Melodies with Morgan

Morgan Showalter

This is the place to learn piano chords and playing by ear the simple way. I've seen experienced and beginner pianist fall into the same dilemma: MOST of the popular piano methods fail to connect the dots with foundational piano patterns. It takes years to learn enough piano theory to finally see how it all works together. In this podcast, we'll be approaching music theory from a completely different angle allowing you to play by ear as a beginner or classically trained musician. You'll learn how piano chords connect like a chain and how to confidently weave through any piano key as you improvise. Also - to all the piano teachers out there - we'll be diving into how to teach piano classically AND by ear. You'll hear some fun (and failed!) stories from my years of teaching piano since 2013. Let's get started!

All episodes

Best episodes

Top 10 Melodies with Morgan Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Melodies with Morgan episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Melodies with Morgan for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Melodies with Morgan episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

001 Welcome! My Story + What the Podcast is About

Melodies with Morgan

07/17/23 • 18 min

002 What are Piano Chords?

Melodies with Morgan

07/25/23 • 20 min

In this episode we'll dive into what piano chords are, how many chords there are on the piano, what chords do when combined with a melody, and ways to play and expand chords to sound magnificent. :) I am playing along at my piano with different examples throughout the podcast, so enjoy a piano lesson type of episode.

003 How to Read a Chord Chart vs Sheet Music

Melodies with Morgan

10/09/23 • 21 min

This episode is all about reading a chord chart, which is so different from playing traditional sheet music. I wish someone would have told me these differences when I was first starting out with chord charts. Even if you have quite a bit of knowledge on reading sheet music, there's a few simple things to know about chord charts to kickstart your learning. I also share a few stories about my own journey and student success stories in this episode!

004 My Secret (tried and true) Method for First Piano Chord

Melodies with Morgan

05/06/24 • 19 min

I wish piano chords were taught like this!! Learning the first chord can be so simple, easy, and fun! In this episode, I teach my method for learning the very first chord, and it's been tested successfully with so many of my students.

005 Don't Google Piano Chords! Learn This Simple Method Instead...

Melodies with Morgan

06/17/24 • 33 min

In this episode, we start where most method books end. We can derive chords from the scale (traditionally) but that leaves us with a lot of memorization and work to do before learning any chords. We would first have to learn 12 key signatures and the different sharps and flats in those scales. What if there was a way to learn chords, even as a beginner? Let's use a different approach to find the easy patterns for chords and start playing ASAP!

006 From Basic to Beautiful! Realtime Piano Chord Examples

Melodies with Morgan

06/20/24 • 20 min

Let's dive into some piano examples together taking a basic chord progression and turning it into a beautiful melody! We'll cover how to expand a chord with voicing and how to use inversions to guide a melody. This episode's a must for all composers and gives some creative ways to get started for beginners.

007 Where Do I Begin? Learning Piano Chords!

Melodies with Morgan

06/24/24 • 17 min

Whether you have been playing classical piano for a few years or are a beginner to piano, this episode gives a clear action plan for learning your first piano chords! (And it's different than the traditional piano method!) What if there was a way to recognize patterns and have fun while learning your favorite songs and chord charts? Let's explore some ideas!

008 Learning Chord Inversions (and why the I, IV, V pattern isn't ideal)

Melodies with Morgan

06/27/24 • 19 min

In this episode we explore chord inversions: what they are, how to find them from any chord, and how to use them for a melody and song. We also talk about why the traditional I, IV, V chord progression isn't ideal and teach it in a more thorough approach.

009 From Beginner to Chord Charts!! (Everything to get started)

Melodies with Morgan

07/01/24 • 18 min

Let's dive into piano chords, learn the entire overview to find any chord, and then learn how to read a chord chart! This episode is a fast, broad overview of piano chords. We go over questions like: how many total chords are there? What do the different numbers or symbols mean beside each chord? How can we find mixed chords like F#m7/D? These are the answers I wish someone would have taught me when I was first learning chords!

Show more best episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Melodies with Morgan have?

Melodies with Morgan currently has 9 episodes available.

What topics does Melodies with Morgan cover?

The podcast is about Learn, Music, Music Theory, How To, Podcasts, Piano, Education, Arts and Performing Arts.

What is the most popular episode on Melodies with Morgan?

The episode title '001 Welcome! My Story + What the Podcast is About' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Melodies with Morgan?

The average episode length on Melodies with Morgan is 21 minutes.

How often are episodes of Melodies with Morgan released?

Episodes of Melodies with Morgan are typically released every 8 days, 6 hours.

When was the first episode of Melodies with Morgan?

The first episode of Melodies with Morgan was released on Jul 17, 2023.

Show more FAQ

Melodies with Morgan

Morgan Showalter

Top 10 Melodies with Morgan Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Melodies with Morgan have?

What topics does Melodies with Morgan cover?

What is the most popular episode on Melodies with Morgan?

What is the average episode length on Melodies with Morgan?

How often are episodes of Melodies with Morgan released?

When was the first episode of Melodies with Morgan?

Comments