July Free Sheet Music: Boogie #4

Happy July piano friends!

I am writing to you from Castroville, CA, an agriculture community known as the "Artichoke Center of the World." So I have been enjoying all things artichoke - steamed, grilled, dip, pasta, salad and pizza! It really is an amazing vegetable. When you look at one, all woody and spiky, you have to wonder, who was the first person to imagine we could eat it? I also love being here where I see goats, sheep horses and wild turkeys on my daily walks. And I'm close to an estuary with amazing birds and the cutest sea otters. It is replenishing to the soul to get out of the city and be near animals and fields with crops. I hope you get to be in nature this summer, or are lucky to live in nature year round!

PRINT: Boogie Woogie #4

Today is the fourth installment of my LEARN BOOGIE series - each Boogie arrangement raises your challenge a notch or two. Today's Boogie moves the right hand eighth note rhythm from beats "1- and" to beats "4 - and."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyRM_nuAP50

In this video I show how the R and L hands move together for Boogie #4

Since your brain has already had to cope with playing on beats "1- and," switching to playing on beats "4 - and" will make sense. But as usual, it might feel completely impossible with the first few tries 😅. But don't doubt that you can get it with time and practice! Keep working at it, watching my video, and eventually playing your right hand notes with mine. You might want to start with just the TOP notes in the right hand to make it easier to play as you focus on the rhythm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGq4DvztqH0

Right Hand play the top notes only in this video for Boogie #4

Once you've got the rhythm, you can start to practice Boogie #4 as written:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7nKASv7-qM

Boogie Woogie #4 as written

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If you are new to this blog, welcome! I post free sheet music every month, arranged for beginning to intermediate piano students, plus worksheets, practice tips and information on music and the brain. I have written piano instruction books for older adults (UpperHandsPiano.com), younger adults and teens (PianoPowered.com), Songs of the Seasons piano sheet music books for seasonal classical and popular favorites, and my latest piano/guitar/vocals books called The Music Remedy: sheet music collections to restore and revitalize the spirit. In her review of my Upper Hands Piano BOOK 1 for Clavier Companion, The Piano Magazine (May/June 2016), Susan Geffen writes: “Upper Hands Piano, Gaili Schoen’s comprehensive method for adults over fifty, is so good and so original that it’s difficult to know where to begin. With the expert selection of repertoire? Or perhaps with Schoen’s emphasis on the mental benefits of playing the piano? Or maybe with her friendly, encouraging tone? And certainly her well-considered approach to harmony is worth mention.”

I hope you will check out my books on the links above as book sales support this blog and make my freebies possibly. Thanks so much for your support!

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Good luck with Boogie #4. I hope you are enjoying your expanding rhythmic abilities and are beginning to feel more confident about Boogie #1 and #2. Remember, it takes time and practice to build new skills, so be patient with the process, and keep playing a little each day, even if it's only for 10 minutes before bed. Leave a comment below and let us know how you're doing!

With love and music, Gaili