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Hi,
I am new on this forum. I am making the switch to keys from guitar. Since I am teaching myself I will need to ask questions from time to time. Hope this is the right place. I made some big mistakes when teaching myself guitar(I finger barre chords with switched ring/pinky placement,with big hands it felt better,until I tried advanced blues).
I had 2 yrs of piano 30 yrs ago in uni as part of my audio engineering program at NYU, but soon abandoned keys for guitar except to fill in bass parts when bass players went missing. I know theory and can read treble clef but have to think about bass clef. Over the last month I have been refreshing my piano licks. I know major/minor/7/m7 chords in all keys with both hands, but will need to relearn all the inversions. And I gotta get my lesser used scales automatic again. So I sort of have a direction.
So,my first question. Watching lesson vids on youtube I see different teachers playing the same song(Midnight Hour)but using different bass fingerings for the same notes. The difference seems to be one guy covers the whole octave as a position while playing the bass riff, where the other holds the chord-shape and moves it up and down from C to F. Since alot of the basslines I have used all these years on keys were simple, based on root/5/oct with the standard 4/6 variations, I am more comfortable approaching bass with my big hand spread root to oct. Moving the C chord up to the F by moving your whole hand, when all I need do is use my fingers seems "uneconomical". Besides, there is a simple F inversion where I can leave my pinky anchored on the C key. Am I missing something here? Remember, as a guitarist I think in chords. I will be focused on blues/rock for now, since its what I know best, but want to work up to boogie-woogie/rags and Commander Cody/Lynyrd Skynyrd style country-rockers.
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Adios,
mannshands

Really? We'll see.

Two suggestions:

1. Use paragraphs. This was very hard to read. (you did say any input)

2. Go on youtube and search for left hand piano. There is a very good demonstration of ten different left hand patterns complete with fingerings. I'd post the link but youtube is blocked to this location.

Hi MH, and welcome to the ABF!

I’m not one to be giving advice on playing a piano, but it has been my observation that the left-hand bass fingering technique is rather individual and not all are exactly the same. I try to watch and listen to others (who can play a lot better than me) play and observe their style and fingering technique.

So, my best advice to you is to select a LH style or riff that you want to play, and mimic others to see how it sounds and feels to you and then apply your own style/technique.

For example, I wanted to learn to play the Jerry Lee Lewis left hand boogie style and it was really awkward and difficult at first. However, now I can really let it fly with my left hand and it sounds so good to me it makes me want to jump up off the piano bench and knock the bench over with my legs and really let myself go!!

But, of course, I have to restrain myself and act civilized at the piano or my wife will think I’m not living right!! (But what she don’t know won’t hurt her/just kidding )

Fact is, if I enjoyed playing those oldie rock-n-roll tunes on the piano any better, people would think I was high on drugs.

Hope this helps!

Rick

The secret of good left hand playing is a good left hand technique. A good technique means using your hand to:

1) Produce good notes.
2) Get ready for the next note.
3) Be able to play notes fast
4) Play relaxed