Free Jazz Piano Lessons | tjjazzpiano.com

Exercise #10

2015-01-01T08:45:00.001-08:00

Congratulations on making it to part 10 of the Chord Tone Improvisation series! By now you are definitely starting to hear and improvise more creative jazz lines. I hope you have enjoyed the jazz piano lessons as well as all the other improvisation lessons on my website and Youtube channel.

In this exercise we look at the final practical application of the concepts discussed in early videos. By practicing this "endless eighth" note concept you are creating a strong connection between finding chord tones and effortlessly connecting them in meaningful ways.

Remember, this is only an exercise to help you familiarize yourself with a way of improvising. These types of exercises are not meant to exist in a vacuum. You will want to start combining what you've learned here with other concepts. I discuss this idea briefly in the video but feel free to send me a message if you have any questions.

Keep in mind, these exercises are not exclusive to jazz pianists. All instrumentalists, even advanced ones, can reap the benefits of singing and playing through these improvisation exercises. Remember to sing accurately and slowly through all keys. Rushing through each exercise will only add frustration when you are trying apply these concepts later on.

A preview of the the 10-part .pdf download can be viewed here: Chord Tone Improvisation Part 1: Chromatic Embelishments (via Scribd.com). A download is available be clicking the "Add to Cart" button under the top right hand sidebar.

Click on the the Jazz Piano "Lessons" tab above to check out all my other lessons. Also, please subscribe over at youtube.com/tjjazzpiano to get updates on all my latest lessons. Thank you for your support!

Exercise #7 - Ascending Chromatic over Jazz Blues - Jazz Piano Lesson

2014-11-17T08:26:00.001-08:00

In this jazz piano lesson we take a look at applying the concepts we've learned about chromatics to the Jazz Blues form.

Exercise #6 - The Jazz Blues Form - ii-V, Minor, Major Triad Embellishment (Jazz Piano)

2014-09-29T16:51:00.003-07:00

In this week's jazz piano we take a look at the "Jazz Blues" progression and explain the differences between the "traditional" blues form and the "Jazz Blues" form.

Exercise #5 - Chord Cycle Practice - ii-V, Minor, Major Triad Embellishment (Jazz Piano)

2014-09-10T21:20:00.001-07:00

In this jazz piano video lesson we look at how to practice the exercises we've learned so far through other chord cycles. You should be able to play and attempt to sing all ii-V's, minor and major triad embellishments through these cycles before continuing to Exercise #6.

The cycles we take a look at in this lesson are as follows:

Circle of 5ths

This cycle is essentially the opposite of the circle of 4ths. Try to think of the circle as a clock. If you move clockwise you go around the circle of 5ths. If you move counterclockwise you go around the circle of 4ths.

(via. wikipedia.org)

Chromatic Ascending/Descending

This one is fairly intuitive. You either ascend or descend through key centers in half steps until you reach all 12 keys.

i.e. C-C#-D-D#-E-F-F#-G-G#-A-A# (ascending)

Minor 3rds Ascending/Descending

You can think of the key centers in these groups as belonging to three diminished seventh chords.

i.e. C-Eb-Gb-A / C#-E-G-Bb / D-F-Ab-B

Random Intervals

Either write out a group of random key centers or choose them at will while sitting at your instrument.

All of these techniques are demonstrated in the jazz piano lesson below.

Exercise #4: Descending Chromatic Embellishments over ii-V (Jazz Piano Lesson)

2014-08-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

In this jazz improvisation exercise we continue to look at chromatic embellishments of the ii-V progression. This time we will play and sing through descending half-step embellishments of the ii-V starting on the root of each chord. In future exercises we will begin to look at how to apply what we've learned to the Jazz Blues progression.

Keep in mind, these exercises are not exclusive to jazz pianists. All instrumentalists, even advanced ones, can reap the benefits of singing and playing through these improvisation exercises. Remember to sing accurately and slowly through all keys. Rushing through each exercise will only add frustration when you are trying apply these concepts later on.

A preview of the the 10-part .pdf download can be viewed here: Chord Tone Improvisation Part 1: Chromatic Embelishments (via Scribd.com). A download is available be clicking the "Add to Cart" button under the top right hand sidebar.

Exercise #3: Ascending Chromatic Embellishments over ii-V (Jazz Piano Lesson)

2014-08-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

In this jazz improvisation exercise we will begin to add context to our chromatic triad embellishments. In the video jazz piano lesson below we will play and sing through ii-V progression in all 12 keys. In future exercises we will begin to look at how to apply what we've learned to the Jazz Blues progression.

