The blue third
With
Tim RichardsLearn how to use the minor (blue) third in front of the major third on the piano.
What's in the course
20 lessons (0h 46m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Bending Notes on the Piano
So we can't bend notes on the piano like a guitarist or a vocalist can. To give the impression of bending notes, we sometimes use grace notes or blue notes.
Blue Thirds
An example is the blue third, which can be played in two ways:
- As a grace note
- As a passing note
You may have noticed some of these in straight eight just now.
Inserting the Blue Third
Here's an example of inserting the blue third in front of the major third:
- The blue third is always in front of the major third.
- Avoid playing it back to front; otherwise, it will sound too minor.
You often get blue thirds in pickups.
Classic Pickups
For instance, going to a G chord as a classic pickup or just as a one-note pickup is very common in major harmony.
Upcoming Lesson: Swing Thing
We're going to use them again in the next tune, Swing Thing, which is essentially the same as straight eight but in a swing feel.
- Left Hand: Off-beat chords
- Right Hand: Instead of the major scale, we're going to use the pentatonic scale.
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Critically acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Tim Richards is one of Britain’s most experienced jazz educators, teaching piano privately for over 30 years, as well as at Morley College, Goldsmiths College, the University of Surrey, Premises Studios and other venues in the UK and abroad. He has produced numerous titles for Schott Music, including the best-selling two-volume Exploring Jazz Piano, Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection and the acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano. He is also co-author, with John Crawford, of Exploring Latin Piano and Brazilian Piano Collection.
More recently Schott have published Jazz, Latin & Modern Collection (15 pieces for solo piano), comprising Tim Richards originals alongside pieces by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the two volume set Beginning Jazz Piano (now a two-part MusicGurus course).
“The real joy of Tim’s music… is that it is both hugely educational but also such great fun to play. Anyone with the slightest interest in learning to play or teach jazz piano should really acquire a set of Tim’s books.” PianoDao
As a performer Tim has been a presence on the UK jazz scene since the 1980s, also playing the blues with UK and US legends such as Otis Grand, Earl Green, Dana Gillespie, Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and Mojo Buford. He has released over a dozen albums as a leader (featuring many of London’s best jazz musicians including Pete King, Gilad Atzmon, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Seb Rochford, Ed Jones, Dick Pearce and many others), and toured all over Europe with line-ups ranging from duo to nine-piece. His latest recording, the album ‘Telegraph Hill’ by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as "A true joy from beginning to end".
More info can be found on his website www.timrichards.ndo.co.uk
