The groove charts provide you with the overall roadmap of the song and a foundation to comp with a band. Once you have the rhythm and the chord progression down you can start experimenting by changing things up in either, or both, hand but try not to loose the feel of the song. If you feel you are straying away from the song’s groove bring it back to chart and try experimenting again.

If a 56 year man can learn than a 54 year old woman can also! I started IROCKU because I wanted to take up the piano after not touching a keyboard for 30 years. On my bucket list is to ‘play like Chuck Leavell’. Now that I realize what an extraordinary genius he is I might need to adjust my expectations but I’m now playing at a level I never imagined. And loving it! I’m learning and growing every day and just started playing in a band for the first time.

I try to spend 20 minutes a day working on a lesson, 20 minutes working on scales or an exercise and then 20 minutes just jamming. I usually pick a song and play the left hand groove and then play around with my right hand. After just 20 minutes of improvising the improvement just seems to happen.