Rudolph Ganz - Exercise No.1 (Double-notes: Diminished 7ths).pdf

A wonderful double-note exercise, based on the diminished 7th chord. Excellent for finger independence, strength and endurance. A perfect warm-up exercise when your hands need to be limbered up and there is very little time to do it, such as right before a performance, backstage or in the studio. Also good for warming up at the beginning of a practice session. Passed down from early-20th-century concert pianist Rudolph Ganz to his student, Sarah Love Regan, who was my teacher.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Ganz - Exercise No.1

Rudolph Ganz - Exercise No.2 (Double-notes: Dominant 7ths).pdf

A wonderful double-note exercise, based on the dominant 7th chord. Excellent for finger independence, strength and endurance. A perfect warm-up exercise when your hands need to be limbered up and there is very little time to do it, such as right before a performance, backstage or in the studio. Also good for warming up at the beginning of a practice session. Passed down from early-20th-century concert pianist Rudolph Ganz to his student, Sarah Love Regan, who was my teacher.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Ganz - Exercise No.2

Rudolph Ganz - Exercise No.3 (Double-notes: Diminished & Dominant 7ths).pdf

A wonderful double-note exercise, based on both diminished 7th and dominant 7th chords. Excellent for finger independence, strength and endurance. Good for warming up at the beginning of a practice session. Passed down from early-20th-century concert pianist Rudolph Ganz to his student, Sarah Love Regan, who was my teacher. It is less ideal than either Ganz Exercise No. 1 or 2 as a quick warm-up exercise only because it takes twice as long to play. This is definitely the most difficult of the "Ganz" exercises, requiring much more stamina and endurance, but will certainly pay off in strong hands and independent fingers.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Ganz - Exercise No.3

Rudolph Ganz - Exercise No.4 (Single-notes).pdf

A wonderful single-note exercise, based on both diminished 7th and dominant 7th chords. To be practiced with highly-raised fingers, this technical exercise is excellent for finger independence, strength, and crystal-clear articulation. It is a perfect compliment for the three Ganz double-note exercises, and should be practiced immediately following them to loosen up the fingers after the double-note exercise(s). Passed down from early-20th-century concert pianist Rudolph Ganz to his student, Sarah Love Regan, who was my teacher.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Ganz - Exercise No.4

Elmo Peeler - Rhythmic Analysis Exercise No.1 ("Down by the River").pdf

The purpose of this exercise is to teach how to play a rhythm guitar part on the piano, i.e., how to 'translate' a rhythm guitar part onto a piano keyboard. For that purpose, Neil Young's classic "Down by the River" (from his "Decade" album) is
used as an example.

The rhythm guitar pattern that begins "Down by the River" is analyzed; and then the logical steps to convert the guitar pattern to a two-hand piano pattern are explained in three steps, with two possible solutions given.

The ability to transpose a guitar rhythm onto the piano is an important skill for pianists to learn. This exercise will prove quite helpful in understanding how to do it.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen to the original rhythm guitar pattern, click here: Neil Young - "Down by the River" (original guitar Intro)

Elmo Peeler - IV-chord Bump Exercise No.1 - 2 Bumps per Bar.pdf

A "IV-chord Bump" is when a keyboard player throws in a quick IV-chord, usually to keep the main chord from becoming too boring. Although this technique is widely used, some pianists are not aware of it and how useful it can be. This exercise will help you gain facility with the IV-chord Bump technique.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - IV-chord Bump Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Left Hand Rock Pattern No.1 - Jerry Lee Lewis Style.pdf

One of the most common Left Hand patterns in all of rock-and-roll was one that Jerry Lee Lewis often used. With origins in boogie-woogie, this Left Hand was a stream of pounding eighth-notes played with very little 'swing', that could support and propel Right Hand licks, riffs and rhythms into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This is a 12-bar Left Hand exercise that shows exactly what notes are in the classic Jerry Lee Lewis Left Hand accompaniment pattern. It is actually two exercises in one, back-to-back, with the first not including grace notes or accents and the second exercise with both grace notes and accents.

If you'd like to master the Left Hand rock/boogie pattern that Jerry Lee Lewis often used, this will show you how to begin.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Jerry Lee Lewis Left Hand Style

Elmo Peeler - Pentatonic Exercise No.1 - Sequential Patterns in A minor.pdf

To play rock, pop, or blues, one must be able to play pentatonic scales easily, fluently, and evenly. This is a little exercise - actually two, back-to-back - that will help you play pentatonic runs more evenly and more controlled. Suggested fingering is included.

Difficulty: Easy

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Pentatonic Exercise No.1 - Sequential Patterns in A minor

Elmo Peeler - Plagal Cadence in 6th's Exercise.pdf

There is a particularly warm way of voicing chords on the piano that uses 4-part harmony very similar to a string quartet voicing. This technique has been used by every rock pianist from Elton John to Leon Russell to Billy Joel to gospel pianists in small Southern churches. They key is to voice the main harmony notes in 6ths as the inner voices, i.e., the Alto and Tenor, while the Bass and Soprano hold the Tonic note.

This exercise shows this voicing in the keys of C Major and A Major, and encourages the student to memorize and practice these voicings in every major key.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Plagal Cadence in 6th's Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Church Bells on the Piano Exercise.pdf

There are several 'tricks' that can be performed on a piano, one of which is the ability to imitate church bells. This chord-voicing technique, which uses widely-voiced 4-part chords in first inversion, is commonly-used but many pianists are not aware of exactly how to do it.

This exercise is in three parts (all in C Major):

A) a C Major scale voiced like bells

B) "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" voiced like bells

C) "Three Blind Mice" voiced like bells

If you'd like to learn how to create the sound of church bells on your piano, this shows you exactly how to do it.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Bells on the Piano Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Left-hand 'Jazz Chord' Exercise.pdf

This is a simple exercise to introduce a rock/pop pianist to "jazz" chords in the Left Hand (instead of the usual octaves). This is a very elementary 12-bar blues pattern showing the most common Left-hand voicings for C9, F13, and G13 chords in the key of C Major.

If you'd like to start playing a jazzier Left-hand pattern than just octaves and fifths but have no idea how to voice chords in the Left Hand, this little exercise will prove helpful.

Difficulty: Easy

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Left-hand 'Jazz Chord' Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise - 'Dueling Thumbs'.pdf

This exercise is to help a keyboardist better understand pop/rock rhythm by playing drums on the keyboard - specifically, drum paradiddles. A paradiddle consists of two single drum strokes followed by a double stroke, i.e., RLRR or LRLL, and are practiced by drummers as scales are practiced by keyboardists.

If you'd like to improve your understanding of how drummers play so that you can transfer that rhythm onto the keyboard, and thus play better fills and more rhythmic turn-arounds, this exercise is a good place to start.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise - 'Dueling Thumbs'

Elmo Peeler - Turn-Around Exercise No.1.pdf

A Turn-Around is the last two bars of a 12-bar blues phrase. Many of my students ask me to help them to play better turn-arounds. This exercise explains the three basic types: parallel motion (6ths), contrary motion, and miscellaneous. Included are nine variations on these three types of turn-arounds, including a Dr. John-style turn-around.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Turn-Around Exercise

Elmo Peeler - IV-chord Bump Exercise No.2 - Inversions.pdf

As explained before, a "IV-chord Bump" is when a keyboard player throws in a quick IV-chord, usually to keep the main chord from becoming too boring.

This exercise will help you gain greater facility with the IV-chord Bump technique by going through each of the three inversions in the Right Hand chords.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - IV-chord Bump Exercise No.2 - 'Inversions'

Elmo Peeler - ii-chord Bump Exercise.pdf

A "ii-chord bump" is similar to a IV-chord bump but has a slightly different sound - a little warmer, a little more R&B, a little more Gospel. If you'd like to become familiar with this important comping technique, this 12-bar exercise will help you with all three inversions, and in a Gospel-rock (3/4) style.

Difficulty: Easy

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - ii-chord Bump Exercise - 'Gospel'

Elmo Peeler - The Ganz Boogie (Double-notes).pdf

The Ganz double-note exercises are some of the best technical exercises available for finger independence and strengthening. To make these important exercises a bit more fun to practice, I've incorporated a similar pattern into the Right Hand part of a boogie-woogie.

This isn't meant to be a replacement for the original Ganz exercises, but rather a supplement for the pop/rock/boogie pianist that would like to approach them from a different angle, i.e., with a boogie beat.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - The Ganz Boogie (Double-notes)

Elmo Peeler - Repeated Note Exercise.pdf

One of the trickiest techniques that piano virtuosos need to master is repeated notes. I was taught the technique at Eastman by Eugene List, a concert pianist who had studied with Vladimir Horowitz.

Whether you want to play Liszt or Ravel or just want to emulate a mandolin in your home studio, this little exercise explains how it is done. It happens to be the very last exercise in my daily technical regimen. Since I find it useful, I thought you might, too.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Repeated Note Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Arpeggio Exercise (All 3 Positions).pdf

The foundations of piano technique are scales and arpeggios. Scales help pianists to master runs using adjacent keys, while arpeggios help master runs using non-adjacent keys (3rd & 4ths). To truly acquire a solid, advanced technique, one must learn all 12 major key arpeggios, in all three positions (root, 1st inversion & 2nd inversion). However, the time required to play arpeggios in all three positions in all 12 keys can be considerable.

This exercise condenses arpeggio practice into a much less time-consuming exercise that still gives your hands practice using all three positions - only using the white keys (and the chords of C, F & G). Ten different arpeggios are included into the exercise.

Although this is no substitute for learning arpeggios in all 12 keys, this is a very effective exercise when the length of practice time is a consideration. It can also be used as a good warm-up exercise when time is short. I include this exercise in my daily practice regimen.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Arpeggio Exercise (All 3 Positions)

Elmo Peeler - Whole Lotta Shakin' Exercise (Jerry Lee Lewis Style).pdf

When performing "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" live on the Steve Allen TV Show in 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis used a terrific Left Hand/Right Hand piano pattern that would serve him well for many decades.

