Instructor
Jonny May
Quick Tip
Beginner
Intermediate
52:59

Learning Focus
  • Practice Tips
Music Style
  • Blues
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If you’ve always wanted to learn how to play blues piano but have been unsure of where to begin, then today’s Quick Tip on the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan by Jonny May is just what you need!  Not only does this blues piano curriculum identify all the skills you need to get started, it also specifies the best learning sequence for developing basic blues piano proficiency. Best of all, you can start this year-long blues piano practice plan at any time…just follow the simple lesson outline below to learn a new blues piano technique every month!

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Beginner Blues 1-Year Practice Plan

Intro to Blues Piano for Beginners

Learning to play blues piano involves embracing both structure and freedom. Unfortunately, some blues piano instruction emphasizes the latter at the expense of the former. This can leave beginner blues piano students scratching their heads and asking, “So what should I actually play?”

Jonny’s Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan is specifically designed to bridge the gap between structure and freedom for students learning to play the blues. Instead of just giving you a few chords and the blues scale, Jonny identifies a dozen specific blues piano techniques that pros use to create an authentic blues piano sound.

If you’re a PWJ member, the complete 13-page lesson sheet PDF and 6 backing tracks for this lesson are included with your membership. These downloadable resources appear at the bottom of this page after logging in with your membership. Our outline is presented here in the key of C; however, you can easily transpose the entire curriculum to any key using our Smart Sheet Music. When you are logged in, you’ll find the Smart Sheet Music link in the blue bar at the top of this page.

Alright, let’s get started on your first month of learning to play blues piano!

Learn Basic Blues Chords for Piano

Month 1:
Blues Chords

While each blues song tells its own story and shares the performers’ unique experiences, most traditional blues songs are based on the same chord progression. Therefore, the first concept that you’ll want to master as a beginner blues piano student is the three chords found in traditional blues songs, including:

Tradition blues songs like those listed above are based on what we call primary chords in music theory. Specifically, the primary chords in any key are those chords that are built on the 1st, 4th and 5th tones of the parent scale. For example, the C major scale contains the notes C–D–E–F–G–A–B. Therefore, the 1st scale tone is C, the 4th scale tone is F and the 5th scale tone is G. Consequently, the primary chords in C major are C major (C–E–F), F major (F–A–C) and G major (G–B–D). However, if we just use these 3-note triads, our piano playing won’t sound much like the blues just yet.

Dominant 7th Chords

After we’ve identified our primary chords, we want to convert them to dominant 7th chords. This will give our playing that distinctive blues sound. To build a dominant 7th chord, we simply start with a major triad and add a minor 7th interval on top. In fact, a simple shortcut for finding the minor 7th is to start on the root and go down two half steps. For example, if you want to find the minor 7th that goes with C7, just go down two half steps from C. As such, you’ll skip over B♮ and land on the note B♭. Then, simply stack this note on top. The example below shows the three dominant 7th chords that you’ll use to play traditional blues songs in C on piano: C7, F7 and G7.

Basic Blues Piano Chords — C7

 

Basic Blues Piano Chords — F7

 

Basic Blues Piano Chords — G7

 

Each of the dominant 7th chords above are shown in root position. However, to develop a more mature blues piano sound, we’ll also need to learn how to play these chords in each of their three potential inversions.

Inversion Sets

What is a chord inversion? Well, it is sort of like when you shuffle a deck of cards. After the deck has been shuffled, you still have the same 52 cards, but the order has been changed. The following chord chart shows all of the possible chord inversions for each of the primary chords in a C blues.

Dominant 7th Chord Inversions for C7, F7 and G7

By combining different chord inversions together, we can achieve much smoother transitions when playing blue chords. Therefore, the goal for month 1 is to be able to take any inversion one of our blues chords and match it to the nearest inversions of the other two chords. To achieve this goal, we’ll practice 4 unique inversion sets.

Inversion Set 1

For inversion set 1, we’ll use C7 in root position and play F7 and G7 in 2nd inversion.