Keep in mind, these exercises are not exclusive to jazz pianists. All instrumentalists, even advanced ones, can reap the benefits of singing and playing through these improvisation exercises. Remember to sing accurately and slowly through all keys. Rushing through each exercise will only add frustration when you are trying apply these concepts later on.

A preview of the the 10-part .pdf download can be viewed here: Chord Tone Improvisation Part 1: Chromatic Embelishments (via Scribd.com). A download is available be clicking the "Add to Cart" button under the top right hand sidebar.

Exercise #2: Descending Chromatic. Jazz Improvisation Lesson (Jazz Piano)

2014-08-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

In this video lesson we will take a look at Exercise #2 from my 10-part jazz improvisation book on basic chromatic embellishment. Take a look at last week's post to find out the contents of the .pdf lessons and how to download them.

This exercise takes us through descending chromatic embellishments of all Major/minor triads through all 12 keys. Remember to practice each exercise very slowly. It's more about hearing each pitch accurately than playing through the exercises quickly. Speed will come with time (and with context!).

A preview of the the 10-part .pdf download can be viewed here: Chord Tone Improvisation Part 1: Chromatic Embelishments (via Scribd.com). A download is available be clicking the "Add to Cart" button under the top right hand sidebar.

Thanks for watching and please let me know if you have any questions about the exercises.

New Jazz Improvisation E-Book. Exercise #1 (Jazz Piano)

2014-08-19T10:20:00.001-07:00

Embellishing basic triads and seventh chords is the foundation for all Bebop and modern jazz playing. In this new series of 10-part lessons we will look at basic/advanced chromatic embellishment of these chords. Dedicated practice of these exercises will greatly improve your ability to hear and improvise creative melodies.

Over the next couple of weeks we will cover the following topics in jazz improvisation.

1) Ascending Chromatic Embellishment
2) Descending Chromatic Embellishment
3) Ascending Chromatic ii-V
4) Descending Chromatic ii-V
5) Cycle Practice
6) The Jazz Blues Form
7) Ascending Chromatic over Jazz Blues
8) Descending Chromatic over Jazz Blues
9) Non-Root Chromatics
10) Endless Eighth Notes

Part one of these jazz lessons can be viewed below. A preview of the lesson is available HERE (via Scribd.com). To purchase and download the complete 10-part jazz lesson click here or click the appropriate "add to cart button" on the Sheet Music Downloads sidebar.

I hope you enjoy playing through the exercises over the next couple of weeks. As always, let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below or on the YouTube page. Thanks for watching!

Sheet Music Packages are back! (Jazz Piano Lesson Sheet Music)

2014-07-28T11:30:00.001-07:00

Sorry it took so long! I had to find and re-compile all the original files for 40 lessons. I am working on Modern Jazz Lines 1-30 and they should be up shortly. Thank you for your patience. Please let me know if you have any problems with the download.

Lessons #1-40 Complete .pdf Package

Modern Jazz Line #30 - Building a Modern Jazz Line - Lee Konitz Method Jazz Lesson

2013-11-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

SPECIAL NOTE: It seems Scribd has disabled the selling of collections of documents. If you would like to buy any of my collections Jazz Piano Lessons 1-40, Modern Jazz Line 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, please e-mail me via my contact page and I will give you more information.

This week's Modern Jazz line marks the final lesson in my I-VI-ii-V series. You might recall that in Modern Jazz Line #20 I wrote out multiple lines to show the "evolution" of particular jazz line. I wanted to do something similar with this lesson so I decided to take a page from the Lee Konitz play book.

I loosely based the 10 step method shown below on Lee Konitz's 10 Steps to Improvisation, an article I discovered when studying the music of Lennie Tristano. The idea is to take something very simple and be able to mold it in a multitude of ways until you have something completely unique. The eventual goal is to be able to achieve this level of creativity on a completely spontaneous level while improvising. A goal worthy of an improvisor on any level!

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-30-Building-a-Modern-Jazz-Line-Lee-Konitz-Method

Video Lesson:

You can find my complete collection of previous Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Modern Jazz Line #29 - Bebop Displacement - Jazz Lesson - Piano

2013-10-18T14:16:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-29-Bebop-Displacement

I feel like I can't possibly say this enough. Thank you everyone for all your support in helping grow this website. I wouldn't have the motivation to do all this without you!

In this week's lesson we will tackle some moderately advanced bebop chord tone circling techniques. I've made the exercise more challenging by displacing the resolution of a few of the target notes. Take it slow and play the rhythms evenly as you learn how each dissonance resolves.

