Introduction Drop 2 and 4 voicings are very effective and consistent, and ideal for beginners to start grasping what each chord in a jazz standard is made of. Let's take a look at Afternoon In Paris chord by chord and learn how to play the chord progression using drop 2 and 4 voicings. We actually... Continue Reading →
How to play upper structure triads on the piano? 1. Find the correct chord/chord-scale pairing for the chord. 2. Classify your notes into inside note and outside notes. 3. Within the inside notes determine which is the root, the guide-tones, and the available tensions 4. Find triads that are all built with inside notes and contain at least one available tension 5. Play that triad on your right hand while playing the root on the two guide tones on your left hand
Here's a step by step tutorial on how to create a chart in Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro 8 on an iPad Pro using "Alone Together". We go chord by chord showing the features in the app and at the same time explain jazz harmony and how to view jazz chords as harmonic functions. https://youtu.be/WVPyQhVl6bM You... Continue Reading →
Wouldn't it be nice to just sit at the piano and play for hours on end improvising beautiful music in different styles and moods? Here's a list of 20 piano tricks that will change the way you play piano for ever. These piano tricks are much more than just a recipe of what to play.... Continue Reading →
When you purchase The Jazz Standards Progressions Book in PDF, the download includes a bonus XML file You can import into Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro. If you are in iOS (iPad or iPhone) you can import this Xml file into Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro. Here are the steps to take in order to do that.
If you want to adapt popular music to jazz, the best approach is to think of the harmonic functions (rather than just the chords) and then use techniques of tonal harmony. In the following video we show how to turn a very basic piano version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" into a jazz... Continue Reading →
There are many ways to expand and develop a chord-voicings vocabulary. A standard approach is to stack simple structures (triads, quartals, dyads) on top of other simple ones, thus creating a richer color palette for your voicings. These structures are usually called Upper Structures. In the Upper Structures over complete Jazz Standards Progressions book collection... Continue Reading →
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