A First Book of Blues: For The Beginning Pianist: PIano Book

Accessible without being watered down. These melodies have genuine swagger and personality; they don't sound simplified so much as distilled. You'll recognize the blues tradition in every phrase.

Beginning pianists ready to explore repertoire beyond classical method books. Anyone drawn to American music history or hungry for stylistic variety early in their study. Teachers looking to develop ear training and improvisational thinking through a defined genre.

• Study the introductory explanations before you start playing. Understanding swing feel and blue notes transforms these from exercises into real blues performances.
• Don't rush the blues progressions. Let the harmonic language sit; that's where the style lives.
• Experiment with the suggested fingerings as a starting point, then adjust for your hand size and reach. Dutkanicz's suggestions are logical, not mandatory.

Perfect for a "Music Across America" unit or a concert celebrating jazz and vernacular traditions. Some teachers use these as supplementary pieces during a semester of classical study to show how the same musical fundamentals apply across genres. The progressive difficulty means you can assign pieces across multiple levels of your studio.

• Blue note recognition and intonation on the keyboard
• Swing rhythms and syncopation
• Blues harmonic progressions (I-IV-V structure and variations)
• Stylistic phrasing and dynamics specific to the idiom
• Left-hand accompaniment patterns common to blues piano