Beginner Blues Piano Chords — Inversion Set 1

Inversion Set 2

For inversion set 2, we’ll use C7 in 1st inversion and play F7 and G7 in 3rd inversion.

Beginner Blues Piano Chords — Inversion Set 2

Inversion Set 3

For inversion set 3, we’ll use C7 in 2nd inversion and play F7 and G7 in root position.

Beginner Blues Piano Chords — Inversion Set 3

Inversion Set 4

For inversion set 4, we’ll use C7 in 3rd inversion and play F7 and G7 in 1st inversion.

Beginner Blues Piano Chords — Inversion Set 4

As you can hear, the use of these inversion sets results in a preferable sound when compared to using all root position chords. Even though learning all of these inversions in each hand may initially be challenging, after a few days, you’ll likely be able to practice all 4 sets in about 5-10 minutes per day. By the end of the month, you’ll have mastered how to switch between dominant 7th chords with a professional sound.

🔎 For a deep dive on dominant 7th chords, check out Dominant 7th Chord Exercises (Int).

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12-Bar Blues Form

Month 2:
12-Bar Blues Form

In month 2 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, our goal is to be able to play the 12-bar blues form with characteristic blues rhythms. The 12-bar blues is a specific order in which we use our blues piano chords when playing traditional blues songs.

3 Essential Blues Rhythms

Before we dig into the 12-bar form, let’s take a moment to identify 3 essential blues rhythms. Each of the 3 rhythms below incorporate a bit of syncopation—a term that describes the placement of accents on weak beats or weak portions of a beat, such as the “off beats.” (Note: the blues is usually played with a “swung” 8th-note feel as in the demonstrations below.)

Essential Blues Rhythm 1 for Piano

 

Essential Blues Rhythm 2 for Piano

 

Essential Blues Rhythm 3 for Piano

 

The 12-Bar Blues Form

The 12-bar blues form is a must-know chord progression that occurs in hundreds of traditional blues songs. This progression consists of three 4-bar phrases. Since each phrase uses the primary chords in a different order, professional musicians can actually hear where they are in the form at any given moment.

The annotations in the example below use Roman numerals to identify the relationship of each chord to the parent key. For example, in a C blues, C7 is the Ⅰ7 chord, F7 is the Ⅳ7 chord and G7 is the Ⅴ7 chord. Later, when you need to play the 12-bar blues in a different key, you’ll use these Roman numeral relationships to plug in the primary chords of in the new key into the correct measures of the 12-bar form.

Let’s take a listen to the 12-bar blues in C played with the backing track at 95 BPM. (Note: at slower tempos, the G7 chord in measure 12 is sometimes delayed until beat 3 as in the following demonstration).

The 12-Bar Blues Form in C

Once you can play through the form in inversion set 1 with whole notes, the next step is to begin incorporating the 3 essential blues rhythms. These rhythms can be mixed and matched at will. Be sure to also mix in the different inversion sets that you learned in month 1.

🔎 For an example of the 12-bar blues in another key, check out our G Blues Improvisation (Int, Adv) courses.

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Blues Piano Accompaniment

Month 3:
Blues Accompaniment

Now that you have learned your 3 essential blues chords and the 12-bar blues form, you’re ready to play an authentic blues accompaniment groove. This month, we’ll show you how to ornament the 12-bar blues form by incorporating neighbor chords sets.

The 3 Neighbor Chord Sets

A neighbor chord is essentially a type of passing chord that returns to its initial chord of origin. This is similar to when you pass a car ahead of you on the highway that is driving too slowly. Generally speaking, you’d change lanes, pass the slower car and then return back to your original lane. Even though this maneuver involves turning the steering wheel and using the turn signal, it doesn’t actually change your route. In the same way, neighbor chords are like “micro chord changes” that don’t alter the overall 12-bar form.

Let’s take a moment now to listen to each of the neighbor chord sets below for a C blues.

