v I N S T R U C T I O N

nett

n David Bennett

Blues Piano A Hands-on Course in

Traditional Blues Piano Featnring a Comprehensive

A d o Lesson on CD

Dedicated to Devin Nelson Bischoff

Cover Photo by David Burton

Audio Editor: George James

Mastered by: Ted Orr at Nevessa Productions, Woodstock, N.Y.

I S B N 0 - 7 9 3 5 - b 2 5 7 - 0

8 1996 HOMESPUN TAPES LTD. BOX 694

WOODSTOCK, NY 12498-0694 All Rights Resewed

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Publisher.

CD PAGE TRACK

I 4 2

3 5 4 5 5

5 6 5 7 6 8 6 9 7 10

11

7 12 8 13

14 9 9 15 9 16 9 17 9 18

. 9 19 9 20

10 21 10 22 10 23

Opening Blues Improv. Introduction

Table of Contents CD I PAGE TRACK

Blues Basics

Blues Explanation C Major Scale Blues Form: I-IV-V

Shuffle Rhythm - Triplets

Rhythms Left Hand Rhythm Combining Left and Right Wands 12 Bar Blues Form Turnaround 12 Bar Blues with Turnaround

Shuffle Rhythm - Swing 8th'~

Basic Shuffle Rhythm Pattern Basic Shuffle Rhythrn Back Beat Accent Explanation Alternate Shuffle Rhythms 1st Alternate 2nd Alternate 3rd Alternate 4th Alternate Syncopated Shuffle Rhythms 1st Alternate 2nd Alternate 3rd Alternate - The Quintuplet 4th Alternate - Quintuplet & Triplet Modular 12 Bar Blues

I Solo N u m b e r 1

12 24 Solo Nurnher 1 12 25 Variations 12 26 Ending

27 Solo Nurnber 1 with Ending

Solo N u m b e r 2

13 28 Diminished Chord Rhythms 13 29 Solo Number ?

9th Chord Rhythm Solo

30 9th Chord Rhythm Breakdown 14 3 1 9th Chord Rhythm Solo

Blues Scales

32 Blues Scale Explanation 1 15 3 3 C Minor Blues Scale 15 12 Bar C Minor Blues 16 34 C Minor Blues Scale Solo

35 Improvisation Ideas

Solo N u m b e r 3

17 36 Solo Number 3 37 Solo Breakdown

Slow Blues

17 38 L.eft Hand Patterns 18 39 Slow Blues Verse

40 Bass Pattern Breakdown

CD PAGE TTMCK

Turnaround Breakdown Minor Blues Scale Improv. More Minor Blues Scale Imprw. Slow Blues Chord Variations Melodic Ideas Using the Full Blues Scale Common Blues Riff Improvisation Ideas

CD PAGE TRACK

49 Solo Ideas 21 50 Slow Blues -

Combining the Elements 5 1 Ending Explanation

22 52 Tagging the Ending 53 Wrap-up 54 Closing Blues Improv.

23 Biography 2 4 A Selected Discography

CD instruction makes it easy! Find the section of the lesson you want with the press of a finger; play that segment over and over until you've mastered it; easily skip over parts you've already mastered-no clumsy rewinding or fast-forwarding to find your spot; listen with the best possible audio fidelity, follow along track-by-track with the book.

Introduction

T h e goal of this book is to get you started playing blues piano. Toward this end I have begun with two simple concepts, the shuffle rhythm and the slow blues. I have provided several sim- ple solos and a scale for improvisation.

Blues is a form of folk music, and as such, comes from an aural tradition, meaning that the music is played differently each time it is played. The solos that I have included. although writ- ten, are only meant as a starting point. Once you learn the solos, think about changing them. Don't be concerned so much with improvising the entire verse, but more about changing one phrase, or even one note, at a time. Also try incorporating the various riffs, or musical phrases, into your improvising. The idea is to try and build a large "bag of tricks" that you can dip into whenever you play. Try to think of the "minor blues scale" as a starting point.

Learning the music is technical. Playing it so that it sounds good is up to your taste, facility and imagination. Play everything slowly at first. Count your measures. It's more important for the music to sound good than to put a lot of notes in it, although sometimes a lot of notes will sound good. The shuffle rhythm, when played correctly, is irresistibly danceable. The slow blues can be very emotional, covering a wide range of feelings from sadness to determination. As a result, it can be a real catharsis.

Blues is a wonderful form of music that I've always been drawn to. I t somehow touches a fun- dament. need that I seem to have. I'm certainly not alone in this feeling. Blues has and always will have its dedicated followers. Perhaps it is because blues comes from suffering that it is so joyful and therefore attractive to so many people.

