Blues Monday: Trems and Fills

Eighth note run (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tremolo

You can tremolo between the root and the b3 of the key over almost the whole blues progression.

How To Do It

In the key of F: Put you thumb on F, and your 2nd or 3rd finger on Ab. Now roll your hand back and forth between the two notes. It might seem awkward at first, but it will become more natural as you keep working at it. The key is to keep your hand relaxed. If this technique is new to you, be careful not to overdo it in the beginning. It is better to practice new techniques for a few moments frequently, rather than trying to sit down and master all at once.

Practice Trems and Fills

So, practice shaking F and Ab for 4 beats with the right hand while playing these swinging eighth notes with the left hand.

FC/, FC/

FD/, FD/

FEb/, FEb/

Another fill that you can play in the right hand, while your comping with the eighth notes above, are these r.h. single notes:

F up to B, then Bb, Ab, F, Eb, F

Now you're ready to shake once again back and forth, F to Ab... but play these eighth notes in the left hand:

BbF/, BbF/

BbG/, BbG/

BbAb/, BbAb/

BbG/, BbG/

Triplet

A pick up note you can do next in the right hand is this quick triplet:

Enharmonics

F, Ab, G then a grace note, where you slide off F# and land on GC in the r.h. That little F# is an enharmonic respelling of the b5 (Gb) in the key of C. Some people call this a crush tone.

Meanwhile, the left hand is playing this chord change:

CG/, CG/,

CA/, CA/

CBb/, CBb

CA/, CA

Now, we're coming home towards the ending:

BbF/F

BbG/

Bb/Ab

End:

FC/B

FD/Bb, Ab

FEb/F

FC/F

12 Bar Blues

What you're playing is this:

F7 4 bars

Bb7 2 bars

F7 2 bars

C7 1 bar

Bb7 1 bar

F7 2 bars

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Have fun practicing Trems and Fills!






"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

© copyright 2012 – All rights reserved
LadyDpiano

Related articles

• Blue Monday: Bittersweet Blues
• Blues Monday: How To Play Clarinet Blues
• Don't Wanna' Leave You Blues

Blue Suede Shoes

Blue Suede Shoes in Marks & Spencer's window (Photo credit: Diego's sideburns)

I wrote a post awhile back on Music and The Sounds of The 50s.

So, I got to thinking about a blues song written by Carl Lee Perkins in 1955 and sang by Elvis, called

Blue Suede Shoes

 

Here are the piano chord progressions in the Key of A.

Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
                      A
Three to get ready now go cat go
    D                                A
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            E7                                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

        A              A
You can knock me down, step on my face
A                    A
Slander my name all over the place
A                    A
Do anything that you wanna do
  A                A7
But uh uh honey lay off of them shoes
    D                                A
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       E7                                        A
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(let's go cat!)

Instrumental:  A  A  D  A  E7  A

             A              A
Well you can burn my house, steal my car
A                        A
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar
A                    A
Do anything that you wanna do
  A                A7
But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes
    D                                A
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       E7                                        A
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(rock it!)

Instrumental:  A  A  D  A  E7  A

          A                   A
Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
 A                    A
Three to get ready now go go go
    D                                A
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            E7                                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

         A
Well it's blue, blue, blue suede shoes
A
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, yeah
D
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes baby
A
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes
            E7                                        A
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

I have often played this popular song in F. Here are the keyboard chord progressions to this song.

                         F7                  F7

Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
                      F7
Three to get ready now go cat go
    Bb7                                F
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            C7                                        F
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

                  F7              F7
You can knock me down, step on my face
                                  F7
Slander my name all over the place
                            F7
Do anything that you wanna do
                  F7
But uh uh honey lay off of them shoes
    Bb7                                F
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       C7                                        F
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(let's go cat!)

Instrumental: F  F  Bb  F  C7  F

                     F7              F7
Well you can burn my house, steal my car
                                  F7
Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar
                           
Do anything that you wanna do
                 F                F7
But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes
    Bb                                F
And don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
       C7                                        F
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

(rock it!)

Instrumental:  F  F  Bb  F  C7  F

          F                   F
Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
 F                    F
Three to get ready now go go go
    Bb                                F
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes
            C7                                        F
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

         F
Well it's blue, blue, blue suede shoes
F
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes, yeah
Bb
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes baby
F
Blue, blue, blue suede shoes
            C7                                        F
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

Chord Structure

Play F7 as FEb/F and Bb7 as Bb/DAb, and Bb/AbF

F = F/AC, and F/AF

Bb = Bb/BbD

C = C/EC

F7(#9) = FA/EbG#

There's this cool bass walk up with single left hand notes"

F, F, C, D, C then Bb, D, F, G, F then F, A, C, D, C, C, B, C

The melody notes in the r.h.  go like this:

 C    D    F   F   F  A A      F   F  F   A

Well it's one for the money,  two for the show
 F     F F   A   A  C   Eb C A                   
Three to get ready now go go go
 F   DBb        AbC        DAb F      AF
But don't you, step on my blue suede shoes

        EC      C   C    C  D   D   F DF    F    AF

you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes  

4 Free Video Lessons

Best Wishes and Happy 4th to all my readers in the U.S.







"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King