C7 Neighbor Chord Set

 

F7 Neighbor Chord Set

 

G7 Neighbor Chord Set

 

So how do these neighbor chords work? In this case, our primary chords are voiced as open position triads instead of dominant 7th chords. However, by sliding into the 3rd of each chord, we’re still able to get a distinctively bluesy flavor. Then, to create the neighbor motion, the top and bottom notes remain fixed while the inner voices move up using stepwise motion. Specifically, the 3rd in the “alto” voice goes up to the 4th and the 5th in the “tenor” voice goes up to the 6th. Afterward, these voices return back to their initial chord tones.

The Ultimate Blues Accompaniment

Let’s take the neighbor chord sets that we learned above and plug them into the 12-bar blues form. This will enable us to play a professional sounding blues piano accompaniment. In notation form, the result would appear like the following example.

The Ultimate Blue Piano Accompaniment

Keep in mind, you can further embellish the example above by sliding into the 3rd of any of the primary chords at will. In addition, you can also introduce some rhythmic syncopation as Jonny demonstrates in the featured Quick Tip tutorial beginning around 15:14 in the timeline.

Once you feel comfortable playing the 12-bar form with neighbor chord sets, try playing along with one of the backing tracks that are included with this lesson.

🔎 For additional blues accompaniment grooves, check out lesson 2 in  The 10-Lesson Blues Challenge (Int, Adv).

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Blues Scale

Month 4:
Blues Scale Mastery

In month 4 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll learn all about the blues scale.  In addition, you’ll master an essential right-hand blue scale exercise that will lay a strong foundation blues improv in month 5.

The Blues Scale

The minor blues scale (also called the “blues scale” for short) is a six-note improv scale that is constructed according to the formula 1–♭3–4–♯4–5–♭7. Therefore, a C minor blues scale contains the notes C–E♭–F–F♯–G–B♭. Minor blues scales are frequently used over dominant 7th and minor 7th chords and are described as having a “funky,” “down-home,” “earthy” or “bluesy” sound.¹

C Minor Blues Scale

Try playing the C minor blues scale with your right hand as demonstrated below using the fingering shown. Feel free to continue ascending and descending with additional octaves.

The C Blues Scale

The Essential Blues Scale Exercise

The goal for month 4 is to be able to play the blues scale fluently with ascending and descending 8th notes, starting from any note. This skill will prepare you to improvise with maximum technical freedom. Therefore, the following exercise has been designed to promote blues scale mastery. You’ll notice that this simple 12 measure exercise features ascending and descending 8th note scale motion initiating from each tone of the C minor blues scale. Let’s take a listen.

The Essential Blues Scale Exercise for Piano

Once you can comfortably play the essential blues scale exercise above as written, the next step is to apply this concept to the 12-bar blues form. Your right hand will actually remain the same. However, in your left hand, you’ll follow the chord changes from the 12-bar blues progression that you learned in month 2. Remember to experiment with each of the inversion sets from month 1. Also, you don’t have to stick to whole notes in the left hand. Throughout the month, try introducing the 3 essential blues rhythms from month 2.

🔎 For additional blues scale exercises, check out lesson 3 in The 10-Lesson Blues Challenge (Int, Adv).

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Blues Piano Soloing Positions

Month 5:
Lower & Upper Position Soloing

Month 5 is one of the most exciting lessons in the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan. That’s because this month, you’ll discover the secret to blues piano improvisation. Perhaps you’ve already taken a stab at blues improv. Whether or not that was a positive experience, from here on, you’ll begin to be satisfied with the improv phrases that you come up with. That’s because this month you’ll learn the secret to improvising with linguistic syntax.

Many beginner blues piano students experience an initial plateau when they start improvising with the blues scale. Even though they probably have some fun and enjoyment, they also sense that something is missing. This goes back to our introductory discussion about the relationship between structure and freedom in. If you’ve not been satisfied with your initial attempts at blues improvisation, it’s most likely because you are improvising with too much freedom. Language, though free, involves lots of structure. Improv ideas that are completely unbounded will sound unnatural. Therefore, we’ll start this month by dividing the C minor blues scale in half.