I strongly urge you to listen to as much blues piano as you can. Some piano players that I rec- ommend are Professor Longhair, Otis Spann, Memphis Slim, Tuts Washington, all of the Pinetops [Smith, Perkins, etc.). Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Barry Goldberg [if you can find some of his recordings with Michael Bloomfield or Steve Miller), Mark Naftalin (from Paul Butterfield Blues Band), Corky Siegel, Huey "Piano" Smith, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the list goes on.

As a teacher, some students come to me because they feel that they have reached a stalemate. They just don't seem to be able to play anything new. But everyone reaches plateaus at one time or another. No matter how much you know, there is always more to learn. It's amazing to me the number of permutations that can be made with just a few notes.

Only a small percent of improvisational music is going to come from inspiration. Mostly you are going to have to work at it. The more you play, the more you will learn and the more you will discover different ways to play the same notes.

Always try to listen to what you are playing. Exercise and develop your taste. If it sounds good, keep it. If you are playing something wrong, then unlearning it is learning something new. It doesn't matter whether you are playing at home or at a gig, every time you play you are practicing.

So. I guess that the best advice I can give is to keep playing.

David Bennett Cohen

Blues Basics 0 C Major Scale

@ Blues Form: I - IV - V

C Chords: I

Shuffle Rhythm - Triplets

Example 1 - Shuffle Rhythm (Traditional Blues)

Example 2 - Straight Time Rhythm (Rock 'n' Roll)

count: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

0 Left Hand Rhythm

0 Combining Left and Right Hands C

9 12 Bar Blues Form

Turnaround

Insert at measure 12 C G7

same as:

Shuffle (n =~>i

Shuffle Rhythm - Swing 8th'~ @ Basic Shuffle Rhythm Pattern

Basic Shuffle Rhythm

Shuffle (fl =jj;)

Alternate Shuffle Rhythms

@ 3: Alternate 3

@ 4th Alternate .?

4th Alternate 4th Alternate

Syncopated Shuffle Rhythms

@ 2nd Alternate

2nd Alternate (with Harmonic Variation]

i

fa 3rd Alternate (The Quintuplet) 5 C

4th Alternate (Quintuplet & Triplet) C 5

fb Modular 12 Bar Blues (2 Verses)

~hythrn Figure 1 I I I

G7

End Rhythm Figure 1

Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1 C

Solo Number 1

Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1, 1st 10 measures C

@ Variations

Example 1 - Trill Insert at measures 2 and 4

Example 1 - Trill Insert at measure 8

tr-

@ Example 3 - Ending Insert at measure 12

C G+7 C9 A

Solo Number 2 @ Diminished Chord Rhythms

Example 1 C

Example 2 with Trill C

Solo Number 2

Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1 -

9th Chord Rhythm Solo Shuffle (n =G)

Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1. 1st 10 measures

P

Variation

Insert at measure 12 G7

@ Blues Scales C Blues Scale

A

F Blues Scale *

1 2 b 3 3 4 b 5 5 6 b 7 1 2 b 3 3 4 b 5 5 6 b 7 *Cb is the same note as Bh.

G Blues Scale @ C Minor Blues Scale

12 Bar C Minor Blues

Shoffle (n =j% Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1

@ C Minor Blues Scale Solo

pi^ shuffle (n=jj;) Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1

Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1. 1st 11 measures C g v a - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

@ Solo Number 3

Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 1. 1st 11 measures

C

Slow Blues @ Left Hand Patterns

@ Slow Blues Verse

Shuffle (fl =J b;

Q Slow Blues Chord Vzriations

Example 1 - 7th Chords Insert for measures 1 through 3

C7 F7

Example 2 - Triplets Insert for measures 1 through 10

C7

Using the Full Blues Scale

C Blues Scale

@ Common Blues Riff

Example 3 Insert for measures 1 through 5

C F

Improvisation Ideas

Example 1 Insert for measure 2

F

Example 2 Insert for measures 5 & 6

F

Example 3 Insert for measures 5 & 6

r

Example 4 Insert for measures 6, 7 & 8

F

Example 5 Insert for measures 9 & 10

G7

@ Slow Blues - Combining the Elements

Shuffle ( f l= j% Left Hand: with Rhythm Figure 2, 2 ttmes

C

@ Tagging the Ending Outro

Freely

Biography

"Mr. Cohen isn't the average hippie gone Wall Street. He's also a c e r t i i l y smokin' barrel-house rhumba boogie-woogie piano player in the James

Booker/Professor Longhair/ Dr. John vein. "

David Bennett Cohen has been a professional musician for more than 25 years. Best known for his innovative keyboard playing as an original member of the '60s rock band, Country Joe and the Fish, he is an equally accomplished guitar player who has been involved in numerous music scenes throughout his varied career.

