Description:
Instructor Abram Poliakoff demonstrates “O Susanna” in harmony and introduces the lesson’s focus: learning melodic, chordal, and mixed harmony techniques that can be applied to many songs. You’ll begin by learning the melody in D major, starting with the D major scale and then breaking the song into phrases. Scale degrees are provided for both A and B sections for easier practice.
Lyrics for review:
D A
I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,
D A D
I’m going to Louisiana, O my true love for to see
G D A
Oh, Susanna, don’t you cry for me
D A D
Cos’ I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee.
Scale Degrees:
- A section: 123356531233212, 123556531233221 x2
- B section: 4466655312, 123556531233221
Lessons:
Instructor: Abram Poliakoff
Abram Poliakoff is a singer, guitarist, pianist, teacher, conductor, and composer. He received a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Arts from USC’s Thornton School of Music and has been teaching music for 8 years. He is currently both the Associate Artistic Director and a tenor in the L.A. Choral Lab, which recently released its first studio album Sonic Visions in the fall of 2019. Abram teaches and performs a wide range of genres including Classical, Jazz, Folk and Popular music in the Los Angeles area. He has also sung with the San Francisco Opera and Pocket Opera in the Bay Area. His teaching mission is to help his students utilize vocal technique to find their authentic and healthy voice while maximizing genre flexibility and a naturalness of expression.