Elmo Peeler Note-for-Note Piano Transcriptions | | |
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Dear Elmo,
Today is the first day of August 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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Leon Russell & Elton John | |
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This month there are two new, important transcriptions - one of Leon Russell re-arranging a Bob Dylan anti-war classic and the other of Elton John imitating Leon's piano style (during an interview where Elton explains why Leon was his piano hero).
Also new this month is a challenging exercise in Right Hand repeated notes, based upon the most common cliché in rock-and-roll.
And I'm still accepting new transcription requests - email me your wish list. Both of this month's transcriptions were my own indulgences, done because I felt that many of us can learn from Elton's take on Leon's style as well as from Leon directly.
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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! - Leon Russell - "Old Masters"
Elton John - "Still Uses This Tip Leon Russell Gave Him in 1970"
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Born in Oklahoma as Russell Bridges, young Russell began playing piano at the age of four.
He attended Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the same 1959 class as David Gates ('Bread'). He and Gates played and recorded together as the Fencement.
At 14 Leon was already performing in Tulsa nightclubs. "Oklahoma was a dry state and consequently there was no liquor laws, and I was able to take advantage of that by playing in nightclubs at the age of 14. It was real handy."
At 17, in 1958, Russell moved from Tulsa to Los Angeles, where as a first-call studio musician he played on many of the most famous recordings of the 1960s.
When Leon began working with Joe Cocker in 1969, he was already a veteran of the L.A. studio scene, a member of 'The Wrecking Crew', playing on many of Phil Spector's 'wall-of-sound' hits, plus hits by The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Bobby 'Boris' Picket, Herb Alpert, Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell and many others.
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Leon Russell - "Old Masters" | |
In early 1970 Joe Cocker needed to put together a band quickly for a U.S. tour and hired Russell to recruit the musicians. Russell hired members of The Wrecking Crew, the Delaney & Bonnie band, and Cocker's Grease Band, and began rehearsals. Those rehearsals led to the live Fillmore East concert that was recorded and released as the MadDogs & Englishmen album, along with the 1971 movie, Mad Dogs & Englishmen - a documentary of the Joe Cocker tour for which Leon served as Musical Director. Shortly thereafter, jam sessions with Delaney & Bonnie led to Leon recording "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" and "Faded Love" with them - late-night jam arrangements anchored by Leon's wonderful gospel-style piano accompanying Bonnie's plaintive voice. | | |
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And it was in August 1970 when Elton John gave his very first U.S. performance, with Leon sitting in the first row of the relatively small Los Angeles nightclub, The Troubadour.
Leon described it, "We'd been trying to get Elton for Shelter Records [the US record company started by Russell in 1969], but we were about a week late. I knew about him before he came to America; I had heard him with Long John Baldry. I sat down in the first row at the Troubadour, and he was brilliant.
"Sometime after the first Troubadour show, Elton and Bernie came over to my house. They were both very shy and very English, and Elton told me I looked like a proper rock star. "They liked a sign I had above the piano saying "Don't Shoot The Piano Player." I think maybe that was where they got the idea for that album title."
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Of that meeting, Elton remembers, "It was the most magical of times because here was my idol accepting me. Actually, he could eat me for breakfast [playing piano]. I came from England and being a huge fan of someone like him and to have him accept me and kind of take me under his wing and be really fantastic to me the whole time. It meant the whole world to me that someone could show me that generosity that you admired so much. It helped validate me by saying, "Well if he thinks I'm alright then I must be alright because he's my hero."
"I saw him and my knees went zzzippp!. He invited me up to his house and I thought he's going to invite me up there and tie me to a chair and whip me and say, "This is how to play the piano!" I was really scared. I (had) heard the Delaney & Bonnie album (1969's Accept No Substitute, which featured Leon Russell on piano) and I just went through the roof. I nearly retired at that point. I figured there wasn't much point in playing anymore."
1970 was quite a year for Leon himself: the Joe Cocker "Mad Dogs" tour, meeting Elton, and Leon's eponymous first solo album, which included "Shoot Out on the Plantation", "A Song for You", "I Put a Spell on You", and "Roll Away the Stone". "Old Masters" was recorded during those same sessions but not released until 1989 on the Gold CD version of Leon Russell.
My Leon Russell transcriptions:
Leon Russell - "Old Masters" - NEW!