This is a 12-bar exercise (for both hands) that extends that pattern over the entire 12 bars, that will help you master one of The Killer's most important piano patterns. It is actually two exercises in one, back-to-back, with the first 12-bars in 4/4 and the second 12 bars in 12/8. Lewis played it somewhere between the two meters, with more swing than 4/4 but less than full-blown 12/8.

If you'd like to master one of Jerry Lee's trademark piano patterns, this exercise will show you how.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Whole Lotta Shakin' Exercise (Jerry Lee Lewis Style)

Elmo Peeler - Octave Exercise #1 - Scales.pdf

One of the most important techniques to master is playing octaves, whether you're playing rock, gospel or classical. Speed and agility can be achieved with strong forearm muscles and a loosely-hinged wrist.

This exercise is a series of scales in double-octaves (both hands) that will help you develop greater speed and stamina when performing octaves.

This is included in my daily practice regimen. If you don't have time to learn Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody #6, this is the next best thing.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Octave Exercise #1 - Scales

Elmo Peeler - 'Barry White' Exercise - Chord Inversions & Compound Chords.pdf

This is an exercise that will help you gain facility in playing chord inversions - both triads and '4-note' (Roy Bittan-style) triads.

Also, this exercise will help you to become familiar with compound chords whose Right Hand chord is not the same as the Left Hand bass note, e.g., G/C, G/A, C/D and F/G - and the common-tone resolution of those chords.

This exercise is titled "The Barry White Exercise" because the compound chord progression is similar to ones used in his era - the mid-to-late 1970's.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - 'Barry White' Exercise - Chord Inversions & Compound Chords

Elmo Peeler - Double-note Exercise for Arpeggios.pdf

Nice, even rippling arpeggios are used in every style of music, from rock to pop, from jazz to classical. Much repetitive practice is required to make them perfect, but this exercise can be a big help. Instead of practicing them one note at the time, there is a way of playing two notes at the time (with each hand) that can really increase strength and independence.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen: just click: Elmo Peeler - Double-note Exercise for Arpeggios

Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise No. 2 - Billy Joel-style.pdf

This is a two-handed repetitive, syncopated piano riff that's fun for audiences not only to hear but also to watch, as the hands alternate rapidly, almost in a blur to the viewer.

This type of riff, rather athletic in nature, has been used by lots of rock pianists, including Billy Joel. It is based on the Left Hand vs Right Hand syncopation of a drummer's paradiddle.

This 10-bar exercise will help improve your sense of rhythm and Left Hand vs Right Hand coordination, as well as strength and stamina.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise #2 - 'Billy Joel-style'

Elmo Peeler - Gospel Chord Exercise No.1.pdf

One of the most important elements of old-time gospel piano is the knowledge of how to voice a melody in gospel chords. One of the many ways to voice gospel-style chords is to play the melody with two hands an octave apart, with a chord in-between - sort of like George Shearing's two-handed block-chord jazz style, but less complicated and a lot more 'church-y'.

This Gospel Chord Exercise No.1 explains exactly how to do it. Listen to the example, please, which illustrates this technique on both piano and organ.

Difficulty: Easy

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Gospel Chord Exercise No.1

Elmo Peeler - Gospel Chromatically-Descending Riff Exercise - Ethel Caffie-Austin's Signature Lick.pdf

Ethel Caffie-Austin is one of old-time gospel's legendary pianists. Near the end of her wonderful performance of "Amazing Grace", she pauses right after a classic gospel riff, and says that she plays that lick more than any other, and that it is her 'signature'. It is indeed a very important old-time gospel riff, mostly used for leading from one chord into another, sort of a transition line.

This exercise explains Ethel's signature lick and provides a 7-bar phrase that clearly illustrates how it's used. If you want to learn to play authentic old-time gospel, this is a must-know lick. The good news is that it's great fun to play.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Gospel Chromatically-Descending Riff Exercise - Ethel's Signature Lick

Elmo Peeler - Coordination & 4-note Triad Exercise - 'Hungry Heart' Style.pdf

This is an exercise based on Roy Bittan's piano part in Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart", to help in two areas: improve Left/Right Hand coordination, plus increase facility playing 4-note triads. This exercise has a steady stream of 8th-note chords (4-note triads) in the Right Hand while the Left Hand bass line has accents on the "2& and 4" beats. Two exercises are included, the second slightly more challenging than the first.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Co-ordination & 4-note Triad Exercise - 'Hungry Heart' Style

Elmo Peeler - Right Hand Double-note Exercise - 'Hunting Horns'.pdf

Double-note exercises are excellent for finger independence and strength. There is a riff found in both classical music as well as pop that uses the same voicing as two hunting horns (or early valveless French horns) that can be very useful when played legato over several octaves. This exercise, specifically for the Right Hand, will not only improve your finger independence but also give you a riff that you'll find useful in future improvisations/compositions.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Right Hand Double-note Exercise - 'Hunting Horns'

Elmo Peeler - Allman Brothers Exercise No.1 - Triplets Riff on I & ii Chords.pdf

This exercise is designed to increase your facility with chord inversions, show how to harmonize a scale (or at least 6 of the 7 notes) using just I and ii chords (good for both Southern-rock and Gospel), and hopefully help your sense of rhythm while doing it. A fringe benefit is that it should give you another riff to throw in during your own improvisations.

The pattern is a group of 6 phrases, before repeating and then changing direction, that are sometimes grouped 3 + 3, and sometimes grouped 4 + 2. This exercise contains both patterns, including fingering. They sound a lot like something Leavell might play with The Allman Brothers.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Allman Brothers Exercise No.1 - Triplets Riff on I & ii Chords

Elmo Peeler - Thumb-under Exercise.pdf

Scales should be perfectly legato and even, like a glissando. If your scales are not perfectly legato, a 'skip' or a 'hop' may occur. This is almost always because of a flaw in moving the thumb under the 3rd and 4th fingers during a Right Hand ascending scale or a Left Hand descending scale - the thumb doesn't arrive on time, causing an audible break.

In fact, the thumb's ability to move smoothly under the 3rd and 4th fingers is the most important finger motion in piano-playing.

This exercise concentrates on that motion of the thumb moving under those two fingers, by using a range of only 4 or 5 notes. Included are three exercises for the thumb-under-3rd-finger motion and three for the thumb-under-4th-finger, with fingering.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Thumb-under Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Coordination Exercise No.2 - Billy Preston-style.pdf

A very important aspect of piano-playing is independence and coordination between the hands. Years ago when I studied Billy Preston's style to see how he achieved his 'sound', I found that he played one rhythmic octave lick more than any other - four 16th-notes with the last one tied forward. And I subsequently discovered that playing that riff, and its variants, significantly improved Left/Right independence and coordination.

This exercise distills Billy Preston's signature lick into a 4-bar exercise that should help you: 1) improve your Right/Left coordination 2) sound more like Billy Preston when you want to

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Coordination Exercise No.2 - Billy Preston-style

Elmo Peeler - Gospel Rhythm Exercise (in the style of Lari White's Good Good Love).pdf

Gospel piano-playing is nothing if not rhythmic. This is an exercise based on one of the most common - and important - rhythm patterns in gospel music, dating back many generations. Every pianist from Leon Russell to Richard Tee to Nicky Hopkins played this rhythm at one time or the other.

This is a transcription of that 2-bar gospel piano riff as recorded by Bill Payne on Lari White's "Good Good Love". Also included are three variations on the original, demonstrating how other left hand patterns can be used without altering the right hand riff.

This exercise will clarify this gospel/rock rhythm, and allow you to add an important riff to your repertoire of gospel elements.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Gospel Rhythm Exercise (in the style of Lari White's Good Good Love)

Elmo Peeler - Finger Exercise inspired by Chopin's 'Winter Wind' Etude.pdf

For all the wonderful rhythms in rock and pop music, one still needs excellent fingers to really get the job done. Not all pianists have the clean, solid technique of Nicky Hopkins, Richard Tee or Bill Payne; but with the right technical exercises, most pianists can significantly increase their "chops", i.e., their pianistic technique.

One of the most challenging - and beneficial - technical studies ever composed is Chopin's "Winter Wind" Etude, Op.25, No.11, the most difficult of all 27 of Chopin's Etudes. Mastering that piece can go a long way toward improving one's "fingers", but many are not aware of a very helpful supplemental approach - turning the single-note run into double-notes. After mastering the double-notes, the single-note lines will be significantly easier.

This exercise, actually four exercises in one, will give your fingers excellent practice in both single- and double-notes. This is a challenging exercise that will reward you with strong, significant benefits - stronger and more independent fingers.

This exercise is not just for those that want help in learning Chopin's "Winter Wind" Etude". This is intended for all pianists who want to improve their finger technique.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Finger Exercise inspired by Chopin's 'Winter Wind' Etude

Elmo Peeler - Finger Exercise inspired by Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.6.pdf

For dazzling pianistic fingerwork, no composer was more brilliant than Franz Liszt, piano's ultimate virtuoso. His virtuoso showpieces often included extremely difficult chromatic runs that few other pianists of his time could play. And one of his most difficult pieces was his Hungarian Rhapsody No.6, complete with a finger-busting run that sets up the final climactic 4th movement.

This exercise transforms Liszt's single-note run into double-notes, a very effective approach to mastering fast, rippling single-note runs.

This exercise, actually six exercises in one, will give your fingers terrific practice in both single- and double-notes. This, similar to my Chopin "Winter Wind"-inspired exercise, is challenging but will reward your hard work with stronger, nimbler, more independent fingers.

This exercise is not just for those that want help in learning Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.6. This is intended for all pianists who want to improve their finger technique.

This, along with the Chopin "Winter Wind" exercise (above), are meant to compliment each other, and are excellent to practice in sequence, i.e., one right after the other.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Finger Exercise inspired by Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6

Elmo Peeler - Elton Exercise No.1 - Finger Independence & Strengthening the 4th Finger.pdf

This exercise is designed to do three things: increase your fingers' independence, strengthen the 4th finger of the right hand, and familiarize you with a common pattern often used by rock pianists, especially Elton John. Full of "2& and 4" accents, its syncopation should also help your rhythmic ability.

