Let’s explore the basic ingredients of that quintessential country piano sound made famous by pianist Floyd Cramer…
Cramer’s ideas are based on the Pentatonic Scale-Chord Pairs for the “big 3” chords–I, IV, V.
The driving melodic and harmonic force of each scale-chord relationship is that “the 2” of each scale/chord wants to resolve to “the 3” and “the 6” of each scale/chord wants to resolve to “the 5”.
Here they are for the “big 3” chords (C, F, G) in the key of C Major…
Listen to the 2-3 resolution for a C chord…
Listen to the 6-5 resolution for a C chord…
Listen to the 2-3 resolution for an F chord…
Listen to the 6-5 resolution for an F chord…
Listen to the 2-3 resolution for a G chord…
Listen to the 6-5 resolution for a G chord…