Practice the 'A' section with Tom
Lesson time: (3min 31sec)
Practise the right and left hand of the 'A' section separately with Tom before putting them together.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Learn Swing Standards on Piano with Tom Seals
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Music Lesson
Right Hand and Left Hand Practice
"You've got the right hand, you've got the left hand. We just need to put it together. But before we do that, you practice the right hand. I'll play the left hand part for you."
Counting In
"Here we go. You ready? Don't forget, you've got the pickup on three."
- So I'll count:
1, a 2, a 1, 2, 3.
"Da da da da." - You ready?
1, 2, a 1, 2, three.
"Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da." - And again.
"Okay, great. Now, of course, you can keep going over that bit. Get it practiced, get the right hand ingrained."
Boogie Woogie Trick
"One of my favorite tricks. Now, of course, this is some swing, but I love playing boogie woogie."
- How to Learn Boogie Woogie:
- One of my favorite tricks on how to learn boogie woogie or anything, or how to drill any sort of pattern. This is honestly true, and I still do this.
- If I'm learning a new pattern with my left hand, I want to get my left hand as the machine, the whole thing that drives the performance.
- I sit there and practice.
Multi-Tasking While Practicing
"Just as a side note, if I'm practicing something like this, all I want to be doing is focusing on what my right hand's doing."
- When I'm at home, I sit with my phone, flicking through Instagram.
- My brain is on this, and I'm thinking, "What's going on here?"
- But I'm drilling the left hand at the same time, trying to see what's going on in the world.
"It's a great way of focusing on that, but you're drilling the left hand to become the machine."
Independent Hand Practice
"So, that's basically what I'm saying: you need to try and get the two hands working independently so you can focus on some improvisation a bit later with your right hand."
Putting It Together
"I'll play the right hand now and you play the left hand, okay? Don't forget we're starting on G. Four bars of G. We'll take this nice and slow."
- Counting for Combining Hands:
- 1, A, 2, A.
- 1, 2, 3.
- And again.
"Okay, now we'll put the two hands together, so do this at your own speed. I'll play it for you now so you can hear what it sounds like. Take this as slow as you need. And then, of course, over time, we can build it up to speed."
Final Count
"Here we go."
One, a, two, a one, two, three.
About the instructor
The mantle of UK Piano Man has long been held by Elton John, Jools Holland and Jamie Cullum. Over the past five decades no one else has come remotely close - until now! Fresh from his sell-out "Let The Good Times Roll" tour, Tom Seals - "quite possibly the future of jazz and blues" - has the world at his fingertips. His virtuoso soloing, excellent improvisation skills and distinctive voice have led top industry figures to hail him as the UK's finest boogie woogie and blues pianist and vocalist. Still in his mid-twenties, Seals has already played sold-out shows across the globe, including London's legendary Ronnie Scott's, a stunning performance at Birdland Jazz Club on Broadway in New York, and work alongside Jools Holland. Notable appearances include: Cheltenham Jazz Festival's 'Gregory Porter & Friends' Jools Holland's 'Boogie Woogie & Blues Spectacular' Birdland Jazz Club, New York City British Summer Time - Hyde Park Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Gisburne Park Pop-Up Montreux Jazz Festival Cropredy Festival The Steinway Two Pianos Festival Glastonbury Newark Showground "Drive-In" Blenheim Palace In his course, Tom throws open the secrets behind his playing - showing you how to swing standards at the piano, build authentic boogie woogie and blues lines, and find the freedom to improvise, so you can become the ultimate Piano Man yourself. You can read Tom's full biography at www.tomseals.co.uk. read more