7th Chord Inversions

Part 3 of our Piano Gym series! We tackle the Speed Bag drill (eighth notes, triplets, semiquavers on E7♯) and the Rope Climb pattern. Practice along and level up your chord fluency. Watch part 4 for the pyramid sets breakdown! 🎹 Take one chord and build ten gym-style piano workouts around it. In this practical lesson we use a single E7 (dominant seventh) chord and turn it into a full technique session that transfers to any chord you like. First we break down the E7 shape — root, major third, fifth and flat seventh — with sensible fingering for both hands and all four positions: root, first, second and third inversion. Then we run the ten drills: the inversion ladder, the siren, piano jumping jacks, the horn throw, the dead hang, the speed bag, the rope climb, the pyramid set, the crunch and a cool-down stretch. Along the way you'll practise arpeggios against block chords, alternating two-note patterns, tritone swaps between the third and flat seventh, finger-by-finger lifts, speed work with a bouncing wrist, hand-crossing and accent groupings in twos, threes, fives and sevens. This is for pianists who can build chords but want them to feel musical and coordinated. Get your piano out, start slow and try every workout on other chords around the circle of fifths — then tell us your favourite gesture for the horn throw in the comments. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 📂 Improvise over ONE chord - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9oizLJPiwwH_gvSH-IFu_V 📚 Making Chord Practice FUN with Circle of Fifths - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-D6G1jDe18TFflopjjnxRG 🗂️ Chord Voicing & Inversions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ygtrGwGFmfyvMyGWH52EC 📋 Arpeggios - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-BCpTe-KKSdiKlAFMvYNsH 🎶 Hand Independence - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-On4vodpAoZqTlWDCS5jv7 ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +917760456847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #PianoLessons #PianoTutorial #MusicTheory #PianoChords #ChordInversions #PianoPractice

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Ten piano exercises, one chord, and nothing else. Everything in this lesson happens on E7 — and every single drill transfers to any dominant 7th you own. Treat it like a gym: same equipment, ten different movements. ✏️ Correction: at 1:44 I misspeak - a dominant 7th is 1, 3, 5, ♭7, so E7 is E, G#, B, D. 🎹 Take one chord and build ten gym-style piano workouts around it. In this practical lesson we use a single E7 (dominant seventh) chord and turn it into a full technique session that transfers to any chord you like. First we break down the E7 shape — root, major third, fifth and flat seventh — with sensible fingering for both hands and all four positions: root, first, second and third inversion. Then we run the ten drills: the inversion ladder, the siren, piano jumping jacks, the horn throw, the dead hang, the speed bag, the rope climb, the pyramid set, the crunch and a cool-down stretch. Along the way you'll practise arpeggios against block chords, alternating two-note patterns, tritone swaps between the third and flat seventh, finger-by-finger lifts, speed work with a bouncing wrist, hand-crossing and accent groupings in twos, threes, fives and sevens. This is for pianists who can build chords but want them to feel musical and coordinated. Get your piano out, start slow and try every workout on other chords around the circle of fifths — then tell us your favourite gesture for the horn throw in the comments. 🎛️ The Circle of Fifths app from 25:38 — Fifth Harmony. Free, no signup: https://circle-of-fifths.nathanielschool.com Try Foundations → Piano Mode → filter by Dominant 7th to see the white/black shape of all twelve. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 📂 Improvise over ONE chord - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9oizLJPiwwH_gvSH-IFu_V 📚 Making Chord Practice FUN with Circle of Fifths - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-D6G1jDe18TFflopjjnxRG 🗂️ Chord Voicing & Inversions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ygtrGwGFmfyvMyGWH52EC 📋 Arpeggios - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-BCpTe-KKSdiKlAFMvYNsH 🎶 Hand Independence - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-On4vodpAoZqTlWDCS5jv7 ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 🎹 All 25 free practice apps: https://apps.nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com ⏳ Chapter markers 00:00 - Performance 00:47 - Introduction: Gym Workouts for Piano 💪 00:57 - The One Chord: E7 01:39 - What Is a 7th Chord? 1, 3, 5, ♭7 02:01 - Fingering for Both Hands 🎹 02:24 - Building the Inversions with the Circle Trick 02:36 - Root, 1st, 2nd & 3rd Inversion Shapes 05:01 - Exercise 1: The Inversion Ladder 🪜 06:17 - Swapping Hands: Arpeggio vs Blocks 06:40 - Exercise 2: The Siren 🚨 06:59 - Alternating 3rd & ♭7th with Root & 5th 07:10 - Adding Pitch Bend for Fun 07:42 - Siren Through the Inversions 08:41 - Left-Hand Block Chord Challenge 09:13 - Exercise 3: Jumping Jacks 🤸 09:26 - Outer Notes vs Inner Notes 09:59 - Using Your Wrist to Swing It 11:09 - Exercise 4: The Horn Throw 📯 11:26 - Splitting Tritones Across the Hands 13:02 - Add a Gesture Between Jumps 14:45 - Exercise 5: The Dead Hang 16:07 - Two-Finger Patterns & Combinations 16:48 - Exercise 6: The Speed Bag ⚡ 17:33 - Bouncing the Wrist to Reduce Pain 18:19 - Exercise 7: The Rope Climb 🧗 18:46 - Expanding Across the Whole Piano 19:03 - Crossing Hands Over Each Other 19:26 - Exercise 8: The Pyramid Set 🔺 19:32 - Adding the Repeated E on Top 19:51 - Accents in Sets of 2 and 3 21:03 - Accents in Sets of 4, 5 and 7 22:31 - Exercise 9: The Crunch 22:48 - Hands Meeting from the Extremes 23:14 - Hands Meeting from the Extremes 23:42 - Exercise 10: The Stretch & Cool Down 🧘 24:02 - Inversion Toggle with Eyes Closed 25:30 - Taking It Around the Circle of Fifths 25:38 - The Circle of Fifths App 🎛️ 28:04 - Courses & Semesters at Our School 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +917760456847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #PianoLessons #PianoTutorial #MusicTheory #PianoChords #ChordInversions #PianoPractice

