Blues piano tutorial, part 4 - starting to improvise

[hongkongtennis]

i have been trying various methods for 2 months. this is without doubt the clearest and the most effective. and i can see how it will progress............fantastic, and thanks.

[hongkongtennis]

you are a great teacher.

[AlphaMel]

damn this was awesome.

[MrEdsterr]

Brilliant video, it's really helped! But I'm still struggling with the right hand improvisation. I've been given the D blues scale to use (I'm still in school), and it only has the 7 notes - D, F, G, A flat, A, C, D. Have you got any other tips for a scale like this, or should I just keep at it?

[Niekoue]

Dude, I need more volume!

[billhiltonbiz]

@Niekoue I know - sorry! I had quite a few problems getting the volume sorted out in these early videos, and I'm afraid they're kind of stuck this way now :( However, all of my more recent tutorials are much louder :)

[drednought3000]

Excellent video, a really good way of simplifying the process and getting the feel of the groove rather than trying to do too much at once, easy to build up from here

[airninja81]

the one note thing reminds me of C Jam Blues lol

[CatniponDiscworld]

I'm really surprised that this video hasn't got more views. You are such a brilliant teacher. I've been trying to learn blues piano for months now and Your tutorials are the first I've found that have really helped me. You taught me how to play a good blues improvisation in three keys in no time. I have never learned anything so fast! Thank you so much for those videos! Not long and I'll be able to join a band XD

[billhiltonbiz]

@CatniponDiscworld Glad you like it, and glad to hear it's helping you - I'll keep posting 'em...

[MCILWEE1]

Another really clear and useful video. Your approach is great for someone like me who has a basic understanding but needs some inspiration to move up a few gears. I also appreciate the technical side as I need to understand the structure behind what I'm playing. Thank you for all your efforts and I am also working my way through your book which is also very clearly written.

[billhiltonbiz]

@MCILWEE1 No problem - glad you like both the videos and the book. If at any stage anything doesn't make sense - or you want me to expand on anything in any of the vids - just send me a message :)

[fpdecroly]

@billhiltonbiz Hi, I just subscribed to your videos. You got very good teaching skills. Could you tell me what's the piano you're playing ?

[billhiltonbiz]

@fpdecroly Thanks - I'm on a bit of a break at the moment while my hands recover from some tendinitis, but more vids coming soon. The piano is a Yamaha DGX630. Fairly low end, but great value for what you get. I bought it as a stop-gap while I was in a house that was too small for a regular piano, but it's been really useful - am going to upgrade soon, possibly to a Nord 88.

[Nigeno]

Surprised at the low viewers count, this series is extremely helpful and you explain it all so clearly.

Thanks a lot and please keep the info. coming.

Best wishes.

[billhiltonbiz]

@Nigeno Thanks - glad you like it!

The low view count does annoy me a bit, as quite a few other piano channels seem to get tons of views, and I do all the right things with tags, descriptions and all the rest. Ho-hum - maybe it's because I make people use their brains rather than just post walkthroughs of popular songs...;-)

So thanks again for the comment. Any suggestions or ideas for videos, ping them over - always looking for ideas for new material!

[SCAREDBANANA]

You are good

[live4themelody]

yet another great blues tutorial, thank you for this. I love how you say practice it until you can play the piece whilst having a conversation with someone. Thats an interesting concept, I think I might start practicing to that degree. Because that is when you know that something is really ingrained in you. And I was wondering, maybe in the future blues videos can you show some minor left hand voicings? That would be great.

[billhiltonbiz]

@live4themelody Thanks! Yep, that's the secret of good practice - hammer it and hammer it until you can virtually do it in your sleep. Once a particular technique starts to become second nature, you'll feel your fingers begin to explore alternatives and experiment - that's how you build a personal style.

*Lots* more blues vids coming, because I need to stock up the new bluespiano.tv site. Minor voicings definitely on the list!