How to Play Beale Street Blues on Piano

In this blog post, we’ll show you how to play the Beale Street Blues on piano. By following the simple steps outlined in this post, you’ll be playing the blues in no time!

Introduction

Beale Street Blues is a song written by W. C. Handy in 1916. The song is a twelve-bar blues in 3
4 time. The chord progression is characteristic of classic blues form.

The song was first recorded by Byron G. Harlan on February 7, 1917, and became one of the first blues songs to achieve widespread popularity. It has been recorded by many artists since then, including Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Count Basie, and Eric Clapton.

The 12 Bar Blues Form

The most common blues form is the 12 bar blues. This form is used in almost all blues songs, whether they are slow or fast, simple or complex. The 12 bar blues is made up of 3 chords: the tonic chord(also called the “root” chord or just the “root”), the sub-dominant chord, and the dominant chord. The tonic chord is always played for the first four bars, the sub-dominant chord is played for bars 5-8, and the dominant chord is played for bars 9-12.

Here is a typical 12 bar blues progression in the key of C:

C C C C
F F C C
G G C C
F F C C

As you can see, the first four bars always repeat. This is because the tonic chord(C) is being established as the “home base” or “root” of the progression. The next four bars see a move to the sub-dominant(F), which gives some relief from all that tonic(C). Finally, we move to the dominant(G) for some more tension before resolving back to the tonic(C) to finish off the progression.

Beale Street Blues

Beale Street is a blues street in Memphis, Tennessee. In the early 1900s, it was a major African American cultural hub in the South. W.C. Handy, a famous composer and musician, lived on Beale Street and wrote the song “Beale Street Blues” in memory of the street’s vibrant atmosphere.

If you want to learn how to play “Beale Street Blues” on piano, there are a few things you need to know first. The most important thing is to familiarize yourself with the 12-bar blues form. This form is used in countless blues songs, so it’s important to understand how it works if you want to be able to play this genre of music effectively.

Once you understand the 12-bar blues form, you can start learning how to play “Beale Street Blues.” The song uses a very simple chord progression, so it’s a great one to use as you’re learning how to play blues piano. You can find a sheet music transcription of the song online or in many piano instructional books.

Once you have the sheet music in front of you, take some time to analyze the chords that are being used. Be sure to pay attention to any chord substitutions that are happening as well (these are common in blues songs). You don’t need to memorize anything at this point, just get a general idea of what’s going on harmonically.

Now that you have an understanding of the chords being used in “Beale Street Blues,” it’s time to start working on your technique. The left hand will be playing simple quarter note bass lines while the right hand plays the melody and accompanying chords. Start by practicing each hand separately until you’re comfortable with what they’re doing. Then slowly put them together and practice playing the entire song from start to finish.

“Beale Street Blues” is a great song for beginners because it uses simple chords and bass lines that are easy to play. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be able to play this classic blues tune on piano in no time!

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this quick guide on how to play Beale Street Blues on piano! As always, practice makes perfect, so be sure to put in the time to master this classic tune. With a little bit of effort, you’ll be impressing your friends and family with your musical skills in no time.