Customer Reviews

Beginning Blues Piano

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Amazon, to balance two bogus reviews from:

A Reviewer: Chris (Dorset,england) -
B Reviewer: Joshua Carter (Lafayette, CO USA)

Obviously someone wrote two fake reviews under two different names:

Compare:
Chris: bought this book about 3 weeks ago, and I've been having a load of fun with it. I needed something that would be reasonably easy to play,

Joshua; bought this book about 2 weeks ago, and I've been having a bunch of fun with it. I wanted something that would be reasonably easy to play, but still be interesting.

then compare:
Chris; About half the songs are in C, the other half in pretty easy keys, so you don't get tangled up in reading the music

Joshua; About half the songs are in C, the other half in pretty easy keys, so I don't get tangled up in reading the music.

then compare:

Chris; You can tell he loves this music, loves its roots, and he wants you to love it, too.

Joshua; you can tell he loves this music, loves its roots, and he wants you to love it, too.

The only original sentence is a plug for his other book:

Joshua; I just bought Eric Kriss' other book, "Barrelhouse and Boogie Piano," ....

If someone can't put enough time into creating simple reviews to make them different, they won't put much time into writing their book.

My experience is , I purchased several similar books, including those by David Bennett Cohen and Mark Harrison..
both of those were far better books.

i'm an intermediate piano player (2 years of lessons and since self-taught) and i love blues music. i came across this book in a music store because i was interested in learning blues piano and i've played through about 1/3 of the songs. it's a fantastic book for people who've had little exposure to blues piano, it includes a lot of classic blues songs as well as an outline of the history and music style behind each piece. the pacing of the book is good as well, with practice i was able to move pretty fluidly from one song to the next and still feel like i was improving. there's also a section at the end to help with improvisation, a key component of blues music.

although more advanced players might grow bored with it, i highly recommend it if you're interested in learning the blues!

I bought this book because I was basically confused with what I ordered. I'm sure there are far better out there, but after getting it in the mail, it satisfied my appetite as I searched for others. It is simple (I've played piano for nine years, so maybe it's just me) but still enjoyable. Most helpful are the "visual explainations" for different styles, chords, progressions, etc. for those like me who are less apt to read about the whole technical theory literature, and who just wanna play. It's a good starting point, but like all music books, it isn't definative.

I bought this book about 3 weeks ago, and I've been having a load of fun with it. I needed something that would be reasonably easy to play, but still interesting. About half the songs are in C, the other half in pretty easy keys, so you don't get tangled up in reading the music. The rhythms are fun and sound reasonably authentic. In a short time I was jamming along, having a good time.
I also appreciated the mini history lessons introducing each style (usually one or two songs per style). His writing is very respectful and honoring to the blues greats he discusses.
You can tell he loves this music, loves its roots, and he wants you to love it, too.
It is presented in a step-by-step format of the major styles and techniques that are essential for mastering the blues.
He explains chord structure, tonality, bass lines, slides and syncopation.