I’ve been fascinated with Elton John’s piano playing ever since I bought his Greatest Hits (on cassette!) when I was about 14 years old. I still love his music, and I learn something new every time I listen to one of his recordings.
Lately, I’m becoming more and more interested in the influence of classical music on Sir Elton, and I’ve made a video to share a fun pianistic exercise with you that explores this musical connection.
First, have a quick look at this video, where rock and roll DJ Jim Kerr asks Elton specifically about this classical influence, and Elton demonstrates it on the piano:
Elton John Demonstrates The Chord Structures In His Songs
Now… check out this piano exercise I came up with that will help you explore the relationship between Elton John and Classical music, using Chopin’s Prelude in Cm.
Exploring Elton John and Classical music
Have fun!
Ron
PS – I plan on writing and publishing a new piano ebook each month during 2020. They’ll cover various musical genres including rock, pop, jazz, blues, and maybe others as well. The first one, for January, contains professional-sounding yet “playable” walking bass lines and right hand rootless chord voicings for 20 famous jazz standards. If you’re looking to expand your musical horizons into the exciting world of jazz piano, you may want to check this out. Here’s the link:
Get Ready To Jam, Vol. 1
https://gum.co/getreadytojamvol1