June Free Sheet Music: Worried Man Blues
- Jun 1
- 3 min read
Hi Piano Pals
I hope you are enjoying some nice weather wherever you are in the world. It's heating up here in Southern California, and our gas prices are astronomical. There are so many things to worry about these days, I thought I'd offer you some optimism in the form of sheet music for Worried Man Blues. This time last year we were studying Boogie Woogie blues in C, and you can use those skills to play Worried Man Blues in F. The Stanley Brothers sang it as a country song, but Van Morrison used a fast Boogie/Rock n Roll style.
This song has lots of verses which you can look up, or you can make up your own about whatever is worrying you. And you can certainly change the gender to say "worried woman" (gal? girl? or mama, as Ida Cox sang); no problem adding the extra syllable! Keep repeating, then when you are ready to end it, stop at "Fine" where you see the dotted line.
When you start the song, practice the left hand alone, working towards moving from the F measure to the B-flat measure, the B-flat back to F, and the C to F etc. without losing your steady beat. It takes a while to get those transitions smooth, so keep persevering. I like to have my students practice those leaps with their eyes closed to develop an intuition for how far the left hand needs to go. Close your eyes just for the jumps; you can keep your eyes open while reading the rest of the music.
Here's my demonstration as a slow Boogie, but you can speed up the tempo if you'd like. Why not try singing along as you play? You don't have to have a trained voice to sing the Blues 💙
Do you have any special goals or intentions this summer? Books you want to read, places you want to visit, people you want to reconnect with, or pieces you would like to learn? I was thinking of revisiting one of Bach's two-part inventions or Preludes, and I'd like to sing and play some new French songs. I hope to do a little local traveling (maybe by train) and take lots of hikes with friends. I have a huge pile of books to read this summer and am currently reading The Midnight Train by Matt Haig, and Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, and listening to The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. I am really enjoying and highly recommend them all!
Leave a comment below and tell us what you are interested in playing/reading/doing this summer - I just love to connect with you! Be well and play on.... With love and music, Gaili
P.S.If you are new to this blog, welcome! I post free sheet music every month, usually 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 (called Piano Powered), 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 wrote: “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 giveaways possible. Thanks so much for your support!
Thanks to Gaili's ongoing encouragement, I try to play some every day, whether it's classical or other. When I do, I'm a happier person, I play better each time, and I promise to never skip a day at the piano again. Promises are easily broken, aren't they? When taking lessons at age 10 many years ago, my teacher kindly mentioned more than once that I hadn't been practicing. I asked her how she could tell. Haha. She had said I had the talent, so I guess I felt that was good enough!
Hi, and thanks so much for all the music! Coincidentally I just picked up Bach's first invention, in C, so it's really simple to play and very upbeat and lively and also very pretty! It might be a good one? But I know whatever you choose will be great fun. Thank you.
Thank you ! I m still busy with dream. Little dream of me . But this song will be nice after the boogie weeks