Fingering is also included.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Elton Exercise No.1 - Finger Independence & Strengthening the 4th Finger

Elmo Peeler - Descending R&B-Gospel Riff Exercise - Billy Preston-Richard Tee Style.pdf

There is a classic R&B lick that most pianists really like, but few have figured out the correct way to play it. Originally coming from gospel music, Billy Preston and Richard Tee used it a lot. It is a descending series of chords based upon the Dorian mode.

If you'd like to learn exactly how to play this classic R&B lick, this exercise is just what you need, complete with fingering.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Descending R&B-Gospel Riff Exercise - Billy Preston-Richard Tee Style

Elmo Peeler - Hold-down Exercise.pdf

"Hold-down" exercises can be extremely beneficial in achieving finger independence.

To find out if you need this exercise, simply play C, D and F with your right hand, using 1,2 & 4 fingers. Hold down those three keys, and while holding them down play E, then G, then E, then G, etc. - all legato - with your 3rd & 5th fingers. If your 4th finger has a tendency to stop holding down the F and to start rising up, then you will greatly benefit from this exercise.

Whether one plays Bach fugues or Elton John, a piano or an organ, independent fingers are an essential part of keyboard technique. This little exercise may prove to be one of the most beneficial.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Hold-down Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Raindrops Exercise.pdf

This is called the Raindrops Exercise because in the higher registers it sounds like raindrops. It will strengthen your right hand's 5th finger, improve 1st- & 2nd-finger coordination, and generally increase your articulation.

Based upon the beautiful slow section of Liszt's Mephisto Waltz where the melody sounds almost liquid, this technique can be applied to most melodies. This exercise demonstrates that technique, complete with fingering, of course.

Use this exercise to improve your technique, while learning a new 'trick' you can use during your own solos.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Raindrops Exercise

Elmo Peeler - 4-5-4-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th fingers.pdf

This exercise is specifically designed to help the 4th and 5th fingers gain strength, independence and articulation. The 2nd and 3rd fingers are never used. The thumb stays in one place while the 4th & 5th fingers descend, then ascend, then repeat. The Left Hand is a mirror image of the Right Hand.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - 4-5-4-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th fingers

Elmo Peeler - 4-5-2-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th Fingers.pdf

This exercise, similar to but significantly different from the preceding one, is also designed to help the 4th and 5th fingers gain strength, independence and articulation. Unlike the preceding exercise, the 3rd finger is never used and the thumb does not stay in one place - a little more challenging. The Left Hand is a mirror image of the Right Hand.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - 4-5-2-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th fingers

Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Ray Charles Ending (Extended Walk-down).pdf

There is a certain Gospel/Blues chromatic walk-down that is used so much that it's a musical cliche. Usually used at the end of a piece to draw-out the ending, Dr. John has referred to it as the "Ray Charles ending". If you were in the key of C, and wanted to do a walk-down from F using every single note between F & C in the bass, i.e., F, E, E-flat, D, D-flat, C - what chords would you use? How could you make the walk-down even longer? This exercise will show you. This contains four different versions of this chromatic walk-down, and will help you gain facility playing this really cool extended walk-down.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Ray Charles Ending (Extended Walk-down)

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Double-thirds plus Thumb.pdf

This exercise will strengthen and increase the independence of the 2-3-4-5 fingers - especially the 4th and 5th fingers - and improve your ability to play double-thirds. Although the thumb is used in this exercise, it is never used in double-thirds, leaving 2-4 and 3-5 for all the double thirds.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Double-thirds plus Thumb

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in 6ths.pdf

Double-notes can be some of the most challenging requirements of a good pianistic technique. But they can also provide some of the greatest benefit in developing finger independence and strength.

This is an exercise in double-6ths that distills the challenges down to a relatively simple but effective 5-bar phrase, to be practiced Hands Separately. Think of this is an extremely simplified version of Chopin's Etude in 6ths. Fingering is included.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in 6ths

Elmo Peeler - R&B-Gospel Elements Exercise, incl. Substitutions - Billy Preston-Richard Tee Styles.pdf

Two of the best R&B/Gospel keyboardists were Billy Preston and Richard Tee. This is a 10-bar phrase that demonstrates a few of their techniques, including the two most important substitutions in blues, rock, R&B & Gospel.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - R&B-Gospel Elements Exercise, incl. Substitutions - Billy Preston-Richard Tee Style

Elmo Peeler - Boogie Exercise - Tremolos & Thirds.pdf

The exercise is intended to develop coordination when playing polyrhythmic tremolos against a straight-eighth left hand - similar to the technique Johnnie Johnson used in Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell".

It also shows how thirds can be used effectively, both solid and broken (tremolos).

This includes two versions of the same phrase, one faster than the other, and demonstrates how many tremolo notes should be played per beat and how that number changes as the tempo increases.

The second part of the exercise is in the same key and exactly the same tempo as Johnnie Johnson's piano part in "You Never Can Tell" and uses the same number of notes in its tremolos as he does.

Every note is written out, including precise notation of the tremolos.

If you want to become more comfortable with tremolos in the context of boogie patterns, this exercise combines some good, important elements into two 17-bar phrases - and it's fun to play.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Boogie Exercise - Tremolos & Thirds

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Diatonic Broken Sixths - I & IV Chords.pdf

The ability to play riffs using broken 6ths is important to rock, pop, C&W, and jazz pianists. Many pianists would like to be more comfortable in their note choices when ad-libbing riffs in 6ths, such as walk-downs and walk-ups.

This exercise demonstrates what notes to play in a series of diatonic (as opposed to chromatic) broken 6ths over I and IV chords, both descending and ascending.

Two exercises are included: one starting the 6ths on the higher note, and the other starting the 6ths on the lower note.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Diatonic Broken Sixths - I & IV Chords

Elmo Peeler - Exercise - 3 Common Elements of R&B-Funk - Tritones, Substitutions, V7#5 Chord.pdf

This exercise contains in one 8-bar phrase three important elements commonly found in R&B and Funk genres:

1) the use of the flat-third/major-third with a flat-seven tritone

2) the two most common substitutions in R&B, blues and rock - often used by Richard Tee

3) the V7(#5) chord - a Dr. John favorite

There are many ways that great players incorporate these elements into their music. This 8-bar exercise concisely demonstrates some of the most common voicings.

BTW, if you find this exercise helpful, you should also check out my other similar exercise, R&B-Gospel Elements Exercise, incl. Substitutions - Billy Preston-Richard Tee Styles.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise - 3 Common Elements of R&B-Funk - Tritones, Substitutions, & V7#5 Chord

Elmo Peeler - Left Hand Exercise - based on Chopin's 'Revolutionary' Etude.pdf

This exercise is very specific, addressing just the Left Hand, and is based upon one of piano literature's most famous left hand exercises, Chopin's 'Revolutionary' Etude.

One of the most important finger movements is the thumb moving under the 3d and the 4th fingers, encountered in scales, arpeggios, blues runs, etc. I've taken Chopin's runs that require the thumb to pass under either the 3rd or the 4th finger, and added a few twists and turns to really emphasize that motion.

The result is a brief but challenging 10-bar exercise that will improve strength, independence, and control in the 3rd, 4th and 5th fingers of the Left Hand.

As a test to find out whether you need or might benefit from this exercise, play a rapid, descending C major scale. Are the last, lowest five notes perfectly even and articulate, or do they sort of run together and tend to lose their evenness? If the latter, this exercise will help.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Left Hand Exercise - based on Chopin's 'Revolutionary' Etude

Elmo Peeler - "Po' Boy" Broken 6ths Exercise - Jon Cleary Style.pdf

Based upon a run in New Orleans pianist Jon Cleary's recording of "Po' Boy Blues", this exercise will help gain facility in playing broken 6ths, a very important element in a rock pianist's bag of tricks, used by every pianist from Nicky Hopkins to Billy Powell.

Complete with fingering, this also includes a Left-hand part very similar to Cleary's own.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - "Po' Boy" Broken 6ths Exercise - Jon Cleary Style

Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Overlapping Arpeggiation in Triplets.pdf

This exercise is designed to increase strength and independence, especially for the 4th and 5th fingers.

Although it began as an excellent Left-hand exercise, it is also very beneficial for the Right Hand.

In triplets in order to stagger the accents among different fingers, this exercise will help normal scales and arpeggios to be more even. Fingering is included.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Overlapping Arpeggiation in Triplets

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Twanging - How To Add 'Twang' to a Melody.pdf

This exercise demonstrates how to add 'twang' to a melody or a solo line. 'Twanging' a note isn't just used when playing Floyd Cramer-style. Twanging is very much used by all rock/pop pianists, from Nicky Hopkins to Billy Powell to Chuck Leavell.

A twang is a type of grace note. The main difference between an ordinary grace-note and a 'twang' is that a twang also includes a higher harmony note (often played by the 5th finger).

The exercise is in three parts:

1) a simple 4-bar melody, without any twanging
2) that same melody but with twang added, plus a simple Left Hand accompaniment
3) the same as #2 but with fills added on beat 4

Performance Notes explain the principle behind 'twanging'.

If you'd like to get more comfortable playing 'twangs', this exercise will help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Twanging - How To Add 'Twang' to a Melody

Elmo Peeler - Arpeggio Exercise in the Style of Keith Emerson's 'Lay Down Your Guns'.pdf

Arpeggios, along with scales, form the building block of keyboard technique, and we've all spent time practicing the standard 1-3-5 arpeggios.

However, Keith Emerson found more creative ways to arpeggiate a chord. He wasn't the first; Liszt, Liberace, and others have found ways to add a little 'zip' to arpeggios.

In Emerson, Lake & Powell's "Lay Day Your Guns" Keith Emerson used three non-standard arpeggiation techniques, all Right-Hand ascending. One of them, a particularly good variant, was used only once, in the 5th Chorus.

I've taken that method of arpeggiating a chord, and put it into every measure of a 10-bar phrase, based on "Lay Down Your Gun". By applying this specific technique to various chords and inversions, one can better understand how Emerson constructed it, and master it through repetition.

