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Hi Cruiser..Are you snowed out..seen the weather reports.. doesen't look good..Ok to stay inside and play the Blues .....Doug

Hi Doug,
I have never tried Rockaboogie... It seems quite difficult, but I am sure it will be under your belt very soon with a little help from your brand new piano! :-)

Be careful when you use your headphones.
Some nights ago, I woke up at 3 o' clock, went to the piano, played very hard, until my wife rushed down the stairs and I realized that I had forgotten to plug my headphones.
You know, I was there, with my headphones on my head, 3 am, hammering the 88s and my poor ol' wife staring at me: yes, I felt a little stupid... :-)

As usual... Have fun!
b-52 Adalberto

Hi boogieman52....Have been playing the Rockaboogie for about a week now..can plow through several sections easily and still having to slow down on a couple..can play it right through..I did already know a couple of the riffs that are used in the piece..with a different left hand riff....I'll be better at it in a week or so and send you a wave file....
I can just imagine whacking at the keys at 3 am..shure would be a lot of fun..Headphones I've got you can hear out side them....also have indicator to tell you when they are plugged in...Nah!!! you couldn't have felt stupid..you were having FUN as usual .....Have Fun.....Doug

Hi...Looks like people are busy ..I will wish every a Merry Xmas... hope I will post a thread before Christmas has come and gone...I've been busy with grand kids this last week so have nearly done nothing on the keyboard...it will take 2 weeks to catch up to where I was..Rockaboogie is coming along fine and should have it 120 in a couple of weeks ..if I can keep at it......more latter... Doug

Hi Doug,
I'm working on Pinetop's Boogie Woogie, Yancey Special, Five O' Clock Blues (Yancey.

Don't stop playing, because -as you said- it takes a lot of time to catch up to where you were!

All the best!
Adalberto

Merry Xmas all.

I've been lazy latley playing the piano, but Rockaboogie has been on my list for a long time for next song, but still struggling along with St.Louis Blues. It has given me a harder time than expected. Still I got it mostly down now. Just need to put it all togheter and play it even in tempo.

I haven't posted here alot so I feel a little like a stranger, but I often read and enjoy this thread, so keep them post comming.

Frank

Hi..Frank...St.Louis Blues is a great piece..not as easy as it looks...I also play this on lap steel guitar...The tempo as on all pieces... I play real slowly for weeks until the fingers know where to go ..usally by this time I know the piece off by heart and can concentrate on just playing..
Rockaboogie ..I know a couple of the riffs in this piece already..play them on guitar...I just have to get it coordinated properly...and the right tempo in 160...I dont know if I'll ever get to that speed... have a great Xmas.........Doug

Hi..Adalberto....WOW....your really biting the bit..I have been tinkering a bit with Yancy special...and this leads me to play with Blueberry Hill as well using same bass riff...also training left hand for Swanee River Boogie..theres a good tutor on Utube "Cam1987"..has 3 sections to get you through..."Boogiewoogiekid" aka Matthew Ball.. has just posted his cover of the Swanee boogie...just amazing the thought that has gone into the phrazing of sections of his rendition..Merry Xmas to you and your family...Doug

Hi Doug,
do you like the old piano played by Cam? Not so may bells and whistles, but a traditional sound I do like.

Keep on playind during the Holidays! :-)
Merry Christmas to you and your family too from your Italian friend
Adalberto b-52

Hi Adalberto...I have watched Cam a lot as he also plays a version of Monday Struggle..His piano is a Bluthner and has a over damper...most pianos are underdamper...its been in his family for a long time and I like the sound of it...Merry Christmas to you and your family....Doug

Hi... Tim Richards blues piano students..followers...Have a great New Year .. Doug

I'm late, but...

a great New Year to Doug and everybody! :-)

