irocku has a simple goal for you, and that is to have you rockin’ like a rockstar. This week’s lesson does just that. “Come and Go Blues,” written by Gregg Allman, just might be the closest thing to nirvana that an aspiring piano player is likely to reach.
Chuck Leavell rocks out of control on this song; he starts the song off by running down the keys and then going into a funky Southern boogie that is steeped in the best honky-tonk tradition ingrained in both country and blues piano players of the Southern United States. Backed by Gregg Allman’s bouncing organ and a somewhat restrained, yet satisfying guitar solo by Dickey Betts, “Come and Go Blues,” is representative of what music critics have called, “Southern Rock”. That moniker is a bit unnecessary since rock and roll music owes it’s very existence to the musical traditions of the South. “Come and Go Blues,” has a timeless theme, a theme that lends itself well to the blues, of love unreturned and the waiting game of anguish, hope, and emptiness that follows. This is perhaps where Gregg Allman is at his best, his voice reflects the melancholy of a broken heart, even as those around him tell him she is no good, he optimistically hangs on, hoping she will return his love because he is too far gone to care. The pain is tangible, the longing for love is palatable and it reveals the gifts of one of the great singers in the history of rock and roll. With the Allman Brothers Band’s vast musical catalogue and numerous hit singles recorded over the past 40 years it is easy to miss a song like “Come and Go Blues,” but once discovered it reveals the strengths of one of rock and roll’s most resilient bands. From the 1973 album “Brothers and Sisters”, we know you will enjoy rocking to “Come and Go Blues,” by our exclusive irocku artists, the legendary, Allman Brothers Band. So now you have it and remember that the reason you practice and play is for the love of music, when you master a song like this it is sure to have your feet tapping and your butt bouncing on the stool!
If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass lines. This song totally rocks.
Written by Gregg Allman
Administered by Warner/Chappell
All Rights Reserved Used by Permission
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.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass line and one of the best improvisations in rock.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass line and one of the best improvisations in rock.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass line and one of the best improvisations in rock.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass line and one of the best improvisations in rock.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass line and one of the best improvisations in rock.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass line and one of the best improvisations in rock.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
Practice Schedule
Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. If your left hand has been getting a bit lazy, now’s the time to wake it up. “Come and Go Blues” has blues scales, funk-rock grooves and walking bass line and one of the best improvisations in rock.
The above video is a preview from the lesson. Every lesson includes a groove chart that teaches how to play the song with a rock band, a rock theory and dexterity exercise, an improvisation, and a full arrangement of the song itself. All lessons include instructional videos as well as the sheet music.
I love Chuck’s solo on this song, is that transcribed anywhere?
Yes- you’ll find the first 8 bars of the solo in the Improv. Enjoy!
Just a quick question about suspended chords. The intermediate groove chart for Come and Go Blues begins with a G7 Sus4 chord. I always thought that this was GCDF. In the video, Colin says to play the A and the C instead of the B. So this would seem to be a combination Sus2 and Sus4. I thought that you either suspended to the second or the fourth, but I had never heard of suspending to both. Can someone clarify this for me? Thanks!
There are a couple of ways of describing this chord. You are correct, the G7 sus4 chord is GCDF where you suspend the third ( B) and replace it with the fourth (C). The G7sus2 chord is GADF where you suspend the third ( B) and replace it with the second ( A). If you suspend the third and replace it with both the second and the fourth notes of the scale the new chord is G7sus4add2 which would be GACDF or you could call it G9sus4 since the second of the scale is also the ninth.
For more on suspended chords check out our Piano Resources link. http://www.irocku.com/tools-resources/piano-scales-chords-and-rhythms/
Me playing, Come and Go Blues Level VII, irocku
I love the left hand in this lesson! Also, the level 6 exercise sounds a little like the break at the end of the album version of this tune. Is that something I could use to help noodle out that part?
The break towards the end of the album version sounds like a lot of thirds. Is exercise 6 something I could use to work on that?
On the exercise video, we show exactly how the Exercise was derived from the song. Is this the lick you are looking for?
Yeah I thinks that’s it. Thanks!
can you explain how a groove chart works please?
Joe Blues
Great question. The groove chart is the fastest way to learn the essence of the song without getting bogged down with reading notes. The groove charts are also great for comping with a band. Approach learning the groove chart by first learning all of the chords. It’s best to learn to play all the inversions of the chords with each hand. Once you’ve mastered the chords, begin playing the left hand rhythm. Start with the root note of the chord, then octaves, then the root-fifth( ie for C chord play C and G), and then add more notes as you like. Once you are comfortable with the left hand, play the chords in the right hand using the rhythm as written. You can play the chord in any inversion or just one note of the chord or add the melody of the song if you like. (Note: If the chord is written C/E you would play the C chord with the right hand over an E in the left hand).
Matthew ( rocker2) provided a really useful comment on the ”Such a Night” lesson that provides some good ideas on what you can do with the left hand. You might want to check that out.
When we designed the IROCKU lessons Chuck stressed the importance of getting people ‘off the page’. Unlike classical players, only 15% of all rockers can read music. He says barely anyone he plays with can read and Chuck himself isn’t much of a reader. Rockers piece together songs by listening, and learning the progressions, the grooves, and then filling in with melody and riffs(mostly from scales). The groove charts are intentionally designed to force you off the page and try experiment on your own. Don’t worry about playing the notes exactly as they are played in the video. Get the groove down and supplement it with chord inversions and licks of your own. You’ll find that after working through a half a dozen of our songs (including groove, lesson, exercise, and improv) that things will start falling into place and picking up songs on your own and improvisations will become easier for you. Chuck would prefer to see you come up with your own versions of the songs rather than learning ours. Our goal is to provide you with the tools to do that.