School of Boogie

Any tips on playing the basic shuffle in the 3 odd keys: E, A, B? It's a stretch to get the thumb up to the black 6th. And B is odd because the root is on a white key, while both the 5th/6th are black keys. Does anyone use different fingerings for those like a 5-1 / 5-1 or 5-1 / 5-2? Do you stick to the 5-2 / 5-1 fingering? (or do you avoid playing in those keys? ... ha ha ha!).

So I went back and relearned the 5-2 / 5-1 fingering and it is much better (after the fact). After getting it fluent/wired - my hand stretches better with that fingering and it translates better to other bass lines that use similar keys or a similar approach, though there are definitely a few outliers depending on the key and bass line.

It gets easier over time, but I had to first break everything down into simple 1x measure phrases: a bass line in the LH OR a riff in the RH. Then I'd practice both hands together round the circle (I'll call hands together a 1x measure groove). If that's still tough, you might have to go one step simpler and run basic triads and inversions around the circle, then move on to 4-note chords. After that, the 1x measure riffs will be an easier step. After awhile, it becomes easier and you'll pick up the basic LH/RH "grooves" almost immediately, even if it's more than 1x measure. An excellent goal is to eventually be able to run the phrases "round the circle" in a 4-5-1 progression. That's a nice level to reach and is a great place to really feel like you're playing with the music. NOTES: There are different ways to practice all the keys. 1. Round the Circle of 5ths (or 4ths) 2. Chromatically 3. If you're already doing 4-5-1 progressions you can use the 3x diminished scales as a cheat/shortcut to "play in all keys". You only have to practice a 4-5-1 progression over one of the diminished scales - to hit all 12 keys. Though you should rotate the diminished scales on different days just to get the full benefit and still take advantage of the cheat/shortcut. The 3x Diminished Scales: C = E♭ = G♭ = A D♭ = E = G = B♭ D = F = A♭ = B PRACTICE REPS Personally I visit each phrase for at least 7 practice sessions. If anything takes longer than 3 minutes to run through "all keys", it's too difficult for me and I make it simpler before continuing. In the beginning I could only do very simple phrases, but overtime my skill built up so even complicated 4-5-1 musical phrases can be run in all keys in under 3 minutes. For important phrases, I extend the practice session by 7 days at a time, that way easier phrases can be retired at 14, 21 or 28 sessions. I've never had to practice anything beyond 28 practice sessions - that seems to be the point where even the most difficult phrases get demolished and become "fluent".

Welcome!

Also just purchased New Orleans Piano. Good stuff! The two-handed syncopated rhythms and octave work are just what I needed to work on. And I like that it focuses on that those dang [1 - - & - - 4 -] based left-hand bass lines that always give me trouble. Notes: After I go through the book once, I'm gonna post some questions about overall fingering across different bass lines.

Cool, we ended up with basically the same setup. That's very interesting. It's a practical combo to have.

2 year old post, but I thought I'd answer anyway 😀 I'm using a Roland FP-30. For speakers, I have two QSC k8.2s and a Roland KC-400 Keyboard Amplifier. My favorite sounds are the 3 pianos, 2 jazz organs, clavinet and acoustic bass. I adore the QSC k8.2s speakers they re-produce the sound of piano very nicely and the clarity and separation of the sound is top notch. But I prefer my trusty Roland KC-400 for my everyday practice. It's not as as clear and detailed as the QSC k8.2s, and the KC-400 is mono, but the power and "ooomph" (technical term) of the amp remind me so much of sitting in front of an upright piano - it just pushes a lot of air and fills it with wide dispersed sound. Really fun to play. I also got a chance to try out the big monster Roland KC-990 stereo amp, it's the closest experience I've had to sitting in front of grand piano - it's got that type of ridiculous power. It pushes that much air and gives that wide dispersed sound.

San Francisco Bay Area, but currently based in Manila, Philippines.

I've spent a nice chunk of change on iPad apps over a few years. None of the music theory apps stuck around, used them for a week or two then ended up deleting them. These are the apps that I still use on a weekly basis: • iReal Pro • ForScore • Lumbeat Drum Machines (Afro-Cuban, Rock, Soft, Jazz, Reggae, Brazilian, Middle Eastern and Funk) • DrumPerfect Pro • Note Trainer Pro (to keep my reading up to speed) • Flashcards Deluxe For Flashcards Deluxe I use it mainly as a prompt to play something on the keyboard. For example, I have a deck of key signatures that prompts me to play the Major + Relative Minor Scale (including the basic 1 4 5 chords in each). For Boogie Woogie Piano, I created a deck of all the bass lines using notation + recorded sound. So I can drill just the notation (and play it on the keyboard) - or drill the recorded sound (this one is great ear training). I also use the auto-play feature, to prompt me to use a different bass line every 15-30 seconds. Tricky to do, but good practice. I'm still in the process of creating the 8-riffs flashcard deck (notation + recorded sound). Once I have some bass lines and riffs wired into my system - I practice them in iReal Pro with lead sheet/charts of the chord progression from the beginning of the book.