How to play the intro

Music Lesson: "Wine Spodiodi" by Jerry Lee Lewis

Great. So let's move on and look at a tune which I absolutely love by Jerry Lee Lewis, featuring a really iconic solo section and some really cool bits that we can use and develop in our own improvisations: "Wine Spodiodi."

Introduction

It's got a really interesting introduction. Do go and listen to the original recording first so you can really hear where these elements are coming from.

Just briefly, the tune is based on the same piano part as "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." However, it's in the key of G this time. The main chords we have are:

• G
• C
• D

This sort of varies between a 12-bar form, and sometimes he stays on the one for an extra four bars, but the underlying pattern is the same. So, really try to get that down in the key of G.

12-Bar Structure

A 12-bar in the key of G would be like this:

1. 2 on 1, 2, 3, 4.
2. Added a little sixth there at the end.
3. I stayed on the five for two bars instead of one going down to the four.

He varies that slightly during the course of the song, but we don't need to worry about those details right now.

Chord Sequence for the Introduction

Let's have a quick look at the introduction. He plays this tune built on this chord sequence:

• G
• F
• D minor
• B flat

And that keeps on going down. He plays it with this kind of thing: octaves in the left hand, it's almost like a bell chime, and the right hand is going.

Putting it Together:
If we put them together, it sounds like this.

Main Groove of the Song

Then we're into the main groove of the song. There are a couple of little rhythmic pushes that he does.

Lyrics for Reference:

"Sing all night,
Drinking wine Sporty Ordy,
Drinking wine,
Drinking wine Sporty Ordy,
Drinking wine,
Drinking wines Sporty Audi.
Morning pass that follow me."

You could hear there that he hangs on the chord one for eight bars instead of four, and then there's a break at the end.

Performance Tips

So, for the introduction, make sure that left hand is nice and bell-like and rings out at the end there the last time before going into it.

The nice thing about this introduction is it's just a repeated sequence down each octave. You could do little variations. If you want to do something a little different from what Jerry Lee does, you could maybe play a whole chord rather than splitting the octaves. You could go:

• Just the G chord
• To the F chord
• To the D chord
• To the B flat

Feel free to play around with those voicings!

There you go! That's the introduction and the main groove of the song, which is the same as "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On."