Complete Blues Keyboard Method: Beginning Blues Keyboard, Book & CD (Complete Method)

I haven't had time to really study the book. I see that it has a lot on Theory which is very good. I thought it would be more of a music book rather than text in style but I appreciate the information.

Take this book seriously. 9 chapters: Music review, 12-bar blues, blues melodies, playing a shuffle, piano blues sounds, a look at boogie-woogie, rhythm-comping-paying-in-a-band, intros-endings-turnarounds, walking bass and intro to the slow blues. Every page or two there is a completely written-out blues song, left- and right-hand, written by the book author in a particular style. Clearly, if you practice each song to the point of competence, you will learn to play a lot of blues. There are also exercises described in words, e.g. "Play the blues above in the key of F instead of C -- Bending the 3 note will be trickier than it was in C." The accompanying CD has 95 cuts illustrating the blues songs and patterns written out in the book.There are also photos and thumbnail histories of famous blues artists.I'm a beginning piano player, so I'm not progressing very fast through the book, but the beginner songs sound good enough to keep me motivatedIf I look for something to complain about, it would be that the book does not contain a lot of riffs that might have caught your ear when listening to particular blues artists.

I could not decide between Tim Richard's "Piano Blues" book and this one by Tricia Woods. I spent 3 months on the first chapter of Richards, and gave up. I think his approach is more comprehensive, and his appendix of different types of blues scales and LH patterns alone is worth the price of the entire book, but his examples were too complex for me...at my level of playing it required some work for me to play them with technical accuracy, and so did not encourage me to improvise over them. They may be perfect for me more advanced players, not not for me (and I've been playing for a few years).In contrast Wood's book hit the sweet spot for me. The examples are complex enough that they aren't too cliche, but are simple enough to encourage one to play around with them; transpose them, or just take off and freely improvise over their simple LH patterns. I found myself hungrily anticipating practicing with this book. Perhaps I'll return to Richard's after I finish this, but I'll certainly continue with the next in her series before I do.

The description said that everything was included. To me that meant the dvd which was missing. The book is fine by itself but the ad was patently misleading.

The Tricia Woods series for learning blues piano are the best ones out there in my opinion. The entire series presents a wealth of good information in a succinct,but easily readable style. She really put some thought into presenting the material into small, assimilable steps that enable the student to progress without hitting a brick wall. The hardest thing for many students is developing independence of the left and right hands. Her graded exercises reduce the frustration that usually occurs at this critical phase. What a shame that she passed away several years ago. I would have loved to have met her and personally thank her. One book does have a DVD that allows you to experience her teaching style and hear her play...

As an adult who took years of piano lessons as a child and never really experienced the joy of playing music at that time, when I looked for a piano teacher recently, my number one instruction was that I did not want to be bound by classical music (as I had been years ago). My current teacher directed me towards this book and I have been having a blast learning the Blues and this particular book and CD combo is a perfect avenue for me to do so. Being able to hear the rhythm and timing of the pieces on the CD is a real asset. In addition, it has really been helping me renew my very rusty ability to read music. Its been so much fun, that I've been willing to work on some classical pieces at the same time.

I haven't played the piano since I was a kid, and that was many years ago, so l'm starting over from scratch. Unfortunately, this book is TOO HARD for a real beginner. I can't recall the bass clef anymore, and there is a lot of confusing music theory. I quit in total frustration before finishing lesson one. I need a real BEGINNER book, not one that assumes that you already know how to play basic piano and that you also have a working knowledge of music theory.

Great book. I found it ideal for my level, which is extensive background in a variety of instruments and blues, but only relatively short exposure to keyboards.Lots of theory; fingerings for all pieces are given, which is very helpful; unprinted exercises are given for you to work through : other keys, tempos, area to write your own fills using previous lessons, etc. The cd is very clear and greatly beneficial. Some of the pieces required good hand independence for the rhythms used.The greatest asset of the book is that the arrangements are fun to play. Something that is lacking in many such books. Keeps the motivation level high.

I've really enjoyed working through this beginners book, although I'm not quite finished yet. The copy in our library has the CD which is very useful, but this edition does not.All your favourite blues licks are here and there is some theory too, for those who like to understand the depths. The book covers a great variety of styles.

Poor condition with folds and damage to the back cover - appeared well used. Disappointing.

Very informative

Very systematic

The book look nice. Goes from a basic point of start to a intermediate point where you can practice and enjoy playing