It may surprise you but, few pianists know how to successfully execute a simple blues on the piano. Given the hundreds of different chord variations in a 12-bar blues it’s no wonder that many don’t know which to choose so they simply avoid the whole process altogether.

Here are a few simple rules to follow when learning to play blues on the piano.

Most music that you hear is based on chord progressions and the blues is no different. So let’s start with a basic 12-bar blues chord progression which would look like this in the key of F;

| F7 | | | | Bb7 | | F7 | | C7 | Bb7 | F7 | |

Now, I’ve already mentioned that there are hundreds of different variations of the blues so let’s now show you the most common jazz blues progression. Overall it’s the same progression with a few extra chords thrown in to make it sound more interesting;

| F7 | Bb7 | F7 | | Bb7 | Bo7 | F7 | A-7b5 D7b9 | G-7 | C7 | F7 | G-7 C7|
You will notice a couple of things about this progression. First is the A-7b5 D7b9 in the 8th bar before the G minor seventh chord. This is simple a minor II V put in front of the G minor chord to give it forward movement. Then you will see another II V at the end which takes us back to the top of the piece, again giving it that forward movement.

This jazz blues progression is the most common progression you will see and will serve you well in any music jam situation.

So, once you’ve mastered this progression it would be nice to learn how to solo over top. That’s where things get a bit tricky. If you’re just learning, my advice is to learn a simple blues scale which can be played over the entire progression.

A blues scale is made up of only 6 notes and here it is in the key of F;

F Ab Bb B C Eb and back to F.

Now, the fingering for this scale from bottom to top would be 1 3 4 1 2 4 5. And, of course if you kept going up to the next octave you would need to substitute 5th finger with 1.

This scale works so well on a blues progression it can become a bit monotonous. Therefore, I suggest you learn how to play some other types of scales during the II V’s such as a dorian and mixolydian.

In terms of how to comp or play chords along with other musicians here’s a neat trick. Play the root and the seventh in the left hand and cover the third, fifth and any extensions that you want to in the right hand. You will find that this is very effective in any blues situation.

What’s next? Well, you might want to go down to your local music store and get a book on blues riffs. There are standards riffs or rhythms that you can learn to make you playing sound a lot more bluesy.

I hope you enjoyed this quick blues piano lesson. Keep sounding great!

As we all know, the piano is an elegant musical instrument that may look a wee bit intimidating to learn how to play it yourself. But if you want to save on expensive tuition fees, then you can teach yourself how to play piano as it can be done. This article will show you how to do it.

First of all, you need to decide what style or what kind of pianist you want to be. If you aspire to be a concert pianist, then you need to learn the classical styles of great composers such as Beethoven or Mozart. To learn classical piano, you must be able to read notes and thus this form may be more difficult to teach yourself.

But if you only want to learn the piano so that you can accompany a singer or play songs that you have written yourself, then you can start by just learning how to play piano chords and add in the frills and thrills later as you get more proficient as a piano player. Of course, learning this way is much easier.

Also there are many musical genre and you have to decide which genre you want to start with although as you get better, you can dabble with all the various genre whether they are jazz, classical, blues, new age, country or whatever style you like.

Of course, in order to learn how to play piano, you must have access to one. Yes, pianos are more expensive when compared to most other musical instruments. It is a good idea to buy one if you can afford it, if not there are many other ways you can practice on the piano such as in your school, church or approach friend and neighbors to allow you to practice on their pianos.

If you are a little embarrassed about letting people hear you practicing, then you need to invest in an electronic keyboard that you can plug in a pair of earphone so that nobody can hear you practicing but yourself. If you want to do that, just make sure you buy one with full sized keys because the there are cheaper versions with smaller sized keys. This is because if you are used to playing with smaller keys, then you may have problems when playing on real pianos with bigger keys later.

Once you are ready, you should look for piano lessons to start with. There are multitudes of beginner’s books, DVDs, CDs and online lessons which can help you to teach yourself to play piano easily. As everybody learn differently, do be mindful that you find the teaching format you are most comfortable with.

When teaching yourself, of course there will be times when you may be stumped on a lesson simply because you don’t understand it or are not using the right technique. However, if you choose to learn online, many of these teachers allow you to email them with your questions or you can also find different resources for references or simply ask someone you know who is already rather proficient in playing the piano.

Just like in learning everything else, consistency and determination is the key to success. Therefore you must practice regularly whenever you have the chance. Overtime, sooner than later, you too can become a good self taught pianist.

