How to Play Blues Piano

Learn How to play Blues Piano – Get an overview of this musical style. Once you know the basics of playing the piano, perhaps the next step would be to try to familiarize yourself with the various styles of music, which you can play on the Piano. And what better than learning to play Blues on the Piano!

In fact, Blues forms the basis for many other styles of music; it even has its own scale, known as the Blues scale.

12 Bar Blues

Besides learning the blues scale, this is the pattern that you will need to learn initially when you start learning Blues Piano.

Once you are comfortable with the 12-Bars, you may want to try out some chord substitutions, just to make it a bit more exciting and to prevent it from sounding monotonous.

Characteristics

Here are some of the skills that you will need, if you want to know how to play blues Piano. You will need to incorporate them in your playing to make it sound bluesy!

Blues Scale

You need to learn this scale! You may find it a bit awkward initially after having played the major / minor scales.

12-bar form

You need to play chords in a specific order for 12 bars. Here’s a video showing how to play the 12 Bar Blues on Piano.

Shuffle Rhythm

Play chords in a delayed manner.

Grace Notes

Use extra notes besides your main melody notes.

Major / Minor chords

Use Major and Minor chords.

Here’s a nice video that shows how to play Blues on Piano.

Recommended Books!

Blues Piano: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series (Keyboard Instruction) (Paperback) by Mark Harrison

Improvising Blues Piano (Paperback): by Tim Richards (Composer)