Adalberto b-52

Hi..b-52...have been into Comping Blues "p 163"..this has led me though to Four Finger Blues "p214"...I use comping a lot in other music I play.."standards-latin"...its a bit like a guitar strumming the rhythm..and the chord changes just sound great either on every first or second beat....I have another exercise from Tims #2 Exploring jazz piano .. Bird Blues Comping "p161" this leads into Blues Turnaround Workout..gives a tritone ..half beat early..half beat late...vertical improvisation..this goes well on some latin pieces I play....Doug

Hi...I have found a new way to guitar comp chords on my left hand..the CVP505..allows a third voice for left hand..this is just the best way to play some blues piano..with piano melody....guitar strumming rhythm..(it even has fret noise when changing chords)...and the bass running with the drum kit...this ensemble piano is a great piece of kit and I'm learning different things it is capable of doing every day..never have to worry about getting anyone to jam....all the voicing samples are very realistic..Doug

You are very lucky to have such a wonderful instrument! :-)
Adalberto b-52

Hi..Blues in Thirds..P96..I use thirds in a lot of music I play...Its a great way to fill and improvise ..useing them with left and right hands can give a great vibraphone effect..I play some slow blues and use this effect..my cvp505 has a great tremolo vibraphone voice...I had a Satio vibraharp about 30 years ago..could play it a bit but could never find a tutor to teach me the play technique..Milt Jackson and Lionel Hampton are great exponents.of this instrument...Doug

Hi guys,

I've been keeping an eye on this post for quite some time and thought I should introduce myself. I've been working with the Tim Richards book for just over a year now.

For the first 6 months I worked all the way through the first two chapters and up to Blue Monk in chapter 3. Got a bit burnt out because I was playing so much and then didnt work on the book again for another 3 months.

I've since come back to the book and started from the beginning again. Its amazing how much you forget over a few months! I'm trying to practice with a more structured approach this time rather than rushing through the book.

I'm not working in all keys yet (think I'm playing in about 8) and I tend to practice two keys specifically a day. In those two keys I spend about 10 minutes on technical exercises (scales, arpeggios, chord inversions, thirds, sixths etc). Then I spend 30 minutes playing pieces specifically in those keys, so either pieces already in those keys or I transpose a new piece and learn it in that key. Then I spend about 10 minutes on a problem area and 15 minutes working on a new song and its assignments.

I'm currently working on Blue Fifth Boogie with a different Rocks pattern to the written one. Still a bit clumsy but coming along well.

The problem area at the minute is a walking octave bass. I can play this if I watch my left hand, and apart from a few missed notes I can play it without looking at my left hand. My main problems are endurance (after a few choruses my hand starts to cramp) and also I cant concentrate on this AND improvise at the same time.

Does anybody have any tips regarding how they learnt the walking octave bass, increased endurance etc?

I'd also be interested to know if anybody else uses a structured approach to practising or if they have any suggestions about mine?

Thanks guys!

Hi pbluesman...Welcome..The problems you are encountering is what most of us have trouble with as we travel through the book..just keep plodding along and you will get there..I play other music as well..I love the blues and boogie music...BUT..it can be a bit samey if you are playing it over and over...Just dont over play and injure your hands...most of us are clumsy when learning this type of music..dont let it overpower you and have a rest from it like before...Left hand walking bass is like Boogie left hand ..it takes years..the left hand will eventually play by its self as the brain trains its self to play in an auto mode..I've read where pros can take years to achieve the proficiency they require to play a single piece in public..have fun ...Doug

Hi pbluesman, Dough and everybody!

After a few weeks away from IBP, today I am back to Medium Jump (p.182), one of my favourite piece.
I remember it quite well, but the left hand is stiff.

Anyway I am happy, because in the last weeks I was practicing again some stuff from Colin Davey's Learn BW Piano and today I am incorporating some of his riffs in Medium Jump.

I wish I could play in all keys (or at least in 3 or 4 :-))) but actually I cannot leave my familiar key of C...
Maybe because I don't use a structured approach to practising!

All the best from
Adalberto

I most recently discovered this book. It's great to see other's using it. That kind of validates the book to me.
Thanks,
BBB