I want to play Rock 'n' roll like Jerry lee Lewis on my keyboard.
What do i need to learn for that?
Or are there good sheets for that?

I noticed that you people are all into classical music, so don't laugh with me.
I play the keyboard for one year now.
Thanks...

There are a bunch of free sheet music sites there out on the internet with donwloadable sheet music from various rock artists. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but there is a free sheet music link somewhere ont he pianoworld website. Good luck!

Oh, just great!! Only interested in classical pieces here at this forum? Or is rock'n'roll not worth looking at?

Sorry, this crowd is pretty much classical.

Try this site:
http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=rec.music.makers.piano

I like Rock n Roll a LOT, I just never play it on the piano. For me guitar is THE rock instrument, piano just doesn't do it for me.

Daan:

You might want to look around on the net for midi files if you have some software that can display and print the notes.

I suggest that you try to find some books or midi files of boogie and/or blues songs.

Also try to find a book on blues scales. Most of the rock and roll like Jerry Lee is based on blues scales, so you are going to need to know these scales. You then need to improvise. Its a lot of fun when you have enough knowledge to do it.

You might try a series of books called:
New Orleans Jazz
There are several small books in this series that have nice short songs that will help you.

Good luck - The piano makes a great Rock and Roll instrument.

Daan,

My ex-piano teacher is a studio rock pianist and session man. His advice to me on the very same question, which I'll pass on to you is as follows:

First of all, to study rock, you really need to study blues. Hammer out that 12 bar root IV, V7 pattern in every key until you can do it blindfolded. Most blues tunes are in Bb, so work alot in accidental keys.

Secondly, you really need to know major and minor pentatonic scales. Quite alot of rock, blues and jazz solos are structured around pentatonic riffs, so work on and master these over most of the keyboard, both hands.

Next, work on chord inversions and voicings. Play major, minor, major 7, minor 7 etc. chords in all the inversions, and then introduce voicings to alter the sounds of these chords without really changing chord structure. A simple example. Play C Major triad. A relative minor to C major is A, so now play A minor over a C base. Different chord, or is it? Now, record it, play it back and play C major with the relative minor over the C base you recorded. It still works. That is a simple example of chord voicing. When you get into this big time, the possibilities are endless as your knowledge of more complex chord structures increases.

Now take these voicings you learned, and play them in a standard 12 bar blues, introduce some major or minor pentatonics and wow, you're now playin' some really cool stuff, using a relatively simple process.

Don't sloff off rock blues and other non-classical piano forms as braindead. It is often a more staisfying, freer, and more difficult and complex piano methodology. Not to put down classical, it is just that composing and playing rock and blues tunes often does not get the credit it deserves. I hope I've helped. Have fun!

Jamie

[ August 03, 2001: Message edited by: Samejame ]

[ August 03, 2001: Message edited by: Samejame ]

Hey, thanks alot folks!!


...keep on rockin !!!