Its All About the DNA, Your key to Better Piano Playing
- Diana Mascari
- Sep 12
- 6 min read
Many of my adult students come to lessons eager to learn music from the American Popular Songbook. Names like George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Richard Rodgers are instantly recognizable, and their songs remain timeless favorites. Interestingly, when my younger students reach high school, they are often drawn to this very same repertoire through school musicals or jazz ensembles.
For me, this music has always held a special place. After years of performing solo piano gigs, I find real joy in teaching these songs—helping students of every age discover the richness, swing, and lyrical beauty that make them so enduring.
My Discovery
Whether I’m guiding an 8-year-old through one of the Six Simple Songs or helping an advanced adult student shape an arrangement of Surrey with the Fringe on Top, I find myself coming back to the same point again and again. One day, maybe influenced by all those CSI and Law and Order episodes, I blurted out in the middle of a lesson: “It’s the DNA of the key—everything follows from that.”
What is this DNA I’m talking about?
Every popular song is written in a specific key, which you can spot by looking at the key signature on the left side of each line of music. Many piano students think of the key signature simply as a reminder of which notes should be played sharp or flat—often the black keys.
But the key signature is much more than that. It reveals the “family” of notes that shape the entire song. This collection of tones is what we call the major scale. From that scale, the composer draws the raw material for the song—both the melody (the tune you hum) and the harmony (the chords that support it).
The essence of a song’s harmony is what truly makes the music work.
Think of it as the song’s DNA. Just as DNA contains the instructions for building life, harmony has its own blueprint made up of three essential chords. No matter if you’re playing Bach, Irving Berlin, or The Beatles, these chords are always present. Together they form the backbone of every key:
The pre-dominant chord – prepares your ear for motion toward resolution.
The dominant chord – creates tension and pulls your ear toward resolution.
The tonic chord – the “home” chord, where the music feels settled and complete.
This pattern—the DNA of the key—everything else in the music grows from the song’s DNA.
How Can You Recognize the DNA?
Fortunately, you don’t need a medical degree to find it! If you’re playing a song that uses mostly triads (three-note chords), the DNA is built from the chords on the 4th (pre-dominant), 5th (dominant), and 1st (tonic) degrees of the major scale. In music notation, these are written as IV – V – I.
For example, in the key of C major those chords are F – G7 – C. You’ll hear this progression in songs as varied as This Land Is Your Land, Amazing Grace, Pachelbel’s Canon in D, Rock Around the Clock, and My Heart Will Go On (the theme from Titanic).
When it comes to the American Popular Songbook, the same DNA still applies—but with some differences. Instead of simple triads, the chords expand to four tones, creating richer harmonies like major 7ths, minor 7ths, and dominant 7ths. Think of songs like Over the Rainbow, Satin Doll, Our Love Is Here to Stay, or Someday My Prince Will Come. In this style, the DNA shows up as the ii–V–I progression, built on the 2nd, 5th, and 1st scale degrees.
In C major, that’s D minor7 – G7 – C major7.
In Eb major, it’s F minor7 – Bb7 – Eb major7.
What makes the Songbook especially exciting is how often these tunes “travel” into other keys. Sometimes they fully modulate, and sometimes they just give a gentle hint of another tonal center. How do you spot these shifts? By keeping an eye (and ear) out for ii–V or ii–V–I progressions sprinkled throughout the song—you’ll recognize them as the telltale signs of a key change.
The subtitle of this blog post is Your Key to Better Piano Playing. So how does understanding the DNA of a song actually help you play better?
Once you can spot the ii–V and ii–V–I progressions in a tune, you unlock a whole new level of freedom at the piano. These progressions become a framework you can dress up in many ways—using accompaniment patterns like four-note chord Oom-pahs, the 10th system, 9th voicings, or even walking bass lines.
Even more, recognizing the DNA tells you exactly which scales will fit when you want to improvise. Instead of guessing, you’ll know where the music is headed—and that confidence makes your playing sound both smoother and more expressive.
My former composition teacher, Tom McKinley, often reminded me: “Practice precedes theory.” I wish I could say I grasped the DNA concept in a sudden flash of inspiration, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, it took years of playing solo piano gigs—hour after hour—before the pieces slowly began to fit together.
Only later, as I shared what I had discovered with my students in their lessons, did the practice I had lived through gradually crystallize into theory.
Are you looking for some help to find clues to the DNA of your piano pieces?
Whether you’re returning to the piano or coming from another instrument, you don’t need to be an expert to begin. All it takes is curiosity, patience, and the right guidance. That’s where lessons make the difference. I’ll help you build confidence, find the DNA in numerous songs, use the metronome with ease, explore accompaniment patterns, and discover ways of playing that feel both natural and musical.
Why not give it a try?
Piano lessons with Diana Mascari are created specifically for adults like you—curious, motivated, and ready to enjoy music on your own terms.
Let’s get started!
Ready to Begin Your Own Composing Journey?
If you’d like some help looking for clues to develop the DNA in some of your compositions, you've come to the right place. I specialize in helping adults—whether you’re returning to music or starting fresh—discover the joy of writing your own music. Through step-by-step guidance, I’ll show you how to take your ideas, however small, and shape them into real compositions you can hear, share, and be proud of.
When you take composition lessons with me, you won’t just learn how to create your own musical works—you’ll also gain insights that make you a stronger, more confident pianist. Composing and playing naturally enrich one another, opening new possibilities at the keyboard and beyond. Let’s explore how you can awaken the composer within you.
It’s time to explore your creativity!
Whether you’re just beginning or returning to music after years away, I’ll help you transform understanding into creativity and confidence. Together we’ll talk about piano lessons, composition lessons, and your personal musical interests and goals.
About Diana Mascari
American Composer & Jazz Pianist
Teacher of Piano & Composition for Adults
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