Pop/Rock Piano Lesson: Pop/Rock Piano Vamps

Lesson Goal: To internalize a collection of must-have Pop/Rock Piano Vamps… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…

Table of Contents

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Prerequisites

Basic music reading skills… basic scale, chord, and chord progression theory… basic technique… the LOVE of music and the discipline to study and practice.

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Study, Practice, & Performance Tips

1. Don’t be shy… Play it like you mean it!
2. Never play mindlessly and mechanically. Always aspire to play musically.
3. Your goal is not to merely memorize this, but to study and practice it until you internalize it using all four musical intelligences: ears, intellect, eyes, and muscles.
4. Every time you practice something, you are programming your brain. So always play accurately.
5. Practice with a Click Track or a Rhythm Track. Doing so will give you immediate feedback on any rhythmic misconceptions or places where your timing gets sloppy.
6. Record Yourself. Always. Listen to the playback immediately. And ask yourself: Is that what you intended to play?”
7. If anything feels tense or awkward, stop immediately and experiment with alternative fingerings or choreography.
8. Play this in other keys you expect to play in. By the way, once you see the patterns (which is guaranteed if you know your scales and chords) finding the notes in other keys will be a piece of cake!
9. If you feel stuck or overwhelmed, realize that anything can and will be mastered if you slow things down or break things down to small enough pieces.
10. All of this might sound like a lot of work, but it’s not nearly as much as you think. Because even though it takes time to talk about all these things, in practice they can all be done simultaneously!
11. Mastering all this takes no special talent. All it takes is a wee bit of knowledge and the discipline to employ a very short list of productive study and practice habits.

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Pop/Rock Piano Vamps

Vamp #1

First in a series of pop/rock piano vamps: A two-fisted syncopated alternation of C (I) and Bb (bVII) chords over a C (Do) pedal point in the bass…

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Vamp #2

Second in a series of pop/rock piano vamps: A slow, alternating C (I) and F (IV) chords over a C pedal point in dotted rhythm, great for rock ballads (a la “Wild Horses” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water”)…

Performance Tip: The feel should be laid back and unrushed with lots of subtle dynamics. Also, notice how the thumb of the left hand is “ghosted” (felt more than heard).

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Vamp #3

Third in a series of pop/rock piano vamps: An alternating C-F (I-IV) pattern over a pedal point in an up-tempo dance groove…

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Technique Tips…

1. It’s ok to release the repeated notes and chords before playing the next one
2. No flams between your left and right hand
3. Feel and keep time with your arms, not your fingers
4. Have some momentum going into each note and chord.

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Vamp #4

Fourth in a series of pop/rock piano vamps: A fun and bouncy pattern a la Sesame Street…

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Technique Tips…

1. Play each chord distinctly and with a separate emphasis without trying to connect them with each other. It’s ok to release the repeated notes and chords before playing the next one.
2. No flams between your left and right hand.
3. Play each chord as if you have one giant 10-finger hand!
4. Feel and keep time with your arms, not your fingers.
5. Have some momentum going into each note and chord.

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Vamp #5

Fifth in a series of pop/rock piano vamps: C-F-Bb (I-IV-bVII) over a pedal point, a great way to build energy…

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Technique Tips…

1. Don’t be afraid to bring out (accent) the off beats!
2. Play each chord distinctly and with a separate emphasis without trying to connect them with each other.
3. No flams between your left and right hands when they play together.

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Vamp #6

Sixth in a series of pop/rock piano vamps: C-F-C7 (I-IV-I7) over a funky bass line…

Technique Tips…

1. Play the bass line melodically!
2. Play each chord distinctly and with a separate emphasis without trying to connect them with each other.
3. Don’t be afraid to emphasize the off beats!
4. No flams between your left and right hands when they play together.

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Vamp #7

Seventh in a series of pop/rock piano vamps: A la Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move”…

Technique Tips…

1. The left hand is playable only if you allow the time to be expressed in the up-down, left-right, and roll rotation of your entire left arm.
2. It’s ok to release the repeated notes and chords before playing the next one.
3. No flams between your left and right hand. Play each chord as if you have one giant 10-finger hand!
4. Feel and keep time with your arms, not your fingers.
5. Have some momentum going into each note and chord.

back to… Table of Contents

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