Instructor

Jonny May

Lesson Type

Quick Tip

Skill Level

Intermediate

Duration

08:29

Billy Joel has always had a unique sound at the piano, so I spent some time breaking down his playing to figure out what makes it so recognizable.

The good news? It’s not nearly as complicated as you might think.

In this week’s lesson, I’ll show you three techniques that show up again and again in Billy’s playing—and you can start using them in your own music right away.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• How Billy turns ordinary pop chords into rich, colorful jazz-inspired chords
• A few of his signature fills, including the slip note technique that gives his playing so much personality
• The accompaniment patterns that make his piano parts feel full, flowing, and orchestral

There’s even a bonus lesson showing you the simple 6-note major blues scale Billy uses for many of his solos.

The best part? None of these ideas are ridiculously difficult—they’re the kind of techniques you can start using right away, even in songs you already know.

Writer

Jonny May

Jonathan May is a pianist from Southern California who specializes in many styles of piano. At age eighteen, Jonny became the youngest pianist to perform at Disneyland. Each week he entertained thousands of guests with his arrangements of American classics and Disney songs. Jonny has also performed with the Youtube...

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