Blues & Barrelhouse Piano

In this intimate instructional Hal Leonard series, professional Blues pianist Ann Rabson personally teaches you her own brand of blues and barrelhouse piano.

Introduction
Introduction (05:08) - Ann shares with us the history of 'Blues and Barrelhouse Piano', and adds in a little about her self. This video explains a little bit about Ann's 'Fingering' and non-traditional approach.
Two-Beat Shuffle
Intro (02:54) - Ann starts us off with the 'Left Hand Groove', and how to easily start practicing this with out sheet music.
Comping (01:16) - Ann shows some simple exercises that involves both Rhythm and Melody with both bands.
Fills (02:13) - Ann breaks down the Fill and more in this video. You can incorporate a fill into a Solo, or any other song. Ann gives us another Two-Beat Shuffle showing Fills, and how to count them while you play.
Soloing (10:08) - Ann starts off by showing us a wonderful little piano solo and then breaks it down making it easier to understand. We learn several techniques and styles of soloing in this video
Turnaround (04:20) - Some songs have a 'Turnaround', a way to get from one verse to the next. We're going to build her signature Turnaround from scratch, but also learn how to make our own Turnarounds once we understand the concept.
Ending the Song (01:38) - Ann demonstrates a few different ways to end a 'Two-Beat Shuffle'.
The Box Shuffle
Box Shuffle (03:30) - Ann describes the post-war groove 'The Box Shuffle'. It was named that as the notes on a guitar or bass make a 'Square' shape.
Turnaround (03:23) - Ann breaks down the Turnaround for the Box Shuffle. She shows us her unconventional hand placement, but gives us a simple approach to easy turnarounds in your song. She then shows us how to 'fancy up' a good fill and make things more interesting.
Moving Between Chords (02:18) - Anns explores how to 'Walk' from chord to chord. We learn how to alter some of these simple patterns, figuring out new ways to 'Walk' or 'Rock' between chords.
Fills (04:20) - Ann tells us a bit about 'Right Hand Fills', and we fit one inside a song. She also shares with us how to fit Fills into your Solos.
Soloing (05:31) - We learn a little bit about soloing in this song. Ann starts things off with a nice little solo to show us what we'll learn in this video.
Ending the Song (00:47) - In this video Ann ends the song by extending the Turnaround. She breaks it down so we can see how it's done here.
The Linear Boogie Woogie
Linear Boogie Woogie (04:10) - Ann shows us a groove called the 'Linear Boogie Woogie', we get a nice song along with this one and learn it step by step.
Turnaround (02:03) - So far we have been looking at the Turnaround with a swing feel. This video focuses on a funkier version of the Turnaround, Ann then compares the 'Swing Feel' to the 'Straight Eighths' feel.
Soloing (03:09) - Ann shows is a Solo featuring the 'Boogie Woogie Groove'. Ann breaks everything down note by note. We'll learn some little tricks like Trembling your hand.
Ending the Song (01:25) - This is where Ann shows us how to end a 'Boogie Woogie Groove'. She plays a few different versions of the ending before we move to the next style.
The Round Boogie Woogie
Round Boogie Woogie (02:35) - This is another 'Boogie Woogie Groove', what Ann calls a 'Round Boogie Woogie'. She sings us the tune and then takes us through the patterns step by step.
Soloing (05:13) - We learn a fun little 'Figure' in this video. Ann gives us a few different demonstrations, though there are many places we can fit this in a song.
Ending the Song (01:19) - Ann shows us another 'Turnaround to Nowhere', starting off with the left hand, she walks us through the Turnaround and brings this song to a nice ending.
Yancy / Domino-Inspired Groove
Yancy / Domino-Inspired Groove (03:41) - This is a Left-hand Groove that Ann loves to throw in music like Gospel or New Orleans Rock'N'Roll. She shows us a song in 'C' that we can learn after the song.
Moving Between Chords (01:15) - Ann likes to tie chords together, she shows us how to rock your pinky and thumb to move between chords.
Fills (02:33) - Ann shows us a few spots on this song where a Fill would fit nicely. She uses the vocal line to help us put the song together into parts, and shows us a few more Fills to add to your collection.
Soloing (01:34) - We take a look at a Soloing idea which builds on the first Fill we looked at. She then puts it all together and shows us the Solo.
Turnaround (01:58) - Ann shows us another Turnaround we can use, we then go through each note finger by finger.
Ending the Song (00:49) - Ann shows us a 'Goofy' or 'Corny Move' we can make before ending the song.
New Orleans-Inspired Groove
New Orleans-Inspired Groove (03:00) - Ann shows us a tune in 'G'. We go through part by part and learn the New Orleans-Inspired Groove.
Turnaround (01:10) - Ann gives us an easy Turnaround we can use that just involves hitting a chord with both hands 7 times.
Moving Between Chords (02:19) - Ann shows us the way she walks from chord to chord. This is similar to some of the other grooves walks.
Fills (03:36) - Ann teaches us about Right Hand Licks & Fills.
Soloing (04:39) - Ann demonstrates one of the ways you can Solo in this style. She goes through the solo step by step, with a few versions to compare at the end.
Ending the Solo (01:34) - Ann shows us another really simple Ending, this one mirrors the Turnaround. She shows off the whole song after we learn all the steps.
Conclusion
Outro (00:53) - Ann ends the video with a few words before playing us out with some 'Barrelhouse Blues'.
Credits (00:21) - Credits roll.