Elmo Peeler Note-for-Note Piano Transcriptions | | |
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Dear Elmo,
Today is the first day of April - Happy Springtime! - and time again for my monthly newsletter, to keep you informed of recent transcriptions and other news of the last month.
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My new transcription this month is a Jerry Lee Lewis classic, "No Headstone on My Grave" - his original studio recording of it (5:20 in length), done in London in 1973. It would become a concert staple as an anthem for Lewis and his God-fearing persona.
BTW, to make sure that my email doesn't end up in your Spam folder, please add me to your Contact list and/or mark my email as "Not Spam".
Note that every Title Heading is clickable.
Elmo Peeler
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ALL of the Sheet Music listed on my website has been personally transcribed by me, and guaranteed to be note-for-note perfect.
Whether you:
- have a cover band and want to get your keyboard parts exactly correct,
- are a professional who wants to study the styles of rock's greatest keyboard players, or
- are a hobbyist that wants to learn how to play pop/rock and great piano music,
...these note-for-note transcriptions will prove extremely helpful.
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In the News! - Jerry Lee Lewis - "No Headstone on My Grave"
The Original Studio Recording - The 1973 London Sessions
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Having toiled in obscurity for most of the '60s, Jerry Lee Lewis was the most bankable country star in the world by 1973, living the rock and roll lifestyle to the hilt.
Jerry Lee was commanding $10,000 per show ($70,000 in today's money) and had his own plane, first a DC-3 (the same one Rick Nelson died in years later), with "room for all manner of hangers-on and amiable drunks and pretty women with no particular place to go," and later a Convair 604. By all accounts, the sessions were tense. Part of the reason for this may have been the fact that Lewis had rarely ever recorded outside of Tennessee; and feeling out of his comfort zone and surrounded by a bevy of long-haired musicians, he masked his insecurity by ramping up his already considerable bravado.
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"I seen all these cats standing around," Lewis recalled in the liner notes to the 2006 box set A Half Century of Hits. "Real long hair and everythin’. I turned to Junior and I said, 'Boy, have I made a mistake comin’ over here.'" His temper, always infamous, was not helped by the booze and pills that sustained him, and although the musicians (who were actually only a few years younger than him, for the most part) were reverential, Lewis' flippant attitude comes across. "So much for that," he says wearily at the conclusion of "Sea Cruise." "Next?"
BTW, I've already transcribed "Trouble in Mind", which was recorded during those same London sessions.
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April's New Transcription - Jerry Lee Lewis "No Headstone on My Grave"
Complete 5:20-long piano part including challenging solo
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My new transcription this month is of Jerry Lee Lewis' original studio recording of "No Headstone on My Grave".
It took a lot of time because of the length - 5:20 - and the complexity. The Killer throws in lots of notes during the solos.
Recorded during his 1973 London sessions, using a lot of celebrity session musicians, it included Peter Frampton, Albert Lee, Alvin Lee, Chas Hodges, Gary Wright, Matthew Fisher, Klaus Voorman, Kenney Jones, and others.
The album title was literally The Session... Recorded in London with Great Artists.
But Jerry Lee was unhappy to be recording in London instead of Tennessee, and also unhappy with the musicians, whom he didn't know.
Plus, he was drinking a lot and taking pills.
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All of those factors made him angry - sort of like a petulant child - and that anger came out as very aggressive piano-playing, as seen in the piano solo especially. This is a note-for-note transcription of the entire piano part in "No Headstone on My Grave".
My new Jerry Lee Lewis transcription:
Jerry Lee Lewis - No Headstone on My Grave - NEW!
(click here to listen)
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March's Exercise - Blues Exercise #11 - 3rds, 6ths & Flips
Some of the Most Important Elements Used in Blues Piano
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Sorry, but there is no new exercise this month because transcribing "No Headstone on My Grave" required so much time. But if you like blues or slow boogie, please give a listen to last month's Blues exercise.
Almost everyone loves to play the Blues. My old friend Ian McLagan told me that blues was his favorite form of piano-playing (and that Otis Spann was his favorite blues pianist).
Like any other style, blues uses certain 'elements' over and over, just in different contexts and tempi.
