Elmo Peeler Note-for-Note Piano Transcriptions | | |
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Dear Elmo,
Today is the fourth day of March and time again for my monthly newsletter, to keep you informed of recent transcriptions and other news of the last month.
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I apologize for the delay, but a week ago Mother Nature blasted L.A. & the Hollywood Hills with an historically strong, cold storm. I lost all power and had to move into a nearby hotel on the Sunset Strip, with things just now beginning to get back to normal.
As for my health, thanks for everyone's kind emails, but don't worry. I'll be back to 100% very soon.
I'd hoped to have finished the song that was paused on Oct. 22nd - a very well-known track, with an extraordinary - and lengthy - piano part, historically important on a level close to "Bat Out of Hell". It's well underway and hopefully will be completed by April.
For now - my first new offering since last September - I've transcribed Donald Fagen's "Standard 12-bar Blues (in A Major)" - yep, Mr. Steely Dan plays the blues.
Next month I'll be back hopefully with new transcriptions, exercises, etc.
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BTW, to make sure that my email doesn't end up in your Spam folder, please add me to your Contact list and/or mark my email as "Not Spam".
Note that every Title Heading is clickable.
Elmo Peeler
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ALL of the Sheet Music listed on my website has been personally transcribed by me, and guaranteed to be note-for-note perfect.
Whether you:
- have a cover band and want to get your keyboard parts exactly correct,
- are a professional who wants to study the styles of rock's greatest keyboard players, or
- are a hobbyist that wants to learn how to play pop/rock and great piano music,
...these note-for-note transcriptions will prove extremely helpful.
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Donald Fagen, co-founder of Steely Dan, early on - at the age of eleven - became what he himself termed to be a "jazz snob... I lost interest in rock 'n' roll and started developing an anti-social personality."
At age twelve he often went to the Village Vanguard and other NYC jazz clubs, seeing Earl Hines, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Bill Evans, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis and others. And he started learning how to play piano.
After graduating from high school he met Walter Becker in a coffee house in 1967. The rest is... music history.
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March's New Transcription - Donald Fagen - "Standard 12-bar Blues"
Note-for-Note Accuracy
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Most of my time recently has been spent on a large transcription project that is not quite finished. So my offering this month is a little bon-bon, in fact, a little Bluesy Bon-bon.
In 1993 Donald Fagen, co-founder, lead singer and keyboardist for Steely Dan, made a tutorial video,
Concepts for Jazz/Rock Piano, that includes him playing a 12-bar blues pattern on an acoustic piano. Warren Bernhardt played the Left Hand part on a Fender-Rhodes electric piano. I've transcribed both parts and combined them into a two-hand piano arrangement.
Donald Fagen says that this is similar to "Chain Lightning" from Steely Dan's Katy Lied album (1975). It demonstrates the two most common chord substitutions in Blues and Rock, i.e., the minor vi and the minor v chords over the root of the chord.
If you'd like to learn how to use these two important substitutions in your own playing - and see how Fagen himself uses them - this transcription/arrangement should prove very helpful.
Two options are available, sheet music and a MIDI file.
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There is no new exercise this month but here are two exercises from this past October, addressing two quite different styles.
Being able to play a 'shuffle' rhythm is important for rock/pop pianists and my new "Shuffle Exercise" will help you understand how to play a 'shuffle', i.e., a song in 12/8 meter. It will also increase your Left Hand/Right Hand independence and coordination.
It includes six sections:
1) Basic right-hand rhythm
2) Bumps, where the chord briefly changes
3) Flips
4) Octaves
5) Octaves and flips
6) Chords and Flips
It also repeats those six sections but with a different, slightly more challenging 'walking' broken-octave Left Hand pattern.
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My other 'new' exercise will help you to better understand Richard Tee's (and Billy Preston's ) style, especially one of his main 'licks', a descending series of R&B-flavored chords.
It explains the underlying scale (or mode) and gives two ways of harmonizing each note of that seven-note 'scale'.
It then gives four examples of how to use those chords to achieve the Richard Tee 'sound', including how he phrased them, plus gives an example of a typical Left Hand accompanying pattern.
BTW, if you need other good, effective technical exercises, please check out all of the 97 exercises
available.)
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Gospel Corner - Say 'Amen' Somebody
The Hangout Place for Gospel Classics
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You don't have to be from the Deep South to love Gospel piano, nor do you need to belong to any particular religion. All you have to have is a love for wonderful old-time, swinging, uplifting piano-playing.
Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Richard Tee and Ray Charles, some of the greatest keyboard players ever, loved the style and infused their own performances with Gospel licks and rhythms.
Inspired by the wonderful playing of the portly Associate Pastor/Musical Director of my childhood's Baptist Church deep in the piney woods of Mississippi, in recent years I've transcribed and/or arranged a few Gospel classics.
This little corner of my newsletter is where I'll keep you informed of my latest efforts to share that old-time Gospel sound.
Here are my Gospel transcriptions and/or arrangements, plus some exercises:
Full-blown Gospel:
Heavily Gospel Influenced:
Moderately Gospel Influenced:
Gospel-related Exercises:
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MIDI Corner - Transcriptions Turned into MIDI Files
Helpful for Those that Don't Read Sheet Music Well
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Most of my transcriptions have heretofore been available only as sheet music in PDF's. That is gradually changing - some are now also available as MIDI files, which can be especially helpful for those who would prefer to listen to them than to read the sheet-music notation.
This section of my newsletter is where I'll keep you informed of which transcriptions and exercises are available as MIDI files.
BTW, if you'd like my sheet music in a MIDI file, just let me know which one(s).
