Piano Lessons

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Hey Now

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Rock and Roll music is rooted deeply in the blues and some of the greatest rock songs ever are, after it is all said and done, the blues. When we think of the blues we conjure up images of broken down dreams, love gone wrong or a host of calamities of the soul. Read more»

But that does not mean the blues have to be bleak, the music itself can be bright, uplifting even hopeful, just like the featured song this week, Hey Now Baby by Professor Longhair. Recorded sometime between 1949-1953, Hey Now Baby was finally released in 1972 on the album, New Orleans Piano by Professor Longhair, the album is listed as number 220 on Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 albums of all-time (2003). Hey Now Baby is a blues song that reveals the anguish of a spurned lover, Longhair wails for his baby's love; explaining, "I say I love you baby, I really do, If you don't believe me baby, they ain't nothin I can do." The vocal is haunting, a howl in the wind, because you see, he still wants her even though she rejects him, that's the blues! The power of this song is in the fact that we don't feel sorry for him, the melody is bright and optimistic and the listener is swept away in a funky, boogie-woogie. Professor Longhair's pioneering style is evident here, as his right and left hands seem to be working against each other yet they create a harmonic unity of joyous spontaneity inherent in the 'New Orleans' sound he helped create. Hey Now Baby appears on over 15 records and most recently was released by Alligator Records on a disc titled, Professor Longhair (2010). Unknown and mostly forgotten by the end of the 1960's, Professor Longhair resurfaced in the early 1970's to become an icon in the history of Rock and Roll, influencing countless musicians and earning the admiration of thousands of fans.

Hey Now Baby has a rolling New Orleans baseline against a syncopated right hand which is essential to playing blues and rock.

Lesson, Level 7

Lesson Schedule

Levels 6 and 7: The quickest way to rock is by learning the Groove Chart! To help with improvising, practice the C, three-octave scales and learn the C Blues scale which can be used to solo over this song's chords.. Also learn the C, G, and F7 chords.

First Week: Beginners practice the Lesson. Intermediate and Advanced students practice the Groove Chart and the Lesson.

Second Week: Add the Exercise and Improvisation to your practice. Remember, many blues-rock songs have a very similar structure. Learning this song will open you up to hundreds of similar songs!