My new exercise this month will help you gain facility with four important elements often found in blues:
1) 3rds
2) 6ths
3) Flips
4) Thumb pivot
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Included are four 12-bar sections, each with a different left hand pattern. The last two sections demonstrate how a blues phrase can be made even 'bluesier' by flatting the third rather than transposing it up during the IV- and V-chord changes.
Two options are available, sheet music and a MIDI file.
BTW, if you need other good, effective technical exercises, please check out all of the 110 exercises
available.)
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Gospel Corner - Say 'Amen' Somebody
The Hangout Place for Gospel Classics
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You don't have to be from the Deep South to love Gospel piano, nor do you need to belong to any particular religion. All you have to have is a love for wonderful old-time, swinging, uplifting piano-playing.
Leon Russell, Billy Preston, Richard Tee and Ray Charles, some of the greatest keyboard players ever, loved the style and infused their own performances with Gospel licks and rhythms.
Inspired by the wonderful playing of the portly Associate Pastor/Musical Director of my childhood's Baptist Church deep in the piney woods of Mississippi, in recent years I've transcribed and/or arranged a few Gospel classics.
This little corner of my newsletter is where I'll keep you informed of my latest efforts to share that old-time Gospel sound.
Here are my Gospel transcriptions and/or arrangements, plus some exercises:
Full-blown Gospel:
Billy Preston & The Beatles - "Without a Song" (click here to hear it)
"I'll Fly Away" - arranged by Elmo Peeler (click here to hear it)
"Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" - arranged by Elmo Peeler (click here to hear it)
"Amazing Grace" - as played by Ethel Caffie-Austin (click here to hear it)
"Victory in Jesus" - as played by The Gaithers (click here to hear it)
Heavily Gospel Influenced:
Richard Tee - Contemporary Piano - First Piece
Floyd Cramer - "One Day at a Time (Sweet Jesus)"
Don Henley - "You Don't Miss Your Water"
Mavis Staples - "Hard Times Come Again No More"
Van Morrison - "Benediction"
Richard Tee - "Happy Birthday" (version 1)
Richard Tee - "Happy Birthday" (version 2)
Jeff Beck Group (Nicky Hopkins) - "Girl from Mill Valley"
Plum Nellie - "A Love Like Yours"
Plum Nellie - "That Lucky Old Sun"
Bill Payne (of Little Feat) - "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"
Lari White (Bill Payne on piano) - "Lead Me Not"
Ray Charles - "Sweet Sixteen Bars"
Billy Preston - "Will It Go Round in Circles" - Gospel-style Intro by Billy Preston
The Rolling Stones (Billy Preston on piano) - "Shine a Light"
Delaney & Bonnie (Leon Russell) - "Faded Love"
Leon Russell - "She Belongs to Me"
Don Henley - "You Don't Miss Your Water"
Moderately Gospel Influenced:
Billy Vera & the Beaters - "At This Moment"
Bob Dylan - "Piano Mood" - Gospel-style piano improvisation
Delaney & Bonnie (Leon Russell) - "Don't Deceive Me"
Jackson Browne (Craig Doerge on piano) - "Rock Me on the Water"
Jerry Lee Lewis - "When the Saints Go Marching In"
James Taylor (Clarence McDonald on piano) - "Steamroller Blues" - Piano Solo
Leon Russell - "Old Masters"
Ray Charles - "Heartbreaker"
Ray Charles duo with Billy Joel - "Baby Grand"
Gospel-related Exercises:
Transform a Melody into Floyd Cramer's Style - Mary Had a Little Lamb
ii-chord Bump Exercise
Gospel Chord Exercise No.1
Gospel Chromatically-Descending Riff Exercise - Ethel Caffie-Austin's Signature Lick
Gospel Rhythm Exercise (in the style of Lari White's Good Good Love)
Descending R&B-Gospel Riff Exercise - Billy Preston-Richard Tee Style
R&B-Gospel Elements Exercise, incl. Substitutions - Billy Preston-Richard Tee Style
Exercise in Contrary Motion - Gospel-Rock
Exercise in Gospel - Walk-ups & Walk-downs, IV-chord Bumps & Strums
Exercise - How To Transform a Melody into Gospel
Gospel & Stride Exercise - Crossing the Left Hand over the Right
Exercise - Ray Charles Ending (Extended Walk-down)
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MIDI Corner - Transcriptions Turned into MIDI Files
Helpful for Those that Don't Read Sheet Music Well
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Most of my transcriptions have heretofore been available only as sheet music in PDF's. That is gradually changing - some are now also available as MIDI files, which can be especially helpful for those who would prefer to listen to them than to read the sheet-music notation.
