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This week’s piano lesson is “Midnight Rider” by Gregg Allman.

"Midnight Rider" Piano Lesson ”Midnight Rider” has a country-blues feel yet it doesn’t follow a standard blues progression and it doesn’t use a blues scale either. The intro and verse use a two-chord progression alternating between the root and it's suspended chord which is used a lot in Allman Brothers music.  The solo uses both pentatonic and mixolydian scales which are often used by The Allman Brothers for jamming.  The exercises and improv for this lesson have some killer sixteenth syncopations so take it slow. You’ll find the rhythm of this song hypnotizing and a joy to play on the piano. Learn how to play rock and blues piano from one of rock’s greatest. Chuck Leavell, legendary keyboardist for The Rolling Stones, The Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and more. Join Now …

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IROCKU Piano Tip – Upper Structure Chords

Upper Structure Chords are a great way to add flair to your chord  voicings. An Upper Structure Chord is a chord that you add on top of the root chord. In this video we use the dominant 7th chord as the root chord. Playing the root chord in your left hand, you can then go up chromatically adding major chords with your right hand.   The chords that work best don’t have the 4th(or 11th) or the major 7th because they can clash with the 3rd and dominant 7th of the root; the 3rd and dominant 7th being the notes that define the root chord. You can also try adding minor chords over the root chord. Try playing the Upper Structure Chords in different inversions or you can use them in your improvisations by arpeggiating them.   Experiment. Experiment. Experiment. Find a few Upper Structure …

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Chuck Leavell Masterclass- Sat. July 18

Interact live with Chuck in this exclusive masterclass. Learn from his years of experience being the musical director for the Rolling Stones and having performed with everyone from Clapton to George Harrison, as well as his career in environmental and conservation work. Directly ask him a question you've always wanted to know! This class is open to musicians and music enthusiasts alike! Ticket price: $200 There are only 20 spots available s0 contact us directly at chuckmasterclass@irocku.com to register for the event. About Chuck: Chuck Leavell’s keyboard work has been heard on the works of Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, George Harrison, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Blues Traveler, Train, Martina McBride, John Mayer, David Gilmour and many other prominent …

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IROCKU Featured Piano Lesson – “Dark Blue” by Andrew McMahon and Jack’s Mannequin

"Dark Blue" Piano Lesson This week's featured IROCKU lesson is "Dark Blue" by Andrew McMahon.  Andrew McMahon is a passionate and talented singer/songwriter who gave us this beautiful pop-rock ballad. If you are of the Rolling Stones and Allman Brothers generation, learn this one for your kids and grandkids. In '"Dark Blue,” Andrew uses the I, V, vi, IV chord progression which is found everywhere in rock and pop. Another progression to add to your repertoire. in this song, we explore arpeggiated melody lines in both the left and right hands. The song is based on a quarter-note rhythm in 4/4 time but true to most IROCKU arrangements, includes a 3 against 4 cross-rhythm. Keep it simple, keep it beautiful, and let if flow. IROCKU donates the proceeds from the "Dark Blue" lessons to …

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IROCKU Piano Tip – Walking Bass Lines

How many bass players does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, the piano player can do it with his left hand. In this IROCKU Tip we'll learn how to play walking bass lines with our left hand. Walking bass lines are used throughout rock, jazz, and blues. For the chord progression in this lesson, we use the E twelve-bar blues progressions. As piano players we like to play in the  key of C but if you are playing in a band, guitarists prefer playing in the keys of E or A. It’s pretty rare for a guitarist to call out a blues song in C so as keyboardists we need to learn the guitar keys.  In this video we teach how to create your own walking bass lines using a quarter-note groove. We start out with a walking bass line using just the root and fifth of each chord. We then add lower …

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Chuck Leavell Performs “Down the Road a Piece” at Q104.3 Studios

Chuck Performs “Down the Road a Piece” at the studios of classic rock station Q104.3. “Down the Road a Piece” was written by Don Raye in 1940. This song has been covered by a myriad of musicians and bands; Chuck Berry, Manfred Mann, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Rolling Stones, Foghat and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. The original lyrics of the song refer to musicians from the Will Bradley trio. In the subsequent cover versions, musicians’ names were usually changed to refer to members of the cover bands. In Chuck’s version he uses the lyrics from one of his life long idols, Jerry Lee Lewis. In the rock and roll history books, Chuck will be credited for being the artist who brought piano improvisation to rock and roll. In this live recording, Chuck throws us a curve ball by improvising …

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This week’s lesson is “Shine a Light” by The Rolling Stones.

"Shine a Light" Piano Lesson “Shine a Light” is a beautiful piano piece and one of our most popular piano lessons. It is a rock song that incorporates many gospel elements. “Shine a Light” uses a I-vi-V-IV gospel progression in the key of C. Brush up on your blues scales and learn some gospel techniques including 1) moving diatonically down the scale harmonizing each chord tone with the I chord and each passing tone with the minor ii, 2) or using the IV chord for passing tones, and 3) moving chromatically in thirds. In signature style, the Stones throw 16th-note syncopations into the groove of the song so spend some time listening to the recording to get the feel. Learn how to play rock and blues piano from one of rock’s greatest. Chuck Leavell, legendary keyboardist for The Rolling …

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IROCKU Piano Tip – Half Step Approaches

One way to create movement and color to a chord progression is by inserting a chord that anticipates the next chord. The half-step approach is when the anticipating chord has a chromatic approach to the new chord. One place where this works well is in a I-IV-V progression when moving from the IV to the V chord. For example in the key of C, the V chord is the G and the IV chord is the F. So when moving from the G chord  to the G chord(or vice versa) you would insert a Gb on the ‘+’ of the fourth beat of the G chord. The half step approach provides a lot of options to spice up a blues or pop progression. Levels: Intermediate-Advanced. IROCKU Piano Tips cover piano techniques and fundamentals, improvisation, rhythm and groove, progressions, rhythm patterns, piano accompaniment, …

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Featured Piano Lesson – “Corazon Espinado” by Santana & Mana

This week's featured lesson is "Corazon Espinado" by Santana / Mana from Santana's Supernatural album. "Corazon Espinado" Piano Lesson In this lesson we take a detour from classic rock and blues to explore latin rock. In this lesson you will learn about the Montuno. Montuno is the syncopated piano pattern that accompanies the vocals; a key element of many latin genres. Montuno’s transform the piano into a percussive instrument while reinforcing the harmonic structure of the song. We introduce both harmonic (chord based) and melodic ( arpeggio based) montunos along with Tumbao; the highly syncopated bass line rhythm pattern that holds down the song’s groove. The syncopation in latin genres can be even more complex than New Orleans' style second-line rhythms. In this song, the …

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IROCKU Piano Tip – Dominant 9th Chords

This week’s IROCKU Piano Tip looks at 9th chords, in particular, Dominant 9th chords.  Dominant 9th chords are extensions of dominant 7th chords that can help open up your playing.  Dominant 9th chords are very common in blues and rock. In this video we show the Dominant 9th chord and we also teach the flatted 9th chord which is a useful passing chord when playing blues and rock. We also introduce the sharp 9th, AKA  the Jimi Hendrix chord, which adds richness to your rock and blues playing. The video begins by teaching the dominant 9th chords in C, F, and G and then teaches the flat 9th and the sharp 9th chords. The flat 9th chord feels like a passing chord and works best in that context. The flat 9th without its root note is actually a diminished chord; and diminished chords are great …

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