“Boogie-Woogie Prayer” Tutorial
Welcome to the “Intro To Boogie Course”, lesson 6.
In this lesson, we are going to put together all of the things we’ve covered which are: the basslines, licks, slurs, trills, slide-offs, and turnarounds.
We will apply all of these ideas and concepts to the tune “Boogie Woogie Prayer” by Meade Lux Lewis. The recording for this tune is interesting because it was recorded by 3 piano players – Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson, & Albert Ammons – all playing at the same time.
These 3 legendary boogie-woogie players each play over the choruses… it’s definitely a recording you should check out.
The Form & Elements Of Boogie-Woogie Tunes
Boogie-woogie tunes share many similarities, mainly through the form, the key, the basslines, and the chord changes. However, boogie-woogie tunes are also often unique in their introductions and other aspects of the performance.
In this lesson, we will create a full arrangement for “Boogie-Woogie Prayer” and talk about the unique features of the arrangement.
Lesson Downloads
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“Boogie-Woogie Prayer” Transcription File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
Diminished 7th chords are not as common as major, minor and dominant chords and so you don’t see them as often in jazz standards.
Let’s use the notes of the minor blues scale, the major blues scale and the extended blues scale to create different types of blues licks of riffs.
To play a rootless voicing we leave out the root of the chord and play one of the upper extensions to get a richer, more colourful sound.
Practice Tips
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When playing boogie-woogie tunes, it's common to play 2 or 3 verses, and then head 'off-road' with some improvised verses.
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After improvising over the form, you can then return to 'the head' of the main theme of tune.
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For the improvised sections, try to transcribe a line from a boogie record.
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Next, practice playing this line over the whole form. Experiment with different notes, different rhythms, different syncopation etc... and soon the line will become your own.
