Each style of playing the piano has its share of tricks and techniques. The New Age piano is no different. The New Age piano style has 3 main techniques that are used over and over again. These are the ostinato technique, the crossover or arpeggio technique, and the broken chord technique.

The Ostinato Technique: A Repeating Pattern

You’ve probably heard this technique numerous times and may not know what it was about. Ostinato simply means repeating pattern or stubborn pattern and that’s exactly what it is. For example, in the piece “Rain” by New Age pianist George Winston, we have a left hand pattern that uses more than one octave of the keyboard to create a beautiful aural background on which a melody is improvised.

This technique is a very quick and easy way to create New Age piano pieces. The ostinato is played over and over again while the right hand is able to “mix” it and create a change with the melodic line. Of course, you can change the ostinato pattern just as well as Winston can. With just a few small note changes, freshness is maintained and the piece moves the listener’s attention forward. The author’s lesson piece “Rainforest” does the same. Two chords are used in the left hand while the right improvises a melody.

The Crossover Technique – Up and Down Arpeggios

This technique is used everywhere on the New Age piano and elsewhere. Usually spanning an octave or more, the pianist uses the left hand (mostly) to create a cascading pattern of notes that can rise or fall or both, depending on how it is played. Another good example of this technique is used in the piece “Thanksgiving” by George Winston. Here you use some chords in the left hand divided into arpeggios and create a nice harmonic “loop” with them. Then the right hand improvises a melody and the piece is created. Very easy and quite nice too.

The author’s lesson piece “Morning Mist” uses some chords along with the crossover technique as well. Learn to play the left-hand crossover first, then slowly add a tune of your own. Creative? Yes! And easy too!

The broken chord technique: both hands in play

Here we have a technique that sounds much more complicated than it actually is. Both hands are used to create music. The hands are placed on a chord and that chord is broken.

For example, the “Reflections in Water” lesson uses the broken chord technique in conjunction with open position chords to create a very pleasant “New Age” sound. Beginners listening to this piece will have no idea how it is accomplished, but once you learn to play the open position chord, they will give you an idea and begin to see how easy it can be to create in the New Age style. !