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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
OregonJim - Wow! Nicely done! You've captured the authentic sound. I can imagine rocking back and forth, slow-dancing to that with someone back in my college days.
Here's another project I finished recently. This is the first piece I ever did from a lead sheet years ago. I always felt my arrangement was too plain vanilla and too short. I had an idea of adding a bouncier section to make it livelier and longer.
A few months ago I finally got around to working on the piece again and figured out a 'bouncy' arrangement to add as a second half to the piece. The first half sounded too plain, so this is my first time using the built-in jazz waltz rhythm from my DP. I lost the beat in a few places from finger stumbles and did my best to join back in with it.
"Waltz For Debby" sounded great, lilypad! The percussion accompaniment added a nice dose of musical spice, and your playing was excellent! I enjoyed listening very much!
Thanks for sharing!
All the best!
Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
Rick, how long have you had the blues? That long, you say? Well, I've Had the Blues For So Long, I missed your video until now. Well done!
Thanks, Jim!
Actually, I wrote another blues song entitled, "Ain't no need to have the blues all the time"; but I'll refrain from posting it here, for a while at least.
When it comes to the Blues, I'm thinking that for every action there is an equal, and opposite, reaction, or something like that.
Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
Years ago I taught myself how to play classical guitar (from books). Eventually I got to some pieces that I wanted to play that were too difficult on guitar. When I eventually got a full sized keyboard, I was able to adapt them to piano. Keep up the good work!
Years ago I taught myself how to play classical guitar (from books). Eventually I got to some pieces that I wanted to play that were too difficult on guitar. When I eventually got a full sized keyboard, I was able to adapt them to piano. Keep up the good work!
Trying to play guitar is like being on an alien planet. I can cope with Ukulele but guitar...forget it. I do love the sound of classical guitar though.
Looks like June is moving on at a pretty good pace; it's passed mid-month already.
Anyway, here is another submission to the June Piano Bar, and it is a boogie improvision I recorded on my Yamaha C7 a few years ago entitled "Sunshine Boogie". I guess I had not drank quite as much coffee when I recorded it, since the tempo was a bit slower than usual.
Also, I don't remember if I used my Zoom H4n recorder on this one or just used the camcorder audio... since it was a few years ago. It did sound a little strident, but I had a lot of fun playing it.
That really sounds amazing Rick! You are as good as that British guy who makes all the piano videos, Dr. K. I think he is called. I mean the one who plays public pianos in London all the time.
How did you learn to play the boogie-woogie bassline? It seems impossibly difficult. And also tremolo? And finally, how did you make "You are my Sunshine" fit into a 12-bar blues? Is it originally a 12-bar tune, or does it need some tweaking? I think I also heard some of "In the Mood" in there at the beginning.
That really sounds amazing Rick! You are as good as that British guy who makes all the piano videos, Dr. K. I think he is called. I mean the one who plays public pianos in London all the time.
How did you learn to play the boogie-woogie bassline? It seems impossibly difficult. And also tremolo? And finally, how did you make "You are my Sunshine" fit into a 12-bar blues? Is it originally a 12-bar tune, or does it need some tweaking? I think I also heard some of "In the Mood" in there at the beginning.
Thanks for the kind words, Utkonos! I liked that boogie arraignment too, although the audio of the recording could have been better.
I don't think I'm anywhere near as good as Dr. K, but yes, I've seen many of his videos on YT, which are very popular. I wish I could play boogie-woogie as well as Dr. K!
On the left-hand boogie riff/pattern, I always thought that particular riff/pattern was started/created by Jerry Lee Lewis, but upon further research, I found out that particular left-hand piano boogie/blues riff/pattern has been around a long time, even before Jerry Lee's time. So, it appears that Jerry Lee Lewis borrowed it from the past and incorporated it into his own style. I think that happens a lot in the music world.
On the tremolo, it does add some spice, for sure, and I just kept practicing it until it felt comfortable/natural. As for the melody of "You are my Sunshine" being a 12-bar blues melody, I didn't think about it that much... maybe it is. :-)
On the video, I noticed that the light would fade in and out because it was partly cloudy that day, and the cam-corder was sensitive to the light. So, that was nice, unplanned/uncontrolled feature for a video entitled "Sunshine Boogie".
Thanks again,
Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
That was excellent Rick. I have no idea how you get the two hands to do different parts like that, I can play single not accomps in the left hand, that's about it. Love that boogie woogie stuff, I could listen to it all day (Jools Holland is someone I can watch all day) I believe my dad used to play boogie woogie, but he wouldn't teach me.
That was excellent Rick. I have no idea how you get the two hands to do different parts like that, I can play single not accomps in the left hand, that's about it. Love that boogie woogie stuff, I could listen to it all day (Jools Holland is someone I can watch all day) I believe my dad used to play boogie woogie, but he wouldn't teach me.
Thank you for the kind words, Larry!
Re: Hands together or separate/hand independence, while playing the piano; we all struggle with this for sure. I know I do. It is not at all easy. But the more we practice it, the better we get at it. It is kind of like patting ourselves on the head with one hand, rubbing our stomach with the other while chewing gum, or something like that.
I know there are various exercises that help, but it is still not a quick and easy process.
Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
Rick - I loved your "Sunshine Boogie". We're having a record breaking rainy June here in Washington so it was just what I needed.
Thank you, lilypad! I've heard on the news/weather that there is a lot of rain (and some flooding) in the northwest, and other parts of the country. Hopefully, you won't get any damaging floods, and the "Sunshine" will return soon.
Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
Rick - I loved your "Sunshine Boogie". We're having a record breaking rainy June here in Washington so it was just what I needed.
Rick, I agree - your Sunshine Boogie was a welcome diversion. Like Lilypad, we are still getting blasted with rain here. Hoping we don't end up with a 1-week summer!
Which reminds me - please don't do a rain dance!
Roland RD-2000 / Yamaha EW400 & Electone / lots o' synths
