🎹 The weirdest advice I ever got (that actually worked)

Hey my friend,

I hope you’re having a great Wednesday. April weather is treating us nicely this year!
(at least in Berlin)

There’s one piece of advice I got early on in my boogie woogie journey that sounded... completely wrong.

I got this advice from a legendary boogie woogie pianist after a concert I played in austria…

It went like this:

“If you want to groove better… slow down.”

At the time, I laughed. I thought,

But the truth?

That advice changed everything.

When I first tried to learn boogie woogie, I wanted to rush.

I wanted to get that left hand rolling, the right hand sparkling, and everything flying at full speed—now.

But every time I tried to play fast before I was ready, it sounded messy.
I’d stumble. Rush notes. My timing would fall apart.
I didn’t feel in control—I felt like I was chasing the groove.

And that’s when that old advice came back to me:

So I did.

I forced myself to practice at half-speed.
I made sure every left-hand note landed exactly in the pocket.
I paid attention to how it felt—not just how it sounded.

And guess what?

That groove I had been chasing?
Suddenly, it started showing up—naturally.

Groove is born from control.
From confidence.
From being so locked in at a slow speed that your body knows what to do when you finally speed up.

It’s not about rushing to the finish line.
It’s about building the foundation that will hold up when the tempo climbs.

If you’re struggling with rhythm, timing, or that rolling feel…

Try this:

🎹 Take the boogie pattern you’re working on right now and play it at 50% speed.

Play it until it feels relaxed.
Until you don’t have to think about it.
Until you feel like you're dancing, even while playing slow.

Then slowly bring the speed back up.
Not to rush it. But to reveal the groove that was hiding underneath.

I know it sounds weird. I didn’t believe it either at first.

But I’ve seen it work not just for me, but for my students too—no matter their level.

Boogie woogie isn’t about how fast you can play.
It’s about how deep your groove can go.

So today, if you only do one thing…

Slow down. Lock in. Let the groove come to you.

Your future self (and your rhythm) will thank you.

Keep playing,
Jonah

PS: I’ve gotten so many requests asking for when I’ll be doing the free masterclass - I’ll announce it soon! Maximum a month from now. Me and my buddy are still making sure the technical side of things is working. It’s going to be awesome… 🎹