If you'd like to improve your technique while mastering a non-standard arpeggiation method - certainly one that Keith Emerson liked and used - this exercise should help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Arpeggio Exercise in the Style of Keith Emerson's "Lay Down Your Guns"

Elmo Peeler - Twanging Exercise #2.pdf

This is an 11-bar exercise to further explore "twanging", the technique that Floyd Cramer introduced to Nashville during the 1950's, and the same technique used by all rock pianists. Although the technique is simple, many players need just a little coaching to really understand the possibilities (3rds or 6ths twangs? what type accompaniment in the Left Hand?).

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Twanging Exercise #2

Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise #3 - Playing Drums on the Piano.pdf

We've all seen keyboard players that were exceptionally rhythmic, seeming almost as much a drummer as a keyboardist.

Why is it that some keyboardists can turn their keys into rhythmic drums while many others can not?

It's simple - they understand the rhythms that a drummer plays. It's not mystical. Drummers practice rudiments (paradiddles) like pianists practice scales. And those rudiments are written down and can be learned by keyboard players.

This "Playing Drums on the Piano" exercise takes a common drum paradiddle (LLRLRRLR) and applies it to the piano keyboard. Every single measure during the 14-bar pattern uses that particular drum rudiment to help the pianist ultimately become relaxed and comfortable with the Left-Right coordination required for very rhythmic keyboard playing.

The exercise is in three parts:

1) a 14-bar chord progression using basic triads and 7th-chords

2) the same 14-bar chord progression but harmonically richer (with 7th & 9th chords)

3) the same 14-bar chord progression (7th & 9th chords) but with a subtle difference on beat 3 If you'd like to inject more rhythm into your playing, this exercise will help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise #3 - Playing Drums on the Piano

Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise #4 - Playing Drums on the Piano.pdf

This exercise is similar to Paradiddle Exercise #3, but is based upon a different pattern - LRLLRLRR - that requires subtly different coordination.

As in Paradiddle Exercise #3. this "Playing Drums on the Piano" exercise takes a common drum paradiddle (LRLLRLRR) and applies it to the piano keyboard. Every single measure during the 14-bar pattern uses that particular drum rudiment to help the pianist ultimately become relaxed and comfortable with the Left-Right coordination required for very rhythmic keyboard playing.

The exercise is in three parts:

1) a 14-bar chord progression using basic triads and 7th-chords
2) the same 14-bar chord progression but harmonically richer (with 7th & 9th chords)
3) the same 14-bar chord progression (7th & 9th chords) but with a subtle difference on beat 3

If you'd like to inject more rhythm into your playing, this exercise will help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Paradiddle Exercise #4 - Playing Drums on the Piano

Elmo Peeler - Tremolo Exercise #1.pdf

Relaxed, evenly-played tremolos are an important technique for all pianists to master. They've been around since before Beethoven, who used them in his Sonatas. They were ubiquitous in silent-movie piano accompaniments. And they are commonly used in blues, C&W, boogie-woogie, and rock-and-roll. Every good rock pianist from Nicky Hopkins to Billy Powell has had them in their bag of tricks.

But they can be a little difficult to execute for many pianists. Often a pianist's forearm and/or wrist will tense and make the tremolo sound forced or uneven - not smooth and fluid.

This exercise eases the pianist into tremolos in 6ths by starting with slow tremolos, and gradually increasing their speed and number of notes per beat.

This contains four sections:

1) 8th notes
2) 8th-note triplets
3) 16th notes
4) 16th-note triplets

A suggested range of practice tempi, in BPM, is provided for each of the four sections. Plus, ten 'Performance Notes' with practice suggestions are included.

If your tremolos are not what you'd like them to be, this exercise should help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Tremolo Exercise #1 (the demo recording reflects the fastest speeds, i.e., the goals)

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Flips.pdf

One of the most fun pianistic licks is the 'flip', where the riff ascends, then reverses direction and descends lower than the beginning note.

Probably originating in New Orleans, certainly often used by Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint and Dr. John, flips are now found in all types of pop music, from Rock to Country.

This exercise helps clarify the various elements and execution of a typical flip. Fingering is included, as are Performance Notes.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Flips

Elmo Peeler - Left Hand-Right Hand Coordination Exercise - Pushes vs Heartbeats.pdf

In rock-and-roll piano-playing Left Hand/Right Hand coordination is very important. Often the Left Hand will keep a heartbeat rhythmic pattern going while the Right Hand plays syncopated, i.e., 'pushed', chords.

Often it's not clear to rock/pop pianists what the Left Hand should be doing, which is usually to add forward momentum. And even when one knows what the Left Hand should be doing, sometimes it can be a little tricky when the Right Hand is playing something quite different.

This exercise is in three parts, all three with exactly the same Right Hand part, a simple pattern with rhythmic 'pushes'. The first part shows the wrong way to play a Left Hand part, with the Left Hand copying the Right Hand pushes.

The second and third parts show how to add a simple 2-strike and 3-strike Left Hand 'heartbeat' pattern that complements the Right Hand part rather than copying it, rhythmically.

If you'd like to gain greater independence and coordination of the hands, this exercise should help.

Difficulty: Easy

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Left Hand-Right Hand Coordination Exercise - Pushes vs Heartbeats

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Contrary Motion - Gospel-Rock.pdf

Contrary motion - and its harmonization - has intrigued musicians since the time of Bach, whose Soprano and Bass lines often moved in opposite directions.

And 300 years later contrary motion is still alive and well, especially in Blues and C&W turn-arounds, and in Gospel and Rock. The chorus in the Doobie Brothers' "Takin' It to the Streets" is just one example of contrary motion between the melody and the bass guitar - the melody descends while the bass ascends. (BTW, this exercise is not based on "Takin' It to the Streets".)

Sometimes contrary motion can be a little challenging to harmonize, i.e. to find a chord that won't clash with the lines heading in opposite directions.

This exercise gives an example of a melody line that descends an octave while the bass line ascends an octave. Three different ways of playing the same chord progression are included.

There are a lot of different methods to achieve contrary motion, and this is only one chord progression. But if you like the sound of contrary motion and haven't been clear on what chords to use, this should help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Contrary Motion - Gospel-Rock

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Swamp Rock - 4ths, 6ths & Tritones.pdf

"Swamp Rock" is an atmospheric piano style with roots in the Louisiana bayous, but an Oklahoman, Leon Russell, played it as well as anybody. This exercise helps clarify some of the basic elements that give it its colorful 'sound':

1) 4ths - good for fills over the I chord
2) 6ths - good for fills over the IV chord
3) Tritones - right-hand voicing for dominant 7th chords

This is an 8-bar phrase that introduces the player to those three important elements of the "Swamp Rock" style. The Performance Notes explain the music theory underlying this style.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Swamp Rock - 4ths, 6ths & Tritones (grand piano)
To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Swamp Rock - 4ths, 6ths & Tritones (honky-tonk piano)

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Alternating 9ths.pdf

This is a challenging exercise inspired by the piano solo in Paul Brandt's "The Highway Patrol", which contains a tricky, rhythmic, ascending 2-handed run.

Using only the first six notes of that run (based on a D9 chord), I expanded them sequentially not only upward but also descending. Two versions of the exercise are included, an 18-bar phrase plus a shorter 9-bar variant.

This is a challenging exercise that will help improve your technique in several areas: Left-Right coordination, rhythmic syncopation, articulation, and "close-quarter" hand positions.

Because the underlying harmony for this exercise is a ninth chord - a D9 - and both hands are alternating in a Right-Left-Left pattern, it's called "Alternating 9ths".

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Alternating 9ths

Elmo Peeler - Thumb-Pivot Exercise.pdf

This exercise is to develop strength in the Right Hand thumb during "thumb pivots", when the hand is pivoting between the right side (fingers 2- 5) and the left side (the thumb) - an important motion in blues.

This exercise contains two parts, the second one a little more difficult than the first. They should be practiced without stopping, i.e., looping, until the hand begins to tire. Stop, rest, and repeat a few times every day. Over a few days/weeks, one should notice an increase in the number of repetitions possible before fatigue sets in.

Besides increasing strength in the Right Hand, it will also improve one's control in general.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Thumb-Pivot Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Boogie-Woogie Exercise #2 - Ray Charles' Left Hand Pattern.pdf

The Left Hand phrase that Ray Charles uses in his 1953 recording of "Boogie Woogie" is a classic variant on 5ths-based boogie patterns. His uses not only the open-fifth sound but also adds a sixth.

This exercise will help you gain proficiency in this wonderful - and important - boogie-woogie left hand pattern. It contains three parts, each one a little more difficult than the previous one.

The first gives you repetitive practice on the pattern while starting to introduce simple coordination-challenging 'stabs' in the Right Hand.

The second increases the coordination challenge with more difficult Right Hand 'stabs'.

And the third section goes beyond Right Hand 'stabs' and introduces a riff loosely based upon a riff in Ray's 1953 recording of "Boogie Woogie".

By the time you master these three sections, you should be well on your way to having added a classic, important boogie pattern to your repertoire - one that was a favorite of Brother Ray.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Boogie-Woogie Exercise #2 - Ray Charles' Left Hand Pattern - Grand Piano

To listen, just click: Boogie-Woogie Exercise #2 - Ray Charles' Left Hand Pattern - Tack Piano

Elmo Peeler - Blues Exercise No.10 - Parallel Blues Chords & Rolls.pdf

This is an exercise in a particular chord inversion and in 'rolls', both elements that are commonly found in blues.

The chord inversion is a triad with a sixth between the lowest and highest notes, and with a third below the highest note. Another way to think about it is a fourth with a third on top of it. This inversion, or chord position, facilitates good voice leading when going in parallel motion from a 7th chord to a 9th chord. All the Right Hand chords use that same position.

It is in three 16-bar sections, with the second section adding 'rolls' and the third section adding more rolls plus a few tremolos.

Those three sections are then repeated with grace notes added. The final, sixth section, is repeated.

