this excerpt from the public television program the piano guy
is brought to you by NAMM the international music Products Association
in this segment we're gonna go through
a really fun Jerry Lee Lewis tune called great balls of fire
sure you've already heard it but I've got a master that's going to help us
work through it
that's my good friend Carl Prost. Scott I'v never been called a master before
well I hate to put the pressure on that there you have it.
yeah when you can
This is a great party tune.
you cannot see Jerry Lee not being Jerry Lee.
recognizable song tear the piano up, light it on fire
you know there's a lot of glissandos I can see him banging away.
Let's give a few of those Jerry Lee Lewis licks out
we'll work our way through the tune
Straight ahead rock-and-roll tuen
We will play it in the key of C
That's the record key
a lot a major scale stuff that goes on the intro is
you know why don't you play a couple of measures without the intro
so we can get it in our head
okay so that that's where we are. That's the key we are in
C, F, G
there's a signature intro yes it just walks up
from the key of G all white keys
shake my nerves n you rattle my brains
Too much love... That was from C to F.
It started out GABC
that's it. You shake my nerves and you rattle my brains
too much love drives a man insane
Singing...
goodness gracious great balls of fire ... now we start in
This tune does not really follow the blues changes
It is still a 3 chord song using blues chords but not the changes.
C, F and G
That's the whole song
Looking at the lead sheet for this tune you are not going to play those chords
in root position you will need to do something Jerry Leeish ...
to play the left hand
What will you do with the left hand?
okay now basically I just go ...
you rattle my brains
you broke my well
goodness gracious great balls
singing ... So what are you doing
some sort
of a walking bass line
okay
So on that second one you really went down to an A.
So you are doing a 1-6.
Singing ...
Yes, so the walking part is just gonna be ...
okay
so really pick some kind of a boogie boogie pattern whether exactly that
one or
I can imagine a bass player in a band
something like that. the old standard
if you'd like
So really use your ears or something but you gotta make sure you're kinda
changing the chords when that happens- right , okay
What are you doing since your going to be singing this tune
this age-old thing if you're accompanying yourself you don't need to play
the melody line
so you're going to be singing the melody
what are you going to be doing
but just pretty much stabbing some chords probably on the 2 and 4
singing ...
and that's important that you have this break
okay
now I know that Jerry Lee tends to reach up for his version improvising
was to sit and bang a lot and look in pain
He did a whole lot of active stuff with the 5th
and the middle
okay so you are just playing a C and a G.
Come down one octave to make sure that we get this on the camera
So he is really just playing 8th notes. I also saw you do a slide up
what was that?
I call it a pivot point but I'm just doing a grace note
okay that is kinda
bluesy, stylistically appropriate thing. A little harder to do it half.
you would think it would be easier with all white keys but
I probably do a little too much of that. there are many variations
on that too
so you know
that's the one that I can really relate to
sonically that is a 6th an E & C
this yes okay the 3rd and one
Just for a second play that along with the bass so that we can
hear that
Jerry sound where he is banging on the top and you hear a bass line on the bottom
now we know it all looks like, now do it in the right octaves.
so now you are going to separate your hands
okay now that is starting to sound a little more authentic.
when you're doing these tunes you play a lot of these kind of tunes
rock and roll
fun things to hear on a piano and everybody is screaming
and throwing stuff at you
what a gig
you know you're in trouble when you have to play behind a screen fence
I need to move on
when you are doing that
is there any thought to working your way through an
arrangement of the tune
on a tune like this its burning from the first measure to the last measure
basically when I learn a song I try to get as close to the record as possible
my own versions might be a little different from time to time
that's in an effort to make it fall under my hand a little easier okay
other than that I try to keep the arrangement just like that if it's a
very short song I may want to lengthen it by adding an
extra bridge who knows what
Let's hear you play, great balls of fire
Thanks that was a ton of fun!
this excerpt is from the public television program the piano guy
has been brought to you by NAMMwho reminds you that playing a musical instrument
is a fun interactive hobby the benefits your mind body and spirit
it's never too early or too late to start wanna play?