Roof to Basement – 12-Bar Blues Improvisation in G

This improvisation is an upbeat 12-bar blues in G, drawing on Chicago / barrelhouse influences with boogie woogie style bass patterns and gospel drama.

The left hand has a shuffle groove spiced with chromatic broken octave walk-ups and descending links between chords. The right hand explores tremolo 6ths and 3rds, repeated triplet figures, Mixolydian/blues-scale riffs, and chromatic chord movements borrowed from the introduction.

The piece begins high up, with a rapid sequence of ascending chromatic dominant 9ths, before crashing into the groove with a white-key glissando.

The ending slows the turnaround into gospel-style block chords, then ascends in a five-octave Sammy Price inspired flourish before a final bass note which signals a return to the basement.


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My regular piano improvisation recordings are automatically scheduled and published here on my blog every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Each recording is a raw, unedited exploration of musical self-expression. Music often holds up a mirror to our inner worlds; what emotions or imagery arise for you as you listen?

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