There aren’t a lot songs that have been covered by as many different artists representing such a variety of musical genres as “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”. It’s easy to lose sight that this song was originally recorded over 60 years ago, back in 1957, by the little known piano great, Huey ‘Piano’ Smith. Huey ‘Piano’ Smith was born in New Orleans, Lousiana and was influenced by both the boogie woogie stylists and the other great New Orleans’ piano players of his era; namely Professor Longhair and Fats Domino. Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s version of “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” is a fusion of a boogie woogie bounce and a New Orleans syncopated melody line. It has become a New Orleans anthem and has made it to the list of Top Rock Piano Songs of all …
Music Theory
The Anatomy of a Piano Bassline: “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”
“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” has been covered by dozens of artists ranging from Bessie Smith to Janis Joplin. Each artist has created his/her own interpretation of this traditional blues song. Musically, it's not that complicated a song. The chord progression is a modified 8-bar blues progression, which admittedly can take some time to learn, but the rhythm is a basic slow blues shuffle. On the piano, though, the bassline can make all the difference. "Nobody Knows You When..." piano lesson For the irocku “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” Advanced Level 7 piano lesson we opted for a traditional stride bassline which is quite challenging to play. In this lesson, the left hand mimics the bass and drum lines on Eric Clapton’s version from the “Unplugged” …
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Harry Connick Jr. Rhythmic Displacement Explanation
For jazz, rock and blues playing, we emphasize counting on the 2nd and 4th beat. This video shows how Harry Connick Jr used rhythmic displacement to get his audience to change from clapping on the 1st and 3rd beat to the 2nd and 4th. Rhythmic displacement is when you play the same melody or phrase but move it to another beat in the measure. In this case, Harry Connick Jr shifted the melody by 1 beat so the crowd would be clapping on the 2nd and 4th beat of the measure. Pretty cool. 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 and SAVE!!! …
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