Suggestions for playing with the 

Practichord App

(you will quickly find your own playful ways of working with it - please let us know if you found any other interesting games to play with it, and we’ll add them to the list)

The settings: Ascending (or descending) 2nds

The game: Legato chord shifts. Play along with the app, trying to make the transitions between chords as smooth and legato as possible. You will find that with some good choices in fingering, you can mostly leave one finger lying on the note of the old chord while three fingers get ready to play the new chord. Choose your speed according to your skill. This game works on all three settings, 'silent', 'click' and 'chord', with slight difference in emphasis.

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The settings: Ascending 3rds

The game: Inversions. Start with high voicing, using any inversions and aiming for minimal finger changes, "topple down" the chords until you get to the bottom of the instrument range.

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The Settings: Random, silent, hide

A mental practice game. When the number first appears at the bottom, try and think of the name of the bass note. When the number moves up, you can check whether you were right. This is possible to play even with someone sleeping next to you :-)

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The Settings: Random, 50bpm, 4 beats

Inversions game: play two inversions of each chord with a beat rest between.  It's quite relaxing and addictive...

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The Settings: Random, choose your speed

A mental practice game: Look away from the app and listen to the chord. What step of the scale is it? if you're not sure, take a peek at the screen

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The settings: Random, chord, 2 beats, chose your speed

Ear training: Looking away from the screen, listen to the chord when it plays the first time, then play along the second time.

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The settings: Any setting, 'Roman'

The 'Roman' setting: It shows in roman numerals the degree of the scale and whether it's a minor or major chord (small or capital) without explicitly naming the chord. This is a good half way step in between seeing the chord symbols and only the the numbers. It helps you hear and internalise what quality each chord degree has, for major keys and minor keys.

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The settings: Random, chose your speed

Neighbouring chords 1. Try and move from one chord to the next with minimal movement, i.e. keep any shared notes and move to the nearest pitched note if you have to move. Use any inversions of chords to do so.

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The settings: Random, chose your speed

Neighbouring chords 2. As above, but with the added task of jumping up an octave if there is a repeat chord showing on the app. Once you get to the top range of the instrument, start moving down on repeated chords.

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The settings: Random, chose your speed

Top line. As with Neighoring chords, but aiming to create a flowing Melody with the top notes

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The settings: Random, chose your speed

Bottom line. As with Neighbouring chords but aiming to create nice bass line with the botom notes of each chord

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The settings: Random, chose your speed

Middle line. As with Neigbouring chords, but aiming to create a nice melody with the middle notes of each chord

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The settings: Random, chose your speed

Bass line. Play the root note of each chord in the left hand, adding an inversion in the right hand.

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The settings: Random, 4 beats, choose your speed

Inversions practice 1. 4 beats per chord, play different inversions on each beat. Could be in the left hand or the right hand

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The settings: Any setting, 1 beat, chose your speed

Inversions practice 2. Only play first inversions (not root chords). Could be in the right hand or the left hand

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The settings: Any setting, chose your speed

Inversions practice 3. Only play second inversions (not root chords)

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The settings: Any setting, chose your speed

Inversions practice 4. As you play the chords, cycle through playing root chord, 1st inversion and 2nd inversion.

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The settings: Any setting, slow speed

Bridges. Play a connecting element between the chords, for example a bass note in the left hand, or a passing note in the right hand, to prepare towards the upcoming chord. The aim is to make the random sequence of chords sound less random

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The settings: Any setting

Tritones. Play only the 3rd and the 7th of any given chord, in the right hand

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The settings: Any setting

5ths. Play only the root note and its 5th of any given chord, in the left hand

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The settings: Any setting

Split chords. Combine right and left hand of the two above exercises

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The settings: Any setting, 2 beats, slow speed

Open/Close: Play each chord in opening and in closing.

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The settings: Random

Preparing to play inversions: Play root notes with each chord. Olay an inversion when a chord repeats.

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Tango Prepping. Choose a Tango you want to play. Check what key it is in, and do a set of exercises on the app in that key to familiarise yourself with the key. Then play the Tango.

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Transposition. Take a Tango you know in a certain key. While you play it, try thinking in functions (degrees of the scale), rather than in chord names. Prep a different key with the app, spending some time practising with the functions rather than the chord names. The 'roman' setting is useful for this. Now play the Tango in the new key.

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The settings: Ascending 3rds

Common Notes. Keep two notes constant in each pair of adjacent chords...