Blues Lick - Intermediate Piano - Sliding Around with Grace Notes
In this blues lick exercise for piano, the trick to playing the grace notes is to slide your pinky off the first note and land on the next key–all in one action.
This is great to use in the first two bars, or sixth and seventh bars of the 12 bar blues where you’re going from C to F. It really highlights the change in harmony because there’s an E in C but an Eb in F7.
Click the music to enlarge it!
Grace notes are the tiny notes you see written in the example. Quickly slide your finger off the EDGE of the black key onto the white key.
Post a comment, let me know if the new digital keyboard (tiny one up top) is helpful!!!
Piano Video Outline:
:05 - An example of the lick
1:40 - This lick is shown over a blues and how to use some variations on the different chords, (C7 F7 G7).
2:20 - Changing harmony from C7 to F7 (watch out for the E natural going to E flat)
2:50 - A solo highlighting the change in harmony from C7 to F7.
Hi Chris happy new year to you and yours the extra keyboard works great i think personally its just right
Best Wishes
Allan
that blues slide was very nice. got any thing on bossa nova? eg: the girl from ipanema, etc.
Hey Chris, happy new year from Japan….and thanks for another clear and helpful lesson. I still find myself picking up the data by watching your hands rather than the keyboard up above. But I think it’s a good idea to have it. It will be just what’s needed at times (and for certain folks) and it is not distracting at all.
I for myself, like that you have the upper piano with the keys played showing, very much. It is easier for me to pick up on what key or keys need to be played.
Thank you, for taking the time to help us to improve :-).
I like having the digital piano showing in the screen. One thing: at about 3:17 in the lesson you run a closing lick that is nice but you don’t give explanation of the run. Could you please post the notation of that or break it down / slow it down. Otherwise, very nice - and thanks much.
have nice and peaceful 2009…..greetings from Germany.
Hi Chris - Happy New Year!!! Thank you very much!!! Your new video is fantastic!!! The digital keyboard is super helpful for seeing the keys and that makes the playing much easier. Glad that you are an excellent teacher. Have a really good evening!!!
Thanks so much for your generous help. The lesson was great. The keyboard is nice . I found it difficult to see the finger action on the piano. The left hand was easier to see key action than the right, probably lighting and camera angle. Keep up the great work–thanks again.
Thanks much indeed for all these great lessons. I’ve been teaching myself for the last few years and I’ve learned I can teach myself to play specific songs but can’t quite move into improvising, i.e., can’t really “play” the piano. I’ve a lousy teacher would be my best guess. And it’s frustrating because my heart lies with the blues (especially the slow, rather mournful “woke up this morning” kind) and you make it look so simple and yet sound so great. I’ve given myself ’til the end of the year and if I’m still stuck, well, I don’t know….
But again, many thanks for a great site and lessons.
Randy
… and very motivating at the beginning of a new year, that is said to be a hard one.
Hope we all will remember it once as a good one!
Looking forward to all the good piano vibrations coming over the ocean
Nina from Austria
I love the little piano….the lessons are great
Thank you
No Problem Donna!
Thanks for the feedback
Chris Marx
Hi,
Thanks for the lessons, helps greatly. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this.
David
Hi Chris
at 67
in between chasing wummin
n brewing beer n wine
I am doodling with teaching myself
keyboards, bagpipes and most other
whistle type instruments. And stringed
as in guitar,ukuelele,banjo, plus harmonica
No goals,no pressure, just sheer enjoyment.
enjoyment level 10/10 ability 3/10
have downloaded all your videos, want to thank
you for your laidback approach. Man you just ooze
self confidence n a positive attitide
I love the new keyboard, keep on keeping on
I already have enough to practise n perfect for
most of this year
Any chance of showing a smoochy love ballad
to impress my latest girlfriend (7 years come 4th July!!!)
Greetings from Perthshire, Scotland
Mac
My goal is to learn to vamp to a lyric so that I can accompany a singer without playing a melody line.
hello
even if it’s difficult for me to understand what you say, I just have to look at the video to try to play what you show us and it’s very nice. so thank you very much and as it’s the good period for this, just receive my best wishes for 2009.
bye
sophie
The little keyboard on top helps a lot!!!!!!!! i really think you should add that in everything you have done and not just put it in the new stuff. A more detailed thing like that helps me because its sometimes hard to see the fingers on the keyboard. Thank you!!
do you take requests for lessons. I would love to learn Rockin Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu. Will Pay for lesson. Margie
Finally i found where i was looking for;a great teacher with fantastic lessons.
I can’t believe that this lessons are free of charge.Other piano teacher’s give a free lesson and then ask for money.
Can u tell about it?
Hi Chris! I like the blues slide and the digital keyboard is great espicially when I cannot see what chords you pressed. This a great website! Keep it up!
sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet
Hello Chris, thank you very much for the lessons! I am learning a lot with them!
Hey Chris.
thanks a lot for this little, but amazing lick. its got me starting playing again, especially the rythimc blues improvisation. more of the like please!
Best Regards
Asger