C Blues Scale Lower & Upper Positions

Trying to create improv lines with every note of the blues scale is a bit like trying to write sentences with every letter of the alphabet. Most of the time, it just doesn’t work. Therefore, beginner blues piano students have to learn to think of the blues scale in smaller fragments. For example, it helps to divide the blues scale into two 4-note sections—a lower position containing the notes C–E♭–F–F♯ and an upper position containing the notes F♯–G–B♭–C.

Lower Position Grip

 

Upper Position Grip

 

Now, let’s practice coming up with some blues phrases that are restricted to just these 4-note scale fragments.

8th Note Lines

First, we’ll try creating improv lines in each position that use 8th notes primarily.  You’ll notice that we’ve included a few quarter notes also. For example, check out the following lower position 8th-note line.

Lower Position 8th Notes

8th Note Lines - Lower Position

That sounds pretty good! Now, let’s play an upper position 8th-note line.

Upper Position 8th Notes

8th Note Lines - Upper Position

Wow! Just by limiting our lines to these 4-note fragments, we’ve actually come up with some musical phrases that sound very natural. Why don’t you take a minute now to see if you can come up with some of your own 8th-note lines in each position? Afterward, continue on to the next section on triplet lines.

Triplet Lines

Now let’s explore some lower position and upper position lines that incorporate triplets. For example, here is a lower position triplet line.

Lower Position Triplets

Triplet Lines - Lower Position

Great job! Now, try playing the following upper position triplet line.

Upper Position Triplets

Triplet Lines - Upper Position

Amazing! Now, it’s time for you to try improvising some of your own triplet lines in each position.

Next Steps

Alright, you’re ready to explore blues improvisation over the entire 12-bar blues form with one of the backing tracks. However, the goal for this month is to embrace the freedom that comes from a bit of self-imposed structure. Therefore, trying to limit yourself to ideas that use one position at a time. We call this “restrictive practice.” You’ll quickly discover that even within one 4-note scale fragment, the possibilities are endless! Rhythmically speaking, you can use quarter notes, 8th note and triplets. In addition, you have both ascending and descending directions that you can explore. Moreover, you have four different notes in each position that you can use as targets for starting or ending your lines.

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Blues Piano Slides

Month 6:
Blues Slides

In month 6 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll learn how to incorporate the super bluesy slide ornament into your playing. This is an essential blues piano technique that is used by virtually every professional blues pianist.

4 Essential Slides for Blues Piano

A slide (also finger slide or blues slide) is an ornamental articulation that blues pianists use to add some extra blues inflection to their playing. Let’s watch a demonstration of the four blues piano slides that you’ll learn in this lesson.

4 Essential Slides for Beginner Blues Piano

Notice, slides that end on a white key can be played with a single finger. To do so, you’ll literally slide your finger from a black key to the adjacent white key immediately above (see Up 5) or below (see Down 4). The index finger and the middle finger are the most common options for playing slides with a single finger. Slides that end on a white key can also be played using two fingers if desired. In that case, there really is no physical “slide” motion at all, but the articulation remains the same. However, slides that end on a black key can only be executed with two fingers (see Up ♯4). Similarly, double slides (see Double  5) also require two fingers.

Before continuing on to the examples below, be sure to spend some quality time practicing each of these 4 slides in isolation. One of the things to listen for as you practice these slides is how closes together or far apart the ornament is to the primary note. For example, if you slide your finger a bit slower, your slide will have a “wider” attack. On the other hand, if you slide your finger more quickly, you’ll get a “narrower” attack. Neither option is right or wrong. Instead, this is matter of preference and personal taste. Whichever sound you prefer, the goal is to try to keep your attack fairly consistent, whether wide or narrow. Also, keep in mind that faster tempos will inherently require faster slides with a narrower attack.