David began his musical education at the age of seven, studying classical piano for seven years. While studying the piano, he began to teach himself the guitar, beginning at the age of nine. When he was 14, he heard boogie-woogie piano for the first time and was hooked. Since then he has explored many different styles of blues and popular music. He was fortunate enough to have heard Otis Spann, Professor Longhair. Meade LLUC Lewis and other masters of the genre perform live.

'What separates Cohenfrom a lot of other players is his unassuming ease behind the keys, and the ability to take that admiration past rote emulation; inmku7g the spirits of boogie-woogie, stride and blues piano greats without

ever forcing things or just replicating other folks' licks. "

Over the years, he has played and/or recorded with The Blues Project, Mick Taylor. The Luther Tucker Blues Band, Elvin Bishop, Melvin Van Peebles, Happy and Artie Traum, Arlen Roth, Eric Andersen, David Blue, Tim Hardin, Norton Buffalo, Jerry Miller (of Moby Grape). Steve Miller. Jimi Hendrix, Johnnie Winter, John Cippolina, Huey Lewis, Michael Bloomfield. Bob Weir, John Kahn and others.

As a solo performer, he has shared the bill with County Joe McDonald, Kenny Rankin, Bonnie Raitt. Richard Thompson. Jerry Garcia, Leo Kottke, Rufus Thomas, Meatloaf, Booker T., The Roaches. Kingfish and many others.

David has recorded two audio teaching tape series (Blues/Rock, Piano and Ragtime Piano) and a three-video tape series (Blues Piano) for Homespun Tapes. In addition, he has released two guitar instruction albums for Kicking Mule Records.

For the past several years. David has been busy composing, writing songs, teaching piano and guitar, performing and recording. He plays around the New York area with his own band. Crawfish Royale, and a Tex-Mex Country band (The Plumbers). Upcoming projects include dual piano recordings with Tom Constanten (keyboardist with The Grateful Dead from 1967 to 1970. Relix Records) and two others with Pete Sears (from Jefferson Starship) and Howie Wyeth.

"Cohen radiates the 88's impeccably. " All quotes from CMJ New Music Report

A Selected Discography

Country Joe and the Fish:

Electric Musicfor the Mind and Body

I Feel U k e I'm Rxh' to Die

Together

Here We Are Again

Greatest Hits

Reunion

Vanguard Records VRS-9244

Vanguard Records VSD-79266

Vanguard Records VSD-79277

Vanguard Records

Vanguard Records VSD-6545

Fantasy Records F-9530

Other Recordings:

Blues Project Capitol Records SMAS- 1 10 17

David Bennet Cohen - The Connection Bullseye R e d s B8442- 1

David Bennet Cohen at the Piano Rag Baby Records RB- 1022

Brian Kramer and the Blues Masters-Win or Lose Monsoon Records NCC-4862

Instructional Tapes:

Blws/Rock Plano, six audio-tape series

Blues/Rock, Piano Practice Tape, one audio tape

R a g m Piano, six audio-tape series

Blues PLano, three-video set

How to Play Folk Guftar

Rock 'n' Roll Guitar

Homespun Tapes

Homespun Tapes

Homespun Tapes

Homespun Tapes

Kicking Mule Records

Kicking Mule Records

Sit down at the piano and start to boogie! Tbis +easy phy- dong cwusc dl have you rockin' and r o h ' in no time- even if you have nwer played blues piano bdbre. David

n David Bennett knnea Ghen ~ r a , Project, ~o~ntry J= pnd the

( i0HEL7\T Fish, etc) starts you at the beghhg, quickly getting you -

into the elementary theory needed to understand chord

I 1 progressions and the 12-bar blues farm. Then it's right into I 1

setting up a solid left hand rhythm in the bass ta create a Blues Piano b e ~ ~ t h e r i ~ t h v l d i m p ~ t i m s m a r m e .

U.S. $1 9.95 I SBN 0-7735-6257-0

David helps YOU to systematically build coordination between left and right hand. After learning a variety of shuffle patterns, he gradually adds right hand rhythms, accents and licks until you are into your own sobing. As he teaches, David passes on invaluable information on blues scales, turnarounds, ending licks, rhythm parts and other eIetnents which, when put all together, comprise the real blues sound.

By the time this CD lesson ends, you'll be

3 jamming and improvising fast and slow blues i n p j o r and minor keys, and have n number of rhythmic variations in youp left hand to add drive and pulse to your playing. Most importantly, you'll have the d i d basis b m

I which m go on to more complex and demanding techniques in this Eabdous

1 American musid form,

CD h$m&m maRcs it eary!

Find the section of the lesson you want with the press of a Gnger.

You c;m skip the parts you've already 1-4 sr play a parddar segment over and orer until I you've mastered it.

No rewinding or ht-fiorw&g to find your

saoc Follow along &-by-wk 6 t h the book.

Listen with the best possible audio fidelity.