Roof to Basement – 12-Bar Blues Improvisation in G

I share my piano improvisation recordings here as a journey in raw, musical self-expression, and I invite you to listen to these snapshots of my internal world; the technical notes are extras for those who wish to explore the music theory further. I also use this creative space to support Cats Protection.

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?

🐾 Music for a Cause: These recordings are free to listen to. I also use this creative space to support Cats Protection, the charity where I adopted my own lovely cats. If my music brought a moment of joy to you, and if you are able, please consider making a small, voluntary donation directly to them via my JustGiving Page, or you can just share this blog post with someone who might like the music. Please never feel any obligation to give — your ears, your time, and your shares are support enough. ❤️

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© Copyright 2015-2026 Ruth Pheasant. All rights reserved.

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