Piano Method Madness

Exercise 24 carries over the same bassline from exercise 23 and introduces two new ending phrases. The lesson contains a few measures where right hand key gracing is utilized. It also contains hops where the right hand will have to make a hop down in order to perform inverted chord combinations.  Ending number has a chord combination that really stretches the right hand. Work must be done to overc...

Exercise 23 involves the same 7th and 9th chord progressions as exercise 22, but it also introduces an octave up jump after playing the first series of chords (similar to a call and response technique). The exercise also retains the same bassline as exercise 18 but introduce an altered ending in measure 12.  The hardest part of this exercise is mastering the octave jumps.  Lots of practice should...

Exercise 22 involves 7th and 9th chord progressions. The exercise retains the same bassline as exercise 18. Although simple, the chord progressions take a bit of practice to master in the correct fashion. There are minor syncopation features in the 9th ,10th, and 11th measures. Take your time and enjoy. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International...

Exercise 21 introduces syncopation. The right hand is holding notes across measures. Although lesson isn't particularly challenging; it is extremely fun to play.  Left Hand: The is no change in the left hand; it plays the same bassline as in exercise 20.  Keep playing! If you need a copy of the book, please use the information below to get yourself a copy. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne C...

Exercise 20 is a slightly modified version of exercise 19 with the thumb and pinky spaced one octave from one another. The right hand pointing finger will get the most work in this exercise because it moves one half step up and down along the staff. Left Hand: The is no change in the left hand; it plays the same bassline as in exercise 18.  Keep playing! If you need a copy of the book, please use...

Exercise 19 introduces a new fingering pattern for the right hand using fingers 2 through 5. It couples the fingers 2 and 4 and fingers 3 and 5. When I originally worked through this, I had no problem using fingers 2 and 4, however, fingers 3 and 5 were challenging. After repeating the exercise, my problems with went away.  Measure 8 is most challenging because it really works the relation between...

Exercise 18 is a minor variation of exercise 17. The bassline remains the same, however, exercise 18 breaks up the straight eight note triplets played using the same fingers in exercise 17 into something a bit more challenging. Exercise 18 also introduces a chromatic conclusion to the lesson in measures 11 and 12. Enjoy! Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORAT...

Exercise 17 introduces a walking bass line on the left hand and broken chords on the right that traverse up and down the keyboard in octave intervals. This piece is not complex. Multiple reps should cure most of the the technical problems it introduces. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright Secured   All Rights Reserved Item# 00240...

Exercise 16 introduces a new technique called a "Running Riff." Mastering this technique will allow a student's right hand to move chromatically up and down the musical scale. It is a challenging technique to master, but fun to use in improvisation song breaks.  The left hand is playing the same bassline from exercise 15. If you need a copy of the book, please use the information be...

Exercise 15 uses a combination of techniques from both exercises 13 and 14. Technical challenges occur between measures containing grace note chord changes such as moving from measure 4 using a G7 chord to measure 5 with a C7 chord. These challenges can only be overcome through discipline practice. Don't give up! Keep playing! If you need a copy of the book, please use the information below t...

Exercise 14 is a minor variation of exercise 13 where the right hand approaches oncoming chords from below. The left hand plays a slow single finger bassline and the right hand plays seventh chords. As before, the biggest challenge appears in measure 12 with the closing of the song. With the exception of the hops and leaps, this lesson is not complex, so it shouldn't take long to master. Keep...

Exercise 13 introduces a new bassline and melody. It feels more like the old school traditional blues you have come to know. The left hand plays a smooth single note bassline, and the right hand switches finger patterns to cover the chords it plays. Once again, students will face technical challenges in measures 1 & 12. This lesson is not hard, so it shouldn't take long to work through. T...

Exercise 12 is a slight variation of exercise 11. The left hand plays a double bassline and the right hand is being forced to stretch the fingers over an octave span. The same technical challenges still exist in measures 1 & 12. The melody is inverted in comparison to exercise 11. Happy playing and practicing! If you need a copy of the book, please use the information below to get yourself a c...

Exercise 11 introduces new concepts for the left and right hands. The left hand plays a doubled bassline and the right hand is being forced to stretch the fingers over an octave span. Students will face technical challenges in measures 1 & 12. This lesson is not overly complex, so it shouldn't take long to master if being practiced by a novice. Keep playing! If you need a copy of the book...

Exercise 10 is very similar to Exercise 9. It also contains challenging finger techniques. Techniques such as fingers being spread an octave apart; fingers two and three crossing over the thumb to play lower keys, and gracing of fingers two and three as well as fingers three and five. Exercise 10's bassline is pretty straightforward and can be played with little to no difficulty.  It WILL tak...

Exercise 9 is the exercise that you've been waiting for. It introduces a real blues song filled with good, challenging finger techniques. Techniques such as fingers crossing over another to stretching the thumb and pinky to play keys an octave apart are introduced in it. The exercise makes a slight alteration to Exercise 8's bass line and includes notation for foot pedal incorporation. T...

Exercise 8 reintroduces an old bass line and right hand finger patter. The pattern in this exercise helps builds finger strength of all fingers on the right hand. There are very few melodic notes played in this exercise, however, playing them helps the player gain finger independence as the speed of play is increased. The narrator identifies where the problem areas lie for newcomers. Basic Blues f...

Exercise 7 continues with a minor variation to the stepping pattern introduced in exercise 6. The pattern in this exercise is repetitive and builds finger strength. The level of difficulty is not as challenging as in exercise 6. The narrator identifies where the problem areas lie for newcomers. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright...

Exercise introduces a stepping pattern involving the pointing finger instead of the grace note introduced in exercise 5. Again, this exercise takes a little time to learn because of the focus of strengthening the second (pointing) finger on the right hand. The narrator identifies where the problem areas lie for newcomers. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORA...

Basic Blues for Piano: Exercise 5. Exercise introduces a new grace notes melody and bass patterns. This exercise takes a little bit to learn because of the incorporation of the grace note as well as other fingers on the right hand. The narrator identifies where the problem areas lie for newcomers. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyri...

Basic Blues for Piano: Exercise 4. Exercise introduces quarter notes broken down into eight note triplets that are doubled by a note an octave apart. The bass is the same as in exercise number 2 so isn't discussed. The narrator identifies where the problem areas lie for newcomers. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright Secured...

Basic Blues for Piano: Exercise 3. Exercise introduces quarter notes broken down into sixteenth note sextuplets. The bass is the same as in exercise number 2. The narrator identifies where the problem areas lie for newcomers. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright Secured   All Rights Reserved Item# 00240075 - US$24.99 - Available f...

 Basic Blues for Piano: Exercise 2. Exercise introduces quarter notes broken down into eighth note triplets. The bass although different on paper plays almost the same as in exercise number 1. The narrator identifies where the problem areas lie for newcomers. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright Secured   All Rights Reserved Item#...

Basic Blues for Piano: Exercise 1. This episode details spots in exercise 1 that may trip up newcomers.  Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright Secured   All Rights Reserved Item# 00240075 - US$24.99 - Available for purchase from local music retailers. Used by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC 

This episode discusses the 12 bar blues and its variants. It also lightly touches on how the Blues progression should be played. Basic Blues for Piano By Ron Payne Copyright (c) 1984 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATION International Copyright Secured   All Rights Reserved Item# 00240075 - US$24.99 - Available for purchase from local music retailers. Used by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC