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Piano & Voice With Brenda

Piano and Voice Training that WORKS.

  • Meet Brenda
  • The Versatile Musician
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  • Meet Brenda
  • The Versatile Musician
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The Charleston Rhythm

Turquoise background with piano keyboard on the bottom. Photo of Brenda Earle Stokes with her hands up. Yellow and pink letters read "The COOLEST Rhythm You've Never Heard Of"

The Charleston Rhythm is one of the most-often heard rhythms that you’ve never heard of.  It shows up all over the place, from jazz to blues to contemporary pop songs.  In this article I teach you all about this fantastic rhythm and how to use it in a wide range of songs you love.

What is the Charleston Rhythm?

The Charleston rhythm is taken from the popular 1920s dance style “The Charleston.”   Here is a video of Josephine Baker dancing the original Charleston.

The Charleston rhythm consists of a dotted quarter note followed by an eighth note.  

The Charleston Rhythm in music notation.

We count the Charleston like this: 

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The Charleston is played with both straight eighths (in a pop song or ballad) and swinging eighths (in a jazz or blues context), so make sure to work on it both ways.

Here are some examples of how to use The Charleston Rhythm:

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Free Fallin' by Tom Petty is a great example of The Charleston Rhythm at work.  The first half of the groove is this rhythm!

Kiss by Prince has a strong Charleston vibe throughout the song.  In this tutorial, I teach you some cool jazz piano voicings and we use the Charleston groove throughout.  A very cool arrangement!

Moondance by Van Morrison is another great example of The Charleston Rhythm at work.  This whole arrangement has a jazz piano throwback to it.  Check out how I put it all together!

Want to see how to use The Charleston Rhythm in a jazz context?  In this tutorial, I teach you the basics of jazz, which includes one of my favorite comping figures.  You guessed it - The Charleston!

As you can see, The Charleston Rhythm turns up all over the place.  What are some songs you know that use this great rhythm?

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Category: Jazz and Improvisation, Piano for Singers, Tutorials

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