Style Study: Blues Piano
We will learn the style, history, methods, and techniques of this very special American art form
Phil Romo - Piano and Music Theory Instruction
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(824)
Popular
What's included
8 live meetings
4 in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. Students will need to practice the materials presented to do well in the class.Class Experience
Enrolled learners should have completed all six levels of piano courses (Fundamentals 1-3 and Intermediate 1-3). It is recommended that learners also take the Music Theory Super Course for Piano. Learners from other teachers should have a year of experience as well as the ability to read written notation. We will cover the history of American blues music. We will cover the common 12-bar blues form. We will discuss the great musicians of the past and cover recommended listening. We will perform musical pieces in the style of the blues from simple to more complex arrangements, concluding with improvisation. Course Outline: Week 1- History of the Blues. Great Blues artists of the past. An introduction and explanation of "shuffle feel". The three primary chords used in the blues and the 12 bar form. Study piece "Got Those Blues" Week 2- "Blue notes" and Performance of "Got Those Blues". Study Piece "Chasing The Blues Away" Week 3- "Blues for Wynton Marsalis" and the "see-saw" pattern Week 4- Changing Keys and "Why Am I Blue?" Week 5- The blues scale and "Good People" Week 6- Improvisation using the Blues scale Week 7- A primer on soloing and phrasing Week 8- Conclusion and solo improvisations from students
Learning Goals
Students will get an introduction into the blues form and use the blues scale to improvise over chord changes. We will cover several study pieces that use the blues format.
Other Details
Supply List
We will use the Alfred All-In-One Adult Piano course as a reference.
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined March, 2020
4.9
824reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hello, I teach guitar, piano, and bass classes for the ages of 6 and up. I also specialize in music theory and jazz harmony.
I began teaching music in 2002 and it has been my primary profession ever since.
I believe in teaching the fundamentals. Reading notation is a must. Deciphering chords, understanding harmony. The facts of music take priority in my lessons. I believe that everyone has limitless potential to be whatever kind of musician they would like to be.
Note to parents:
Here is my recommended learning path for my piano students:
1. Introduction to Piano Fundamentals- for the pure beginner. Young learners will find this class simple to grasp and loads of fun. This class is a great way to establish good habits from day one.
2. Piano Fundamentals 2- This is a class where we focus on reading music notation. Any learner with a bit of piano experience who is unsure of their reading can start here. Reading music is essential in your piano journey and learners who cannot do this well will struggle in these courses. This class is highly recommended.
3. Piano Fundamentals 3- Where we learn to master the art of practice and play through the rest of the beginner method book
4. Intermediate Piano Course 1- We jump to the big leagues and master basic chords in C and G position. We move quickly and play more advanced pieces. Quality practice is essential for success in this class.
5. Intermediate Piano Course 2- Hanon exercises, an expanded rhythmic vocabulary, and more sophisticated piano pieces are covered in this course.
6. Intermediate Piano Course 3- Scales, technique, and longer pieces in different keys.
7. Intermediate Piano Course 4- We will learn about minor scales and get to the end of the Alfred Adult All-In-One Course book.
8. Advanced Piano 1- We make the jump into the Alfred Adult Level 2 book.
9. Advanced Piano 2- We continue through the Level 2 book.
10. Advanced Piano 3- We cover the keys of E minor, D Major, and the chromatic scale
11. Advanced Piano 4- Chord inversions are covered as well as 2 part writing
12. Recital Ready- This is an ongoing class where we cover famous piano literature in a group setting. This is the highest level group class that I teach and it is recommended that learners cover all previous levels before enrolling. 🎹
I also have a new class called "The Piano Player's Toolkit" that covers various topics related to piano playing and music theory. The amount of practice time is less than in the academic classes, and this is more of a casual weekly learning experience. Here is the link to the class:
https://outschool.com/classes/the-piano-players-toolkit-fn0Try2k?usid=nGt6td9A&signup=true&utm_campaign=share_activity_link
I’m a father and a husband and I love what I do! I was the primary bassist for The Daytime Emmy Awards show from 2016 to 2019.Reviews
Live Group Class
$135
for 8 classes1x per week, 8 weeks
30 min
Completed by 18 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 7-12
3-7 learners per class
