How To Play Boogie Woogie Piano Book
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Have y'all always wanted to make a special connection with your audience as a pianist simply have not known how? In this Quick Tip, I'm going to prove y'all how to play an infectious boogie woogie piano groove that is sure to get whatsoever audience moving. We'll comprehend:
- Primary chords
- The 12-bar blues course
- i signature boogie bass line
- iii crunchy boogie chords
- Right hand syncopation
- The blues scale
This Quick Tip includes a basic boogie woogie pianoforte groove for beginners, too as manner nuances for intermediate and advanced pianists reminiscent of Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Jimmy Yancy, Clarence Pinetop Smith and the late Richard Wayne Penniman (aka "Fiddling Richard").
Ready, set….boogie!
Main Chords
While the boogie woogie style oft displays virtuosic piano licks and riffs, beginners can accept heart that this genre is based on principal chords—the 1, 4 and 5 chords (often also indicated as I, 4, and V). The pianoforte keyboard below shows the C Major scale with each annotation numbered. These are called scale degrees. (Note: scale degrees are non unremarkably indicated with Roman numerals.)
Therefore, the I chord is a chord built on calibration degree 1—or C. Similarly, the Four chord is built on the calibration degree 4, which is F. And lastly, the Five chord is built on the calibration degree five, which is G. Since boogie woogie pianoforte leans heavily on dejection vocabulary, nosotros volition exist using Dominant 7th chords rather than major triads. This gives boogie woogie a bluesy sound. The image below pictures Dominant seventh chords congenital on the 1st, 4th, and 5th scale degrees. Nosotros can label these chords as I7, IV7 and V7 to indicate their Dominant quality.
12-Bar Blues Form
Now, let'southward review the standard 12-bar blues class which consists of 3 4-bar phrases. Offset, we'll examine the class using the number arrangement.
Next, let's play the 12-bar blues class in C. To do this, y'all'll play C7 where the form calls for the I7 chord, F7 for the IV7 chord and G7 for the V7 chord. If you're a beginner, try playing this form using root position chords equally indicated.
Great chore. If yous'd similar a more complete explanation of the 12-bar blues form and the numeric system for analyzing chord function, y'all will appreciate The 10-Lesson Blues Claiming one—Lesson ane in which I break down the 12-bar dejection phrase by phrase—1 chord at a time.
If yous just need a refresher on how to build Ascendant 7th chords, consider reviewing our Dominant 7th Chord Theory and Application class.
Now that yous know the chords and the course, you're ready to examine the eye of the boogie audio—the left hand.
Boogie Woogie Pianoforte—Left Hand
To capture the essence of the boogie sound, you'll want to start with the left manus groove. Of form, in that location is not just one left hand groove, but the ane I've written out beneath is great for beginners because it doesn't require much travel around the keys like more avant-garde "eight-to-the-bar" boogie patterns. I take indicated the fingerings in bluish. You volition want to play the eighth notes with a "swing feel" rather than directly eighths.
Keep in listen that boogie woogie is not only a genre of music but it was as well a pop dance the emerged in barrelhouses in the late 1800s and peaked in popularity in the early 1940s. In fact, boogie woogie pianists served the aforementioned roll as the juke box prior to its invention. Therefore, you'll want to practice the left hand with a metronome and pay close attention to your timing and feel.
If you are an intermediate or advanced player, you tin heighten the momentum leading into each chord change by adding an eighth note on the "&" of beat 4. This note serves as a connector to conceptualize the new chord.
Overnice piece of work! You tin can download the sheet music for this Quick Tip that appears at the bottom of this page when y'all log-in with your membership. PWJ members tin also access the Smart Sheet Music companion to this Quick Tip which tin can be transposed to any key.
Now, let's add the right manus.
Boogie Woogie Piano—Right Hand
In the right hand, we'll want to play some crunchy boogie chords that audio groovy over our bass line. Check out the chord voicings beneath.
These chord voicings sound especially sweet because of the addition of the ninth in the F7 and G7 chords (the note G is the 9th of F7 and the note A is the 9th of G7). The ninth is considered a chord extension. Adding chord extensions is groovy way to bring colour and variety to your chords. We have several Learning Tracks you can follow past genre or skill level to expand your playing. If yous similar these chord extensions, consider our Piano Chord Extensions course which is part of our Intermediate Piano Foundations Learning Track.
Next, you'll want to add some rhythm to the correct paw. Consider the instance beneath in which I have added a syncopated rhythm. This rhythm, sometimes called the "Charleston Groove," is a swell way to complement your left hand boogie pattern.
That sounds great! Yous now take a great foundation for playing boogie woogie pianoforte. In the final section of today'southward Quick Tip, I'll evidence you lot an essential tool for adding fills to go on your groove interesting.
Boosted Considerations
What if y'all want to add fills and embellishments with you right hand? The C Blueish Scale is an first-class pick that sounds neat over the boogie woogie groove.
For a stride-by-footstep guide on using the C Blues Calibration to construct great sounding improv lines, y'all'll honey our Blues Improvisation Challenge. For a deep swoop on further improvisation possibilities with this scale and others, check out the following courses:
- The ten-Lesson Blues Challenge one (Level ii)
- The 10-Lesson Blues Challenge 2 (Level iii)
- The Bible of Blues Riffs 1 (Level 2)
- The Bible of Blues Riffs two (Level 3)
We also have Boogie & Stone Piano Learning Tracks (Runway 1, Track 2) packed with additional genre-specific Quick Tips, courses and repertoire selections.
Thank you for learning with me, and see you in the next Quick Tip!
Your teacher,
Jonny May
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