The target note for Cmaj7 ends up resolving on the and of beat 2 after being circled chromatically above and below.

The 9th of Am7 is approached by a half step below as it resolves on the and of 3.

The 5th of Dm7 is approached chromatically by two steps below and resolves on the 1st beat of the 2nd measure.

The 7th of G7 is circled by three notes starting with a half step below on the and of beat 1. Then resolving on beat 3 after being approached by two half-steps above.

I also had the #5 of G7 in mind when writing out the last three eight notes of measure two. Notice how it is circled using half steps.

Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this or any of my other exercises.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-29-Bebop-Displacement

Video Lesson:

Modern Jazz Line #28 - Shapes in 12/8 - Jazz Piano Lesson

2013-09-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-28-Shapes-in-12-8

With this line I tried to transpose and invert a simple shape through each chord of the I-VI-ii-V progression. Take a moment to analyze the notes in order to understand how each shape works with it's corresponding scale. Once you are familiar with the shape in all 12 keys you should begin using it as a guide to improvise slowly over some of your favorite tunes. Over time, you will become more comfortable creating your own shapes and choosing your own scales while improvising.

I hope you enjoy transposing this melody through all twelve keys. Feel free to substitute any of the written left hand voicings for your own.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-28-Shapes-in-12-8

Video Lesson:

Modern Jazz Line #27 - Everything I Love - Jazz Piano Lesson Exercise Etude

2013-09-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-27-Everything-I-Love

This week's Modern Jazz Line is based off the opening motif from Aaron Parks' solo on the tune Everything I Love. You can the find the album available for FREE right here: Alive in Japan.

The rhythmic motif I used is fairly simple. It consists of a quarter note followed by four sixteenth notes. For each repetition of the pattern, the opening note is displaced by one eight note.

The first grouping of sixteenth notes uses an arpeggio based off of the Bb Melodic Minor scale. The selected notes imply an A7b9 sound to the VI chord. The second set of sixteenth notes is a simple arpeggiation of the 3-5-7 notes of Dm7 that resolves consonantly to the 9th of the chord. The final grouping of sixteenth notes is a turn based on C Harmonic Major. The idea is immediately echoed by the left hand.

I hope you enjoy transposing this melody through all twelve keys. Feel free to substitute any of the written left hand voicings for your own.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-27-Everything-I-Love

Video Lesson:

Happy Birthday Charlie Parker (Transcriptions)

2013-08-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd celebrate Charlie Parker's birthday by posting all my recorded transcriptions of his music. Here's his enlightening solos on Little Willie Leaps, Yardbird Suite and Oh, Lady Be Good.

Charlie Parker transcription of Little Willie Leaps.

Charlie Parker transcription of Yardbird Suite.

Charlie Parker transcription on Oh Lady Be Good.

Modern Jazz Line #26 - Mini-Etude - Jazz Piano Improvisation Lesson

2013-07-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-26-Mini-Etude-Jazz-Piano-Lesson.pdf

It's good to be back after a brief two week hiatus. This week's modern jazz melody is inspired by Charlie Parker's tune "Chi-Chi," a bebop head written over an Ab blues. The line starts with an ascending arpeggio of perfect 4ths that immediately resolves to the 5th of Am7. This is followed by a short Am descending triad that anticipates the 3rd of Dm7 by a half a beat.

Next is a short burst of triplets that imply an E Major Triad over Dm7 (Dhalf-dim) and then outlines notes from a G7(#9,13). The line ends with an interesting circling of the 5th chord tone of CMaj7 followed by a repeated triplet motif.

I hope you enjoy transposing this melody through all twelve keys. Feel free to substitute any of the written left hand voicings for your own.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-26-Mini-Etude-Jazz-Piano-Lesson.pdf

Video Lesson:

Modern Jazz Line #25 - Summer Solstice - Improvisation Lesson Jazz Piano

2013-06-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-25-Summer-Solstice-Jazz-Piano-Line.pdf

Happy Summer Solstice! For many of you that means plenty of time spent poolside in the hot sun. Why not memorize a line and sing it through all 12 keys while relaxing outside away from your instrument?

