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I remember seeing Johnny Hodges for the first time…

I was walking down Main Street USA at Disneyland. It was my 13th birthday and I was with my two best friends. What could be better?

And then BAM! It hit me so hard. This music. This glorious, glistening piano coming from around the corner.

I’d heard professionals play the piano, but this was something different. There was this unexplainable passion and soul that grabbed my ears and reeled me in.

I was hooked, and there was no going back…

As I rounded the corner, there he was, playing those ivories like no one else could. It was a chance meeting, but it changed my life.

I ended up studying piano with Johnny for about 4 years, and he taught me many of the styles that I play today: ragtime, stride, country, boogie, blues, and contemporary, to name a few.

You see, what made Johnny Hodges so unique was his unparalleled command of virtually any style.

When he first showed up to my home for our piano lessons, I was amazed by his approach.

He’d pull out a lead sheet and say, “Alright, we’re going to give this the country western treatment.” And then the next week: “We’re going to give this the burlesque blues treatment.”

By systematically showing me the building blocks of each style, I learned that I could easily play any melody in any style.

Talk about playing with freedom! My playing exploded, and suddenly I was able to play many styles I loved with ease.

Today, I want to give you the same breakthrough.

Not only am I going to show you the top 15 styles that I think you should learn, but I’ll also show you the key building blocks of each.

While 15 styles can sound like a lot, it really isn’t! Because many of these styles have common characteristics. For example, bossa is very similar to samba, and ragtime is very similar to stride.

My recommendation is to start with the blues, and then work your way to more challenging styles.

What are your top 3 piano styles that you’d love to learn?

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