Leon Russell - "A Song for You"
Leon Russell - "Crystal Closet Queen"
Leon Russell - "I Put a Spell on You"
Leon Russell - "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue"
Leon Russell - "Roll Away the Stone"
Leon Russell - "She Belongs to Me"
Leon Russell - "Shoot Out on the Plantation" (1970 Album Version)
Leon Russell - "Shoot Out on the Plantation" (Solo Piano Version released in 1989)
Leon Russell - "Tryin' To Stay 'Live"
Delaney & Bonnie - "Don't Deceive Me (Please Don't Go)" - Leon Russell, piano
Delaney & Bonnie - "Faded Love" - Leon Russell, piano
Bobby 'Boris' Pickett - "Monster Mash" - Leon Russell (?), piano
Joe Cocker - "Delta Lady" - Leon Russell, piano
Joe Cocker - "The Letter" - Leon Russell, piano
My Elton John transcriptions:
Elton John - "Still Uses This Tip Leon Russell Gave Him in 1970" - NEW!
Elton John - "Tiny Dancer" (from "Madman across the Waters" album) - Complete Piano Part
Elton John - "Tiny Dancer" (Live TV - "The Old Grey Whistle Test") - Complete Piano Part
Elton John - "Wonderful Crazy Night" (Live) - Complete Piano Part
Elton John - "Levon" - Chord Chart & Important Piano Fills
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August's New Transcriptions - Leon Russell - "Old Masters"
Elton John - "Still Uses This Tip Leon Russell Gave Him in 1970"
Note-for-Note Accuracy
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This month I have two new transcriptions. What they have in common is Leon Russell. One is actually Leon playing, and the other is Elton John trying to play in Leon's style.
In 1963 Bob Dylan wrote "Masters of War", comprised of eight verses (with no chorus). About seven years later Leon took just the first verse, sang it to the melody of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and called it "Old Masters".
Intended to be on Leon's eponymous 1970 album, it was removed at the last minute, and not released until 1989 on the Gold CD version of the album (along with other rare tracks, such as the piano solo version of "Shootout on the Plantation").
The track is just Leon's piano and vocal; this is a note-for-note transcription of the piano part. The first half is in 4/4, and then about halfway through, Leon breaks into a Gospel-influenced 12/8. Leon ends it with the longest walk-down I've ever heard, even longer than Ray Charles' own extended walk-down.
It's an extraordinary reworking of Dylan's anti-war classic - an inspired moment by The Master of Space & Time.
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My other new transcription this month is of Elton John demonstrating Leon's style. In a 2021 (?) interview Howard Stern asked Elton, "What were you able to take away when you first heard Leon Russell?" Elton replied, "When I first heard him play in like on the Cocker, he'd play like..." and immediately launched into an 8-bar phrase in Leon's style.
What caught my ear were a couple of chords that sounded like Leon/Elton hybrid chords - not your average triads or seventh-chords - so I created this note-for-note transcription of "Elton playing Leon" to see exactly how Elton perceives Leon's style.
It's Leon Russell as heard and understood through the ears and fingers of Elton John (and few musicians have ears as discerning as Elton's).
My transcription has the same title as the YouTube video, "Elton John Still Uses This Tip Leon Russell Gave Him in 1970". Watch it here.
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This month's new exercise is a challenging one, using repeated notes that require the changing of fingers on the same piano key.
In four parts, this exercise is built upon the most common cliché in rock-and-roll: C major triad in root position, F major triad in second inversion, C7 (no 3) in root position, and back to the F triad. Each section is progressively more difficult, and builds on the preceding section. Fingering is included.
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 101 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"
"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" - NEW!
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:
Leon Russell - "Old Masters" (with Tempo Map) - NEW!
Elton John - "Still Uses This Tip Leon Russell Gave Him in 1970" - NEW!
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 - Repeated Note Exercise on the Most Common Cliche.mid - NEW!
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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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:
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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 - channeling Leon on
"Old Masters"
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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 (Asteroid City, Mozart in the Jungle)
- Courteney Cox
- Pablo Dylan
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"...my audition (for a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band) was tonight and it went great!
I must say, your attention to detail with these transcriptions ("Call Me the Breeze", "Free Bird" intro) is amazing. I had gotten Sweet Home Alabama and the Tuesday's Gone solo from your site in the past. The band was surprised with how accurately I covered my parts. They want me to keep playing with them."
- D. M.
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Los Angeles, CA
323-650-6602
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