Blues Disciple Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 From a technical playing standpoint, what do you fellow keys artists consider "boogie woogie" piano playing? I consider any uptempo, blues or old-time rock-n-roll number with a I-IV-V pattern (or modifications thereof)with a four to eight note per measure walking bass to be considered boogie woogie. Am I far off the mark? If I am off, what exactly is the specific definition? BD PS... I watched "Great Balls of Fire" earlier this week (Jerry Lee Lewis' biographical movie). Dennis Quaid had the Killer down to a tee. Jerry Lee did all the piano work---truly unbelievable playing. I picked up several tips and licks just by watching! "With the help of God and true friends I've come to realize, I still have two strong legs and even wings to fly" Gregg Allman from "Ain't Wastin Time No More" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by Blues Disciple: From a technical playing standpoint, what do you fellow keys artists consider "boogie woogie" piano playing? I consider any uptempo, blues or old-time rock-n-roll number with a I-IV-V pattern (or modifications thereof)with a four to eight note per measure walking bass to be considered boogie woogie. Am I far off the mark? If I am off, what exactly is the specific definition? BD PS... I watched "Great Balls of Fire" earlier this week (Jerry Lee Lewis' biographical movie). Dennis Quaid had the Killer down to a tee. Jerry Lee did all the piano work---truly unbelievable playing. I picked up several tips and licks just by watching!My definition would be rythmic music with a strong repetitive bass. Unfortunately this does not work either - some Beethoven gets in under this rule! So, lets add "and relative rythmic freedom of parts". Probably find some Chopin still sneeking in through the back door. And I have not totally eliminated stride. I would not would not specify blues or rock and roll, or the I-IV-V chord limitation. You can boogie-woogie anything. There's a chap (name forgotten) down in the Bay Area who's specialty is boogie-woogie renditions of Beatles songs. There always was a strong popular music, rather than blues based, school of boogie-woogie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveMusic Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by Blues Disciple: ...I watched "Great Balls of Fire" earlier this week (Jerry Lee Lewis' biographical movie). Dennis Quaid had the Killer down to a tee. Jerry Lee did all the piano work---truly unbelievable playing. I picked up several tips and licks just by watching!Wow, you must be as easy on actors as I am on musicians. That goes to show you how people see things differently. I thought it was one of the worst examples of acting I've EVER seen. I thought he over-acted REALLY bad. Jerry Lee is sure one weird cat, but I didn't like Quaid's portrayal at all and I thought to myself "What a shame he screwed up this character so bad." I did enjoy the story, though. > > > [ Live! ] < < < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveMusic Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by Byrdman: ...There's a chap (name forgotten) down in the Bay Area who's specialty is boogie-woogie renditions of Beatles songs. There always was a strong popular music, rather than blues based, school of boogie-woogieWhomever this is, does he have recordings? If you have any idea how to figure out who it is, let me know. Thanks. > > > [ Live! ] < < < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues Disciple Posted March 25, 2002 Author Share Posted March 25, 2002 Yes, I am easy on actors. When it comes to movies, I'm like the guy in the art gallery---I don't know if its good or not, but I know what I like. Often movies I like are killed and left for dead by movie critics. I agree that Quaid did do some overacting with regards to Jerry Lee's accent, gestures, facial expressions and so on....almost to the point of being aggravating by the end of the movie. But being I haven't ever seen Jerry Lee live, or interviewed on TV, etc. I can't say for sure if Quaid's acting was on target or not. I do think he looked just like him and that his stage antics were on target. Quaid also pulled off the "I'm Jerry Lee Lewis, THE real king of Rock n Roll, and you can kiss my ass" attitude that Jerry Lee has projected most of his life. Now a boogie woogie question: LiveMusic--from your earlier posts its obvious you are book learning some BW styles. Is one of the styles to use the thumb of the left hand to keep time/add to the walking beat of the other left hand fingers by hitting the root note of the chords an octave higher than the walking bass part? I've been recently adding this to the straight bass, and it works in some parts, but detracts in other songs. Also, I am starting to understand your quandry with the right hand rhythm to the eight-note per beat boogie woogie walking bass line----on a slow number now problem--speed it up and mass confusion erupts all over the keyboard. Just adds to my admiration of Jerry Lee's playing. BD "With the help of God and true friends I've come to realize, I still have two strong legs and even wings to fly" Gregg Allman from "Ain't Wastin Time No More" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevush Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 I dunno the technical definition, but I consider boogie woogie to be playing a very defined bass line that uses alternating octaves. C,C+1 E,E+1 G,G+1 A,A+1 Bb,Bb+1 etc. My favorite line in Great Balls of Fire is when Jerry Lee Lewis sets his piano on fire and tells Chuck Berry "follow that!" Anyone know if that story is true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues Disciple Posted March 26, 2002 Author Share Posted March 26, 2002 According to "Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis story", the part about Jerry Lee setting the piano afire and his comment to Chuck Berry (the movie leaves out the racial slur JLL added to the comment) is indeed true. Great act of bravado huh? After the piano burning incident, Jerry Lee and Chuck Berry traded off on headliner status for the rest of the tour and became lifelong friends. Talk about two wild ones getting together---think of the hell they could have raised when acting as a pair! BD "With the help of God and true friends I've come to realize, I still have two strong legs and even wings to fly" Gregg Allman from "Ain't Wastin Time No More" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted March 26, 2002 Share Posted March 26, 2002 Originally posted by LiveMusic: Originally posted by Byrdman: ...There's a chap (name forgotten) down in the Bay Area who's specialty is boogie-woogie renditions of Beatles songs. There always was a strong popular music, rather than blues based, school of boogie-woogieWhomever this is, does he have recordings? If you have any idea how to figure out who it is, let me know. Thanks.Sorry, don't know. I heard him live maybe 6 years ago playing at an antiques fair out in Livermore. I sat and listened while my wife looked at antiques. He had this old piano which he presumably shlepped with the aid of a Tommy lift on a truck and had it miked, as far as I could tell, with several contact mikes glued to the sound board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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