At 100 measures in length, this is one of my longest exercises.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Blues Exercise #10 - Parallel Blues Chords & Rolls

Elmo Peeler - Boogie-Woogie Exercise No.3 - Thumb-Pivot RH vs Walking Broken-Octave LH.pdf

One of the main techniques involved in boogie-woogie is the use of the right hand thumb as a pivot between notes struck with higher fingers, i.e., 2 - 5. This exercise is to help develop strength and facility with that thumb-pivot motion. The broken-octave walking bass against the right hand thumb-pivoting will also help develop Left-Right coordination.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Boogie-Woogie Exercise No.3 - Thumb-Pivot Right Hand vs Walking Broken-Octave Left Hand

Elmo Peeler - Cascade Exercise - Inspired by Chuck Leavell's 'Jessica' Run.pdf

This exercise will increase the independence of the fingers while adding an important riff to your repertoire, similar to one used by Chuck Leavell in his "Jessica Solo" with the Allman Brothers. It actually goes back to 1853 in a run on the black keys in Franz Liszt's 6th Hungarian Rhapsody.

It's not only an important riff to have in one's pianistic bag-o-tricks but it's also helpful in building independence of the fingers.

This exercise is built upon the major pentatonic scale using descending sets of sequences. It includes five parts:

1) RH in single notes, simple LH
2) RH in single notes, quarter-note LH
3) RH in triplets, LH uses different harmonic rhythm
4) RH in double notes
5) RH in double notes in triplets

The double-notes in parts 4 & 5 are excellent for developing finger strength, independence and flexibility. They are included as supplemental exercises to help perfect the main single-note cascade.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Cascade Exercise - Inspired by Chuck Leavell's 'Jessica' Run

Elmo Peeler - Twanging Exercise No.3 - Lonesome Town.pdf

This exercise, my third regarding twanging, further demonstrates how to add 'twang' to a couple of melodies, using Ricky Nelson's "Lonesome Town".

'Twanging' a note isn't just used when playing Floyd Cramer-style. Twanging is very much used by all rock/pop pianists, from Nicky Hopkins to Billy Powell to Chuck Leavell.

A twang is a type of grace note. The main difference between an ordinary grace-note and a 'twang' is that a twang also includes a higher harmony note (often played by the 5th finger).

This exercise contains 49 measures and two melodies, and is in three parts:

1) the 8-bar Verse melody and the 8-bar Chorus melody of "Lonesome Town", without any twanging
2) the same 16 bars, but with twang added
3) the same 16 bars with twang added, plus a simple Left Hand accompaniment

Performance Notes are included, of course, to help explain the principles of 'twanging'. If you'd like to get more comfortable playing 'twangs', this exercise will help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Twanging Exercise No.3 - "Lonesome Town"

Elmo Peeler - Finger Exercises in Whole-Tones - Single Notes & Double-thirds.pdf

Good finger exercises can greatly improve one's technique, but can be a little boring after lot of repetitions, for the fingers as well as the ears.

To get away from the Major/minor nature of most exercises, I've created an exercise based upon the whole-tone scale, which produces a more liquid, watery, Impressionistic soundscape.

The fingering, which is included, can be a little more challenging than Major/minor scales but one's fingers will benefit from the change.

This exercise, for Right Hand only, is actually a group of eight short, repeated exercises that address both single-note runs (sequential patterns) and double-thirds (ascending & descending scales). There are only two whole-tone scales, and both are used.

The purpose of this exercise is not to master whole-tone scales, but to use whole-tone scales to improve one's technique in general - gaining independence, agility, strength, articulation.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Finger Exercises in Whole-Tones - Single Notes & Double-thirds

Elmo Peeler - Thumb-Under-4th-Finger Exercise with a Twist - Inspired by Albert Ammons.pdf

One of the most important finger movements in piano-playing is the "thumb-under" movement, where the thumb passes under the 3rd or the 4th finger. It's very important to be able to play it evenly and fluidly, without any break or 'hop'.

This exercise is for strengthening and improving the control of the "thumb-under" movement in the Right Hand as the thumb passes under the 4th finger and as the 4th finger passes over the thumb. It was inspired by a riff in Albert Ammon's "Boogie Woogie Stomp", which is included at the very end.

It is in four sections:

A) sets forth the basic exercise.
B) is where the added 'twist' (challenge) comes in; the highest note is taken up an octave, thus helping one's leaps.
C) adds the thumb-under-the-3rd-finger movement.
D) adds the 'twist' of taking the highest note up an octave, again helping to improve the accuracy of one's leaps.

The four sections are comprised of six 2-bar phrases, each of which is an exercise of its own. After mastering all six phrases, then all six can be played sequentially, i.e., back-to-back as notated, without pausing.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Thumb-Under-4th-Finger Exercise with a Twist - Inspired by Albert Ammons

Elmo Peeler - Articulation Exercise - 1,000 Stars with a Twang.pdf

This exercise will help improve articulation in the Right Hand.

It especially teaches the thumb to lift up and get off a key as soon as it is struck, making way for the 2nd finger. When played perfectly evenly, it will sound like 1,000 stars twinkling in the Southern sky (thus the ending twang).

Fingering & Performance Notes are included.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Articulation Exercise - 1,000 Stars with a Twang

Elmo Peeler - Jerry Lee Lewis Left Hand Exercise No.3.pdf

This exercise will help to learn a Left Hand boogie pattern that was one of Jerry Lee Lewis' main Left Hand patterns, along with several other important boogie/rock elements.

In seven 16-bar sections, it starts out with just the basic Left Hand pattern, and a Right Hand part that is so simple that it should not distract from concentrating on the Left Hand.

Each section introduces a new element, becoming progressively more challenging:

A) basic pattern - no frills
B) 'pushes' are added into the Right Hand part
C) Left Hand grace notes on the Major 3rd are added
D) Right Hand grace notes are added
E) Right Hand tremolos are added
F) The Right Hand is transposed up an octave
Out) Flips are added

Each section can be practiced by itself, allowing one to gain proficiency before proceeding to the next section's new challenge.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Jerry Lee Lewis Left Hand Exercise No.3 (tack piano)
To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Jerry Lee Lewis Left Hand Exercise No.3 (Steinway)

Elmo Peeler - Billy Preston-style Exercise No.4 - Inspired by 'Nothing from Nothing'.pdf

This exercise will help Left Hand/Right Hand coordination when playing running 8th-note chords in the Left Hand against highly-syncopated Right Hand octave riffs. This style was used by Billy Preston in his "Nothing from Nothing".

Usually the Left Hand plays octaves with a heart-beat type of rhythm following the kick drum. But in "Nothing from Nothing" Billy Preston used a Left Hand pattern not often seen - running (continuous) 8th-note chords.

During much of "Nothing from Nothing" he also used repeated 8th-note chords in the Right Hand. However, during the piano solo he breaks out into a very syncopated Right Hand part full of octaves, tremolos, rhythmic 'pushes', and honky-tonk voicings.

This exercise uses those same elements but with a different chord progression. It starts with a 4-bar chord progression, repeats the progression but with a different Right Hand part, then goes into a 2-bar turnaround played three times, with a 'flip' stuck onto the end as a Tag - a total of sixteen bars.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Billy Preston-style Exercise No.4 - Inspired by 'Nothing from Nothing'

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Broken 6ths for the Right Hand.pdf

Playing 6ths in rock, blues, boogie, and jazz can be a little challenging, whether they're solid 6ths or broken.

This is a finger exercise in broken 6ths, primarily for the Right Hand, that will help increase strength, articulation and independence of the 1st/2nd and the 4th/5th fingers.

It includes fingerings and is in three parts:

1) preparatory exercise
2) main ascending/descending exercise
3) mirror image of the preparatory exercise, for the Left Hand

Note that although this is primarily a right-hand exercise, a mirror image of the right-hand preparatory exercise is included for the Left Hand, for the curious and the brave.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Broken 6ths for the Right Hand

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Yodeling 6ths.pdf

This is a 4-part exercise in "Yodeling 6ths".

A very common technique in both rock and C&W, a yodeling 6th is a broken 6th preceded by a minor 2nd, sounding somewhat like a human voice yodeling.

This exercise will help understand and gain facility with yodeling 6ths, chromatically ascending then descending.

Fifty bars long and in four parts, all four sections contain the same right hand part. However, each section contains a different bass line, gradually increasing in difficulty.

It includes fingerings and is in four 12-bar sections, plus a brief coda:

1) a left-hand part so simple that it will not distract while learning the right-hand part
2) the left-hand part is a syncopated 2-beat phrase with a New Orleans-type rhythm
3) the left-hand part becomes a 4-beat phrase, a little more complicated
4) the left-hand part is still a 4-beat phrase but is more challenging Each section can be practiced by itself as a self-contained exercise.

Difficulty: Challenging

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Yodeling 6ths

Elmo Peeler - Boogie-woogie Rhythm & Coordination Exercise with Broken Octaves.pdf

This is an exercise in boogie-woogie rhythms that will facilitate Left Hand/Right Hand coordination. It will also strengthen the Left Hand and improve one's ability with a common broken-octave Left Hand pattern.

This exercise contains six sections, each progressively more challenging rhythmically.

Each section is based upon a two-bar rhythmic pattern, except the first section, which is based upon a one-bar pattern.

The first five sections begin with the first Right Hand chord on the 2nd beat. The sixth section begins with the RH on 1&.

Starting with the fourth section the RH is required to move around a little more.

If you'd like to learn some classic boogie-woogie rhythm patterns while improving your Left/Right coordination - and strengthening your Left Hand - this exercise will help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Boogie-woogie Rhythm & Coordination Exercise with Broken Octaves

Elmo Peeler - Exercise for 4th Finger - Strength & Independence.pdf

This exercise is actually a group of eight exercises specifically designed to increase the strength and independence of the 4th finger.

In two sections, one for the Right Hand and the other for the Left Hand, the second section is a mirror image of the first section.

