Check out this A Long December Piano tutorial! In this video, I will show you a simple way to play this iconic (and depressing!) 1990s classic by Counting Crows.
A Long December by Counting Crows
A Long December is a song by the 1990s alt rock back Counting Crows. It was the second single from their Recovering the Satellites album. Apparently the lead singer Adam Duritz wrote the track after his friend was hit by a car. If you want to really take a trip down memory lane, you should watch the music video, which features Friends star Courtney Cox.
Standard song learning strategy
In this piano tutorial, I use my standard protocol for creating great pop piano arrangements. If you want to learn more about this protocol, check out this post.
I find a copy of the lyrics or I just type them up from the recording. I then figure out the chords on a chord website or I just learn them by ear. If you want to learn to play by ear click here for a video I made where I outline how to learn to play by ear
Step #1: Learn the Chords on Piano
Step #1 Learn the chords on piano. This can be as simple as playing them in root position, or if you are a more experienced pianist, you can find the inversions that sound the best to you and voice lead your way through. A Long December only has four chords total, so it's super easy to play! The only tricky part is that the chords keep changing order.
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Step #2: Play the Groove
Step #2 is to figure out how to play the groove. Try this Funky Piano Groove, which is the epitome of the 90s power ballad.
Let's have a look at how this breaks down against a sixteenth note grid.
Step #3: Put it all together
Now it's time to put it all together! Don't feel like you have to play the groove for the entire song if it's too difficult for you. I'm all about having you play and sing songs now, rather than have to wait weeks to do it. Add more of the details as you are able!
If you enjoyed this tutorial of A Long December by Counting Crows, make sure to take a moment to subscribe to my YouTube channel to check out more great content!
Check out some more holiday music piano tutorials
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve Piano tutorial
This Christmas Donny Hathaway Piano Tutorial
Check out some more fun song tutorials:
How to play Hold On by Justin Bieber on piano
How to play Cruisin' by Smokey Robinson on piano
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