stride piano

American  

noun

1. a style of jazz piano playing in which the right hand plays the melody while the left hand plays a single bass note or octave on the strong beat and a chord on the weak beat, developed in Harlem during the 1920s, partly from ragtime piano playing.

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Etymology

Origin of stride piano

First recorded in 1950–55

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stride piano

He also happens to be one of jazz’s most riveting pianists — a largely self-taught master of stride piano, with a lightning-fast right hand.

From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2018

He plays me the first few bars of something caught between ragtime and barrelhouse, full of stride piano left-hand chords, his long fingers flicking this way and that.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 30, 2018

His mother taught elementary school, and his father, a self-taught stride piano player, owned a general store.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2016

This two-night run will feature him alone with a core premise: jazz standards and stride piano, offered with flair.

From New York Times ● Dec. 18, 2015

The two girlfriends climb the stairs, led straight to the right place more by the stride piano pouring over the door saddle than their recollection of the apartment number.

From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison

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