Each of the eight measures in each section is a stand-alone exercise, in order of progressive difficulty. Fingering is included.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise for 4th Finger - Strength & Independence

Elmo Peeler - Boogie-woogie Exercise No.4 - Pablo's Left-Hand Pattern.pdf

This exercise will help you learn a new boogie-woogie Left-Hand pattern, which incorporates both the minor 3rd and the major 3rd, as well as the 6th, i.e., E-flat, E and A, in the key of C. Plus, the 12/8 feel is especially 'bouncy', with a nice up-beat accent on 2 & 4.

This exercise is actually a group of 12 different exercises - six in 4/4 and six in 12/8 (swing).

The six sections in each meter (4/4 & 12/8) are arranged in order of progressive difficulty, and each is a stand-alone exercise that can be repeated, or 'looped', until progressing to the next one.

The first two sections use simple chordal 'stabs' in the Right Hand. The next two sections use a "3rds-with-thumb-pivot" technique in the Right Hand. And the last two sections incorporate Right-Hand triplets.

If you'd like to add a new Left-Hand boogie-woogie pattern to your bag of pianistic tricks, this exercise (or series of twelve exercises, to be accurate) will certainly help.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Boogie-woogie Exercise No.4 - Pablo's Left-Hand Pattern

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Gospel - Walk-ups & Walk-downs, IV-chord Bumps & Strums.pdf

This exercise will help you learn a few important elements used in Gospel, Gospel-Rock, Pop, and Country & Western.

Primarily focused on Walk-ups & Walk-downs, it will show you how to voice the chords as you move from a I-chord up to a IV-chord, then back down again, plus the voicings when you walk-down from a I-chord to a V-chord, then back up again.

All pianists love the sound of those walk-ups & walk-downs, but many aren't sure of exactly what notes to play. This exercise will show you how.

Also included are examples of IV-chord bumps - that's when a chord a perfect-fourth up from the root of the current chord is briefly struck, as a way of increasing harmonic interest and keeping the ear from getting bored with the current chord. Even IV-chord bumps of a IV-chord bump are included.

Plus, 'strums' are also demonstrated - another important element.

This exercise is in four parts - the first section shows the basic voicing of the walk-ups and walk-downs.

The other three sections progressively add a little more rhythm to the walk-ups and walk-downs.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Walk-ups & Walk-downs, IV-chord Bumps & Strums

Elmo Peeler - 5-Finger Exercise - Harmonized in Octaves, 10ths & 6ths.pdf

Strength and articulation - the ability to play very clearly and evenly - is an absolute necessity whether playing blues licks, boogie-woogie, jazz or classical music. Beginning pianists are often given 5-finger exercises by Czerny, Hanon, etc. to gain strength and eventually clear, clean playing. However, many 5-finger exercises just waste time, requiring a lot of time and yielding only modest benefits.

This 5-finger exercise cuts right to the chase - it will increase strength, finger independence and articulation. And to make it more challenging, and thus yield greater results, it's been harmonized, not just in octaves, as is common practice, but also in tenths and sixths.

This contains nine sections, arranged in progressive difficulty.

The first three sections simply set forth the basic 5-finger, 8-note, 2-beat pattern. Then to take it up a notch in difficulty, the pattern in octaves ascends scale-wise and then descends, with one variation. Then the pattern and variation are harmonized into tenths, and then into sixths. By the end of all nine sections the hands will have had a very productive workout. Playing this series of exercises every day will certainly improve one's technique. Fingering is included.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - 5-Finger Exercise - Harmonized in Octaves, 10ths & 6ths

Elmo Peeler - Exercise - How To Transform a Melody into Gospel - Mary Had a Little Lamb.pdf

This exercise demonstrates how to take any melody - even one not remotely associated with Gospel itself - and transform it into the old-time Southern Gospel piano style.

It contains seven sections. The first is just a statement of the main theme that will be gradually transformed. I chose "Mary Had a Little Lamb" because if that simple nursery rhyme melody can be transformed into old-time Gospel, then any other melody certainly can, just by following these six steps.

The six transformative steps are:

1) The meter is changed into a 'swing' rhythm and the melody into basic chords.
2) Walk-ups and walk-downs are added.
3) Some chords are changed into more Gospel-sounding chords (substitutions).
4) Gospel fills are added
5) 'Strums' are added.
6) The Right Hand register is raised an octave; IV-chord & ii-chord 'bumps' are added; more Gospel-chord substitutions are added.

You'll see how a nursery-rhyme melody gradually changes into a full-blown Gospel version that would feel at home in a Southern tent revival.

Difficulty: Moderate

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise - How To Transform a Melody into Gospel - "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (tack piano)

Elmo Peeler - Gospel & Stride Exercise - Crossing the Left Hand over the Right.pdf

Most pianists love old-time Gospel piano-playing - but many don't know how to play it. They know it involves mastering the 'stride' style but aren't aware that it also requires crossing of the hands, especially to play a melody in the lower middle register of the piano keyboard, i.e., from middle C down an octave.

This exercise shows just how that crossing-of-the-hands is accomplished. Using the simple but commonly-heard hymn, "Jesus Loves the Little Children", this demonstrates how to keep the Left Hand 'striding' even when the melody is so low that it interferes with where the Left Hand would normally play a chord on the up-beats (on 2 & 4).

Listen to the audio example and you'll hear how the rhythm can continue even when the Left Hand doesn't have access to its normal register - the secret is in the Left Hand crossing over the Right.

Difficulty: Moderate

Elmo Peeler - Rhythmic Exercise - Splitting the Left Hand.pdf

Sometimes you'll hear a piano player like Nicky Hopkins that sounds like he's got three hands. Well, in a way he/she does. There's a way of splitting the Left Hand into two parts - using the 5th finger for bass notes and the thumb for adding rhythm to the Right Hand part. This technique is especially helpful for up-tempo, driving, propulsive piano parts like "Southbound" or Richard Tee's "Do You Want Some of This". This exercise demonstrates how to achieve this dual-use of the Left Hand.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Rhythmic Exercise - Splitting the Left Hand

Elmo Peeler - Leon Russell Exercise.pdf

After transcribing over thirteen of Leon Russell's best recordings, I've created a three-part exercise to help others understand his unique, amazing "swamp-rock" style. Each of the three sections is progressively more difficult.

Leon Russell had a very strong Left Hand. This exercise uses two Left Hand patterns taken from his recordings of "Shoot Out on the Plantation" to help you strengthen your own Left hand and become comfortable with his own patterns. The Right Hand, by contrast, uses generic elements of his style to help you understand and master those elements.

The main elements of his playing that define his style are:

1) his rhythms

2) his chord-voicings

3) his use of octave runs

4) the slight dissonances in his octaves

5) his note choices (a combination of the Dorian & Mixolydian modes)

6) the way he executes grace notes

7) what he does with his Left Hand (and what a Great left hand he had!)

All of these elements are included in this exercise.

If you'd like to study his style and improve your ability to imitate it, this exercise should prove to be very helpful.

Difficulty: Challenging

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Leon Russell Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Chromatic Double-thirds.pdf

One of the best ways to increase strength and independence of the fingers is to practice double notes, i.e., two notes played simultaneously with one hand.

This is an exercise in playing a chromatic scale in minor thirds using only the Right Hand - both ascending and descending.

Fingering is included, which is based upon Frederic Chopin's own suggested fingering for his Etude in Thirds. Chopin dared to think outside the box in the early 19th century and used fingerings that had never been used before. In doing so he advanced piano technique to a new level.

Whether you prefer playing classical, jazz or rock, this new exercise should help you to improve your chops.

Difficulty: Challenging

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Chromatic Double-thirds

Elmo Peeler - Articulation Exercise in 6ths, Inspired by Bach's Invention No.8.pdf

Every pianist strives to play cleanly and with precise, clear articulation. In the classical-music world no composer requires crisp articulation more than Johann Sebastian Bach, in which the damper pedal is rarely used and where "the fingers do the walking".

This exercise was inspired by a finger pattern Bach used in his Invention No. 8 in F major, of which Ferruccio Busoni, the great Romantic-era pianist, says, "the performance of this little virtuoso piece demands the utmost precision."

This exercise is in three sections, all of which are in sixths.

The first section - using 3/4 meter like the Bach Invention - states the motif that Bach himself used (although in a different key), and ascends step-wise up an octave and then back down.

The second section, in 4/4, is slightly more challenging. Bach's 16th-note figure is played only once, not three times, before immediately beginning its ascent - up an octave and then back down.

The third section adds a higher note in the Right Hand and a lower note in the Left Hand, requiring the 5th fingers to become involved - again ascending up and down an octave.

These three sections, progressively more difficult, should help improve one's articulation, finger independence, and clarity in 16th-note runs.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Articulation Exercise in 6ths, Inspired by Bach's Invention No.8

Elmo Peeler - Exercise for the Wrists - Banjo on the Piano.pdf

Pianists often practice finger exercises, but it's important to also develop strong - yet flexible - wrists. This exercise is specifically written to help one's wrists achieve greater strength and to 'hinge', as opposed to being rigid with 'locked' wrists which requires the forearm to expend more energy than necessary.

This is partly inspired by a classical piece, "The Banjo" written in 1853 by the famous American concert pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk. In that piece he used Stephen Foster's "Camptown Races" during the climax and made it sound like it was played on a banjo. This exercise uses slightly different voicings (three-note chords instead of Gottschalk's four-note chords) to make "Battle Hymn of the Republic" sound like it was played on a banjo.

This style of alternating hands will help to develop good wrist technique, which can be learned by first practicing it slowly, similar to 5-finger exercises. If your wrists are too rigid and need to gain more flexibility, this exercise should help.

Difficulty: Challenging

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise for the Wrists - Banjo on the Piano

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Crossing Hands - No.2.pdf

The ability to cross hands over and under each other is an important technique for pianists. This exercise will improve your ability to cross your hands more comfortably, and at the same time improve your Left/Right coordination, the accuracy in jumps, and articulation.

Some pieces require one hand to move over the other, which looks harder than it is, but always impresses the audience, whether it's classical or pop. Crossing of the hands is a great visual.

