One way to make the basic blues sound more interesting and musical, is to start with a beginning before you play your repeated 12 bar blues scheme. Below are two blues beginning examples in the key of F which you can try and practice. Both …
Read MoreBlues Soloing
In addition to playing blues licks, being able to apply the blues scale and play it fluently over a left-hand pattern is essential for your blues soloing. As a first step, familiarize yourself with the blues scale. It consists of the root, minor third, fourth, …
Read MoreBlues with Seventh Chords
To enhance the basic blues, you can play seventh chords instead of just major triads. Dominant seventh chords are an essential ingredient to blues, gospel or jazz. To do this, the minor seventh is added to the notes of the major triad. This very ‘bluesy’ …
Read MoreBlues Licks and Soloing
To be able to play blues licks is a great skill to have as a piano player. Or even better, to be able to come up with original licks on the spot. The blues scale is quite simple to learn, and is a great scale …
Read MoreBlues Basics
Playing blues on the piano is a great way to learn soloing for other styles such as rock, jazz, funk, soul and neo soul. Because all these styles sprung from the blues, it also gives you a great foundation to understand their basic patterns. It’s …
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