Beginner Blues Piano Improv with Slides

Hopefully, you’ve got a pretty good feel for how to consistently execute each of the 4 essential blues piano slides presented in this lesson. The next step then is to apply this technique to some improv lines. Once you get the hang of it, you can freely use this articulation with any blues piano phrase that contains these notes. Keep in mind, a slide articulation also produces a bit of an accent. Therefore, be sure choose a placement where an accent is fitting. For example, beat 1 in a natural place to include an accent because it is a strong beat.

Here is an example of a lower position line that uses a Down 4 slide and an Up ♯4 slide.

Lower Position Improv with Slides

Blues Piano Lesson - Lower Position Improv with Slides

Next, try playing the following upper position line that features an Up 5 slide and a Double 5 slide.

Upper Position Improv with Slides

Upper Position Improv with Slides

The goal for this month is to get comfortable improvising blues piano with the slide technique. Notice, both of the examples in this section are two measures long and feature a chord progression of C7 to F7. This is a good framework for getting started. If you find yourself stuck, try going back to the sample lines from month 5 and look for opportunities to insert one or more of the 4 essential slides. Afterward, try creating you own lines and be sure to have fun. When you’re ready, try putting on one of the backing tracks and improvising with slides over the entire 12-bar blues form.

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Blues Piano Turns

Month 7:
Blues Turns

In month 7 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll learn how to play turn ornaments. This is an exciting and flashing sounding technique that professional blues pianists frequently use in their playing.

2 Essential Turns for Blues Piano

A turn embellishes a target note by means of a quick, melodic flourish that draws on the upper and lower neighbors of the target note.  For example, in Turn 1 below, the target note is E♭. Firstly, we’ll start by playing the target note E♭ with the index finger. Next, we’ll turn off this note by going to the upper neighbor (F) with the 3rd finger. Then, we’ll return to the target note (E♭) and immediately proceed to the lower neighbor (C) with the thumb.

Turn 2 contains the same melodic contour, however the target note has been changed to F instead. Turn 2 can be played with the exact same fingering as described for Turn 1. Alternatively, Turn 2 can also initiate from the middle finger as shown in the following video demonstration. In the latter case, the upper neighbor (G♭) is played with the 4th finger and the lower neighbor (E♭) is played with the 2nd finger.

Beginner Blues Piano Lesson - Turn 1

 

Beginner Blues Piano Turn 2

 

Even though turns have a flashy sound, beginner piano students can successfully learn to master this technique. However, it’s important to recognize that turns are basically ornaments that are imposed over an 8th-note framework. For example, did you notice in the demonstrations above that the last note of each turn lines up with the upbeat of the “swung” 8th-note grid? In other words, in the Turn 1 example above, all of the C’s are placed on the same part of the beat, whether the turn is present or not.

Beginner Blues Piano Improv with Turns

Alright, let’s have some fun practicing some blues piano lines with turn ornaments. Here is a lower position line the begins with Turn 2. The second bar of this example also includes a Down 4 slide.

Practicing Blues Turns – Ex. 1

Practicing Blues Piano Turns – Example 1

The next example is a lower position line that incorporates Turn 1 in the first measure and also features an Up ♯4 slide in measure 2.

Practicing Blues Turns – Ex. 2

Practicing Blues Piano Turns – Example 2

Did you notice that both of Turn 1 and Turn 2 are located within the lower position of our blues scale? However, you can also play a turn ornament in the upper position by targeting the note B♭ with either the 2nd or 3rd finger. To execute a turn on B♭, use C for the upper neighbor and G for the lower neighbor.

Next Steps

Once you feel comfortable with the turn examples above, you’re ready to improvise with turns over the entire 12-bar blues form. Remember, you can mix in turns with all of the previous blues piano improv techniques that we’ve covered in previous lessons, including 8th notes, triplets and slides.

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Practice Harmonized Slides on Piano

Month 8:
Harmonized Slides

In month 8 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll master harmonized slides, a must-have technique for that authentic blues piano flavor. This will give your playing an undeniable professional-sounding edge!

