Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner - Non Classical The Blues Piano of Johnnie Johnson

Hello everyone !

Johnnie Johnson needs no introduction, one of the most original and interesting blues pianist ever in te history.

On this cut with Chuck Berry , Its interesting to hear what his right hand is doing . Have a listen :

http://youtu.be/D8rtbw5KhS8

Can anyone tell/describe how this brittle, honky-tonky-ish sound is being created? It perfectly contibutes to the overall slow, soulful mood of the song.

Thanks!

There is method book of his style.

Hi bharatbash,

Great clip of Chuck Berry! I listened to it twice, but I'm not sure which part you mean. What I first thought was piano is actually played by Berry on guitar. You can briefly see his hands moving and strumming the fast tremolos, which in fact sound very pianistic. It's interesting to see these musical cross-connections!

Regardless of who's playing them, they sound great and can be easily played on piano. Johnson's style includes the use of parallel 3rds and 6ths, as well as much of the earlier R&B and jazz styles. Some of his playing sounds like Oscar Paterson with a rock beat underneath. Listen to Oscar's recording of Sandy's Blues:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwqyPRW8pkY

This is more complex than what Johnson usually played, but ha some of the same basic vocabulary.

Thanks for sharing the clip, and good luck with your playing!