Piano Ballad Accompaniment: Ghost Notes in the Left Hand (Part 2)

Ghost notes are what give ballad accompaniment its quiet forward motion — in Part 2 of this series you'll learn how to play them in the left hand across many time divisions to propel the rhythm. Jason Zac from Nathaniel School of Music teaches what ghost notes are and how to use them under a progression — counting eighth notes, choosing ghost-note placements, handling diminished and augmented chords, and combining them with 5ths and 3rds. You'll learn to play slash chords in the left hand (3rds and 5ths in the bass), swing them, and move through triplet ballad feels, Tresillo, 16th notes and arpeggios. This is Part 2 of a 3-part series on ballad accompaniment; the right hand carries block chords, broken chords and arpeggios while the left hand brings the rhythm to life. (Part 3 covers the walking bass.) ▶️ Watch Part 1 ➡️ https://youtu.be/XTxBoGf7LP0 🏫 Courses, Workshops or Private lessons ➡️ https://forms.gle/fsbhFKSgJbZ5xZEr8 ============================= 📹 Our Video Courses (Everything for Life Bundle) ➡️ https://learn-music.nathanielschool.com/ 🎹 Piano Courses & Private Lessons ➡️ https://piano.nathanielschool.com ============================= ▶️ Related Lessons & Playlists 🎹 Accompaniment Tutorials (Playlist) ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrNNL05e9FT_zdfpeK-q61q6qLtqdXLMk 𝄢 Left Hand Arpeggio Practice - Long "Ballad Style" ➡️ https://youtu.be/WHcaCWHohhs 🙌🏽 Hand Independence (Playlist) ➡️ 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+) by skill level, topic & genre ➡️ https://learning-portal.nathanielschool.com ============================= ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Performance 00:27 Revision of Part 1 00:50 About Part 2 - Ghost Notes for the Left Hand 01:37 What are Ghost Notes? 02:18 The Progression 03:21 Counting Eighth Notes 03:46 Ghost Note Choices for 8th Notes 05:19 How to Handle Diminished & Augmented? 06:02 Ghost Notes in LH with 5ths & 3rds 08:06 When to Use Octaves, Fifths & 3rds 08:44 How to Play Slash Chords in the LH 09:22 Slash Chords with 3rds in the Bass 11:34 Slash Chord with 5th in the Bass 13:34 Swing the Slash Chord 15:11 Triplet Ballad Feel 16:06 Triplet Combos 17:28 Tresillo 17:50 Sixteenth Notes with Counting 18:31 The "a"s 18:49 "a" with Next Bar "&" 19:11 Arpeggios Galore 20:21 Flipping it Around 21:10 The Real-World Challenges Involved 21:48 Part 3 - Walking Bass 💰 Donate on PayPal ➡️ https://geni.us/DonatePayPal 📸 Instagram ➡️ https://instagram.com/jasonzac 📞 Call +91 98454 65411 · 💬 WhatsApp chat +91 77604 56847 📧 Customised & Private Classes ➡️ music@nathanielschool.com 🎧 Listen to Jason Zac Music ➡️ https://riffs.jasonzacmusic.com/ #GhostNotes #PianoAccompaniment #BalladPiano