This is my latest in a series of one-take piano improvisations, in the traditional 12-bar blues form. I didn’t plan anything in advance, I just sat down and played early this morning, using a warm Chicago style shuffle as a grounding framework. I decided to explore the key of F for this one.
There’s something quite stabilising about this kind of groove. The rolling left hand keeps a steady pulse, like a walking pace, like someone holding ground, while the right hand is free to explore and “speak”. I used a mix of blues scale melodies, Mixolydian triads, and gospel-inflected grace notes to shape the top line.
The shuffle feel, combined with major third inflections, gentle syncopation, Mixolydian triads, and phrasing that leans into the beat – gives this piece its Chicago blues flavour. There’s also a quiet nod to gospel phrasing, particularly in the use of call and response shapes and pulling on grace notes.
For me, this one felt like a moment of holding ground – emotionally and musically. A way of holding steady, while letting what needed to move, move.
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