Country Piano Study
The country piano has gained tremendous popularity thanks to great instrumentalists and singers known for their mastery of vocals as well as the piano, banjo, fiddle, and upright bass.
The United States gave birth to this new way of making music in the early 1920s. From then until today, it has remained one of the most iconic musical styles of the American South.
What Is Country Piano?
Country piano is one of the modern ways to express this musical style.
At first, the traditional instruments were the guitar, upright bass, fiddle, and banjo. With the arrival of the piano, however, musicians found an instrument that brings even greater harmonic richness to country vocals.
Country Piano Styles
Country piano features a wide variety of musical forms, but the most important are Outlaw, The Foggy Mountain, First Date, Eagle Rock, Queen Of Diamond, Playin’ For Keep, and The Valley Trail, among others.
The Best Country Pianists
Many musicians have made a name for themselves in this genre, but the biggest names are those who managed to blend many musical forms with country piano.
Among the most iconic, we find:
- Jerry Lewis.
- Ray Charles.
- Argus “Pig” Robert.
- Leon Russell.
- Moon Mullican.
A Country Piano Method
Mark Harryson is the author of the best method for getting started with country piano. It is made up of six chapters that will guide you through some of the fundamentals of the genre's origins, technique, performance, and styles.
The first part covers the history of country and its connection to the piano, while the remaining chapters dig into the harmonic and melodic aspects of the music.
Scales and Chords
You will be able to review the major and minor scales in their natural, sharp, and flat forms. You will also reinforce your understanding of the distance between the various scale degrees.
One strength of this method is that it explains how key signatures work, so you can identify what key a song is in straight from the sheet music.
Another important topic is the scale modes, which you can study right from the first chapter, along with chord triads, how they are built, and the ever-useful pentatonic scale.
Harmony and Voicings
In this section of the country piano method, you will deepen your knowledge of chord inversions and how they contribute harmonically to building voicings.
Another key thing you will practice is bass accompaniment and arpeggios with the left hand. Each exercise comes with an accompanying audio track that will be a great ally during your practice sessions.
Progressions and Accompaniment
Once you reach this chapter, you will learn about the rhythmic patterns of the different country piano styles. You will also explore time signatures so you have a sense of how they are written out in the sheet music.
In the chapters that follow, you will be able to learn and practice the right-hand techniques using both the sheet music and the audio to play some interesting solos. You will also explore the various country piano styles so you can recognize and perform them.
A quick reminder that you can download the book in PDF format, and we are also including the audio so you have complete support throughout your practice sessions.
