Left hand

Exploring the Left Hand Techniques

Let's start by looking at the left hand. What was I doing there? Essentially, I was outlining what is a kind of standard New Orleans thing to do:

• The root and fifth, maybe with some accents.
• We're talking about Caribbean influences and those anticipations.

This technique serves as a traditional kind of bass line that you might imagine a sousaphone playing in a marching band.

James Booker Influence

What I've done there, which is kind of based on a James Booker left hand, is:

• Filled that out with a left hand that functions almost like a combination of:
  • Bass drum
  • Kick drum
  • Snare drum

The pattern resembles:

• Bass drum, snare drum, bass drum, snare drum.

Along with that, I've included a little left-hand line. So it could sound like this:

"Anticipations, which for me, directly come from the Jelly Roll Morton left hand patterns."

You can hear throughout Booker's music a significant Jelly Roll influence.

Chord Progressions

Moving up to the IV chord, the same pattern with the leading note remains:

• Back up to the G stays on G.
• Leading up to that D: 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4.

Again, we have those broken octaves anticipating the beats, which is very much a Jelly Roll technique:

• "3, 4, 1, 2."

The same thing applies to the V chord:

• This creates a heavy left hand with three things happening at once:
  • Bass drum pattern
  • Snare drum
  • A little sousaphone part, a bass line.

Complex Bass Lines

Another technique used by Booker in Junko Partner involves a similar concept with a slightly different bass line:

• The bass line is quite complex here.

Practice Tips

When you're practicing, start slowly:

• Get it to a point where you're comfortable, even at a very slow tempo.
• Work out note by note what that is, then gradually increase the tempo until you reach full speed.
• Practice on the different chords.

Chord Transitions

There are ways to transition from Chord I to Chord IV:

• You could approach it with a leading line, something like this: 3, 4.

The bass line is doing something similar while maintaining that pattern.

• When returning to Chord I, consider doing something creative:
  • Instead of going straight to Chord V, you can use a second inversion in the bass.

This makes the left hand interesting:

• It combines harmonic and rhythmic elements, driving the piece forward.

Jelly Roll Morton's Influence

This style resonates with what Jelly Roll Morton said about his piano playing. He wanted it to sound like a whole band, fulfilling the roles of the rhythm section by:

• Playing both bass lines and rhythmic parts.
• Adding little lines that could represent other instruments, like a trombone.

In the right hand, you'll have different elements:

• Imagine polyphonic lines, like a clarinet and a trumpet, playing together.

Summary of Left Hand Techniques

Throughout all of Morton's work, there's a complexity in the left hand. In Booker's style, you'll notice:

• Anticipatory runs leading up to different chords.
• Those unique accented runs which are a hallmark of New Orleans music.

"3, 4, 1" again emphasizes those anticipations in the left hand.

Additionally, pay attention to the rolls in the left hand that mimic a snare drum roll, something distinctly characteristic of New Orleans music.

This left-hand technique is valuable! If you can stretch to play those tones, it can sound quite nice.

Next, let's look at some other things I was doing with the right hand.