stride piano

[bloke]

I'm sure most people here know what this is...

Fats Waller wasn't the first to do it at all, but is the most famous for it, because it he could tell jokes while playing stuff this intricate.

As is heard below, it's a technique whereby the left hand plays bass(octave)-chord-bass-chord-bass-chord, and the right hand plays the melodies with some harmonies...

...It is supposed to sound like two pianos.

The left hand "strides" between the bass octaves and the chords...



Here's the same virtuoso doing a theme and variations on an old cha-cha tune:



(I believe he is Dutch, and based in Kansas City.)

Here's an example of what a stride piano player does with his left hand when working with a bass player:

[tofu]

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