What we’ll do in 90 minutes

Find the pulse

Tap along before you play. Feel the steady beat underneath the words.

Get the chords under your fingers

Start with a simple chord change you can repeat comfortably.

Give your left hand a groove

Keep the bass going as your right hand changes chords.

Try the offbeat

Already comfortable with chords? Add a light chord between the beats and hear the difference.

Bring in your voice

Sing a short phrase of Mary’s Boy Child over the pattern. Slow down the spot where your hands want to follow your voice.

Play the chorus together

Choose the simple pulse or the offbeat version. We’ll finish the playing part by singing the chorus together over the rhythm you’ve practised.

Is this workshop right for you?

If you can find a few chords but everything comes out sounding like a ballad, come and join me. Beginners can play a steady chord pulse. If you already sing and play, we’ll explore how to make that same accompaniment bounce.

This is a real members’ session from Your Truth Amplified, and for one evening I’m opening the doors. At the end I’ll tell you how to join us if you’d like to. If not, you’ll still go home with a rhythm you can play.

All you need is a piano or keyboard and a shaker. Camera on or off, whichever feels better.

I’m Sam

Sam de la Haye · The Singer’s Piano

Being dyslexic, I spent years working out how to play the piano by ear. Then I discovered chords. I could finally sit down and play the songs I wanted to sing.

I’m a professional piano vocalist and a qualified music therapist. From piano bars to cruise ships, I’ve spent a lot of evenings figuring out how to keep a song moving underneath my voice. These days, I teach singers to do that for themselves, from my home in Cornwall.