rocknthe88s

rocknthe88s / August 10, 2020

This week’s piano lesson is “Midnight Rider” by Gregg Allman.

"Midnight Rider" Piano Lesson ”Midnight Rider” has a country-blues feel yet it doesn’t follow a standard blues progression and it doesn’t use a blues scale either. The intro and verse use a two-chord progression alternating between the root and it's suspended chord which is used a lot in Allman Brothers music. The solo uses both pentatonic and mixolydian scales which are often used by The Allman Brothers for jamming. The exercises and improv for this lesson have some killer sixteenth syncopations so take it slow. You’ll find the rhythm of this song hypnotizing and a joy to play on the piano. Learn how to play rock and blues piano from one of rock’s greatest. Chuck Leavell, legendary keyboardist for The Rolling Stones, The Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and more. Join Now …

rocknthe88s / February 4, 2019

Baden Goyo- Latin Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, & instructor

IROCKU is honored to welcome Baden Goyo to our team of writers and instructors. Baden is a New York based Latin Jazz pianist, composer and arranger. In 2017, Baden received 2 Latin Grammy Awards for Best Latin Album of the Year and Best Album of Salsa and 1 Grammy Award for Best Latin Tropical Album for his collaboration as composer with Ruben Blades in the album “Salsa Big Band”. He is also a Latin Grammy Ambassador, holding “The Gifted Scholarship”, an international award granted to only 3 persons. This Venezuelan pianist appears throughout New York City scene performing Jazz, Blues and Rock in iconic venues such as: Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, BB King's, Groove and The Bitter End. Additionally, Baden constantly tours and participates at national and international jazz festivals such as: …

rocknthe88s / January 29, 2019

“Wild Horses” Video – 1995 Toshibi/EMI Studios in Tokyo

The vote for the next IROCKU piano lesson came down to two songs- “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones or “Stormy Monday” by the Allman Brothers. It was a close call but “Wild Horses” won the race. We’ll get started on “Wild Horses” and follow up with “Stormy Monday”. There are literally hundreds of covers of “Wild Horses” ranging from The Flying Burrito Brothers, Leon Russell, South Side Johnny, The Indigo Girls, to Alicia Keys. For the IROCKU lesson we’ll use the 1995 arrangement off the “Stripped” album by the Stones. This is pretty much a guitar centric song. It’s got some of Keith Richards’ most memorable riffs. But it also has room for some great keyboard fills, something we haven’t focused on. We’ll make it work! This “Wild Horses” video was recorded at the Toshibi/EMI Studios in …

rocknthe88s / November 26, 2018

The Rolling Stones’ Piano Players

Beginning back in 1963, for the first six years of their touring career, the Rolling Stones didn’t have a dedicated touring keyboardist. Founding member and keyboardist, Ian Stewart, was relegated to road manager because he didn’t ‘look the part’. For these early tours, Rolling Stones’ founder and guitarist, Brian Jones, sat in on the piano when the song called for it. After Jones’s accidental drowning in 1969, Ian Stewart was brought back onto the stage to play the rockers- such as “Honky Tonk Women” and “It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll”. But Stewart refused to play ballads or any songs in minor keys. He was a blues rock and boogie woogie purist. From 1971 through 1973, English pianist extraordinaire, Nicky Hopkins, toured with the Stones to fill in on the songs that Stewart turned down. But …

rocknthe88s / November 21, 2018

The Rolling Stones Announce 2019 US Tour

The Rolling Stones announced their 2019 US Stadium tour. By our count this is their 48th tour since the first British Tour in 1963. Do the math. That’s 48 tours in 55 years!!! Incredibly, there is not one song overlap between their first ever set list from the 1963 British Tour to their most recent set list from the 2018 No Filter Tour. Their first set list was filled with covers such as rhythm and blues standard “Route 66” written by Bobby Troup and “Roll Over Beethoven” written by Chuck Berry. Their 2018 set list included a few blues covers from their “Blue and Lonesome” album but mostly Rolling Stones’ originals, many from their most prolific song writing period 1965 through 1974. The ten-year period from 1965 through 1974 was an historic writing period in music history. …

