D Blues Scale with Comping Exercise

*** Note:  I forgot to note this on the sheet music!  Please practice this exercise in swing rhythm (a long-short pattern in the eighth notes). ***

What will you get with this exercise? (LINK BELOW)

✅ D blues scale practice with proper fingering

✅  Practice comping chords WHILE playing a blues scale

✅  Practice of ii-V-i ending

✅`Practice of syncopated rhythms typical in jazz

✅ Preparation for improvising over chords in the blues scale

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I wanted one of my adult students to start comping chords in the left hand while improvising in the blues scale in the right hand, so I wrote this exercise.  Why D blues first?  Because it's a relatively easy blues scale, and only has one black key in it.  

This is an early-intermediate level exercise but can be used for more advanced levels if you're new to jazz or blues scales.  In this exercise, the right hand will be running up and down the D blues scale with a syncopated rhythm that is typical of jazz, and you will get lots of practice mastering the D blues scale fingering in the process!   Practice the right hand alone first. 

Once you have the right hand down, start adding in the left hand chords.  Once you've mastered the first half of the page, which only has whole notes in the left hand, practice the new left hand rhythm found in the second half of the exercise.  This is a syncopated left-hand jazz rhythm that is frequently used in jazz music.  

After you've mastered the second half, try to get creative!  First, improvise a melody using the D blues scale tones, but make sure you do them out of order.  Keep your left hand going in the same rhythm all the way through. Here's the pdf:   D Blues with Comping Exercise

I hope it helps you get started practicing blues!

The Fun of Sonatinas (Sonatina in A Minor by Benda)

My student has been working on this classical piece, and it’s been stuck in my head on repeat. I figured I’d dive in and enjoy it for a spell. It was a lot of fun to take time out and practice it myself. Unfortunately, my grand piano hadn't arrived from Virginia yet, and I had to make due with the Korg keyboard. (Apologies for the finger tapping you hear in this recording!)

Sonatinas make up an important part of classical piano literature. They are meaty compositions that offer a lot to chew on; and they're fun! For the advancing intermediate student, they offer technical challenges like rapid scale runs and alberti bass patterns in the left hand. They call for a variety of touches (staccatto, legato) and they demand very specific and detailed dynamics. Sonatinas are a good avenue for teachers to introduce phrase shaping and discuss form more in depth. And they are an important bridge between beginning and advanced repertoire.

Classical is just one of the genres I teach. You can’t go wrong with classical. It’s dramatic, exciting, complex, and fun. To study classical is to live a life rich in beauty.