How to Play the Blues on Piano

Anyone can play the blues on a piano if they feel it, hear it, and can figure out which one of those blasted keys to play. If you enjoy the blues and have access to a keyboard or piano, read on my friend, read on. Here are some simple steps that will get you in the mood and in the groove to play the blues.

1. First, you have to feel it. That sounds a bit metaphysical but don’t worry, there is no need to break out your old box of goods from Woodstock. Listen to a recording and become one with the solo. Close your eyes and let the music fill all of your senses. As my four year old daughter says “Try it. You’ll like it.”
2. Next you need to hear the notes. It’s one thing to enjoy something and think it sounds good and an entirely other thing to memorize bits and pieces of gut-wrenching, heart-tweaking, soul-stirring blues. Regardless of the instrument you hear, memorize the sound. Even if you only remember in short amounts, it will help you to figure out how to play it later.
3. Now you get to sit down at the piano or the keyboard and bang on the keys a bit. Find some notes. Pretend you’re a cross between a toddler and John Cage trying to find sounds. At some point you’ll have a eureka moment like “That’s the first note!” or “this is the lick from the solo!”
4. If you’ve gotten this far, you’re in the home stretch. Once you see and hear and feel that anchor for the blues song you want to play, it can come together. Try to play the first few notes. Pay no attention to correct timing or beats just yet, just find the notes. Once you play them, in repetition you will be mimicking what you hear soon enough.
5. Lather. Rinse. Repeat… always repeat… If you want to get down and dirty with a walking bass line or some left handed chord action, well, that’s another story. But if you followed these steps, you should be hacking away playing a blues solo in no time. Once memorized it will be something you never forget!

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