This line starts simply by outlining the 7-1-3 notes of the C Major7 chord. We then hit the Eb over the Am (vi) chord which implies a A half-dim sound. The dissonance is quickly dissipated by jumping to the ninth note of the chord. You'll hear another implied half-diminished sound over the Dm7 (ii) chord with the note Ab being used instead of A. The line finishes with an embellishment of an A Major triad over C Major.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-25-Summer-Solstice-Jazz-Piano-Line.pdf

Video Lesson:

Modern Jazz Line #24 - Harmonic Minor over Dominant - Creative Improvisaiton

2013-06-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-24-Harmonic-Minor-over-Dominant.pdf

I wanted to write a line this week that used the Harmonic Minor scale over the V7 chord. You'll notice all the notes used over the dominant chord in this week's example come from the Harmonic Minor scale. There are a couple of options to consider when choosing what mode of this scale to use when improvising over dominant chords.

The most common example, first used by be-bop musicians like Charlie Parker and Bud Powell, is to simply use the Harmonic Minor scale based off of the minor i chord relative to the V chord.

For example:
G7 - C Harmonic Minor
G7 is the V chord in the key of Cminor. This would be the fifth mode of the Harmonic Minor Scale.
G Ab B C D Eb F or 1 b9 3 4 5 b13 7

I decided to go a different route and use the seventh mode of the Harmonic Minor over our dominant chord.

For example:
G7 - Ab Harmonic Minor
G Ab Bb B Db Eb E G or 1 b9 #9 3 b5 #5 13

Remember to sing and play slowly at first. Once you feel comfortable with this line in all 12 keys you can try improvising using the 7th mode of the Harmonic Minor scale on your favorite tunes.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-24-Harmonic-Minor-over-Dominant.pdf

Video Lesson:

Modern Jazz Line #23 - Triplet Intervalic Melody - How to Improvise - Jazz Piano

2013-06-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-23-Triplet-Intervalic-Melody-How-to-Improvise.pdf

This week's Modern Jazz Line is built on a simple triplet motif I've been working with recently. Try to focus on the intervalic shape and similar rhythm of the motif as you take the line through all 12 keys.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-23-Triplet-Intervalic-Melody-How-to-Improvise.pdf

Video Lesson:

Modern Jazz Line #22 - Cascading Jazz Melody - How to Improvise (Jazz Piano)

2013-05-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-22-Cascading-Melody-I-vi-ii-V.pdf

This week's modern jazz line is a motivic melody followed by a somewhat cliche be-bop line. Notice the triadic movement in the first two measures. Can you pick out which two major triads are being embellished in these two measures?* I find that the very simple triad embellishment shown in the example below can be one of the easiest ways to get creative when I'm at loss for what to play. Try it for yourself. Improvise for 30-60min on one tune using only triads. You'll be amazed at how creative you can get with such limitations.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-22-Cascading-Melody-I-vi-ii-V.pdf

Video Lesson:

*C and E Major Triads

Modern Jazz Line #21 - Bi-Tonal Melody - Jazz Piano Improvisation Lesson

2013-05-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-21-Bi-Tonal-Melody-I-vi-ii-V.pdf

This week's Modern Jazz Line is an exercise in stretching your ears. This bi-tonal melody takes some chances with harmony that you may not be expecting. I always try to write lines that are just out of my comfort zone technique wise. I think this one is certainly going to be a challenge for most of you. Singing this challenging line through all 12 keys is guaranteed to improve your ability to hear odd intervals.

You may want to watch my Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines 21-30 before continuing with this lesson.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Modern-Jazz-Line-21-Bi-Tonal-Melody-I-vi-ii-V.pdf

Modern Jazz Line #21:

Introduction to Modern Jazz Lines #21-30 - The I-vi-ii-V (I-VI-ii-V) Progression - Jazz Piano Lesson

2013-05-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

This coming week I'll start posting videos from the next Modern Jazz Line series. In this series we will cover how to voice and improvise over the I-vi-ii-V (I-VI-ii-V) progression. This week's video covers an introduction to the progression. In the video you'll discover just what the roman numerals like "ii-V-I" mean, how to construct seventh chords using these numbers and some basic voicing options.

You can find my complete collection of Modern Jazz Line "How to Improvise" playlists below. You may want to review these lessons before continuing with the series. They will give you an excellent introduction to voicing and improvising over the ii-V-I progression.