rocknthe88s / November 13, 2018

Joe Cocker “Feelin’ Alright”- with Mark Alexander on Piano

Here’s a video of Joe Cocker singing Dave Mason’s Traffic classic, “Feelin Alright”. The piano intro to this song is one of rock’s most recognized piano licks, originally played by Artie Butler on Joe Cocker’s debut album With a Little Help from My Friends. This “Feelin Alright” video features session and stage keyboardist, Mark Alexander. Joe Cocker was known for surrounding himself with the top musicians in the music industry. Guitar greats Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton all made their way into a Cocker session. Saxophone phenom, Bobby Keys notoriously known for his work with the Rolling Stones shared his chops on the “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” (1970) live and “Jamaica Say You Will” (1975) albums. Clarence Clemens played sax on “Unchain My Heart” (1987). But for …

rocknthe88s / October 24, 2018

The Anatomy of a Bass Line – Piano Lesson: “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”

There aren’t a lot songs that have been covered by as many different artists representing such a variety of musical genres as “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”. It’s easy to lose sight that this song was originally recorded over 60 years ago, back in 1957, by the little known piano great, Huey ‘Piano’ Smith. Huey ‘Piano’ Smith was born in New Orleans, Lousiana and was influenced by both the boogie woogie stylists and the other great New Orleans’ piano players of his era; namely Professor Longhair and Fats Domino. Huey ‘Piano’ Smith’s version of “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” is a fusion of a boogie woogie bounce and a New Orleans syncopated melody line. It has become a New Orleans anthem and has made it to the list of Top Rock Piano Songs of all …

rocknthe88s / October 1, 2018

Greatest Rock Piano Players – Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood is currently ranked 17th on our list of Greatest Rock Piano Players making him, in our opinion, one of rock ‘n roll’s most underrated keyboardists. Here’s a video from 1966 of Winwood at 18 years old performing “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” with the Spencer Davis Group. The irocku piano lesson for “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” is inspired by Eric Clapton’s version on the “Clapton Unplugged” album. But, the musical foundation behind the licks played on the Spencer Davis Group's version of this song are all covered in the irocku lesson. In a previous post we also covered the bass line played on the Spencer Davis Group version. Give it a try. "Nobody Knows You" Piano Lesson If you follow the internet threads about the Spencer Davis …

rocknthe88s / September 24, 2018

Calling all Music Teachers – Online Music Lessons

IROCKU is extending our online music lessons to include rock, jazz, pop and blues instruction for piano, guitar, bass, drums, voice, and sax. If you are a music teacher or if you know of a music teacher who is interested in connecting with new students via Chuck Leavell’s website, www.irocku.com, for online music lessons please let us know. Please fill out our music teacher registration form or send us an email to onlinelessons@irocku.com. For our live online lessons, we encourage teachers to follow a methodology that works best for them. We don’t require teachers to follow our irocku methodology for the live online music lessons. Teachers can choose to use lesson content of their own or the irocku lesson content. We prefer that instructors teach in a manner that is best suited for …

rocknthe88s / September 12, 2018

The Anatomy of a Piano Bassline: “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”

“Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” has been covered by dozens of artists ranging from Bessie Smith to Janis Joplin. Each artist has created his/her own interpretation of this traditional blues song. Musically, it's not that complicated a song. The chord progression is a modified 8-bar blues progression, which admittedly can take some time to learn, but the rhythm is a basic slow blues shuffle. On the piano, though, the bassline can make all the difference. "Nobody Knows You When..." piano lesson For the irocku “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” Advanced Level 7 piano lesson we opted for a traditional stride bassline which is quite challenging to play. In this lesson, the left hand mimics the bass and drum lines on Eric Clapton’s version from the “Unplugged” …

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