Improvised blues piano rag -- Tom Brier

[amplimax]

God, I would give so much to be able to just sit down and play like this.

[Sylvanas590]

Anyone have a transcribed copy of this?

[primolander]

Are there any books or websites that he can recommend me to learn this style?

[scrowley524]

This is awesome! I hope to be able to improvise like this someday.

[LudwigVonKoopa64]

tom should really publish this... I have this on my mp3 player and listen to it a lot... often It will just start playing in my head and I try to remember what song it is. Then I remember.. Oh! its Brier Blues! haha

[lolocowboy]

Thank you Tom.

Are you sure you're just not moving your fingers and it's really a pianola? I saw your feet moving.

uh

[GinWizard3]

wow thats really good

[DaMJBM]

that was cool, thanks. Who do you think inspired that improv the most? I listen to a bit of Bessie Smith, but her piano song's aren't quite as complicated as that

[KawhackitaRag]

@DaMJBM I hear a little bit of Jelly Roll Morton and Clarence Williams stylistic touches in this, amongst MANY other influences. Tom could tell you much better than I could. The tune is a good one, and at least one of the choruses sounds (probably coincidentally) like "Them Doggon'd Trilfin' Blues" by Will Skidmore (1917), which happens to be one of my favorites!

[aardvark2468]

is there a theory book i could buy, or some type of scales and cords in particular that could help me with this type of improv?

[Keeper1st]

Other than learning music theory and playing this type of music a whole heck of a lot, I'm not sure. There certainly are plenty of books about music theory, and jazz or blues, and lots of blues publications and recordings to learn from. Tom has been playing this kind of music since before you were born, so he's got a bit of a head start on ya...!

[ragtimedanny]

I so appreciate your camera's full attention to the hands and keyboard. I can't learn much from faces and backs.

[Keeper1st]

Well, in this case, it was to help Tom to transcribe the music should he care to. There's another video of Tom improvising a faster number yet to be posted, parts of which were shot by holding the camera over his shoulder.

[ragtimemax]

That's quite a fascinating blues by Tom.. I hear a lot of influences in there. The 'black' keys look odd, tapering down towards the ends!

[Keeper1st]

Someone commented about that aspect of this piano last year. My only guess is that it gives you better leverage to hit those notes for certain chords when your finger must be extended (e.g., middle fingers when spanning an octave or more). But then why not a tapered white key too? Who knows why they did it that way...

[ianjcameron]

@Keeper1st

Take a look at the construction of the keyboard. The whites are flat, and fit under the faceboard. If the blacks weren't tapered, they'd interfere. It they were made like a letter 'L' (with a notch to fit under the faceboard) they'd be weak.

[Keeper1st]

@ianjcameron We're referring to how long and slow the tapering is on this piano compared to most others. Most pianos, the black key extends almost all the way to the board, with a sudden drop at the end. This piano's black keys, however, have that long, gradual tapering which is very unusual.

[luistamez]

tom is amazing!

i would be immenselyy grateful if you ask tom for some advice on how could i sight-read without looking at the keyboard. how does he knows where each key is?

thank you!

[Keeper1st]

Tom has said that his earliest piano lessons as a little boy had a strong emphasis on sight-reading. Knowing where the keys are is no different than how a blind pianist does it, I imagine: After enough practice, the person simply knows his way around a keyboard.

[luistamez]

Thank you very much!

[KawhackitaRag]

To add to this, I think that if you practice blindfolded, you become a better pianist because you become more familiar and efficient with the instrument.

[idasynco]

Great job with the vid Ron...I like the improv Tom did...nice and steady with lots of variations...ah to have those nice long fingers!!

[Maturkus]

Good job Tom! This is the kind of things we do in my band for the moment. Not as complex but kinda the same. Alot of fun to just sit'n improvise.