4 Harmonized Slides for Blues Piano

The example below shows the four essential harmonized slides that you’ll master this month. In fact, you’ll notice that these slides are quite similar to the slides that you learned in month 6. The only difference is that now we’re combining those slides with another technique called top harmony or upper harmony. Therefore, we’ll play a C with our pinkie above each of the slides that we learned previously. Let’s take a listen.

4 Harmonized Slides for Beginner Blues Piano

The lower portion of the Up 5 and Down 4 harmonized slides can be played with either the index finger alone, the middle finger alone or both fingers together. However, to play the lower portion of the Up ♯4 and Double 5 harmonized slides, you’ll need to use both the index finger and the middle finger.

Blues Piano Improv with Harmonized Slides

Alright, let’s play some improv phrases that explore this cool blues piano technique. Example 1 below uses the Up 5 and Down 4 harmonized slides. Notice in measure 1 that that Jonny continues to use top harmony over other notes in the lower position. This is a great example that demonstrates that top harmony can be applied as a stand-alone technique and doesn’t have to always be combined with a slide.

Practicing Harmonized Slides – Ex. 1

Practicing Harmonized Slides - Example 1

Our next example uses some hip Double 5 harmonized slides. Let’s take a listen.

Practicing Harmonized Slides – Ex. 2

Practicing Harmonized Slides - Example 2

Now, try coming up with some of your own lines using harmonized slides. You may even want to revisit the examples from month 6 and see how they sound with top harmony. Then, it’s time to jam with harmonized slides over one of the included backing tracks.

🔎 To explore more harmonized slide examples, visit The 10-Lesson Blues Challenge (Int, Adv).

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Practicing Harmonized Turns for Blues Piano

Month 9:
Harmonized Turns

In month 9 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll learn to master harmonized turns…another top-shelf blues piano technique that sounds amazing!

2 Harmonized Turns for Blues Piano

The example below shows the two harmonized turns that you’ll master this month. These harmonized turns are based on the same turns that you learned in month 7, albeit with the addition of some top harmony. For this lesson, we’ll use the note A for our upper harmony note. Let’s take a listen.

Harmonized Turn 1

 

Harmonized Turn 2

 

You may be wondering where the note A in comes from in these examples? After all, A is not in the C minor blues scale. We could in fact use a different upper harmony note from the C minor blues scale, such as C or B♭. However, the note A is a bit easier and more comfortable for beginners who are learning to play harmonized turns for the first time. The note A is borrowed from another improv scale called the major blues scale.

Blues Piano Improv with Harmonized Turns

Alright, let’s practice playing some improv lines with harmonized turns. The first example below is a descending phrase that uses Harmonized Turn 2.

Practicing Harmonized Turns – Ex. 1

Practicing Harmonized Turns - Ex 1

Our next example is a cool blues piano riff that features Harmonized Turn 1.

Practicing Harmonized Turns – Ex. 2

Practicing Harmonized Turns - Ex 2

Now it’s your turn to come up with some blues piano lines that incorporate harmonized turns. Remember, a turn is an ornament that is based on an 8th-note framework. Therefore, if you are having trouble coming up with ideas, you can start with an 8th-note skeleton. For Harmonized Turn 1, the 8th-note skeleton uses the notes E♭ and C. Similarly, Harmonized Turn 2 uses an 8th-note skeleton based on the notes F and E♭. Once you draft an 8th-note phrase that uses the skeletal notes back-to-back, you can then insert the harmonized turn afterward.

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Learn Essential Blues Piano Runs

Month 10:
Essential Blues Runs

In month 10 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll learn to play three descending blues piano runs that sound amazing! A run is an exciting improv line that involves a continuous string of 8th note or triplets and spans across several octaves. Most blues runs feature a descending contour.

3 Easy Blues Piano Runs

Let’s start by playing a single-note run the descends the C minor blues scale over a span of two octaves.

Run 1

"Easy

Our next run spans the same range as our previous example, but now Jonny has incorporated some turn ornaments into the overall contour of the run.

Run 2

"Easy

Our next example blends the contour of a descending run with the interjection of some cool harmonized slides.

