Learning to Play the Blues Piano

Learning to play the piano does not have to be a difficult process. No matter what genres of music you enjoy, from rock to pop, alternative to jazz, you will be able to play them on the piano. However to start to play music in these different genres it is first essential to learn how to play blues piano.

The blues piano is a style of music that will help you to eliminate problems in mastering other styles of music once you have learned to play blues piano successfully. Keep reading to fully understand blues music and how to go about playing it on the piano.

The 12-bar blues is a common progression important in helping you to learn blues piano. The majority of pianists will use seventh chords in the playing of this blues form. Songs will be split into three sets with four bars in each, giving the twelve bars where the form takes its name from. To allow for easy transition in key we refer to the notes to be played in different terms, we will start with playing a C note, so the character ‘I’ will represent the C key, while ‘IV’ will represent an F, and ‘V’ will represent the note G.

The three sets in this basic song are played as follows:

– Set one: I-I-I-I

– Set two: IV-IV-I-I

– Set three: V-IV-I-I

Play these three sets using your right hand and before you know it you’ll be creating a sound akin to the blues piano through the mastering of these seventh chords.

Let’s consider your left hand. As your right hand plays the chords your left hand will be playing a pattern consisting of eight notes. The pattern itself is this:

– I-III-V-VI-VIIb-VI-V-III

As you are playing the C chord with your right hand the actual notes you’ll be playing with your left hand will be C-E-G-A-Bb-A-G-E, as you play the F chord you’ll play the notes F-A-C-D-Eb-D-C-A and finally as you play the G chord the notes will be G-B-D-E-F-E-D-B.

It can be very easy to learn blues piano if you are already familiar with playing notes and chords on the piano. However even if you are not experienced with the above, simple blues piano lesson you’ll be mastering the 12-bar blues in C, allowing you to move on to try it in many different keys.

Before you can work your way up to playing your preferred style of music you need to learn blues piano. This strong foundation will help to make learning new lessons far easier. The different styles available on the piano can be incredibly difficult to master so develop your strong foundation to enable you to wow your audience with the elegance and praise you will develop in your playing.

A good piano teacher will be able to help you learn to play blues piano but if you can’t find or afford one never fear. There are plenty of other resources available such as online lessons and DVDs, or even books. With these beginner blues piano resources you’ll be able to set your own pace and learn how you want to. With a bit of determination and the right tools to help you you’ll be playing blues piano before you know it.

It can take years of hard learning and a lot of practice to truly master the art of the piano so building a strong foundation through blues piano lessons will put you in a good place to master your art and become a great pianist.