Last Updated on May 31, 2022 by Rebecca
This post is Part 1 in a 3-part series of video tutorials teaching how to create your own spooky Halloween piano music.
Part 1 (This post!)
For the absolute beginner who wants to create spooky Halloween piano music today!
Part 2
For the slightly more advanced piano player who feels comfortable working hands together.
Part 3
For pianists of all levels who want to take their spooky Halloween piano music to the next level after watching Part 1 and/or Part 2 of the series.
So you want to create some spooky Halloween piano music, but you don't know the first thing about piano?
How fun would it be to sit at a piano, surrounded by friends and family (and maybe some strangers?) at a Halloween-themed get-together or party, and really wow them with your new piano skills?
Imagine it…
You sit down at the piano and start playing, and several of the guests visibly light up and stop talking as they listen to your spooky music. Maybe they even applaud you at the end. They ooh and ahh and tell you how amazing your playing was!
Then they ask you the question you've been dreading: “What else can you play for us?”
You feel a little embarrassed and avert your eyes while you mumble, “Well, I can't really play anything else. I just started learning and this is just some stuff I made up on the spot. I don't know any real songs yet.”
Their eyes widen. Instead of being disappointed like you thought they would be, they're now even more impressed!
“You just started learning?” they ask. “You haven't even been taking lessons? You made that up yourself? Just now? On the spot? But it was so good! It sounded like a real song to me! If you can do that already, imagine what you'll be able to do if you take lessons and practice!”
I'm here to tell you, this can be your reality!
Yes, even if you've never touched a piano before in your life!
Improvisation is the fastest and easiest way for anyone, especially adult learners, to jumpstart their piano learning. And my Halloween-themed video tutorials will have you creating your own spooky piano music in no time!
And if you're thinking to yourself something along the lines of, “but improvisation doesn't count because it's not real songs” … Just. Stop.
How do you think all the famous songs you know and love were created in the first place? Somebody, at some point, “just made them up!” So stop telling yourself making up your own music doesn't count. Stop telling yourself you're only a “real” pianist if you can play “real” songs. Improvisation is real music.
So it's time for you to proudly embrace your identity as a creator of music!
(And don't worry, if you'd rather learn to create your spooky music just for your own enjoyment, there's no need to perform it for anyone at all!)
No time to watch the video right this second? Pin this post so you can come back for it later!
Required Knowledge
This video tutorial is intended for creative people who are eager to create their own piano music, but haven't got a clue when it comes to piano. So all you really need to do is watch the video and start playing! (The focus being on the “start playing” part!)
That's why the information in this video is presented in a strictly need to know format. If you don't need to know it in order to play it, then I don't explain it in this video.
So don't stress about the details you might not fully understand, or the questions I (deliberately) leave unanswered. You can dive into the deeper knowledge some other time.
Your job right now is simply to take what's in the video, trust it, and start playing it!
That being said, a basic familiarity with the layout of the keyboard will make things a lot easier for you. So if you've literally never touched a piano in your life, you may want to check out this post about the names and layout of the piano keys before you watch the spooky Halloween piano video tutorials.
Terms and Techniques You'll Learn in this Video Tutorial
Terms:
- add2 chord
- broken chord
- interval
- tritone
- leading tone
Techniques:
- “conversational” playing
- pedalling
- one way of using intervals to build a melody
- letting go! 😉
And now, it's time to dive in!
The Video Tutorial: How to Create Spooky Halloween Piano Music [PART 1]
BONUS TRIVIA: The Devil's Interval
Did you know the tritone is often called the devil's interval? The story goes that way back in the day, the Catholic church actually banned the tritone in music because it was considered so dissonant it might summon the devil. This is actually a bit of a myth, but nevertheless, our society has assigned some “evil” connotations to the interval.
How appropriate is that for spooky Halloween music?!
If you're interested in learning more about the tritone interval and it's devlish history, this video explains it really well.
Fair warning… there are some bits in the video where he gets into some technical details that'll make any beginning pianist go a little cross-eyed, but if you just tune those bits out, you'll still get the overall gist of the information presented in the video.
Ready to Start Making Music?
Are you feeling excited to start making some spooky Halloween piano music after watching the video tutorial? Grab your copy of the free cheat sheet I promised in the video.
Then head over to your piano and make some spooky Halloween music!
What's Next?
Remember, this video is Part 1 in a series of 3 spooky Halloween piano music video tutorials.
If you enjoyed this video tutorial, you'll definitely enjoy Part 3 of the series. It's all about taking the spooky music you learned in Part 1, and taking it to the next level by experimenting with pitch, dynamics, and the different voices available on digital pianos and electric keyboards.
If you're feeling up for a bit more of a challenge, you may also want to check out Part 2. It covers how to make similar but more advanced spooky Halloween music by adding some more harmony in the left hand and by playing hands together.
Share Your Thoughts!
What did you think of the video? Did you follow the steps and create your own spooky Halloween piano music? If you did, tell us about how it went in the comments! I'd love to hear your feedback about what worked and what didn't work for you. And if you have any requests for future tutorial topics!
This is so much fun! Great tutorial. I haven’t touched a piano in years but this looks like even I could manage it! Charlie xo
Hi Charlie, I’m glad you liked it! And yes, I bet you could manage it no problem. 🙂 If you do end up trying it, let me know how it goes!