Learning jazz piano can be a daunting task, but with the right guidance and resources, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. While traditional jazz piano lessons with a private instructor can be helpful, they can also be expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are now many excellent online jazz piano lesson programs available that offer... Continue Reading →
In this new series we will explore the Harmony and Voicings of Pat Metheny applied to the piano. These are intermediate to advanced piano lessons. So, join us and learn more about the harmonic techniques used by Metheny. One of the most iconic guitar player and composer of our time. https://youtu.be/pZ364c7cdN8 We are back with... 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 →
I've been asked many times "Why do I need to learn and practice scales?" or "Why do I need to understand chords-scales and tonal harmony?" Some other people complain about the chord-scale theory, saying that they don't want to play scales, meaning they wish to play in the jazz vocabulary, licks, motives, playing rhythmically or... Continue Reading →
Here's a musical concept nobody taught me at school. While analyzing 1000+ jazz tunes for The Jazz Standards Progressions Book, I noticed a great number of songs in major keys tonicize the IV degree at the beginning of the bridge. It's usually preceded by the V/IV, landing on the IV at the beginning of the... Continue Reading →
In the process of writing The Jazz Standards Progressions Book Series I realized the need to express a very common harmonic event with a new symbol. So far we had solid and dotted arrows and brackets to express II-V relationships and their resolutions. However there isn't any symbol to show a Major 7th chord that... Continue Reading →
There are 4 ways you can represent a scale's intervalic formula: Degrees Chord-Tones and Tensions Roman Numerals Melodic Intervals Degrees Here's the major scale (Ionian) as degrees. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (all degrees al major) Chord-Tones and Tensions The major scale as chord tones (1 3 5 7) and tensions (9 11 13)... Continue Reading →
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