Yes, it’s all about the bass! Our ears might gravitate to the melody, but the bass line is the real foundation of much music. But we often ignore it.
As pianists, we often pay more attention to what our right hand is doing than we do to our left. To a certain extent, this is understandable: after all, the right hand is where the “action” is. Our RH usually plays the melodies, improvised solos, and the flashy technical stuff. We HAVE to practice the right hand parts over and over simply in order to play the piece correctly.
But what about the bass??? What’s going on down there? Is it majestic? Funky? Do its note-choices result in colorful chord inversions? Do you know? Do you want to know?
Yes, you want to know! And by playing more attention to the bass line, whether you’re playing a Bach Chorale, a Bud Powell bebop tune, or Justin Timberlake’s funkiest dance groove, you’ll improve the way your music sounds and experience it more fully. Go ahead; play that bass!
Here are some free piano improv lessons for you (and yes, you can play them using your left hand too!)
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