[ePub] Hal Leonard Blues Keyboard Method by Marty Sammon at Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Resource For All Levels Of Playing!By milwaukeephilSammon provides amazing insight attained from decades of touring with Blues legends like Otis Rush. Buddy Guy. etc.! Chuck Leavell. keyboardist for the Rolling Stones. says it all in his foreward. This is a must have for any aspiring Blues keyboard player. Well written and easily understandable.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Fantastic advanced-level supplement to Mark Harrisons Blues PianoBy AlexGPlenty of people have posted so far to say that this is a good book--and it is! But some may be wanting a little more detail. as well as wondering whats distinct about this vs Mark Harrisons Blues Piano book. also by Hal Leonard. I own both so Im here to elucidate; both are superb. but its worth knowing what they each have to offer.Right off the top. the name gives some of it away--Harrisons book. as the title implies. is only piano. Not to say you couldnt apply some of it to other instruments. but it assumes acoustic piano and the audio tracks are all piano. Sammons book involves some other keyboards as well. hence the title. Ill spoil it by informing you that it is mostly piano. with a significant amount of organ as well. and a smattering of electric piano and clavinet. Organ and piano content are excellent; the clav and electric piano bits are good too but feel like an afterthought.Beyond the instrument choices. the approach is distinct as well in ways that reflect the respective authors backgrounds. Harrison is an educator who specializes in popular music and its various genres whereas Sammon is a touring sideman who plays the blues for a living. Harrisons book. consequently. is more clinical--I dont mean that in a bad way; in fact its quite helpful if youre not very knowledgeable of the blues already because he lays everything out in a way that makes understanding the theory and structure of blues easy. Harrisons book is systematic and very organized: heres some left hand patterns. heres some progressions.heres some comping techniques. heres some solo techniques. etc. Its pretty much what youd expect of someone who is an educator at heart and who doesnt specialize in the blues specifically but does understand it well. Sammons book is more forward and less cleanly organized. it really hits the ground running with the content. The examples have more punch to them. theyre more creative and capture the spirit of the blues better. but they dont address the foundations as cleanly and they dont build upon themselves the way they do in Harrisons book.The other most important difference is that this book (Sammons) is much more advanced. Neither of them are for beginners; I wouldnt recommend Harrisons book if youre not already intermediate or most of it will be over your head. but Blues Keyboard is definitely for experienced players only. Seriously. dont bother with this if youre not a good keys player. you wont be able to get off the ground--this is not a book for newbies or dabblers.The books supplement each other very well. Start with Harrison (as long as youre already fairly competent. because again. even that one has plenty of content thats too hard for a beginner). and then check out Sammon to round out your skills. Theres a lot of ground covered between the two of them. Oh. and then go find a jam group--thats where the real learning happens. Since the average blues jam group is 11 guitar players and a bassist (if they can find one). theyll likely be thrilled to have the variety you bring to the table ;)0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Grandma MoogieAmazing book. Extremely helpful!!!