When you think of the sound of The Blues — is your ear drawn to the music of a guitar or a piano?
When I think of The Blues — I think of the twangy melody of bending guitar strings.
It is in that magnificent bending string that the best blue notes are sounded that touch the mind and aggravate the ungrateful soul.
When I think of great piano music, I immediately think of Jazz and not The Blues — but maybe that’s just my lack of ear training and absence of practical experience.
Where do your decisions fall between Blues Guitar and Blues piano?
When I think of the blues, I think of two things: one, of elder Black men playing the guitar while singing, and two, of taking piano lessons when I was in high school and being taught about how important it was to learn blues chord progression in order to learn how to play improvised jazz.
Fantastic memories and insight, Gordon. I really hope you’ll write about your experience learning the blues chord progression. Few people really have a chance to formally learn it as you did.