Blues piano theory pdf

In this handout, bert ligon shares some basic concepts of constructing good jazz bass lines. Jazz theory explained in 20 minutes chords, scales, 9ths. Everything you need to know to become an accomplished performer of blues piano. Blues guitar overview introduction 12 bar blues in emajor 12 bar blues in amajor emajor revisited some other blues progressions some fingerpicking challenges more examples in e and a some theory.

Blues scales are the most famous sounds of the xx century music. Home learning jazz jazz theory 4 blues chord progressions you need to know. Welcome to lesson 3 in this course on chicago blues piano. Ive been playing piano for 10 years now mainly classical and swing jazz.

At the same times, blues artists will include elements of those other styles in blues. First degree, fourth degree, first degree, fifth degree, fourth degree, first degree. Learn how to play blues piano scroll down to see the full list of lessons in this section to successfully play various forms of composition you must master blues piano. This book can teach anyone music theory and keep a smile on their face the entire time.

If you play a chordal instrument such as piano or guitar, be sure you can comp through this and play all. Want to get that blues sound in your own piano playing. Provides essential info for creating memorable chord progressions. General information this booklet is designed to give you the basics which you will need in order to learn the art of improvising in music. To learn how to play other piano scales, such as major, minor,chromatic and pentatonic scales, visit our main piano scales page. The bible of blues riffs beginner to intermediate lesson. Free beginner blues improv lesson my fun piano studio. I have played various instruments over 24 years and because of. The only 3 chords you need to master the blues on piano. The beginning piano lessons in the theory section are especially made for those of you who want to expand their knowledge in the secrets of music. Gary moore still got the blues sheet music for piano pdf printable sheet. Jonathon wilson collected these 30 blues licks, and by putting them on musescore you can transpose them into any key you want. In the case of c pentatonic, the three chords are c7 f7 g7. Prompts for piano is designed to provide an easy way for teachers to guide beginner and elementary students through composition or improvisation.

A blues scale consists of 6 different notes, namely the root, flat 3rd, 4th, flat 5th, 5th and flat 7th of the major scale. Combe was debussys disciple and helped transcribe his new compositions as he played. The major blues scale is some less common than the minor blues scale, and therefore we start with minor and you will find the major by scrolling down. Improvisation in blues advanced simplifying theory. Music notation and theory for intelligent beginners. Print and download in pdf or midi 30 must have blues piano licks. For instance, in the c blues scale the notes are c eb f gb g bb c. If these questions are giving you the blues, read on and well discover tricks thatll have. This booklet is provided free of charge by jamey aebersold jazz. This onepage pdf is a free sample page taken from the prompts for piano ebook available in the color in my piano shop. The major blues scale is some less common than the minor blues scale, and therefore we start. These printable song sheets guide students to find groups of white keys cd and fgab on the piano keyboard while exploring the range, dynamics and touch of the keyboard. The 12bar means that the song or jam is divided into 12 parts or measures.

Thanks for signing up for my email newsletter and requesting your free lesson. How did they use the final turnaround to create such a satisfying ending. Mar 03, 2017 this blues form is a basic 12 bar blues, utilizing only three chords. What the world knows about blues is the musical sequence. Go from piano blues scales to piano lessons piano keyboard home page. This scale is much used above all in blues,pop,jazz,soul,funk,rhythm and blues,rock. Music theoryblues wikibooks, open books for an open world. Try using each of the 4 different scales in turn picking out different notes each time. You can play fast blues, slow blues, happy blues, and sad blues. Jazz education s purpose is to give you the basics you need in learning to play jazz or to improvise. Learning how to play the 12 bar blues will allow you to jam with any musician that plays the. For instance, in the c blues scale the notes are c. Then you just keep repeating that same 12bar pattern over and over for the length of the song.

Free jazz piano lessons everything you need to know about jazz. Fill out the following chart from the notes a to a, in ascending order, using sharps. And most importantly, have fun doing so in the next lesson we are going to look at the circle of fifths. Heres your free beginner blues improv lesson, where youll learn the easy e flat blues.