This section of my newsletter is where I'll keep you informed of which transcriptions and exercises are available as MIDI files.
BTW, if you'd like my sheet music in a MIDI file, just let me know which one(s).
Here are the currently available MIDI files of my transcriptions, arrangements, and exercises:
MIDI Files of Rock, Pop & Classical Transcriptions:
The Fleetwoods - Mr. Blue - Arranged for Solo Piano.mid
Joe Zawinul - Jazz/Blues Acoustic Piano 4-minute Improvisation (1963).mid
Bruce Hornsby - Boogie-woogie Improvisation from The Tree Man.mid
Elmo Peeler - "Ashokan Farewell" arranged for Solo Piano (with Tempo Map).mid
Leon Russell - "Old Masters" (with Tempo Map)
Elton John - "Still Uses This Tip Leon Russell Gave Him in 1970"
B.B. King - "The Thrill Is Gone"
Jacob Tolliver - "Boogie Woogie Country Man"
Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood - "Squeeze Me In"
Meat Loaf - "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" (with Tempo Map)
Ray Charles - "Mess Around"
Richard Tee - "Happy Birthday Boogie-Woogie"
Donald Fagen - Standard 12-bar Blues (in A Major) transcr/arr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Meat Loaf - "Bat Out of Hell" (with Tempo Map).mid
Bach - Violin Concerto, BWV 1042 - 2nd Mvmt - For Synth/Sampler or Piano.mid
Bach - Double Violin Concerto, BWV 1043 - 2nd Mvmt - For Synth/Sampler or Piano.mid
Booker T. & the M.G.'s - "Chinese Checkers".mid
Dave 'Baby' Cortez - "Rinky Dink".mid
Richard Tee - Contemporary Piano - First Piece.mid
Booker T. & the M.G.'s - "Hip Hug-Her".mid
Billy Vera & the Beaters - "At This Moment".mid
The Beatles (with Billy Preston) - "I've Got a Feeling" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Floyd Cramer - "One Day at a Time (Sweet Jesus)" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Gerry & the Pacemakers - "How Do You Do It" - Piano Solo (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Glenn Frey - "Route 66" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Don Henley - "You Don't Miss Your Water" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Billy Preston & The Beatles - "Without a Song" (gospel jam)(transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Ray Charles - "Makin' Whoopee" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Bonnie Raitt - "I Can't Make You Love Me" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
The Beatles (with Billy Preston) - "Get Back" (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Mavis Staples - Hard Times Come Again No More (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender (arranged by Elmo Peeler).mid
Sugar Chile Robinson - Numbers Boogie (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Sugar Chile Robinson - Numbers Boogie - with Left Hand in Broken Octaves.mid
The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Van Morrison - Benediction - Piano Part (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
The Meters - Cabbage Alley - Piano Part - Intro & Verse (trans. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Elmo Peeler - A Whiter Shade of Pale - (arranged for Solo Piano).mid
Leon Russell - Shoot Out on the Plantation (studio version) (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Leon Russell - Shoot Out on the Plantation (Solo Piano version) (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
The Zombies - This Will Be Our Year - Piano Solo (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Liberace - Chopsticks (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Long John Baldry - Conditional Discharge (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire (1957) (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Jerry Lee Lewis - Trouble in Mind - 2 Pianos: Jerry Lee &Tony Ashton (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Allman Brothers Band - Southbound - Complete Piano Part with Solo (transcr. by Elmo Peeler).mid
Bill Payne - The Ballad of Davy Crockett (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
Saving Mr. Banks (8 Different Songs) - Richard Sherman demos from "Mary Poppins".mid
Stevie Ray Vaughan - The House Is Rockin' - Piano Intro & Solo (transcribed by Elmo Peeler).mid
MIDI Files of Exercises:
Elmo Peeler - Blues Exercise No.11 - 3rds, 6ths & Flips
Elmo Peeler - Exercise No.2 in Yodeling 6ths (Chromatically Ascending & Descending)
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in 4-note Chord Inversions
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Fast Rock/Pop/Gospel Right-hand Octaves
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Legato, Fingered Octaves
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Rhythmic 'Pushes' (Jackson Browne Style)
Elmo Peeler - Exercise on Bruce Hornsby's Boogie-woogie Left Hand Pattern
Elmo Peeler - Boogie-woogie Chromatic Double-thirds Exercise
