Beginners blues/boogie/rock discussion

Sophia · 2024-05-29T17:17:55+00:00

I have always been fascinated by boogie woogie, but of course I am limited by my very limited piano skills 😃 However now that I'm in the second Alfred book,...

WieWaldi

The trophy for the best radar ears goes to:
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

............................❤️Sophia❤️

Sophia

Omg, that image is going to haunt my nightmares for years to come 🙉

But seriously I’m glad I heard it right after all. If it was only once, I would have known it was just a simple mistake. But I heard it throughout and thought something sounded a little different… but with that fast pace it was also impossible to be sure 🦻☺️

WieWaldi

Sophia but with that fast pace it was also impossible to be sure

Let's call it a grace-chord. 😂

I don't know how this happened. I am sure, the correct way is in my muscle memory, but it seems I played crap during the recording. And I didn't hear it. Maybe a too loud backing track... 🤦🏻‍♂️dunno.

Nightowl

Sophia Nice playing - so smoooooth!

Just one thing - maybe set the drum beat at a slightly lower volume next time, so the piano sounds more prominent.

Sophia

Nightowl I hear you! But... trust me... the high volume was necessary to mask my terrible playing and numerous mistakes 😃

hebele

Sophia even if there are mistakes as you claim, you continue so smoothl it comes out all natural. They are not mistakes until you treat them such.

Also I hate the trend here that everyone's ear (except mine but I've started working on it) is improving a lot💪👂. Can you stay in your beginner levels a bit longer please 😁

Nightowl

hebele I second that. But there's no point trying to keep Sophia in the beginner zone, her Musical Genes (the ones I hardly ever mention that I'm not envious of in any way) carried her to another level months ago!

Sophia The phrase "numerous mistakes" does not spring to mind when I hear you playing. In any case, we all know what's really going on here - you make one or two tiny mistakes to fool us into thinking that you are still a bloody beginner. This is not fooling anyone and needs to stop! @WieWaldi - please can you reprimand Sophia for being annoyingly talented!

Sophia

Simonb you're right to start adding in your own variations and improvisations

Thanks Simon! I held off for a while, following the lessons exactly, but then WieWaldi told me ~~off~~ that

I should experiment more. Which is what I started doing 😃

hebele They are not mistakes until you treat them such.

Oh my goodness, how come you always write such signature worthy wisdom? "Why I play Blues - Because there are no mistakes until you treat them as such" 😂

Nightowl thinking that you are still a bloody beginner.

I'm not! I'm totally a total beginner, so THERE!

WieWaldi @Sophia, you are annoyingly talented!

Says the person who recently did almost four lessons against my NONE! And who plays like enjoying relaxed morning coffee instead of sweating it out in front of a nerve wracking camera.
You have no right to speak!

WieWaldi

Nightowl @WieWaldi - please can you reprimand Sophia for being annoyingly talented!

I would never say such a thing, but if you insist, Nightowl:

@Sophia, you are annoyingly talented!

Simonb

Hi Sophia

Nicely done! You've progressed really well since I last saw/heard anything from you, which is probably down to me not being on the forum much, rather than you not posting.

I don't know what's in the sheet music as I don't own it, but you're right to start adding in your own variations and improvisations. As I've probably said before, if you work through all the books in the series, and at the end of it you still can't play a 12 bar blues without having some music in front of you; you've really missed the point. Or the books aren't doing their job.

That said we all have different talents and levels of natural ability, and when it comes to playing the blues it just may not suit some people.

Cheers

Nightowl

WieWaldi
Sorted! Thanks WieWie! 😁

Nightowl

Sophia Be careful how you address the BBK, he could banish you from this thread if you don't show respect to his special status. Resistance is futile, you will comply! <Sits back with popcorn, waiting for BBK to respond to Sophia's continued disrespect to BBK.>

Sophia

Ooh I humbly acknowledge the BBK superiority and seniority on all things bluesy… there can only be one BBK 🫶

WieWaldi

Bavarian Blues King...

ahh - wonderful what a wondful title 😍

Bow down in deep respect, my underlings
🔹🔷And gimme more blues 🔷🔹

Sophia

How's that?

WieWaldi

The BBK accepts this. 👑

WieWaldi

The real BBK (Berlin Blues King) reorganized his YT channel. He changed some playlists, it is better organized, now. And voila - I found the Youtube tutorial for my last recital 🙃
I already wondered, why our courses playlists got different thumbnails...

Sophia

Haha I saw it too. He seems ashamed of his humour but honestly, that’s partly what makes me come back to his course every time. He makes learning so much fun! That and the fact he is a great teacher, period.

But I guess a little reorganization won’t hurt - I hope he does the same with his sheet music <hint hint> 😸

hebele

I should give an update here. My lesson 6 is going slow. Because I found distractions 😁. I discovered some software to generate backing tracks with chords. It became my fancy blues metronome now. Sounds like below. But beware; it has me playing LH from lesson 6 AND "doodling" C5 with RH (index finger). Yes, just one key! With the hope that it will help with improvisation:

WieWaldi

hebele That's a start. Next place your hand at five notes of the blues scale. E.g:

C E_b F F# G

and repeat what you did. Use one finger only and later try to add another finger. And then one more and so on.

Btw: what software did you use for the backing track?
sounds cool 👍

WieWaldi

hebele I should give an update here. My lesson 6 is going slow.

Don't worry - my lesson is going slow, too.
And Sophia is in lesson 5, the one that took me ages to learn. Guess she will stay there for some time, too.

But there is always a catch with annoyingly talented people: she might ignite the afterburner again and bam:
....Lesson 5
........+ Beale Street Blues,
............+ something from Chopin or Beethoven

Let me remember - lesson 5.... nah - that takes some time...
Especially the 2/5 figure isn't that easy.

Sophia I am only 0.0003 steps ahead of you when it comes to improvisation

You are the biggest sandbagger out there.

hebele

WieWaldi thanks. I plan to increase numbers of keys in this practice. Also try elements from Christian's lessons in a similar way. Because I was approaching the lessons same as method book pieces, "learn and move on". It will finish quickly that way (for my timeframes, not BBK nor Sophia quick) but won't help with improvisation.

That software was JJazzLab with a VST from Steinberg. I haven't tried but heard that iRealPro (for mac and mobile) has similar functionality.

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