This week’s IROCKU Piano Tip covers techniques and ideas on how to improvise over a simple chord progression. The techniques discussed in this video include shifting finger patterns within a mode, intervals and octaves, using your thumb and your pinky as your home base to add color to a phrase, and the ‘call and response’ approach to improvisation.
Levels: Intermediate-Advanced.
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IROCKU Piano Tips cover piano techniques and fundamentals, improvisation, rhythm and groove, progressions, rhythm patterns, piano accompaniment, music theory and riffs.
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IROCKU Piano Tips
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.
Very cool. In the first part The right hand finger pattern starts with 3-5. A to C = 3 half steps. Other intervals like, B flat to D, are 4 half steps. Do I understand correctly that the intervals are different but the idea, for the first finger pattern example, is that there is always one note of the C7 scale that is in between the other two notes being played? Possibly I am using the term interval incorrectly? Interval = # of half steps? Thanks!
Thanks for the question. Yes, your understanding is correct. But rather than focusing on the intervals focus on notes of the scales So when playing C7 stick to notes from the C mixolydian scale and when playing F7 stick to notes from the F mixolydian scale. Don’t be too rigid about spacing the notes. Space out the notes evenly as a starting point but play around and develop patterns that sound good to your ear. Keep rockin!!!
Got it and thanks. This is the first one of these Tips I have studied and it has had a very positive impact. Exactly as you say – it is helping me to expand out of my go to stuff. Recent annual membership subscriber and looking forward to advancing thru the rest of these Tips.
Improvisation Techniques was a great short lesson. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it. Here’s the link to some more IROCKU Piano Tips. https://www.irocku.com/category/irocku-piano-tips/
We’ll try to keep them coming. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for additional piano tip videos. Keep rockin!