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Learn piano, theory, and ear training through Uptown Funk — D Dorian, 7th chord inversions, voice leading & 4 funky comping patterns. What if you could learn piano, music theory, ear training, AND arranging — all from one song? In this lesson, Jason Zac uses Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars as a vehicle for all four goals at once. The twist? There's no piano in the song. We start by identifying the mode (D Dorian) and the two chords driving the whole track: D minor 7th and G dominant 7th. You'll learn minors in packs of four — Natural, Harmonic, Dorian and Melodic — so you'll instantly recognise the funky minor sound anywhere. Then we get into the piano work: all four inversions of Dm7 and G7, voice leading through common tones, and rhythm patterns including block chords, octave toggling bass, staccato funk articulation, and triplet (tresio) feels. Every shape connects to a usable groove. Next comes the song ingredient breakdown — vocal bass line on a 16th-note grid, Bruno Mars's vocal as the rhythmic engine, plus guitar comping, horn harmonies and the bass guitar. You'll learn to reverse-engineer a stereo file like a DAW, then translate those ingredients into FOUR funky right-hand piano patterns paired with a transcribed bass line. Ready to practise smarter? Apply for our courses or browse the full video library at nathanielschool.com. Like, share, subscribe and hit the bell for more song-based piano lessons! 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 🎬 Compose with Dorian Mode & Chord Progressions - https://youtu.be/NCFZhIyG0Y8 🎯 Melodic Arpeggios: Accents & Progressions - https://youtu.be/DbL4DJnwIhA 🔑 Arpeggios, Inversions & Hand Independence - https://youtu.be/e9Xqa_ibLeg 💡 Chord Inversions, Rhythm & Hand Independence - https://youtu.be/PALjV-WuYJE 📂 Jazz Lessons - Chords, Standards & Exercises - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ZCriHyNonJasffWWSCS_E ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com ⏳ Chapter markers 00:00 - Performance 00:38 - 🎹 Intro — A New Kind of Piano Lesson 01:25 - The 4 Goals: Piano, Theory, Ear & Song Ingredients 05:45 - 🎵 Uptown Funk — The Two Chords: Dm7 & G7 06:58 - Minors in Packs of 4: Natural, Harmonic, Dorian, Melodic 08:01 - Root Position Block Chords 08:42 - First Inversion + Octave Toggling Bass 10:07 - Second Inversion + Staccato Funk Articulation 10:46 - Third Inversion + Tresio (Triplet) Rhythm 11:06 - LH Pattern with Root Position 11:44 - Octave toggle in LH with 1st Inversion 12:36 - Dotted notes on LH with 2nd Inversion 13:29 - Tresillo on LH with 3rd Inversion 14:56 - Song Ingredient Analysis — What Do You Hear? 18:37 - How to Map Out Song Ingredients 19:20 - Left Hand = Bass, Right Hand = Guitar 19:37 - 🥁 Funky Pattern 1: Block Chords on 1 & 3 with E’s 20:36 - Funky Pattern 2: More E’s and A’s 21:27 - Funky Pattern 3: Guitar Comping Pattern 22:34 - Funky Pattern 4: The Arpeggio Pattern 23:23 - Transcribing the Bass Line for Left Hand 24:48 - Nathaniel Metronome App Walkthrough 25:29 - Combining Bass Line + Right Hand Pulse 26:42 - Bass Line — 2 and 4 Hits 27:15 - Bass Line — Off-beats 27:40 - 🔥 Final Funky Right-Hand Rhythm 28:31 - Summary — 4 Goals, 4 Inversions, 4 Funky Patterns 30:19 - 🎹Outro & Course Info 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +917760456847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #UptownFunk #DDorian #FunkPiano

