There are many ways to play the blues. The most common is the standard 12-bar blues comprised of the I-IV-V chord. But there are a lot of other options at our finger tips to make the blues more interesting and fresh, and to give ourselves a greater blues vocabulary to work with on the piano. In this video, we will explore these options and provide you with a blues toolkit that will provide you with endless opportunities to explore the blues. We begin the video by laying down the foundation for a standard 12 bar blues in C. We expand this standard 12-bar blues by introducing single-note chromatic approaches using dominant chords from above and below the destination chord. We then add two-note approaches. This sounds easy enough, but to perform this you will need to master all the chords and all the chord inversions. We then take it a step further by introducing jazz chord changes comprising ii7-V7-I7 chords. And if that’s not enough to blow your mind, we introduce diminished approach chords in place of the dominant 7th chords. We end the lesson replacing a blues turn-around with a jazz turn-around. There’s a lot here. Have fun with it!
Levels: Intermediate-Advanced.
The IROCKU Piano Tips videos are available to all Annual Members. Click on the image below to learn more.
IROCKU Piano Tips cover piano techniques and fundamentals, improvisation, rhythm and groove, progressions, rhythm patterns, piano accompaniment, music theory and riffs.
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.
Wow! This video is amazing! I learned new chord voicings in the 12 bar blues to make my music more fresh and fancy. Those sounds are so full and melodic. Thank you so much.
Awesome! Have fun with it.