A Boogie Woogie Player’s Best Friend
Boogie Woogie- it’s all about that bass or rather the left hand. It is the groove and the foundation that everything rests upon. If your foundation is not solid, the rest of the house falls down on top. There is one tool that is essential to building the chops you need in order to play great Boogie Woogie piano. That tool is the metronome.
Every time you sit down to play, the metronome should be at your side. It is your right hand man (or woman if you prefer). At first it might be a bit hard to play with. Don’t worry, it just means that your time needs some work. This can easily be overcome with regular practice. I have preached 15 minutes a day to my young students for a long time. It will truly pay dividends. Why not give it a try? Here’s what you do:
What you need:
- Your trusty metronome (recommendations will follow in a future post.)
- A kitchen timer or stopwatch
What to do:
Start slow. Try a quarter note a 60. you might find that a slow tempo is extremely difficult at first. You just have to concentrate. We can all do anything for 15 minutes. Start with one pattern such as:
After 5 minutes increase the tempo to 68. After another 5 minutes go to 76. Feel yourself lock in with the click.
More to come..
Jon Sarta
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