Members skier4467 Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 I want to learn to play some rock piano. Currently I can play pretty ballads and stuff. I want to learn to play more upbeat songs that get people grooving. i would love to be a ble to play piano in a band someday....rock, funk, blues. Giv eme some tips please. I can't find any lessons online for free. Fingerings? etc,,,.....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members geoffo Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 Put on CD's and play along with them. Don't get too hung up about playing melody lines. Listen to what others are doing and try to emulate it. Go and listen to other bands and see what they do, then come home and have a go yourself. Learn your chord structures and purpose they serve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JLo Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 3 things to do: 1) most important - listen to the guys you want to sound like. Try to emulate that.2) Buy a fake book. A big one, and listen to the original recordings ahile playing along. Learn the chord structures associated withe genre you want3) The technique - Mike McDonald (from the Doobies) once said his style was like playing a percussion instrument on the piano - his hands rarely hit the keys at the same time, an almost back-and-forth type style. A lot of rock piano, including Elton John, the Doobies, and others use this type of style... keep it in mind as you practice. Hope this helps a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pawnz Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 I would certainly include some Jerry Lee Lewis in the mix as well. I think there may even be some transcriptions floating around out there on the web.....perhaps even within this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Henway_piano Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 For acoustic piano, listen to Paul Shaffer with the Blues Brothers, Roy Bittan with Springsteens' E-street band. Chris Stainton from Joe Cockers' group, he also played some of the more famous piano parts for the Who "Long live rock" and Eric Claptons' groups. For Wurly piano, listen to Ian 'Mac' McLagan from the Faces. Rick Davies of Supertramp. Benmont Tench of Tom Pettys' Heartbreakers. Arguably, a big influence on all of them was Johnnie Johnson the pianist for Chuck Berry. If you listen to what he was doing in the 1950s, you'll hear it's roots in all rock piano parts recorded since.... As for the how.... Good ears, lots of practice, and a little help from the forum. I think you'll be on top of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tucktronix Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 I would say that a great deal of improving your rock chops stems from getting a good grasp of the Chicago or delta blues of Pinetop Perkins, the N'awlins style of Alvin Toussaint and Dr. John and the early rock and roll styles of Johnny Johnson, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. You can definitely hear the influences in guys like Roy Bittan, Chuck Leavell and Greg Allman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 Don't play unison lines/chords with guitars unless it is a motif that needs to be emphasized. Learn to play "between the beats". Listen to what is going in around you. Find the spaces between the notes. Learn to use little flourishes in your playing. Grace notes and stuff like that. Anything that sets you apart from guitar players and makes you heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members piano39 Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 Avoid playing 3rds, especially with your left hand. Use 7ths sparingly. Voice your left hands with octaves and fifths,ie; for a C Chord, play C-G-C with your left hand I might add, cynically, that it doesn't hurt to have a louder amp than the guitar player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kalpajazz Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 The soft "the blues pianist" from PG Music is fantastic. 120 performances captured in real time via MIDI, and covers several styles , blues, R&R, boogie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chicken Monkey Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 Myabe this is obvious, but learn the left-hand boogie-woogie patterns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted August 4, 2006 Members Share Posted August 4, 2006 Know the keyboard. Practice scales, excercises, and get to know the keyboard well. The rest will fall into place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mwalthius Posted August 5, 2006 Members Share Posted August 5, 2006 I learned to play rock piano listening to and playing along with early Elton John recordings. The album 11-17-70 defines the genre, with "Take Me to the Pilot" being one of my all-time favs. Other early EJ albums, including his self-titled debut, Madman Across the Water, and Honky Chateau are also highly recommended. Learn to play "Tiny Dancer" and you'll have taken a big step in the right direction. Highly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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