Modern Jazz Line #1-10 - The "ii-V-I" Progression
Video Jazz Piano Lesson Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (1-10)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #1-10

Modern Jazz Line #11-20 - The Tri-Tone Substitution
Video Jazz Piano Playlist (YouTube)
Sheet Music Collection for Jazz Piano Lesson (11-20)
Blog Posts for Modern Jazz Line #11-20

Sheet Music: Introduction-to-Modern-Jazz-Lines-21-30-I-vi-ii-V.pdf

Introduction to Modern Jazz Line #21-30:

Modern Jazz Line #20 - Evolution of a Jazz Line

2013-05-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

We reached a milestone of 3000+ subscribers at Tjjazzpiano.com this week! Thank you so much for your shares, favorites, "likes" and everything in between. Here's to doubling the number in the coming year. I am so excited to be sharing all of my exercises with you! Here are 20 Modern Jazz Lines squeezed in to one lesson to say "thanks" for all your support. Enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed watching the first 10 lessons from my Modern Jazz Line series. In these jazz lessons I covered how to become a better improvisor using the ii-V-I progression as a guide. The next Modern Jazz Line videos will cover the tri-tone substitution used in the context of a basic ii-V-I progression (see example below). If you haven't read or watched my explanation of the tri-tone substitution you may want to check it out before continuing with the lesson below.

Sheet Music for this lesson: Modern Jazz Line #20.pdf

You can find a complete list of my jazz piano lessons here and watch the playlist for either Modern Jazz Lines #1-10 or Modern Jazz Lines #11-20.

Introduction to the Tri-Tone Substitution: The Tri-Tone Substitution

Modern Jazz Line #20: +19 other lines!

Watch the video lesson here:

Modern Jazz Line #19 - Sequencing Seconds - How to Improvise

2013-04-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned next week for a special Modern Jazz Line video celebrating our 3000th subscriber!

In this week's Modern Jazz Line we'll tackle a triplet based melody based on arpeggio extensions of each chords. This is the first melody I've published that is written in the 3/4 time signature. Be careful to count and make sure you're playing the rhythms correctly. Any displacement should feel effortless, not forced or disjunct.

Sheet Music for this lesson: Modern Jazz Line #19.pdf

You can find a complete list of my jazz piano lessons here and watch the playlist for either Modern Jazz Lines #1-10 or Modern Jazz Lines #11-20.

Introduction to the Tri-Tone Substitution: The Tri-Tone Substitution

Modern Jazz Line #19:

Watch the video lesson here:

Jazz Piano Lesson #46 - Diminished Scale Workout - (Technique/Hanon)

2013-04-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

Sheet Music: Jazz Piano Lesson #46 - Diminished Scale Workout

I've mentioned many times before on this blog how big a fan I am of technical exercises. I feel like my playing is at it's best when I have some sort of daily technique routine. Almost every exercise I work on is played and sung through all twelve keys. For this reason, the technical exercises (ala Hanon) I've been writing lately have been really challenging both my technique and inner singing voice. I have to remind myself that daily slow and patient practice is the key to making these exercises feel effortless.

In this week's lesson we're taking a look at the diminished scale. You may remember the diminished scale topics we covered in some previous lessons. You will hear this scale utilized often in modern improvisation, especially in the playing of Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock. Practice this melody slow at first, somewhere around 40-60bpms. Gradually increase tempo as you become comfortable with each shape and fingering for each scale.

Sheet Music: Jazz Piano Lesson #46 - Diminished Scale Workout

Watch the video lesson:

Jazz Piano Lesson #45 - Trill and Grace Note Exercise - (Technique/Hanon)

2013-04-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

View and download the sheet music: Jazz Piano Lesson #45 - Trill and Grace Note Exercise.pdf

I've mentioned many times before on this blog how big a fan I am of technical exercises. I feel like my playing is at it's best when I have some sort of daily technique routine. Almost every exercise I work on is played and sung through all twelve keys. For this reason, the technical exercises (ala Hanon) I've been writing lately have been really challenging both my technique and inner singing voice. I have to remind myself that daily slow and patient practice is the key to making these exercises feel effortless.

This week's exercise focuses on two important concepts. The first is building speed. I once read the Franz Liszt spent the majority of his technical practice time playing trills. It was his opinion that trill practice was the key to his technical mastery of the keyboard. I think there's some truth to his opinion. After only a week of practicing this exercise I felt much more comfortable playing on fast tempo tunes.

The second concept presented in this lesson is the idea of adding ornamentation to your lines. Ornamentation (trills, grace notes, mordents, appogiaturas, etc) became very common in early Baroque composition and performance. This tradition of ornamentation was often payed homage to by Classical composers who immediately followed the Baroque period.

Ornamentation later started to appear in jazz music as well. First in grace notes and slight modifications of Ragtime tunes by Stride pianists and later in be-bop improvisations by pianists like Bud Powell. Take a listen to any solo by Bud Powell, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner or Herbie Hancock and you're bound to hear them using some of these devices.

View and download the sheet music: Jazz Piano Lesson #45 - Trill and Grace Note Exercise.pdf