Master Class Stride Piano

Master Class Stride Piano BY SCO S COT T T HE HEA ALY  October 1, 2009

Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of piano players like the mention of stride piano. This seemingly impossible impossible old style is like ragtime on steroids, and pushes jazz pianists to the limit. The left hand alternates a low bass, frequently played in tenths, with close position midrange chords, while the right hand provides melody, syncopations, lines, and runs. The total eect is a relentless, lockeddown swing eighthnote feel.

Even if you can’t invest the hours necessary to master stride, studying its fundamentals will increase your harmonic language skills and center your time feel. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with gaining an appreciation of an almost-lost art that has inspired everyone from Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, and scar Peterson to Dick !yman, "arcus #o$erts, %enny &erner, and 'ill (harlap. 'eyond the flash and the $luster of stride is a deep awareness of song structure, chord voicing, root movement and harmony, and most of all, swing.

Ex. 1. &hen playing stride, your left han d is the rhythm section, and it never lets up. Practice getting used to

the motion of your left arm, aiming low with your fifth finger to hit the $ass note, then moving )uickly to the middle register to gra$ a chord. *n e+ample a, the chords move from * to , / to t o (, using an alternating  $ass note on $eats  and 0. ne trick1 2tart the  3(4 on the fifth 354 of the chord instead of the root. This  way you don’t have to repeat a note 3(4. "ake your $ass line more melodic in $ $y starting the /6 on the third 3A4 in the second measure, then move down to the  through a passing diminished chord 3A$dim4. 2ince you start the  on the fifth 354, su$stitute 5m and make a ii-. 7pstairs, notice the chord voicings in the last two measures. The top notes in each chord create a nice melody 8 D, E, D, ( 8 and you can use  your thum$ to $ring these out. (lick here (lick here for  for audio.

 Ex. 2. "ost of the great stride players like 9ames P. 9ohnson, /ats &aller, Earl :/atha: !ines, and Art

Tatum played tenths in the left hand, and sometimes added a third note with the second or third finger. The top thum$ note adds a tenor voice and a rich counter-line; the effect is harmonically dense and e+ponentially more difficult to play. 5ive it a shot $ut don’t push it. (lick here for audio.

Ex. 3. Try the same constructions show in E+ample < with two hands, to make things a $it smipler. *t’s not

cheating to $reak up the tenth and, at fast tempos, this is an effective techni)ue. !ere is a complete eighth $ar A-section with a turnaround, using the passing diminished and ii-. (lick here for audio.

Ex. 4. *f you can handle tenths, here’s how it’s done. =otice the em$ellishing pickup at the end of $ar > 8 E

to /. (lick here for audio.

Ex. 5. The right hand in stride is $ased on swing eighth-note lines, usually $uilt on $roken-up chord tones.

Practice this e+ample with simple chords in the left hand and get used to really swinging the right-hand line. (lick here for audio.

Ex. 6. 7sing the same chords in the left hand, add some thirds. The off-$eat accents really make the riffs

pop, and any syncopation in the right hand will play against the pumping )uarter notes of the left hand 8  when you add them in with the ne+t e+ample? (lick here for audio.

Ex. 7. 2yncopate the right hand and you’re in full stride. *n measure , the left hand walks up in tenths; in

measure