{"id":14163,"date":"2023-06-17T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-17T14:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=14163"},"modified":"2023-06-30T08:50:31","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T15:50:31","slug":"come-sail-away-piano-tutorial-lawrence-gowan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/come-sail-away-piano-tutorial-lawrence-gowan\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawrence Gowan Teaches &#8220;Come Sail Away&#8221; on Piano"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We&#8217;re SUPER excited about this piano tutorial on how to play STYX&#8217;s &#8220;Come Sail Away&#8221; with none other than Lawrence Gowan himself, the keyboardist for STYX!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can download the complete transcription of this song in the Pianote Members Area. If you\u2019re not a Member yet, get yourself a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">free trial<\/a> to grab the sheet music for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#intro-verse\">Intro\/Verse<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#verse-2\">Verse 2<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#chorus\">Chorus<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#bridge-theme\">Bridge Theme<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size: 22px;\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Never Miss a Song Tutorial<\/b><\/h3><p>Love our video tutorial? Your favorite song might be next! Subscribe to our newsletter for piano news, exclusive interviews, new tutorials, interesting articles, and more delivered to your inbox every week. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"intro-verse\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Intro\/Verse<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The iconic intro to \u201cCome Sail Away\u201d is almost classical-like. Lawrence likens it to the moment when we\u2019re just about how to untie the boat (or spaceship!) from the dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a charming little melody built on the following chord progression: <strong>C &#8211; Dm &#8211; Em &#8211; Dm &#8211; C &#8211; G &#8211; C<\/strong>. We target the ninth (D) and we finish off with a little flourishing trill.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20sail%20away%201.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, we get a cool feature of rock that you\u2019ll also see in the Beatles\u2019 \u201cA Day in the Life\u201d: the instrumental descends while the vocals ascend. The chord progression goes: <strong>C &#8211; Em\/B &#8211; Am<\/strong>, then <strong>F &#8211; G<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20sail%20away%202.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, we oscillate between Am and G before going back to the opening figure at \u201coh Lord I try.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lawrence also shows us some of the counterpoint patterns he does over the chords, such as this neat Gsus4 run:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20sail%20away%203.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Another trill, and we\u2019re on to Verse 2!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udfa4 <b><i>LAWRENCE&#8217;S TIP:<\/b><\/i> \u201cThere are many ways people play the trills. Some people play with the second and third fingers. I\u2019m not as good at that, so I use the thumb and third finger.\u201d<\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"verse-2\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Verse 2<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In verse 2, Lawrence improvises over a similar chord progression: <strong>C &#8211; Em\/B &#8211; Am &#8211; Fmaj7 &#8211; G<\/strong>. Notice how he uses larger chords (more octaves, more fifths) and plays more in the bass. This adds some extra depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20sail%20away%204.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>By now, the whole band has joined you and it\u2019s a grandiose moment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83d\udca1 <b><i>\u201cCome Sail Away\u201d<\/i><\/b> was written by Dennis Deyoung. It is featured on the STYX album <i>The Grand Illusion<\/i> and peaked at #8 in the Billboard Hot 100.<\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chorus\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Chorus<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The chorus is built on a pretty simple I-IV-V progression. That\u2019s <strong>C &#8211; F &#8211; G<\/strong>, with C being a pedal point underneath it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, we get an epic key change. On the last \u201ccome sail away with me,\u201d on \u201cme,\u201d we hit a flat VI chord: <strong>A\u266d<\/strong>. The flat VI is another quintessential rock feature. We also play a <strong>G\u266d<\/strong> (equivalent to F#) chord over the A\u266d. \u201cIt\u2019s a magical rock chord you\u2019ll want to learn,\u201d says Lawrence. Oscillating between these chords gives the impression of rocking waves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20saily%20away%205.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>After a few whimsical licks, we head over to the bridge\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udfa4 <b><i>LAWRENCE&#8217;S TIP:<\/b><\/i> &#8220;As the title of the song kicks in (&#8216;come sail away!&#8217;), this is where you really want to make it rousing and get everyone to sing along with you.&#8221;<\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bridge-theme\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Bridge Theme<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our left hand keeps playing the A\u266d chord. On our right hand, we play a short theme based on these chords and built on the perfect fourth interval between E\u266d and A\u266d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20sail%20away%206.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>After this, Lawrence improvises a little bit over the chords before he does a run all the way up to the highest C on the keyboard. Yup, you get to use the highest key on the piano in this song!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20sail%20away%207.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This run is technically an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-scales\/#modes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">F Phrygian scale<\/a>. Or you can think of it as a D-flat major scale starting on F. Lawrence uses a chromatic scale to come back down and \u201clets it fall into oblivion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<video playsinline=\u201c\u201d autoplay=\u201c\u201d src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2023\/Come%20Sail%20Away%20Tutorial\/come%20sail%20away%208.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:10%\">\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Then we jump back into C major. Hold down the C in your left hand as a pedal point and play G and F chords as the guitars play power chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also play a bit of the guitar solo. The solo is essentially an arpeggiated C chord in 3rd inversion, an F chord in 1st inversion, a G chord in 1st inversion, and then back to F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you enjoyed this tutorial with Lawrence Gowan! If you don\u2019t want to miss the next rock star tutorial, sign up for our mailing list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to play \u201cCome Sail Away\u201d on the piano with STYX keyboardist Lawrence Gowan himself! Sheet music transcription available.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1105,508],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pop-rock","category-song-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14163"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14447,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14163\/revisions\/14447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}