How long I need to practice piano in general before trying to learn playing blues?
Is playing blues understood as advanced skill or something that it is possible to start learning without significant background?
I basically know which notes are which on the keyboard and can play some simple melodies from my textbook. How important is to spend more time on general studies? Blues seems attractive for me because of the rhythm and possibility of improvisation.
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You don't say how much musical knowledge you have away from piano. I play guitar, I've never studied piano and I don't own a keyboard instrument. But I can play bluesy stuff on the piano no problem. Here's a bluffer's guide to playing blues in the key of Am/C which is of course the easiest key to play on piano.
Right hand: Blues scale A C D Eb E G. the Eb gives it the bluesy feel, especially if you play A C D Eb!. You might get away with throwing in a B, but an F will sound way too jolly.
Left hand: play an A5 (E+A, with the E low.) Following the blues progression, introduce D5 (A+D) and E5 (B+E). To give more variation, build up rhythms by adding 6ths and 7ths (the notes in between the ones you are already playing.
The opening of Beethoven's Fur Elise follows a blues scale an makes an awesome crossover piece if you change the rhythm slightly.
Note: by A5 I mean A with no third. This term is common in rock, not sure if it is used in classical.
A lot of blues numbers are built around the 12-bar sequence. This is, in its simplest form, I I I I IV IV I I V IV I V. Put this in, say, C,and the chord sequence is four bars of C, two bars of F, two bars of C, one of G, one of F, one of C, and the turnaround chord of G. Each of these sounds more bluesy with the added b7. So the first C7 chord will contain C-E-G and Bb. Play these as block chords, or arpeggiate them: playing C-E-G-Bb on each beat in each bar will be a start for you.(This is left hand accompaniment, for you to improvise with right hand over it).
You should start NOW !!There's no need to get any more knowledge in order to get going !
Just start doing it. Obvious starting point is to just play around with the blues scale.
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