Third Blues

Description

Third Blues is the next piece in the popular and beloved “Sequential Blues” series that started with First Blues and continued with Second Blues. This piece has a two-handed student solo using the D minor blues form. The student part has no eighth notes. The student left hand part occasionally goes up to an interval of a 6th with Bb, and the right hand goes down to C# at the very end. The pro-sounding teacher duet showcases the minor blues form, especially the descending bass line so common in minor blues. More advanced students can play the full D blues scale and experiment with rhythms and riffs.

Unlike First Blues and Second Blues, the student part in Third Blues can stand alone as a solo.

Key: D minor

Mood: mysterious, upbeat

Pedagogy: playing with both hands, minor blues form, hand extensions, finger crossings