first eight measures on your own. Count out loud,
make sure you're playing only on beats 1 and 4. Try it on your own, and then press play to try it with me.
Okay, let's try this together. So, make sure you've got left hand finger 5 on low D.
I'll count 6 beats, and then we'll start.
Here we go. Count out loud with me.
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6,
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6,
1 2 3 4, back to D, 2 3 4 5 6,
1 2 3 4, and to F, 2 3 4 5 6,
A 2 3 4 5 6.
Good, now press pause for more practice if you need it.
If you nailed that, then let's try it with the accompaniment now. So I'll play the accompaniment in the right hand,
and you just play the left hand while counting the beat.
Don't let my melody distract you.
You're just going to count. 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3, okay ready to try it?
I'll count 6 beats to get us started, and then you begin on beat 1. Here we go. 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6,
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6,
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6
Good.
Now again, always feel free to press pause and rewind if you need extra practice.
Otherwise, let's keep going. When you get to this D minor chord, I'd like you to shift your hand down so finger 1
is now on that same D that finger 5 used to be on.
Shift to finger 1, because now we're going to go down even lower. We've got one measure of D.
♫will cheer and the boys♫, then it comes down to C. 1 2 3 4 5 6, then a B-flat, 1 2 3 4 5 6, then an A with finger 4, 1 2 3 4 5 6
Okay, let's try that together. So with your hand in this position finger 1 on D, then C, then B-flat, then A.
Let's count out loud and try these chords, go. 1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6,
1 2 3 4 5 6, 1 2 3 4 5 6.
Good, with the melody we have: ♫O ...