Here are the currently available MIDI files of my transcriptions, arrangements, and exercises:
MIDI Files of Rock, Pop & Classical Transcriptions:
Donald Fagen - Standard 12-bar Blues (in A Major) transcr/arr. by Elmo Peeler).mid - NEW!
Meat Loaf - "Bat Out of Hell" (with Tempo Map).mid
Bach - Violin Concerto, BWV 1042 - 2nd Mvmt - For Synth/Sampler or Piano.mid
Bach - Double Violin Concerto, BWV 1043 - 2nd Mvmt - For Synth/Sampler or Piano.mid
Booker T. & the M.G.'s - "Chinese Checkers".mid
Dave 'Baby' Cortez - "Rinky Dink".mid
Richard Tee - Contemporary Piano - First Piece.mid
Booker T. & the M.G.'s - "Hip Hug-Her".mid
Billy Vera & the Beaters - "At This Moment".mid
The Beatles (with Billy Preston) - "I've Got a Feeling" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Floyd Cramer - "One Day at a Time (Sweet Jesus)" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Gerry & the Pacemakers - "How Do You Do It" - Piano Solo (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Glenn Frey - "Route 66" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Don Henley - "You Don't Miss Your Water" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Billy Preston & The Beatles - "Without a Song" (gospel jam)(transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Ray Charles - "Makin' Whoopee" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Bonnie Raitt - "I Can't Make You Love Me" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
The Beatles (with Billy Preston) - "Get Back" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Mavis Staples - Hard Times Come Again No More (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender (arranged by Elmo Peeler).mid
Sugar Chile Robinson - Numbers Boogie (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Sugar Chile Robinson - Numbers Boogie - with Left Hand in Broken Octaves.mid
The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Van Morrison - Benediction - Piano Part (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
The Meters - Cabbage Alley - Piano Part - Intro & Verse (trans. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Elmo Peeler - A Whiter Shade of Pale - (arranged for Solo Piano).mid
Leon Russell - Shoot Out on the Plantation (studio version) (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Leon Russell - Shoot Out on the Plantation (Solo Piano version) (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
The Zombies - This Will Be Our Year - Piano Solo (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Liberace - Chopsticks (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Long John Baldry - Conditional Discharge (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire (1957) (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Jerry Lee Lewis - Trouble in Mind - 2 Pianos: Jerry Lee &Tony Ashton (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Allman Brothers Band - Southbound - Complete Piano Part with Solo (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Bill Payne - The Ballad of Davy Crockett (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Saving Mr. Banks (8 Different Songs) - Richard Sherman demos from "Mary Poppins".mid
Stevie Ray Vaughan - The House Is Rockin' - Piano Intro & Solo (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
MIDI Files of Exercises:
Elmo Peeler - Propulsion Exercise.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Flips & Tremolos in 3rds.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Transform a Melody into Floyd Cramer's Style - Mary Had a Little Lamb.mid
Elmo Peeler - Alberti Bass Exercise.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Harmonized Arpeggios for Two Hands.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise for Crossing Hands, No.2.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise for the Wrists - Banjo on the Piano.mid
Elmo Peeler - Articulation Exercise in 6ths, Inspired by Bach's Invention No.8.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Chromatic Double-thirds.mid
Elmo Peeler - Leon Russell Exercise.mid
Elmo Peeler - 4-5-2-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th fingers.mid
Elmo Peeler - 4-5-4-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th fingers.mid
Elmo Peeler - Rhythmic Exercise - Splitting the Left Hand.mid
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Even if you don't use the actual hardware synthesizers, there are software emulations that will allow you to play these patches on your computer, as VSTI's in your sequencer. These include:
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I've had the good fortune to have taught some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, and if you're serious about learning, I'll be happy to help you, too.
By means of Skype lessons (or in-person if you're in L.A.), I can coach you and help you to improve your technique, your rhythm, your ability to improvise, your knowledge of music theory, your sight-reading, and to develop relative pitch.
I've had the good fortune to have toured the world playing keyboards and arranging/conducting for these Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Artists:
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- The Beach Boys
- Rod Stewart - All 'Unplugged' Concerts
- Ricky Nelson - Stone Canyon Band
And I've also won classical piano competitions performing Beethoven, Rubinstein and Saint-Saens' Piano Concerti. See me playing here. "Josie's Boogie" is quite the virtuoso dramatic minor-key showpiece; check out the ascending double-octave run at the ending... :)
Thanks to the internet, I can help you play piano better - rock or classical, by ear or by note.
Or if you live near the Hollywood Hills, I'll teach you in my home or yours.
If you'd like to improve, drop me a note at info@manymidi.com. Tell me three things:
1) Your musical background
2) Where you are currently, musically-speaking
3) Your musical goals
To see me playing piano with Ricky Nelson on the Tonight Show, click here.
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My students include members of:
- Weezer (Rivers & Brian)
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Vampire Weekend (Ezra & newest addition, Greta)
- Incubus (Mike)
- The Strokes (Nick)
- Rooney (Robert)
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Jason Schwartzman (Mozart in the Jungle)
- Courteney Cox
- Pablo Dylan
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"First and foremost, I hope you are better soon.
Your insights and your transcriptions have been so helpful in getting the true sound of the songs I have purchased ("Shame on the Moon", "The Weight", "Sweet Home Alabama"). I am not aware of any other resource that does it the way you do, and you and your works provide a great service to the musical world.
I have played piano my whole life and would consider myself a "decent" player. I recently got the Against the Wind transcription and that solo is definitely a great one. At 62, I still enjoy learning more of these tricks of the trade!
Best to you,"
- Russell B.
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Los Angeles, CA
323-650-6602
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