Welcome to Music Nation and part three of our series on unlocking the power of Modes. I hope you’ve been following along with my previous post, as we’re now building on that with a brilliant piano hack designed to elevate your songwriting toolkit.
Every pianist knows that playing chords is a fundamental part of practice. But what if there were a way to make your chords feel more expressive? Enter the Push and Pull technique – a method I use to add depth and emotion to your playing by subtly altering chords and exploring new harmonic territory. This technique is simple, creative, and endlessly rewarding, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player.
As with all articles in this series, we won’t be diving into theory or technical jargon. All you’ll need is a digital piano or keyboard and the basic skills you learned in the previous articles on Modes (Shape Shifting Chords & Mastering Modes).
What is the Push and Pull Technique?
The Push and Pull technique is all about adding and release tension to your chords. You start with a triad – a basic three-note chord- and use your right hand to either “push” the chord upwards by playing the next note up in the piano or “pull” it downwards by playing the next note down. This subtle shift creates harmonic variety and emotional impact.
In essence:
- Push: Add tension by raising one of the chord tones by a half or whole step.
- Pull: Ease the tension by lowering one of the chord notes by a half or whole step.
How It Works
The technique begins with establishing a mode or scale. Within this mode we are going to play simple three-note chords called a triad.
For this example, let’s use the C major scale – the Ionian mode. First, lets anchor the mode by placing your left hand thumb on the root note of C to define this mode. Remember, its this left hand root note of any scale that determines the mode.
With your left thumb now anchoring the C mode, your right hand plays the triad associated with this scale (C-E-G for C major). From here, you can begin to explore the Push and Pull technique.
First we will “push” the triad to become more tense and emotional.
Push Example
- Play a C major triad (C-E-G).
- Now raise your middle E finger to F, creating a suspended sound (C-F-G).
The triad now sounds more tense and anticipatory, right?
Try playing a simple broken chord (a broken chord is basically an arpeggio, each note played one after another – a chord broken down into individual notes. Don’t forget to include your left hand root C in your arpeggio)
Lets try another ‘push’.
- Play a C major triad again (C-E-G).
- This time raise your G finger to G#, creating a suspended sound (C-E-G#).
- Remember, we are only lifting by one key on the piano, in this case its takes us to a black key.
Again, the triad sounds more tense. This is the basic foundation of “pushing” the triad.
Now try pushing BOTH E and G keys. This will give you a new triad of C-F-G#. You will notice this sounds thicker and darker. Use broken chords to get a nice arpeggio style going, this really brings out the tone of pushed chords.
Now finally, reset your triad pattern and this time only push the first key, the C. This will give you C#-E-G, and it sounds very disjointed, but like its leading somewhere, or pushing you towards something.
You now have the choice to push any of the three notes in the triad, or combinations of each or even all three.
But wait, theres more!
You can double-push! Try a double-push on the G note only to get C-E-A. This sounds very leading, and in fact pulls you towards a triple-push! Try C-F-A#
Double or even triple pushing work on all three notes and gives very interesting results, have a play and listen.
So Far So Good, Time To Pull the chords!
Now lets look at “pulling”, which I’m sure you can guess is the same thing…but in reverse.
Pull Example
- Start with our good ol’ C major triad (C-E-G).
- Lower the middle E finger to D#, creating a more open yet darker sound (C-D#-G).
- Notice how the chord feels more relaxed and jazzy, but with a mysterious minor quality about it.
Using what you’ve learned about pushing, apply the same idea to pulling the notes back one step at a time. Each pull results in almost the exact opposite of the same push. Don’t forget to try double or even triple pulling – it will give you very musical results.
Of course, mix things up: push and pull notes! This creates excellent rhythmic contrasts, rather than simply hammering out a C major triad over and over. Not every push will suit a pull, so practicing to figure out which combinations work best will be highly beneficial.
Once you perfect this little technique, you’ll start noticing it being used everywhere – it’s the go-to vamp groove for almost every pianist. You might even use it yourself without realizing it. Now you do – it’s what I call the Push and Pull technique.
Now for the Mind-Blowing Section
The astute, well-trained musicians among us might be yelling at the screen: “You’re just playing A minor!” And yes, technically, we are just playing scale inversions – or what the cool jazz kids call Chord+: playing a chord and then adding a little extra.