This exercise contains five sections, three of which have the Left Hand crossing over the Right Hand, and two have the Left Hand crossing over the Right. They involve moving up and down both step-wise (2nds) and in larger intervals (3rds & 4ths).

The lowest note and the highest note of each pattern use a different hand than the three middle notes. When one hand strikes the first note, it immediately lifts up, crosses over the other hand (which plays the subsequent three notes) and then strikes the highest note of the pattern before lifting again, descending over the other hand, and striking the lowest note again.

When you hear this exercise, you're hearing one hand play the lowest and highest notes while the other hand is playing the in-between notes.

Difficulty: Challenging

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Crossing Hands - No.2

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Harmonized Arpeggios for Two Hands.pdf

This is an arpeggio exercise for both hands playing in harmony, and includes all three inversions of a triad. It will improve your ability to play arpeggios and also improve your articulation and finger strength.

Fingering and Performance Notes are included.

Difficulty: Challenging

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Harmonized Arpeggios for Two Hands

Elmo Peeler - Alberti Bass Exercise.pdf

This is an exercise that will help strengthen and improve the Left Hand. Although it contains a slip-note (Floyd Cramer) melody in the Right Hand, the challenge - and the main benefit - is the Alberti bass pattern in the Left Hand.

An Alberti bass is a particular kind of accompaniment figure, often used in the Classical era (Mozart, etc.), and sometimes the Romantic era. It was named after Domenico Alberti (1710–1740/46), who used it extensively, although he was not the first to use it.

It is a kind of broken chord or arpeggiated accompaniment, where the notes of the chord are presented in the order of lowest, highest, middle, highest. This pattern is repeated and creates a smooth, sustained, flowing sound.

It has also been used in pop/rock, e.g., the rhythm guitar part of the 1962 surf rock standard "Pipeline" by The Chantays, and Nicky Hopkins' piano part in "She's a Rainbow" by the Rolling Stones.

This exercise is 24-bars long and uses Alberti bass patterns in various hand positions: root position, 1st & 2nd inversions.

If you'd like to gain facility in playing this type of common Left Hand pattern and increase the strength and dexterity in your Left Hand, this exercise will help.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Alberti Bass Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Transform a Melody into Floyd Cramer's Style - Mary Had a Little Lamb.pdf

This exercise demonstrates how to take any melody - even one not remotely associated with Floyd Cramer - and transform it into Cramer's Nashville slip-note piano style.

It contains eight sections and 123 measures. The first section is just a statement of the main theme that will be gradually transformed. I chose "Mary Had a Little Lamb" because if that simple nursery rhyme melody can be transformed into Floyd Cramer's style, then any other melody certainly can, just by following these seven steps.

The seven transformative steps are:

1) The chords & meter are changed, and Cramer-style Left Hand part added.
2) Slip-notes are added.
3) A harmony note is added above the slip-notes, the essence of Cramer's style.
4) Six other types of Cramer's embellishments are added (and discussed in the Performance Notes).
5) The melody is slightly altered to reflect his style.
6) Warm mid-register phrases are added.
7) A busier Left Hand pattern is used.

You'll see how a nursery-rhyme melody gradually changes into a full-blown Floyd Cramer version. Learn how to play Floyd Cramer's style much better with this step-by-step exercise.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Transform a Melody into Floyd Cramer's Style - Mary Had a Little Lamb

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Flips & Tremolos in 3rds.pdf

This exercise is designed to help improve facility in playing two important types of riffs often used in blues and boogie-woogie and in rock music in general, i.e., 'flips' and tremolos in 3rds.

A flip is a briskly executed up-then-down arpeggio (broken chord). And a tremolo is similar to a trill, where the same two notes alternate rapidly a second apart; but the two notes of a tremolo are at least a third apart. The most common tremolos are in 3rds, 6ths, and octaves. On rare occasion they can be in 10ths, e.g., Ray Charles' "Makin' Whoopee".

This exercise is in four sections, each of which is a 12-bar blues pattern with the same right hand part (although two of the four sections transpose the right hand up an octave). However, each of the four parts uses a different left hand pattern.

Fingering is included. If you'd like to improve your ability to understand and to play flips and tremolos, this will help you. It's also very good for Left/Right independence and coordination.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Flips & Tremolos in 3rds

Elmo Peeler - Propulsion Exercise (Forward Momentum) - Richard Tee Influenced.pdf

This exercise uses some elements found in Richard Tee's style to demonstrate how to give "forward momentum" to your own playing.

The left hand part uses a Richard Tee pattern that he used in Phoebe Snow's "Gone at Last", and then adds some 'propulsive' elements into the right hand part.

This exercise will show you how to use 'pushes' and syncopation to achieve forward momentum in up-tempo grooves. The rhythms and the chords are similar to those often used by Richard Tee. The left hand keeps a straight, non-syncopated beat while the right hand is often playing syncopated rhythms and off-beat accents.

Containing four sections, this will improve your ability to play chords in the G Dorian mode, increase Left/Right co-ordination, and show you how to make your uptempo jams more propulsive.

Difficulty: Challenging

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Propulsion Exercise (Forward Momentum)

Elmo Peeler - Shuffle Exercise.pdf

This exercise will help you understand how to play a 'shuffle' rhythm, i.e., a song in 12/8 meter, plus increase your Left Hand/Right Hand coordination.

It includes six sections:

1) Basic right-hand rhythm
2) Bumps, where the chord briefly changes
3) Flips
4) Octaves
5) Octaves and flips
6) Chords and Flips

It also includes those same six sections with a different, slightly more challenging Left Hand pattern, for a total of twelve sections.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Shuffle Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Harmonize a Scale Richard Tee-style.pdf

This exercise will help you to better understand Richard Tee's (and Billy Preston's ) style, especially one of his main 'licks', a descending series of R&B-flavored chords. It explains the underlying scale (or mode) and gives two ways of harmonizing each note of that seven-note 'scale'. It then gives four examples of how to use those chords to achieve the Richard Tee 'sound', including how he phrased them, plus gives an example of a typical Left Hand accompanying pattern.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Harmonize a Scale Richard Tee-style

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Crossing Hands - No.3.pdf

This exercise will increase one's facility in crossing the Left Hand over the Right Hand, a technique Billy Powell (Lynyrd Skynyrd) used in the introduction on "Free Bird".

There are two sections, the second being a little more 'rhythmic' than the first.

This crossed-hands technique can not only sound very good musically, often quite dramatic, but it also looks impressive to the audience. It's an effective technique both aurally and visually.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Crossing Hands - No.3

Elmo Peeler - Rippling Fingers Exercise.pdf

This exercise will increase the strength and independence of the fingers in your right hand.

In a series of ascending and descending arpeggio-like figures, the right hand gets a real work-out using four finger patterns:

1) 1-3-2-5
2) 1-4-2-5
3) 5-2-3-1
4) 5-2-4-1

BTW, Franz Liszt used similar ascending runs in his Sonata in B minor, devoting a full page (#26) to them. This exercise keeps the Left Hand very simple, just providing an underpinning to the right hand's rippling runs.

Not only will this strengthen your right hand but also it will give you a new pattern, a new 'template', that you can incorporate into your own playing, improvisations and compositions.

Fingering is included.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Rippling Fingers Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Chord Inversions in the Allman Brothers Style.pdf

This exercise will help gain facility with the three basic Right Hand chord inversions: root position and first and second inversions.

The exercise is in two sections. In the 'A' section a 4-bar phrase is played in first inversion, then up to second inversion, and then up to root position. Then a second inversion chord descends more quickly through all the inversions. This completes the first 14-bar section.

The 'B' section repeats the first section but in a slightly enhanced variation, i.e., a couple of extra pick-up chords have been added leading into the original phrases.

Not only will this help you become more comfortable with chord inversions, it might also give you a little insight into the Allman Brothers style.

Difficulty: Moderate

A MIDI file of this exercise is also available:

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Chord Inversions in the Allman Brothers Style

Elmo Peeler - Repeated Note Exercise on the Most Common Cliche.pdf

Repeated notes can be a challenge for pianists, because to play them fast, different fingers must be used to strike a single piano key. This exercise will help one gain facility in performing repeated notes, plus improve Right/Left coordination.

In four parts, this exercise is built upon the most common cliché in rock-and-roll: C major triad in root position, F major triad in second inversion, C7 (no 3) in root position, and back to the F triad.

Each section is progressively more difficult, and builds on the preceding section. Fingering is included.

If you'd like to improve your technique and gain crispness, articulation and clarity, this exercise should prove quite helpful.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Repeated Note Exercise on the Most Common Cliche

Elmo Peeler - Boogie-woogie Chromatic Double-thirds Exercise.pdf

One of the more difficult piano techniques is playing a series of double-notes, i.e., two notes played simultaneously in the same hand, such as double-thirds and double-sixths. Although they can be challenging, the benefits of practicing them can be excellent in increased finger independence. Chopin's double-sixths etude and his double-thirds etude are considered among the most difficult of his Etudes, and also the most rewarding in terms of technical benefits.

This is a boogie-woogie-based study in double-thirds that is not as difficult as Chopin's Etude but is nevertheless challenging. Fingering is included, of course.

It is in four sections, each with a different boogie-woogie Left Hand pattern. The Right Hand stays pretty much the same, for effective repetitive practicing of the double-thirds.

The benefits of this exercise include increased finger strength, independence and agility.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Boogie-woogie Chromatic Double-thirds Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Exercise on Bruce Hornsby's Boogie-woogie Left Hand Pattern.pdf

This exercise will help you to learn the left-hand boogie-woogie pattern that Bruce Hornsby demonstrated in The Tree Man, a 2020 documentary about Chuck Leavell. Hornsby comments that "to play boogie-woogie like the crazy boogie-woogie masters - Meade 'Lux' Lewis and Albert Ammons, the guys from the 1930s & 1940s - is a serious split-brain thing". He then sets up a pattern in the left hand and improvises over it.

His left-hand pattern is similar to some other boogie-woogie left-hands, but not identical. Because it is an unusual pattern that I've not seen before, I created this exercise to help others to learn it and add to their own repertoire.