Most piano students learn how to play the piano via the traditional classical way and although they have some aural lessons, they are not trained to play the instrument by ear. Those who can play by ear usually picked up the skills themselves.

That is why many piano players are almost always amazed by other pianists who can play any song they wished to without the scores in front of them and even without looking at the keys they are playing. Are you one of those who can’t play by ear? If so, the good news is that it can be learnt.

Here are some tips on how to practice and learn how to play by ear:

Play with other musicians as often as possible – Or even start your own band. Making music with other musicians forces you experiment with new ways of playing and listening to music. Although you may play from printed scores, in a band, everyone has to learn to listen to the other players and responds accordingly. Over time, your brain’s analytic and logical training to music will give way to your hearing and instinctive responses.

Practice playing with your eyes closed – This is to wean you away from looking at the scores and the keys. It takes time and practice, but once you can play a song with your eyes closed, you will discover new ways of playing the piano and at the same time, wired in other neurological muscle memory of your fingers into your brain.

Play along with a CD without using a score – This is really training you to play by ear. You can replay certain segments of the music again and again until you get it right. In the beginning, you may fumble and get the notes wrong, but you will see improvements sooner rather than later.

Have fun – Take a break from serious practicing and play the piano just for the heck of it! Play anything you fancy or you have just heard. Plonk away and experiment. Play a memorized song and improvise on it at will. By doing this, your hearing skills will continue to develop without the music scores.

Experiment with a friend – Close your eyes and have a friend play a note, any note, then you try to play the exact note. When you are able to do so, then try with a few running notes and you do the same. Then you can progress to playing with the chords.

By doing this, you will develop an aural image of the notes pitches in your brain. Slowing, it will become instinctive.

Join the jam sessions – Many musicians hold open jam sessions and welcome others to join in. Although this can be intimidating for some, it is a great way of developing your playing skills and confidence. Besides, the more experienced musicians will often help the newbies to blend into their style of playing.

As your skills developed and you become more comfortable playing the piano by ear, a whole new wonderful musical world opens up for you! Your piano playing becomes much easier and so much more enjoyable and you can now say, play me any song and I will play it for you.

Do you interact well with others? Do you take responsibility for your actions? Whether you are taking part in a board meeting or playing piano in a chamber music group, here are some examples of how not to react in a group project. There are, of course, exceptions, but these types of attitudes are unacceptable:

“I can’t believe I’m involved with you in this project. You stink both mentally and physically.”

“You’re playing your instrument so loud. You need help, man. It’s almost as if you’re saying, ‘Look how badly I play. Please offer me a teacher for basic training’. You sound like a dented fog horn. Actually, you kinda look like one too.”

“If I never have to lay eyes on you again, then I’ll avoid getting cataracts. Your work is sloppier than a monkey’s finger painting.”

The school of hard knocks actually has a place, but using it comes with unpredictable results. If you are absolutely desperate to finish a fast approaching deadline project with a partner that you can no longer work with, then there may be no option but to lay into them, especially if the person in question has exhibited repeated unprofessional and rude qualities. Perhaps a rude awakening will modify the person in question’s undesirable behavior. On the other hand, a resulting vicious argument could erupt and escalate.

Having said that, you’ll feel better in the long run if you take the high road. If you are in the process of severing business ties with an individual, a cool attitude, peppered with some class, goes a long way.

Of course, part of getting along with peers on a long term basis also involves avoiding a scenario that will exhibit insecurity and weakness. Let’s turn to our chamber music friends again and consider the following comments:

“I know I keep on making the same mistakes. I’m so useless and I really can’t blame you if you want to replace me. Sometimes I wish I could replace myself!”

“Something sounds wrong with the balance. It’s probably me. In fact, I’m sure it’s me… Is it me?”

Being a wet rag or a sitting duck for all of the complaints within a group can be a huge problem. No one wants to seriously be involved professionally with an insecure team player. This type of attitude most certainly invites ridicule and all the other components involved in bullying.

So how do our chamber music friends strike a perfect balance in what is usually a very long term relationship, and how does this all relate to you? For starters, being secure in your craft, without being arrogant, is crucial. Whether you’re a pianist, string player, woodwind player, or advertising executive, you must have solid viewpoints that are open for discussion. Mutual respect is the name of the game amongst flexible-minded professionals.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it does help to like people. They’re not so bad, and they’re all you’ve got. I know, “What about pets, fancy gadgets and other cool stuff?” Well, that’s true, but I don’t ever remember having much success at playing in a piano trio with my brother’s dog on violin. Also, last I heard, my car won’t fit into our teacher’s staff meeting room.