Everything a blues piano player needs to know is right before them on the white and black keys of the piano. One of the most important song forms in jazz is the blues. How to play the blues on the piano or keyboard dummies. Learning how to play the 12 bar blues will allow you to jam with any musician that plays the blues. The blues scale is based on the pentatonic scale and follows a specific formula. An introduction to blues turnarounds, intros and endings by scott blanchard have you ever listened to a favorite blues tune and wondered how they put the intro together. Adding a blue note to the regular pentatonic scale result in the pentatonic blues scale. Blues left hand shuffle patterns tutorial pdf, examples. To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to master. Blues piano scales, chords, and chord progressions for beginners. Steps to the real book helps to foster both approaches. As such, they start from a beginner level and gradually build up towards more advanced topics. How do you apply the blues to the piano or keyboard. We are now going to shift the focus onto our left hand and explore some useful left hand shuffle patterns and some groovy single note basslines.

The basic ingredients in music are scales, chords, melody, rhythm, and harmony. Jazz piano 101 videos on youtube 100110 learning the changes chords 121 open voicings 141150 rootless voicings. How to form the blues scale on piano piano scales youtube. Music theory pdf ebook music theory is a simple matter, but the books complicate the subject. For the sake of brevity, ill only look at playing blues in the key of c. Learn how to play the 12 bar blues on the piano in this piano lesson. The form we recognise as blues today developed in the late 19th and early 20th century in the american south. While they assume a minimal level of music theory and technical knowledge, they presume you know literally nothing about jazz. Whether you want to study theory to go on the look at our jazz improvisation pages, or whether you want a preliminary explanation of some of the concepts in our beginners. The best way to get used to playing the blues is to have a go at improvising over the top of a 12 bar blues chord progression. The blues developed itself over the years, influencing and giving rise to other styles like jazz, rock, soul, etc.

From comping to soloing, youll learn the theory, the tools, and even the tricks that the pros use. Blues in d introduction to open tuning open d blues in g bottleneckslide guitar blues in c minor blues. For many students, when starting out with blues improvisation, its very easy to get locked inside the notes of the blues scale and never deviate away from 6 tones. Make sure you click on each sound file to hear the lick played. In the next few lessons, we will start with the basic building blocks of music and develop from there to cover some elementary musical concepts. The blues has a strong presence in other styles of music. Barbara kreader fred kern phillip keveren mona rejino karen harrington. For 20 years we provide a free and legal service for free sheet music. Take some time to memorize this chord progression, because this is important to know. And it does it all through practical, handson experience of theory at the piano, and its all accessible without having to read any music. Pianoforall is one of the only piano courses on udemy that comes with exceptional supplemental material each video has an accompanying pdf that you can print out and set on your keyboard. The blues chord progression lasts 12 bars thus the phrase 12bar blues that move in a familiar pattern using those three chords. Often these blues progressions will contain dominant chords such as 7th chords.

James booker best video ever best quality live blues piano genius. Genres such as jazz, rock and roll, gospel and country rely heavily on blues concepts. Blues scales are used in many musical kinds for example in blues, jazz, rock and roll, funk, soul rhythm and blues, dance, pop. If youre a beginner on this page, i have good news for you. An introduction to blues turnarounds, intros and endings. Just the blues scale can be considered a basis for a particular key blues. A prereading activity song to help students learn the position of c and d on the piano keyboard.

This lesson on the basic blues scale for piano blues will cover how to find the right blue notes that are added to the major scale and will give some suggestions on how to use this new scale to improvise on the 12 bar blues progression. Essentially, the blues is a specific progression that uses the c7, f7, and g7 chords. If you would like a complete catalog of the thousands of jazz educational materials available, please call 180045688 or visit. Robin gibelhausen, music teacher, illinois basic music theory by jonathan harnum is an excellent book for people of all levels. Welcome to this lesson on chicago blues licks and riffs. Your students will love learning how to improvise and youll be amazed by how easy and fun it is to start. The blues was born out of the african slave trade in the united states. Usually, we begin improvising on songs like blues in bb or f, satin doll.