In The Tree Man improvisation Hornsby stays on the I-chord. This three-part exercise is based on a normal 12-bar pattern, complete with the IV- & V-chord changes. And Hornsby's right hand part is not used at all. In order for you to concentrate on the left-hand part, I've created a right-hand part that is less challenging than Hornsby's, but still uses important - and fun to play - boogie-woogie elements such as 'flips', a tremolo and contrary motion.

If you'd like to add Bruce Hornsby's boogie-woogie left-hand pattern from The Tree Man to your own bag of pianistic tricks, this exercise should be a big help.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise on Bruce Hornsby's Boogie-woogie Left Hand Pattern from The Tree Man  

(My transcription of Bruce Hornsby's original improvisation in The Tree Man is here.)

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Rhythmic 'Pushes' - Jackson Browne Style.pdf

A 'push' is when a chord is slightly advanced in time, usually by an eighth-note. This is a common type of syncopation that can add 'lift' to the piano track, used by most rock, gospel and jazz pianists. This particular exercise is in a style resembling Jackson Browne's, and will help improve Left Hand/Right Hand coordination.

The first half is in 4/4 and the last half is in 12/8 (a shuffle). Each of the two halves contain six 4-bar phrases, with each 4-bar phrase progressively adding a little more rhythmic complexity.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Legato, Fingered Octaves.pdf

This exercise, although short, demonstrates an important technique, i.e., how to play legato octaves by using the 4th finger on the black keys and the 5th finger on the white keys. Although the thumb still 'hops' from note-to-note, by using the 4th finger on the black keys legato octaves can be achieved. This also allows for more control of octaves in general.

This technique is not only used in classical performances but also in jazz and rock - from Oscar Peterson to Nicky Hopkins.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Legato, Fingered Octaves

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in 4-note Chord Inversions (Triads & 7th Chords).pdf

It is important to feel comfortable with not only root position chords but also all of the inversions of a chord. This exercise will increase one's facility in playing all the inversions of a chord, including major, minor, major 7th and minor 7th chords. This specifically addresses 4-note chord inversions in the Right Hand.

This exercise starts with four 6-bar sections:

1) Ascending triads
2) Descending Triads
3) Ascending 7th chords
4) Descending 7th chords

These first 24 bars have a very simple Left Hand pattern so that one can concentrate on the Right Hand chord inversions. Then the Right Hand repeats for the next 24 bars but with slightly more Left Hand notes, for a total length of 48 bars.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Fast Rock/Pop/Gospel Right-hand Octaves.pdf

Octaves are often used in rock, pop and gospel piano-playing, not just in classical. To play them with speed, accuracy and endurance it is important to have a flexible, hinged wrist and to strike the octaves from the wrist. If one's wrist is locked then the forearm must go up and down, requiring a lot more muscle/bone mass to be moved - a much less efficient motion, using much more energy.

This exercise is 37 measures long, and uses ascending and descending rock/honky-tonk/gospel scales in Right Hand octaves - major and minor pentatonic scales, Dorian and Mixolydian modes. The Left Hand is kept simple so that one can concentrate on the Right Hand octaves, which are fast and unrelenting, except for one brief break in bar 11.

This exercise will not only help the physical act of playing octaves - speed and endurance - but it also can help the player by showing which note choices are available, i.e., which notes to play on upward runs, and which to play on downward runs.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Right-hand Octaves

Elmo Peeler - Exercise No.2 in Yodeling 6ths (Chromatically Ascending & Descending).pdf

This is an exercise in up-and-down broken 6ths, which if sung, resemble yodeling. The 6ths ascend and descend chromatically, using fingers 1,2,4 & 5 - but never the third finger. This requires strength and independence of the 4th & 5th fingers, plus stamina to play through all 36 measures.

Practicing this exercise slowly and very gradually increasing the speed will increase strength, finger independence and stamina.

This exercise is in four sections: A, B, A, C - similar to Verse, Chorus, Verse, Out.

Each section can - and should - be practiced by itself.

Fingering is included throughout the entire exercise. It might seem counter-intuitive at first, but you'll find that it allows the fastest, easiest execution.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise No.2 in Yodeling 6ths (Chromatically Ascending & Descending)

Elmo Peeler - Blues Exercise No.11 - 3rds, 6ths & Flips.pdf

This exercise will help you gain facility with four important elements often found in blues piano-playing:

1) 3rds
2) 6ths
3) Flips
4) Thumb pivot

There are four 12-bar sections, each with a different left hand pattern.

The last two sections demonstrate how a blues phrase can be made even 'bluesier' by flatting the third rather than transposing ithe phrase up during the IV- and -chord changes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Blues Exercise No.11 - 3rds, 6ths & Flips

Elmo Peeler - 6-note Minor Pentatonic Blues Scale Exercise.pdf

The 6-note Pentatonic Blues Scale is used not only for blues, but also in many rock, pop and jazz pieces. And though most players learn it very early in their development, many never take the time to really master it. This exercise will help to learn a consistent fingering for the blues scale that will allow one to improvise more controlled solos and riffs without getting the fingers tangled up.

There are two parts for this exercise, which is in C minor. The first section is in 4/4 and the second is in 12/8 (a shuffle or swing rhythm).

One should first learn just the right hand runs, and then add the left hand octaves which increase the challenge a little, with the end result - after a little practice - being better left/right coordination and independence.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - 6-note Minor Pentatonic Blues Scale Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Blues Exercise No.12 - Alternating Hands Lick.pdf

This exercise demonstrates a technique that can break the monotony of a basic blues Left Hand pattern by occasionally alternating the two hands in a triplet pattern. Not only will it help your sense of rhythm but it should also help your Left/Right coordination.

Within one measure the technique is Left-Right-Left, R-L-R, L-R-L & R-L-R. In this 12-bar-blues exercise it appears in bars 5 & 6 (the IV chord) and also in bars 9 & 10 (the V & IV chords). However, it can be also used on the I chord, or any other chord in a progression that uses a blues/shuffle (12/8) meter.

Although the main point of this exercise is to help one become comfortable with alternating-hand triplets, an ancillary benefit is grace-note practice. In eight out of the twelve bars, a slide-off grace-note is used.

This should not only give you a little rhythmic lick to help your blues/boogie improvisations, but also improve your sense of rhythm/timing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Blues Exercise No.12 - Alternating Hands Lick

Elmo Peeler - Right Hand Lateral Motion Exercise.pdf

This exercise will help improve one's accuracy while moving the Right Hand from side-to-side. It will train the 1st & 5th fingers of your right hand as to the distance between octaves by using broken octaves, not solid octaves.

It will also strengthen your 2nd & 5th finger 'arch' that is used when the 2 & 5 simultaneously strike notes a 4th or 5th apart.

This exercise is in five sections:

A = 4 bars - Right Hand single notes only
B = 4 bars - Double-notes are introduced, with the pattern of "1, 2-5, 1, 2-5, etc."
C = 8 bars - Different chord progression
D = 6 bars - Harmonic rhythm (how often the chords change) of two beats, as opposed to four beats previously. Also, the range expands from two octaves to three.
E = 3 bars - The technical challenge is to strike the Left Hand notes and quickly get the hand out of the way of the subsequent Right Hand notes.

And it will also improve your Left/Right coordination.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Right Hand Lateral Motion Exercise

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Ascending Chord Inversions.pdf

This exercise will improve your ability to play chord inversions. Many pianists are comfortable with only a few inversions of a chord, e.g., the root position. This exercise uses not only the root position but also all three inversions of sixth & ninth chords.

It includes six sections - three in 12/8 (shuffle) and three in 4/4. The Right Hand stays the same while the Left Hand accompaniment changes in each section.

Not only will your facility with chord inversions improve, but this will also help improve Left/Right coordination.

Difficulty: Moderate

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Ascending Chord Inversions

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Cross-bar Phrasing - Based on 'Jessica' Rhythm.pdf

This exercise will improve your rhythm and help you learn a very important technique - cross-bar phrasing, which is when a musical phrase stays the same but begins on a different beat (or part of a beat) in each subsequent repeat. It's name comes from the fact that the phrase will extend across a bar line (or a number of bar lines).

A good example is found in the piano solo in "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers. Almost halfway through it, Chuck Leavell plays a short musical phrase - five 8th-notes with the fourth note accented - and then loops it. The accent which initially occurs on the first beat of the first bar (of that 8-bar section) does not reoccur on the first beat until bar six.

This exercise uses a nine-note phrase (the 9th note is a quarter note so the phrase is ten 8th-notes long), and loops it. It is a recurring 5-beat phrase in 4/4 meter so it always starts one beat later than it did in the preceding measure. As with "Jessica" the initial accent doesn't strike on the first beat of a bar again until bar six.

This exercise has seven sections (sections 5 & 6 are repeats to reinforce sections 1 & 2). The left hand is a simple one-bar boogie-woogie pattern.

If you've been intrigued by cross-bar phrasing but found it to be intimidating or beyond your ability, this exercise is a good way to start learning this important technique.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

To listen, just click: Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Cross-bar Phrasing - Based on 'Jessica' Rhythm

Elmo Peeler - Pig's Boogie Left-Hand Exercise.pdf

This exercise will help you learn the left hand boogie-woogie pattern on Nick Hopkins' "Pig's Boogie" (released in 1973 on his The Tin Man Was a Dreamer album).

It has seven sections in order of progressive difficulty. The first section is only the left hand pattern. The next three sections introduce right hand 'stabs', i.e., rhythmic chords (easy, normal, more challenging). Then there is a section with right hand tremolos. And the last two sections use a typical boogie-woogie right hand pattern.

The goal when learning any new left-hand boogie-woogie pattern is to get it to an 'auto-pilot' level, where you don't have to think about the left hand at all. At that point you can concentrate solely on right hand improvisations. Be patient. Even with conscientious daily practice, it can take several months.

Difficulty: Challenging

Two options are available:

1) Sheet music

2) MIDI file

Coming Soon:

Elmo Peeler - The Leon Russell Exercise - It's Finally Here!
 

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Last modified: November 1, 2024