If you play piano and have always wanted to be able to play blues and improvise, this course is for you. It is also suitable for those with some blues/jazz experience who wish to learn more and to develop their skills further.
STANDARD: IMPROVER, CONFIDENT, SKILFUL.
Resident: £402 Non-Resident: £292 (25% off for under 27s) Code: 25/255
Booking for Members opens at 9am on Wednesday 27 November 2024
Non-Member and online booking opens at 9am on Monday 16 December 2024
For details on how to become a Member to take advantage of early booking, see here
What is this course about?
The course will focus on the twelve-bar blues, focusing on the work of pianists such as Jimmy Yancey, Otis Spann, Pete Johnson and Professor Longhair. You will have the opportunity to play both solo and in duet, and to develop improvisation and accompaniment skills in a range of styles.
What will the course cover?
- Blues harmony and chord sequences
- Improvisation techniques
- Left-hand styles and accompaniment
- Selection of pieces in various styles
What will we accomplish? By the end of this course you will be able to...
Accompany others by playing bass line and chords. Improvise simple solos in the right hand. Play a selection of blues melodies in various styles.
How will the course be taught, and will any preparation be required?
This is a hands-on course. The tutor will give demonstrations and you will take turns to play with other pianists, on several pianos. Practice sessions will be included at which you will prepare pieces for performance. The tutor will give feedback and tips. We will also spend time listening to recordings of well-known blues pianists to gain insight into different styles. No advance preparation is necessary.
Will music be provided in advance of this course?
Music will be provided; you will be given a link in advance to download handouts. Photocopies may also be provided onsite. Some of the material will be from the tutor's book 'Improvising Blues Piano' (Schott Music 1997). It is not necessary to purchase the book, but it will be available at a discount price from the tutor at Benslow if desired – it is also available from all good music shops or from Amazon.
Is there anything that participants need to bring?
An iPad, laptop or mobile phone with audio or video recording function could be useful. If you already have the 'Improvising Blues Piano' book, please bring it.
Tutor biography
Tim Richards: After classical piano lessons with EPTA founder Carola Grindea as a child, Tim Richards began to teach himself jazz and blues, inspired by his father's collection of 78 records by Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt and Louis Armstrong. He has been a presence on the jazz scene since the early 1980s, touring throughout Europe and the UK with his bands SPIRIT LEVEL, GREAT SPIRIT and the TIM RICHARDS TRIO, and recording over a dozen albums featuring line-ups from duo to nine-piece. His 2015 album 'Telegraph Hill', by the six-piece HEXTET, was described in The Observer as 'A Joy from beginning to end'. Tim's 1997 Schott publication 'Improvising Blues Piano' has been widely acclaimed as setting a new standard in music education. The sequels 'Exploring Jazz Piano' and 'Exploring Latin Piano' have established him as one of the UK's foremost jazz educators. From 1999–2019 Tim also worked for ABRSM as a jazz examiner, contributing pieces to their jazz piano syllabus and teaching short courses for classical piano teachers. He currently teaches jazz piano privately, and at Morley College and The City Lit in London.
Further links
Previous course participants improvising for the first time!