How To Play Boogie Woogie Piano (Book/Audio)

This book is for piano players who are new to boogie-woogie. It is *not* for people who are new to piano. Having said that, assuming you can read both clefs fairly fluently, this book takes the approach that boogie-woogie is a vernacular piano style, not a formal one (like classical). So you learn it by playing it, not by reading it. So the book format is such that each chapter explains a common lick, shows you how it's played, shows you some variations, shows it used in a piece. Then it's up to you, to practice it till it becomes automatic, then build on it from there. How far you go is up to you, but it shows you the building blocks piece by piece, and gives you the confidence to try to put the pieces together. I'm a classically trained middle-aged pianist, returning after a couple of decades away, and I'm having a blast.

To the guy who rated this book 1 star because it was beyond his understanding - well obviously you didn't understand how to use the rating system either: it's NOT the fault of this book.If you've never played any piano before -a total beginner - this book may not be where you want to start. Learn the very basics of how to play first: where middle C is, very basic note reading in both bass & treble clef, etc. But just after that, you can use this book. I'd love it if more piano teachers taught 8 year olds how to play this music - they could do it with this book.Migliazza's broken down the often very complex runs done by boogie-woogie piano players (of which Migliazza is a MASTER and in the Boogie woogie Hall of Fame) into their basic, most fundamental components. This books isn't 500 pages long - Migliazza's got SO much knowledge about the music and the history, it surely could be. Instead he gives you a great foundation to build on. Along with the book, there are mp3's you can download AND videos on YouTube. My favorite thing about this book is that he tells you HOW to practice. He really wants you to succeed. I highly recommend this book!

This book is written in the tradition of Blues/Boogie-Woogie/Jazz musicians. The material is meant to be learned in small bits and then re-combined to create your own improvisations. In the language of "Classical" piano, think of it as creating your own "Inventions". It starts off with several standard bass lines and then gives you 7 standard riffs each with several different versions. The fun is just putting it all together bit by bit and coming up with some rollicking improvisations. It's a good companion workbook to 'Improvising Blues Piano' by Tim Richards.

I've studied piano boogie in the oral tradition for years, and found this book to be absolutely the BEST! These guys know how to break it down into comprehensible chunks. You don't have to be a skilled music reader to learn tons from this book and its accompanied audio tracks. As a veteran school teacher of 25 years, I can attest to the teachability of How to Play Boogie Woogie Piano! If you've been on the sidelines wanting to jump in and play the most enjoyable, foot-tapping piano music in the world, buy this book today!

I really enjoyed this book. I went through the whole thing and made significant progress. Arthur does a nice job breaking down most boogie woogie 'licks' into recognizable and repeatable tools in your toolbox. Once I began to think of it that way, it really raised my awareness of what boogie woogie really is as a musical style. Like anything, practice is of utmost importance, and this book gives you plenty to work with.

The title, as cliched as it might seem, really does nail it. This isn't a book on how to learn some boogie woogie songs or licks, this is a book about learning how to play the style of boogie woogie piano. The basics are condensed into 8 fundamental licks complete with several variations and examples, and they're presented in the context of learning to identify by ear these basic elements in songs you want to learn which then makes it easy to recreate and adapt them to a style that is your very own. There's some great advice on practice too, which I love, as well as some historical and contextual support to help you frame your approach in a way that is relaxed and not attached to exact replication, but instead to creative and true-to-yourself expression. Very well done. The layout is intuitive and the instruction is simple and clear. This guy's obviously got some experience teaching. There are a handful of misprints that are obvious to anyone with basic music knowledge. The corrections I just saw are listed in one of the comments below by the author if you want to be sure to catch them all. This is the second boogie woogie book I've gotten since starting to learn this style earlier this year and it's hands down the better road map. For all you Sound Opinions fans out there- this is definitely a "buy it" book!

I find this book to be incredibly helpful! I especially like the fingering suggestions! Right now I am working on the minor pentatonic scale exercises. I like the way it is organized. Each chapter has a lick with really fun variations. Audio is included. It is really helpful to have both notation and audio. This is not your usual "How To Play" book. This book is really fun to use and I look forward to each new chapter! A 'must have" for your music library!Chrissie Marshall

If you want to branch out from classical piano, this book is a great way to learn how.

This is a pretty good starting point for Boogie Woogie enhanced by the authors videos on Youtube. There is a video on gaining left hand right hand independence in blues/boogie woogie which is the best I have seen. If you want to go more into blues or go further in the genre then Tim Richard's "Improvising Blues Piano" is the most comprehensive book available.

For me this was perfect. Explains all the basics of how to play a 12 bar boogie woogie riff. However, you’ll need to be able to read music and play the piano at grade 3+.

This is a great instructional book. I bought it because i was watching Arthur's YouTube channel which was my first introduction to boogie woogie. You need to know the basics before this book will make sense.....i am learning Alfred's Adult Piano book alongside Arthur's.....which supports a lot.

Well written and a good selection of examples to go through and practise

Way above my level.I read music and play the piano.