Dear Elmo,

Today is the first day of an entirely New Year - Happy 2024! - and time again for my monthly newsletter, to keep you informed of recent transcriptions and other news of the last month.

Van Cliburn & Elmo (holding cup) at Interlochen - his hands were Huge, spanning a 13th!

The New Year kicks off with two brand-new exercises that will help you become more comfortable playing all the inversions of a chord, and improve your ability to play fast, challenging octaves.

December was very busy, transcribing a terrific jazz/blues recording of Joe Zawinul's, which is still not quite finished. It'll be available next month.

My own practice time continues to be spent on Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Brahms.

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

BTW, there's a story behind that photo of me onstage holding a rose. During a Ricky Nelson tour we'd performed in San Francisco the night before and were driving to the airport when I noticed an inexpensive camera on the back seat of our rental car. It belonged to none of us, so I took it and had its film developed.

That picture was the only photo on the roll, and I have no idea who took it or how the camera got into the rental car. But the picture captured a special moment in time. To whomever took the picture - perhaps it was the same person who sent the rose up to the stage - I say 'thanks'.

Also last month I created two exercises to help others in two important aspects of piano technique - chord inversions & fast rock/pop/gospel Right Hand octaves.

My two new exercises:

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in 4-note Chord Inversion (Triads & 7th Chords) - NEW!

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Fast Rock/Pop/Gospel Right-hand Octaves - NEW!

The Best of 2023

Last year, 2023, saw the release of ten new transcriptions. Listed in order of my favorites (from most to least):

B.B. King - "The Thrill Is Gone" - Electric Piano Part

Ray Charles - "Mess Around"

Meat Loaf - "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" - Piano & Clav

Donald Fagen - "Standard 12-bar Blues (in A Major)"

Richard Tee - "Happy Birthday Boogie Woogie"

Elton John - Still Uses This Tip Leon Russell Gave Him in 1970

Jacob Tolliver - "Boogie Woogie Country Man"

Leon Russell - "Old Masters (Masters of War)"

Bruce Hornsby - Boogie-woogie Improvisation from The Tree Man

Garth Brooks - "Squeeze Me In"

January's New Exercises - 4-note Chord Inversions - Major, minor, & 7ths

Plus an Exercise in Fast Rock/Gospel Right-hand Octaves

My second new exercise is my most challenging octave exercise yet.

This exercise uses ascending and descending rock/honky-tonk/gospel scales in Right Hand octaves - major and minor pentatonic scales, Dorian and Mixolydian modes. The Left Hand is kept simple so that one can concentrate on the Right Hand octaves, which are fast and unrelenting, except for one brief break.

This exercise will not only help the physical act of playing octaves - speed and endurance - but it also can help the player by showing which note choices are available, i.e., which notes to play on upward runs, and which to play on downward runs.

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 108 exercises 

available.)

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in 4-note Chord Inversions (Triads & 7th Chords) - NEW!

(to listen to it, click here)

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Fast Rock/Pop/Gospel Octaves - NEW!

(to listen to it, click here)

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"

"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)

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:

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 - Exercise in 4-note Chord Inversions - NEW!

Elmo Peeler - Exercise in Fast Rock/Pop/Gospel Right-hand Octaves - NEW!

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

• 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.

Franz Liszt - practicing the

Exercise in Fast Right-hand Octaves

"I have purchased several of your one-of-a-kind, album-accurate piano transcriptions (Rolling Stones' She's a Rainbow, Around & Around, Loving Cup, Bruce Springsteen's Because the Night) over the last year or two for my mother who is both a serious classical pianist with excellent technique and sight reading ability AND a big Rolling Stones fan who is helpless when it comes to learning by ear and relaxing into a rock and roll playing approach.

Your transcriptions have been invaluable in opening the door to some of her favorite music with the right feel and accuracy. Thank you for bringing so much joy!

...thank you again for your phenomenal work!"

- Adrian C.