Elmo Peeler - Repeated Note Exercise on the Most Common Cliche.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Chord Inversions (in the Allman Brothers style).mid
Elmo Peeler - Rippling Fingers Exercise.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Crossing Hands - No.3.mid
Elmo Peeler - Propulsion Exercise.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Flips & Tremolos in 3rds.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise - Transform a Melody into Floyd Cramer's Style - Mary Had a Little Lamb.mid
Elmo Peeler - Alberti Bass Exercise.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Harmonized Arpeggios for Two Hands.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise for Crossing Hands, No.2.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise for the Wrists - Banjo on the Piano.mid
Elmo Peeler - Articulation Exercise in 6ths, Inspired by Bach's Invention No.8.mid
Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Chromatic Double-thirds.mid
Elmo Peeler - Leon Russell Exercise.mid
Elmo Peeler - 4-5-2-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th fingers.mid
Elmo Peeler - 4-5-4-1 Exercise for the 4th & 5th fingers.mid
Elmo Peeler - Rhythmic Exercise - Splitting the Left Hand.mid
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If you're using a vintage synthesizer, please check out our synth patches here.
These are the most highly-organized and best-sounding synth patches available anywhere, guaranteed. Get the most out of your vintage hardware with these large patch libraries:
Ensoniq
Kawai
Korg
Roland
Yamaha
Even if you don't use the actual hardware synthesizers, there are software emulations that will allow you to play these patches on your computer, as VSTI's in your sequencer. These include:
Nils' K1v – Kawai K1 Emulation Plugin
Korg Legacy Digital Edition (for M1 & T1 synths)
Native Instruments FM8 (for DX7 synths)
Aurora FM (for DX7 & TX81Z synths)
SQ8L (for ESQ-1 synths)
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I've had the good fortune to have worked with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, and if you're serious about learning, I'll be happy to help you, too.
By means of Skype lessons (or in-person if you're in L.A.), I can coach you and help you to improve your technique, your rhythm, your ability to improvise, your knowledge of music theory, your sight-reading, and to develop relative pitch.
I've had the good fortune to have toured the world playing keyboards and arranging/conducting for these Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Artists:
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- The Beach Boys
- Rod Stewart - All 'Unplugged' Concerts
- Ricky Nelson - Stone Canyon Band
And I've also won classical piano competitions performing Beethoven, Rubinstein and Saint-Saens' Piano Concerti. See me playing here. "Josie's Boogie" is quite the virtuoso dramatic minor-key showpiece; check out the ascending double-octave run at the ending... :)
Thanks to the internet, I can help you play piano better - rock or classical, by ear or by note.
Or if you live near the Hollywood Hills, I'll teach you in my home or yours.
If you'd like to improve, drop me a note at info@manymidi.com. Tell me three things:
1) Your musical background
2) Where you are currently, musically-speaking
3) Your musical goals
If you'd like to step back in time, watch me playing piano with Ricky Nelson on the Tonight Show - click here.
And here is a video of us playing three songs on The Midnight Special. And here we are on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show.
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Franz Liszt improvising on
"No Headstone on My Grave"
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My students include members of:
- Weezer (Rivers & Brian)
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Vampire Weekend (Ezra & newest addition, Greta)
- Incubus (Mike)
- The Strokes (Nick)
- Rooney (Robert)
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Jason Schwartzman (The Hunger Games - 2023, Asteroid City, Mozart in the Jungle)
- Courteney Cox
- Pablo Dylan
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"thanks for the D version!.. I won't play the E version, never been good reading the sharps. It's not a hard song, its all about the feel. I usually just play by the chords, but you did well with this arrangement.
I always loved this song ("Mr. Blue" - The Fleetwoods). It has more than the standard 1,4,5 or 1,6,4,5 chords of early rock. I have purchased from you before, and will buy more in the future.
Often I purchase sheet music and never learn it, in favor of working on originals, but this one is good."
- Bill F.
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Los Angeles, CA
323-650-6602
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