Being a confident people person is the first step in establishing rewarding and valuable group tasks. Have fun interacting!

Pompano Beach, FL (PRWEB) June 25, 2009

World renowned virtuoso concert pianist Jeffrey Biegel uses latest technology to reach out to piano students around the world. Biegel is a popular concert pianist, composer, and a distinguished Professor of Piano at Brooklyn College in New York. He is a protege of the legendary teacher, Adele Marcus at The Juilliard School. No stranger to the Internet, Biegel created and performed the first live audio/video concerts on the Internet in 1997. Even way back then (ancient by Internet standards) he considered using the Internet for teaching, but it would be more than ten years before high speed connections and audio/video technology would catch up enough to make it work.

Although you can find lessons on the Web for just about anything you can imagine (and some you can’t), most are in the form of canned presentations. They are typically just a bunch of videos you watch or download, a “one size fits all” solution.

Up until now, studying with a pianist/teacher of Biegel’s caliber meant catching him between concerts, and traveling to his studio in New York. It is rare to find actual live interactive lessons online, rarer still to find live interactive piano lessons with a top notch concert pianist. Now, thanks to high speed Internet connections, inexpensive web cams, and the free services of Skype, it’s possible to teach students and teachers from around the world. Biegel has already successfully used this method to teach lessons in such diverse locations as Virginia (U.S.) and Singapore. Students claim it works great, almost like being there in person.

Contrary to what you might think, it is possible to hear all the nuances of the students performance, including the “sound” they are producing. It’s also not a problem to see their technique (fingering, arm position, wrist and elbow positioning, etc.). While nobody expects the traditional method of in person piano lessons to be replaced anytime soon, the ability to offer live lessons and coaching to students, performers, and teachers anywhere in the world is nothing short of revolutionary.

It means pianist preparing for a recital, competition, or concerto appearance can now take advantage of live one on one instructions from one of the worlds finest concert pianist. It also gives teachers the opportunity to improve their own playing and expand their repertoire, in order to improve their own teaching.

So, where does a piano teacher draw his or her international students from? In Biegel’s case, they find him through his web site ( http://www.JeffreyBiegel.com ) and from his posts on the World Famous Piano Forums at Piano World ( http://www.PianoWorld.com/forum/ ). Where else? Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, all the usual suspects.

Through the wonders of technology, you no longer have to fly, drive, take a train, or a bus to the teacher’s studio. All you need is a computer with a high speed connection, a web cam, and a free Skype account. Of course, you still need to have a piano, and you’re still going to have to practice. Sorry, we haven’t come That far yet

More about live interactive online lessons here: http://www.pianoworld.com/Piano_Lessons_Online.html

Here is a lesson demonstration in two YouTube segments (keep in mind the volume for Mr. Biegel is lower than that of the student, however, the concept of teaching using Skype is illustrated perfectly):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9st7rJrJm1s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gIfTp4-D2I

Release prepared by Frank Baxter, Founder & Host of Piano World

Contact:

Jeffrey Biegel

sharpnat(at)aol.com

Frank Baxter

webmaster(at)pianoworld.com

860-741-2625

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http://www.itunes.com/trickofdisaster

Hey guys! I hope that you are learning a lot from my videos! In this week I talk about some serious minor chords! They are the ones without sharps and flats! D minor! E minor ! A minor! Craziness!

I hope these are helpful! Now you know all the chords!

By the way, I know what you’re thinking! Piano is for lamos, why would I want to learn piano? Guitar is where it’s at! The only people who play piano are old fogies who are dead like Beethoven, Bach, and other crappy old composers.

But there are actually tons of cool bands that play piano! Here are just a few: John Mayer, Coldplay, Elton John, The Fray, Aliscia Keys, The Beatles, The Fray, Gavin Degraw, Radiohead, Muse and Eminem!

So ha!

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Give us some feedback at james@ilearnmusic.com

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This song is called “Improvisation” because I just had the piano on, and by instict I played this song, without composing or thinking about it….

Thanks for watching my videos dear subscribers!

JeSVega Music 2010

All rights reserved for Apple and JeSVega

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