Topic: Piano Blues: On Piano and on Guitar

[Prof Scratchy]

The above two books are great, but a bit beyond the beginner stage. A book that was recommended by Bob Hall was Tim Richards' "Improvising Blues Piano" - starts out very simply but provides a thorough grounding in the building blocks  (not that I've got very far with it myself...)!

[Bunker Hill]

Well over 20 years ago, Eric Kriss did a couple of books of transcriptions of blues piano--Six Blues Roots Pianists and Barrelhouse and Boogie Piano.  I don't know if those are still in print.

Second one is, first one isn't I believe.

Correct, but right up my alley. The Kriss has lengthy "musical notations" for each of the titles under discussion, intended for folk to play. He also includes numerous short excercises. For some bizarre reason when published (1972, MJT3) it came my way for review! Here's the contents list :

Introduction, 4

The Basics of Blues Piano, 6

Jimmy Yancey, 9 How Long Blues, 12 The Yancey Special, 15 Yancey's Bugle Call, 18

Champion Jack Dupree, 21 Mercy on Me, 24 A Good Woman is Hard to Find, 30 Too Evil to Cry, 32

Little Brother Montgomery, 38 Tremblin' Blues, 42 Vicksburg Blues No. 2, 46 Bass Key Boogie, 52

Speckled Red, 54 The Dirty Dozens, 56 Cow Cow Blues, 60

Roosevelt Sykes, 65 Highway 61 Blues, 66 GuliportBoogie, 70 Red-Eye Jesse Bell, 76

Otis Spann, 80 Spann's Stomp, 84 Trouble in Mind, 88 Don't You Know, 92

Annotated Bibliography, 96
Part I?Books, 96
Part 11?Periodicals, 97

Discography, 98
Part I?Six Blues Pianists, 98
Part 11?General Piano, 100
Appendix?Record Company Addresses, 104

[modgar]

Prof Scratchy,

Would you recommend the Tim Richards' book "Improvising Blues Piano"?

[Prof Scratchy]

If you want to 'take the bull by the horns' - go for the two Eric Kriss books referred to above. If, like me, you're a beginner and need to get some 'building blocks', the Tim Richards book provides a thorough grounding in easy steps and stages. Alternatively, there's lots of resources on youtube now if you have the patience - though I must say I find it hard to follow what two hands are doing by watching some of the videos posted! Must train my left eye to watch the left hand, and the right eye the right! In relation to all the books mentioned, and in particular the Eric Kriss ones, it's essential to have listened to the original recordings until the music is inside your head sufficiently well to make sense of the written notation.