Right Hand Patterns in Blues

We've got the left hand patterns. Now we need to look at some exciting things to do with the right hand.

The Blues Scale

Of course, blues scales are going to work. Let's look at the blues scale in C:

• C
• E flat
• F
• F sharp
• G
• B flat
• C

So the blues scale is this. Now, of course, that would work running down the whole scale. When you're improvising with anything there, any of those notes are going to work.

Grace Notes

One thing that we know sounds great is always catching that third, catching the minor third going to the major third. So, when we're playing blues, jazz, or swing, we've got to hit that E flat to E natural to give that nice sort of grace note sound.

Right Hand Patterns

I'm going to use the simple sort of chugging left hand bass. Let's look at some right hand patterns. A very standard thing to do in blues and boogie woogie is this ral thing here.

• For example:
  • I like to use my second and fourth fingers for this and just move them back.
  • Start slow, speed it up, and then just see how fast you can get them.

This, on its own, when it's isolated, sounds a bit random. But when you put it with the left hand, you will definitely have heard that! As soon as you hear it, then you'll go, "Oh yeah, I know that sound, I've heard it on this record." It's a real classic thing to do.

Demonstration

So let's use that and base another line around it.

I'll play it and then we'll break it down.

Here's the line, really slowly now. It looks quite complicated, but actually, it's only based around this:

• C to an F
• C
• F
• A
• back to C
• E
• G

I'm basically doing it in that range of the piano, and then I'm moving it down to another range of the piano and using a couple of notes in between to link them together.

Once you've got a couple of little tricks, they're going to work anywhere on the piano. As long as you link them with notes that are in the blues scale, they'll sound great.

Practice the Line

• Let's take that line.
• Do it again: F sharp down to the F natural and then back.

We're back then into this nice familiar C position.

See if you can do that:

• C, E, G
• C, F, A
• back to C, E, G.

Let's catch those E flats. We like those grace notes; they sound great.

Little F sharp:
That's called a dissonant chord. That F sharp doesn't work with A or C. Here's a C chord; here's an F sharp, it doesn't sound great; it's dissonant.

But if we use it as a passing note, it's that tension resolution; it's going to sound cool.

So, break that down:

• C, F, C
• Down the arpeggios: G, E, C, G.

Let's use the F sharp as a passing note because it's in the blues scale. But don't sit on it; don't rest on that, because it won't work down to the F.

Then we're back to the nice position where your hand will feel comfortable.

Put that at tempo:
So bada ba ba ba ba ba.

What I'm playing here is exactly the same thing that I was playing earlier. We're just using those couple of notes to link them together.

Exploring Simple Notes

Another thing you can do is just pick a couple of notes and build on them. Let them grow, let them develop. So, let's pick three notes: E flat, E, and G.

Here's how I developed it:

• It was simple at first.
• The second time, I added a trill using the back and forth with the notes: ba da da.
• Then, let's do it again, but we'll add a trill in this time.

Right Hand as Melody

One thing that I think is really important with this is to use your right hand as both the lead instrument for some melody and the blues tricks. It can't just be a lot of chordal stuff and a lot of notes because it needs that bit of space as well sometimes.

So actually, don't be afraid to just use your right hand as a single note instrument. Pretend your right hand is the saxophone; it can only play one note at a time.

Instead of giving it all these tricks constantly, mix them up. Sometimes just use one note at a time and think of it as a melody you should be able to sing along with.

Final Example

I'll just play it through.
I'll show you a couple of little simple things using that idea: E flat, E to G. I'll start off with that, develop it, and I'll throw in that little blues line we learned.

Just there, I moved to the F, and naturally, I played with my right hand. I went back to playing the E flat.

The E flat sounds great with the C because it's the minor third, then going to the major third again, it's that tension resolution!

But actually, E flat, when we move to the F chord, is the major seventh. We know that the major seventh added to the chord makes it sound bluesy and jazzy.

So actually, the E flat works nicely with both chords, and that's where the repetition is nice.

It's familiar to the ear; we know it sounds great. We know we like it because we've heard it before. When we change the chord in the left hand, but we play the same thing with the right hand, it sounds different yet familiar, and that's why we like it.

Conclusion

So, I'll do exactly the same thing each time we change the chord. I'm going to go to an E flat just so you can hear the same note but with a different sound.

Now here's the little blues line we learned.

Repetition is going to sound great with this. Let's pick just those three notes yet again: E flat, E, and G. Add in that as quick as you can.

Listen to this, it's going to sound great!

There are lots of ideas. Get your fingers around the blues scales, pick a couple of notes, and use them to your advantage. Start simple, have some great improvisation ideas around those three notes.

Repeat them. Don't be afraid to repeat them and have some fun.

There are endless possibilities of where you can go with the right hand.

Ideas for Boogie Style

Happy playing!