One of the most iconic piano intros in the history of jazz is Bill Evans' intro in "I Do It For Your Love" from his album Affinity. The chords he plays in this intro are so unique and captivating that they leave listeners wondering where they came from and how to create something similar. In... Continue Reading →
Click here for version 9 for iOS What's new in version 9 for macOS The Analyzer Add-on An incredible and unprecedented tool, not found in any app on the market today. The Analyzer is able to solve a complete harmonic analysis of any chord progression written in an ordinary text editor. It finds key centers,... Continue Reading →
Introduction The harmonic minor is one of the three main source scales in music. This is a seven note minor scale with a b3, a b6 and a natural 7th. The related modes group from this scale offer quite a few interesting textures, sometimes overlooked by many jazz beginners. Here's a taste of what this group... Continue Reading →
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 →
Here's a short list of how to play piano chords in 12 levels, using different techniques from beginner to insane. What are the 12 levels of playing chords at the piano? Root Position | Closed Voicings InversionsOpen Voicings | Drop VoicingsOctave Displacement & DuplicatesExtensionsRootlessFunctional Chord/Chord-scales pairingsUpper Structure TriadsUpper Structure QuartalsHexatonicsStacked StructuresPoly-Structured Clusters https://youtu.be/96jZ14tPWNY Here are... Continue Reading →
Introduction As a piano player you have surely come across chord symbols in jazz standards lead sheets. These chords are embedded with a huge amount of information and trying to interpret the actual meaning of these chords could sometimes be overwhelming. How to Play Rootless Voicings? Start by playing the regular chord as a 7th... Continue Reading →
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 →
mDecks Music Blog 