Beginners blues/boogie/rock discussion
Jazzpunk Yeah, he is a lot of fun. I just started to watch video 4 - pfew! That's going to take some doing! I'm glad I bought the sheet music, because my brain memory bank is starting to get a little overloaded by now. It's nice to be able to peek every now and then, without having to play the video 10 times in a row ^_^
It took me more than one month to go through lesson 16! Your progress is remarkably fast. You'll catch up very soon. Keep going. 
WieWaldi Can't wait to learn the same stuff
Me neither! I really got inspired by your recital and it's so great that I now recognize one or two of the licks and can play them. You know, the ones in the first three lessons.
But it's going to take me a little while to catch up though! I started this thread when I had already done the first two lessons, we were still in the old forum. The third lesson alone took me about 3 weeks - and it's not flawless yet. I still struggle with some of the jumps and the bridge.
I have a question for you: do you use the pedal with the bridge part? I tried it and it sounds so much better, but I'm not sure if you're supposed to use the pedal with blues or not.
Lesson 4 promises to be really good - I am trying the first lick and it sounds so great already!
Hah - finished lesson 16!!
The last one of the "Blues Piano for Beginners" course. I will start with the "Easy Blues" course.
Now I am officially no bloody beginner anymore. Feel free to call me an early beginner.
(After I figured out, I will never reach intermediate state, there should be different levels of beginners)
Btw, you can see on the empty page some hand scribbles. This was the plan what licks to play in which order... Unfortunately the plan wasn't that good.
Sophia I have a question for you: do you use the pedal with the bridge part? I tried it and it sounds so much better, but I'm not sure if you're supposed to use the pedal with blues or not.
No. I don't use the pedal. I make full use of my toilet lid sized hands.
You can post this question to Christian in the YouTube chat - he is usually reacting within one or two days.
@Sophia and @WieWaldi I enjoyed listening to your great blues playing! I may have to try this course after I’m done trying to play fast for the fast pieces recital!
In addition to the nice playing I love the laugh-out-loud videos! @Sophia the cats and the pencil are hysterical and @WieWaldi I love your captions!
Thanks for music and thanks for making me smile!
Very nice!!! I love the sound of that calm and soothing metronome ding 
But, erm, how DARE you graduate yourself to early beginner and leave me all by myself as a bloody beginner... not fair! <stomps down to real fake piano to practise some more and catch up>
No way!!!! I LIKE that kling tock tock tock - it's so you 
So I'm busy with lesson 4, but it's a little different in that he just teaches various licks, without the trademark blues progression. I'm trying to include that in my practice, but after a while I'm actually losing track how many bars I've done. Especially the one bar of G7 - F7 chord - I always forget when exactly to switch. Is there a magic formula to make you remember, or it do you plan ahead what to use where? Or is just something you will "feel" eventually?
Sophia Well, I'm still working on it, so definitely no expert, but it's a combination of things. Sometimes I sit and think a bit before I start playing and remind myself of some licks and other ideas I want to use while I play. Other times, it'll just hit me as I'm playing that a particular lick would sound good next -- if I can get to it before the moment passes! Mostly, I'm just working on it with the idea that it'll become more internalized and habitual, so I can play more spontaneously. I've still got work to do ...
Enthusiastic but mediocre amateur.
Sophia You are talling about this 12-bar blues progression, right?
C7 C7 C7 C7
F7 F7 C7 C7
G7 F7 C7 C7
I messed up the 12 bar form often, while my brain was busy with the lick on the RH. So I practiced everything on F7 until I got bored. Then I added the 12-bar progressoin and did make some mistakes with the licks again. Yes going from C to F or G and back with left hand requires some brain capacity. And this brain was then missing for the lick hand. Sounds stupid, but it is what it is.
I remember, I often missed the right time for the change with the left hand. Who cares - call it right hand lick training. The more you do the 12 bar progression right, the more this becomes 2nd nature, and the less you have to think about it. You will hear when to change the chord. So the right answer is:
Sophia
OrIt is just something you will "feel"eventually?!
You will also find out, some licks (in later lessons) are only working on F7 or on G7-F7, but I am sure until those licks are on your sheet, you are fine with it and you will have this 12-bar feel.
Btw, if you are doing this:
C7 C7 C7 C7
F7 F7 C7 C7
G7 G7 C7 C7
you are already have one foot in the boogie woogie door.
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Ahhhh I see. I was afraid of that ^_^ When I hear someone else play, I have no difficulties at all to know when the chord changes and to what. But when it's me at the keys, I'm just too busy trying to keep the left hand steady, right hand playing the lick and then oops..... where was I again??? Did I play every single one of 16 tum tum tam tam tum tum tam tams yet or... and where exactly in the lick do I switch from G to F again? Etc.
Perhaps I should just follow the lesson as is and accept the fact that I can't have it all 'licked' in one fell swoop
Oops, cross posted with you WieWaldi! Thank you for that additional information! Very helpful 
It seems that my brain has the same (dis)function as yours had
@Sophia, one thing about blues piano.
Currently, I stuck in the course, because I want to come into sight-reading. Maybe I should start a thread with sight-reading progress videos. But it is so embarrassing, to need 1 minute or more for 4 simple bars, and then there are likely still some mistakes. (it is so frustrating 
)
But maybe having a thread with weekly updates will show the progress after a few months, could be worth tracking.
What do you think, something like "sight-reading progress" or "sight-reading, first steps"?
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WieWaldi Sure!!!! Sight reading is definitely humiliating... here we are 30 40 50 (and more) years old and reading like a preschooler... but we have each other's back because we both started as adults (now suddenly the movie Still Regarding Henry comes to mind for no reason at all, heh)
Well, this type of music is not really my thing, but I did see a video on YT recently which blew my mind and I think you might enjoy it - link attached:
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"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)
Sophia Watched your blues vids, but this one, oh man, just had to laugh. Our cats hate to hear the piano, well, music in general. I wish our cats got involved like yours do.
If I may offer a suggestion.... or two... once you get that left hand thing down, whether it's just moving the thumb, or doing the walking thing, you won't have to think about it. So, try just playing those left hand licks for a bit.
For a specific piece, like F and J, work on just the right hand melody part. Do these separately until you are bored with them. Then put them together.
Also, there are a few left hand vamps that are pretty standard and will work with any form, 12 or 16 bars. I'm sure your book has them all in one place or another, so you can mix them up if the urge hits.
You sound like you have a feel for it. Well done!
@Nightowl that was incredible!!! Thanks so much for sharing!
@PianoMonk thanks for the pointers! I heard there are no shortcuts so I guess I'll continue the grind 
Fortunately, the licks in lesson 4 are incredibly cute, real fun to practise even with just the single chord. Looking forward to the day that I will be able to combine them all and start making some real music!
Nightowl I love this video so much. IMO this is the best of her, by far the best. Even if it is hosted by Brendan.
The good thing: she does nothing different from what we learn in the Beginners Blues Piano course. Ok, maybe a bit faster. Much faster, to be honest. And a different left hand. But besides that, it is exactly the same stuff we blues-beginners learn - except a different left hand. And the right hand plays something else, too. And the rhythm is more.... more uhm... you know, more verve. Besides that, and the fact the tempo is about triple or quad time, you can't deny it is basically exactly the same thing: two hands and a piano keyboard. We are so close to get here!!
Come on Sophia - let's Boogie 'n Woogie!