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Did you know the 'synth bass' in Uptown Funk is actually a vocal? 😮 This lesson flips the script — no piano in the song means unlimited creative freedom for pianists. Decode D Dorian, voice leading, and funky 16th-note rhythms in one shot. 🎹 Hit follow and check the full lesson in our bio — notation included! What if you could learn piano, music theory, ear training, AND arranging — all from one song? In this lesson, Jason Zac uses Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars as a vehicle for all four goals at once. The twist? There's no piano in the song. We start by identifying the mode (D Dorian) and the two chords driving the whole track: D minor 7th and G dominant 7th. You'll learn minors in packs of four — Natural, Harmonic, Dorian and Melodic — so you'll instantly recognise the funky minor sound anywhere. Then we get into the piano work: all four inversions of Dm7 and G7, voice leading through common tones, and rhythm patterns including block chords, octave toggling bass, staccato funk articulation, and triplet (tresio) feels. Every shape connects to a usable groove. Next comes the song ingredient breakdown — vocal bass line on a 16th-note grid, Bruno Mars's vocal as the rhythmic engine, plus guitar comping, horn harmonies and the bass guitar. You'll learn to reverse-engineer a stereo file like a DAW, then translate those ingredients into FOUR funky right-hand piano patterns paired with a transcribed bass line.

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Think you need dozens of chords to practice? Think again. This E7 workout series breaks down 10 unique drills using just one chord and its inversions. Watch Part 1 now and stay tuned for parts 2, 3 and 4! 🎹 Take one chord and build ten gym-style piano workouts around it. In this practical lesson we use a single E7 (dominant seventh) chord and turn it into a full technique session that transfers to any chord you like. First we break down the E7 shape — root, major third, fifth and flat seventh — with sensible fingering for both hands and all four positions: root, first, second and third inversion. Then we run the ten drills: the inversion ladder, the siren, piano jumping jacks, the horn throw, the dead hang, the speed bag, the rope climb, the pyramid set, the crunch and a cool-down stretch. Along the way you'll practise arpeggios against block chords, alternating two-note patterns, tritone swaps between the third and flat seventh, finger-by-finger lifts, speed work with a bouncing wrist, hand-crossing and accent groupings in twos, threes, fives and sevens. This is for pianists who can build chords but want them to feel musical and coordinated. Get your piano out, start slow and try every workout on other chords around the circle of fifths — then tell us your favourite gesture for the horn throw in the comments. 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) - https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🏡 Visit our Channel for more Tutorials & Performances - https://geni.us/NathanielYouTube ============================= ▶️ Related Videos & Playlists 📂 Improvise over ONE chord - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9oizLJPiwwH_gvSH-IFu_V 📚 Making Chord Practice FUN with Circle of Fifths - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-D6G1jDe18TFflopjjnxRG 🗂️ Chord Voicing & Inversions - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT9ygtrGwGFmfyvMyGWH52EC 📋 Arpeggios - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-BCpTe-KKSdiKlAFMvYNsH 🎶 Hand Independence - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT-On4vodpAoZqTlWDCS5jv7 ============================= 🎓 Learn Music With Nathaniel School of Music & Jason Zac: https://nathanielschool.com 📚 All our YouTube lessons (1000+) categorised by skill level, topic & genre all in one place: https://free-music-lessons.nathanielschool.com 💰 Donate on PayPal: https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 +917760456847 (Mobile & WhatsApp) 📧 Customised & Private Classes: music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music: https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #PianoLessons #PianoTutorial #MusicTheory #PianoChords #ChordInversions #PianoPractice

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