But what I really want to impress upon you is the Mode Mindset. The reasoning will become clear in a second. If you’ve been working through my previous two articles on modes, I hope you can see that knowing in-depth musical scales and terminology is not required to improvise some truly interesting melodic phrases.
Here’s the payoff: as with all modes tricks, this technique translates perfectly across all modal scales!
So far, we’ve only been playing in C major, or the Ionian mode. But what if you want to play in the mysterious and moody D Dorian mode? It still works! Transfer everything you’ve worked on today up to the D mode, and you can still push and pull as much as you like.
The trick is to not think about modes or scales – but pushing, lifting or elevating the sound. Or inversely, pulling down, darkening, slowing the mood down. Don’t overthink scales or theory jargon – just push if you feel the need to, or pull if you want to take things in a darker direction.
The only slight rule this breaks is the use of black keys on the piano. I’ve said all along in this series that we’re only using white keys – but today, we throw that rule out the window.
The Push and Pull technique means you shift a single finger up or down one key on the piano – it doesn’t matter what key or in what direction, as its still a mode and everything just work. This will usually mean moving from a white key to a black key. Exciting, right?
You’ve now added effectively 126 embellishment possibilities to your base 7 modes…..ka-pow!
The technical term for this is voice-leading, in case anyone asks. But it’s much deeper than that, as this concerns scales – and we are talking about modes. There is definite theory behind this technique, and it’s quite in-depth. While I encourage you to study dominants, sub-dominants, and suspensions eventually, for now we want to write songs and start playing.
Can you push or pull the root note?
Generally, no – this fundamentally changes the mode you are using. The left-hand root note is your modal anchor. If you change the anchor note, you are creating a new mode.
Having said that, there are no hard and fast rules. Music is about exploring and experimenting. This could be considered “note borrowing”, a term used for temporarily taking notes from other scales to give the current scale a dissonant feel. This is advanced theoretically, though many musicians instinctively do it all the time. It’s one of those “once you see it, you notice it everywhere” things.
Blues music is typical for this kind of “bending the chords” or voice stealing. It makes the music sound intentionally off – out of tune or flat – but in a controlled way, adding feel and emotion.
Push Pull Practical Applications
This technique isn’t just about experimenting; it has practical uses in a variety of musical contexts:
1. Improvisation
In jazz, blues, or contemporary music, the Push and Pull technique can add flair to your improvisation. By embellishing standard chords with these subtle shifts, you create unexpected textures that keep your audience engaged.
2. Songwriting
Songwriters can use the Push and Pull technique to evoke specific emotions. For instance:
- Use a “push” to build tension before a chorus.
- Use a “pull” to create a sense of resolution at the end of a verse.
3. Practice and Warm-Ups
Incorporate Push and Pull into your daily practice to develop a deeper understanding of harmony and improve finger independence. For example, try playing through a chord progression and experimenting with pushing or pulling different chords.
Tips for Mastering Push and Pull
- Start Simple: Begin with triads in one mode, like C major. Focus on experimenting with one note at a time.
- Experiment with Modes: Try the technique in different modes to see how it changes the character of your chords. For example, Push and Pull in the Dorian mode (D-F-A) will sound different than in Ionian (C-E-G).
- Use Dynamics: Combine the technique with dynamic changes (loud vs. soft) to amplify its emotional impact.
- Listen Closely: Pay attention to how the Push and Pull affects the mood of your music. The goal is to develop an ear for subtle harmonic shifts.
Beyond Push and Pull
The Push and Pull technique is closely related to other harmonic concepts I recommend you investigate once becoming more interested in learning theory, such as:
- Chord Borrowing: Incorporating notes or chords from a parallel scale or mode to create unexpected shifts.
- Voice Leading: Smoothly transitioning between chords by moving individual notes by the smallest possible interval.
- Suspensions and Resolutions: Using suspended chords (e.g., Csus4) to delay resolution, adding tension and interest.
Conclusion
The Push and Pull technique is a powerful tool for pianists looking to add expression and variety to their playing. By mastering this method, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of harmony and unlock new creative possibilities in your music.
In next week’s article, the final in the series, we’re going to finally lose our minds and start moving the bass note around – just after I’ve said you can’t do this, but this is where everything is going to come together and make complete and total sense, I promise you.
So, the next time you sit at the piano, don’t just play chords – Push them, Pull them, and make your music come alive!