Run 3

"Easy

Now you’re ready to improvise over the 12-bar form with some blues runs. You can try using these runs or create some of your own. Runs are an especially effective way to transition between different registers when playing a blues piano solo. They’re also a great way to start or end a phrase, or even a chorus.

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How to Play Essential Blues Piano Licks

Month 11:
Essential Blues Licks

In month 11 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll learn to play three essential blues piano licks. Licks are short, catchy phrases that are shared within musical communities. Usually, a lick is played over multiple chords.

3 Essential Blues Piano Licks

Jonny rightly describes blues licks as “ear candy.” As such, these licks are a great way to grab your audience’s attention with a repeated idea and then transition into some more improvised and spontaneous.

Our first essential blues lick is very common and always fitting. It comes from the C Mixo-Blues Scale. Let’s take a listen.

Lick 1

"Beginner

Our next blues piano lick uses a harmonized turn on F with an upper harmony note C.

Lick 2

"Beginner

Lick 3 uses a blues piano technique called tremolo, a catchy gesture which alternates quickly between two or more notes. When playing a tremolo on piano, it is not necessary for the tremolo speed to be excessively fast.

Lick 3

"Beginner

Alright, you’re ready for the next step. The goal this month is to try to solo over the 12-bar blues form and see if you can mix in these tasty licks with your own improvised lines.

🔎 To learn more catchy blues piano licks, check out The Bible of Riffs (Int, Adv).

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How to Play a Blues Lead Sheet on Piano

Month 12:
Blues Lead Sheet

In month 12 of the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan, you’ll learn how to interpret a standard blues lead sheet. A lead sheet is a shorthand style of music notation used in fake books which includes the basic notation of a tune’s melody and accompanying chord symbols. Some lead sheets may also include lyrics. However, lead sheets rarely contain any specific left-hand parts or harmony notes in the right hand. Instead, the pianist is expected to add those elements.

Lead Sheet Example

Here is an example of what a lead sheet looks like for the classic blues song “St. Louis Blues” by W.C. Handy.

St Louis Blues Lead Sheet by W.C. Handy

As you can see, a lead sheet is a very minimalistic form of music notation. However, lead sheets clearly display the most important elements of a song, namely the melody, harmony and form. This allows skilled musicians to sightread together quite effectively.

Beginner Blues Piano Arrangement

Now let’s look at an arrangement representing one possible way in which a beginner blues piano student might interpret the lead sheet for “St. Louis Blues.” In the following arrangement, the right hand adds harmony notes to the melody using sixth intervals in a few key spots. In addition, the left hand interprets the chord symbols with 3-note chord shells and a characteristic blues rhythm. Let’s take a listen.

St Louis Blues - Easy Piano Arrangement

Your goal this month is to learn to play this arrangement of “St. Louis Blues” and include an improvised solo section! After improvising for one or more choruses, it is common practice to replay to the melody one time before concluding the song.

🔎 To add a classic blues ending to your performance, check out 10 Essential Jazz & Blues Piano Endings (Int, Adv).

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Conclusion

Congratulations, you’ve finished reading through today’s lesson on the Beginner Blues Piano 1-Year Practice Plan. If you follow through with the lessons that Jonny has outlined in this practice plan for twelve consecutive months, you will definitely acquire some respectable blues piano chops.

Be sure to bookmark this lesson in your web browser for easy reference in the future. Also, if you enjoyed this lesson, then be sure to check out the following PWJ resources:

Thanks for learning with us today! We’ll see you next time.

 

 

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Writer
Michael LaDisa

Michael LaDisa graduated from the University of North Texas with a major in Music Theory & Composition. He lives in Chicago where he operates a private teaching studio and performs regularly as a solo pianist. His educational work with students has been featured on WGN-TV Evening News, Fox 32 Good Day,...

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View guided learning tracks for all music styles and skill levels

Progress Tracking

Complete lessons and courses as you track your learning progress

Downloadable Resources

Download Sheet Music and Backing Tracks

Community Forums

Engage with other PWJ members in our member-only community forums

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