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Piano & Voice With Brenda

Piano and Voice Training that WORKS.

  • Meet Brenda
  • The Versatile Musician
  • Lessons
  • Guest Artist
  • Blog
  • Performances
  • Connect
  • Meet Brenda
  • The Versatile Musician
  • Lessons
  • Guest Artist
  • Blog
  • Performances
  • Connect

A Long December Piano tutorial

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.

A Long December lyrics and chords

Need to learn more chords?

Sign up and get my FREE Ultimate Chord Cheat Sheets!  Perfect for mastering your chords on piano.

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.

Funky piano groove

Let's have a look at how this breaks down against a sixteenth note grid.

Funky piano groove with 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

How to play Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles

How to play In the Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett

Ready for the next step? Have I got something for you!

Photo of Brenda Earle Stokes overhead of the piano while she sings and plays piano. Crash Course in Piano Skills for Singers in black and pink lettering. Blue banner on the bottom that reads "Learning piano doesn't have to be hard."

Crash Course in Piano Skills for Singers is a gentle, no-fluff, let's-get-this-done 45-day piano course that is based on the principals of my bestselling Piano Skills for Singers courses.  For a few more weeks, it's only $49 - a crazy good deal for all that you're getting.  

This is a perfect starting point for anyone who needs to build their basic piano skills or wants to incorporate basic piano into their voice lessons.  Learn:

  • 5 note finger exercises that double as voice exercises
  • How to play chords
  • How to fake accompaniments from a lead sheet for play for yourself and your students.
  • How to build a practice routine that WORKS

You get:

🎹 7 video modules with a close up of the piano keyboard.

🎹 23 page course book with meticulously notated EVERYTHING.

🎹 A brilliantly organized practice checklist

🎹 Weekly emails to inspire, motivate, offer practice tips and give bonus material

"Thanks Brenda. This was a fantastic workshop and I’m excited to use your approach to improve my playing for my students."

- Sarah

I'm ready! Let's go
Black background with a photo of Brenda Earle Stokes singing into a microphone sitting at a keyboard. Turquoise lettering reads "Let's Learn Songs"
Learn more!

Want to learn great piano arrangements to a ton of songs?

In this course, you'll have access to dozens of song tutorials in different styles and accompaniments, from jazz to pop to holiday songs.

Expand your repertoire, work on your new skills and get more confident on the piano!

Learning a wide range of songs is the best way to become a truly versatile musician. In Let's Learn Songs, you will have access to songs from a myriad of styles, from jazz to pop, from rock to holiday classics.

 

Category: Piano Lessons, Tutorials

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