One approach to becoming a jazz piano player is to learn how to interpret lead sheet format such as is found in the real book. James booker papa was a rascal by blues piano sheets. Introduction to chicago blues chicago blues piano course. To play the blues is a fascinating undertaking because it can be both simplistic and yet intangibly tricky to. The 30 musthave blues piano licks blues transcription and bass arrangements. Click play to see a quick overview of the resources in the guide. The basic formula for the blues scale can be used in any key but some keys will lend themselves easier. If you study and play the major chords and scales enough times you will eventually see the chords and scales laid out before you without having to refer to any chart or secret study aid. I am always getting asked by piano players, guitarists and solo instrumentalists to show them the blues scale. University musical encyclopedia the theory of music and piano technique by e.

Before we can start playing and improvising jazz, we need to know some basic music theory. Many feel that people who improvise or play jazz are special. Blues scales blues is an irresistible tonality for a guitar player. Rather than use many, many ledger lines on one staff which can be hard to count, we can combine two staffs at once to cover this wider range. I have this lead sheet in concert bb, as this is a popular blues key in jazz. Perhaps youve tried to study music theory on the internet, in books, or even with teachers, but without understanding or get put into practice the concepts. Ive always wanted to get into the blues and have bought several books on blues and boogie woogie in the past but never been able to get into it. The turnarounds start with an arpeggio of the i chord then move to the v chord. Learn to play and improvise in an authentic shuffle blues style. To my wife merry and our daughters eileen and suelynn the material of chapter one originated from my notes on how the late mlle. If you use and like, thank you to consider support donation. In this piano course we will use what we know about chords from the accompaniment courses, learn the blues and start improvising wonderful music based on.

Everything you need to know to become an accomplished performer of blues piano kriss, eric on. The definitive handbook for the effective use of theory worksheetswith engaging companion activities and over 50 free printables that make learning theory fun. Learn how to play blues piano lessons and tutorials to. Often new players are drawn to the instrument because of a desire to play the blues. Im starting at the very beginning and working my way through. Piano pentatonic blues scales overview with pictures. Download the free piano sheet music and video directly to your computer.

Lets learn the blues scales on piano and keyboard in every key. The pentatonic blues scale is built upon three dominant chords. A prereading activity song to teach the position of fgab on the piano. A lot of people are under the impression that blues piano is not for beginners.

The flat third, flat fifth and flat seventh notes of the scale are the blue notes of the. They think that learning the blues scale will help them to write and perform blues style music and they are correct. Free jazz piano lessons everything you need to know. Everyone secretly wishes to sit next to the piano, close their eyes and let magic happen. At this point in our study of the blues, now its time to introduce the blues scale. These jazz piano lessons cover everything you need to know to appreciate and play jazz. Briefly, this is the simplest and easiest sequence. The blues scales explained i am always getting asked by piano players, guitarists and solo instrumentalists to show them the blues scale. Blues piano will teach you the basic skills you need. Here is a very simple lesson in beginners harmony and how to make chords. These scales are for obvious reasons perfect when playing blues on the piano. Blues piano scales, chords, and chord progressions for. Free sheet music piano blues by the most likes by the most well noted by the most commented by new releases by the most downloaded by the most listened by the most listened human original instrumentation first by works titles by composers by oldest additions with video first level.

What we are going to do now is to take the concepts that we learned about dominants and use them in blues. Remember that the points i list throughout these materials are guidelines to get you started not necessarily rules forged in. Other common blues progressions include the 8 bar, 16bar, and 24bar blues. Music theory pdf ebook for musicians and normal people. Blues scale in general it can be used on every chord but above all on min7 th and dominant 7th chord.

My number one recommendation on this site for learning how to play the piano is piano for all. It is described as a soulful and emotional music whose themes are primarily about the lives, loves, hardships and hopes of africanamericans. It inspires and strengthens, brings beauty and unity, and is a unique way toexpress feelingsabout the gospel. Ever wanted to play the blues, but werent sure where to start. This is the smallest distance of measurement used in music. All of these pitches are a half step also known as a semi tone apart. Well start with a simple e major triad on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings in 1st position. The theory of using numbers that correlate to the seven letters identifying note names in music should be introduced if students are not familiar with the construction of an eighttone diatonic scale i. Almost all music genres being born in the last hundred years come from blues above all in notclassical music. Learn to play piano by chords blues and improvisation. Learn how to improvise with a special and unique method.

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