This was a request from a JPS member who wanted me to play a little bit more in the episode to get some ideas. This episode covers solo piano blues styles advanced textures, and progressions to help spark some creativity. Enjoy!
We're releasing the brand new Solo Piano System on January 23rd at 9am. In this podcast I cover 9 steps taken directly from the course that will improve your solo piano and build a solid foundation for your solo piano future.
We're releasing the brand new Solo Piano System on January 23rd at 9am. This podcast will finally answer the question "How do I arrange my hands while playing standards to achieve a beautiful lush sound?" With these 7 steps you'll be able to arrange any standards of your choice. The solo piano system will go into much more depth and answer all the "But what if this happens" questions.
We start the new year with a massive amount of information explaining the JPS system that has already helped thousands of people. We combine that with a personal summary of where you are in your progress so you can focus on what needs to be done in 2017.
In this episode I wrap up 2016 for JPS and some goals I have for 2017. I also go over 7 tips that if done, will guarantee you make more efficient progress in 2017. Have fun and here's to a new year filled with success!
Learning the difference between double time and double time feel can be very tricky. Playing it can be even tricker. In this podcast I give examples on how to switch back and forth, what it actually means, and how to use it in your playing.
Learning voicings with structure and organization can be complicated. You'll learn one voicing from one resource then a completely different voicing from another resource. Follow my voicing pyramid to make sure you fill all your voicing holes and achieve complete freedom with all your voicings.
The Sus chord is a very, very important chord in jazz. It can be used for many purposes and can advance your playing drastically! In this episode I go over what a sus chord is and show you how it can be used effectively in different situations. Enjoy!
Improving your improvisation skills can be difficult and frustrating. How do we do it? What do we practice? At a certain point you have to get away from notes to continue making progress. Try practicing these 12 strategies and concepts to jumpstart your improv and creativity.
Hearing and figuring out progressions isn't just about using your ear...although thats a big part. :) Use these tips to put the puzzle together to figure out changes within progression that will be valuable in many different types of situations.
Figuring out movements that sound good over the chords to a 2-5-1 can be challenging when you're first starting out. These strong and popular movements are guaranteed to help you navigate your improv better through major and minor 2-5-1s.
I think we can all agree that Oscar Peterson is a beast. He was my main inspiration growing up so I've learned and studies his style...a lot! In this podcast I go over 11 specific characteristics in his playing that make him sound the way he does. This one is a doozy! Enjoy!
Rootless voicing are a great building block to start learning true jazz sounds but how do we expand upon them? In this episode I show you how to take rootless voicing further by altering the natural extensions they contain.
I absolutely love playing the blues and I'm sure a lot of you do as well. There are certain progressions and movements I've picked up that I absolutely love and almost always use while playing the blues. These reharm progressions are guaranteed to to spice up your blues and open your creative box for improvement.
In this episode we take our voicings from last week and start to use them to create different environments, atmospheres, and sounds. When we shift or focus from our RH improv to the support our LH provides, you will start to see drastic improvement in your playing.
As you become more advanced, your LH becomes equally if not more important than your RH improv for certain sounds and atmospheres you can create. With this voicing approach you’ll have more than enough information to break outside the box with your LH voicing and make improvement.
Stride is an extremely fun style of jazz piano to play! Simple to explain, but technically difficult. Learn how to tackle this fun and impressive beast with these podcast tips! Have fun!
This is a fantastic episode that will benefit a lot of people out there. I specifically go over what is the most important aspect when connecting your improv together through odd changes and even more common progressions. Enjoy!
Memorizing & learning tunes throughly is tough! Trust me I've been there. After using this 6 Step Learning Tunes process I never forgot another tune again. It's due all the practice of the fundamental elements of the tune. Enjoy!
We open the flood gates to harmonization with this podcast as I show you that one note can fit and be used in any type of chord you wish in a tune. There are a substantial amount of options so take your time and realize that this is more or less like composing. Find changes that please you the most! This is about self expression. If you like it, then use it!
Harmonizing melodies can be very tricky. What chords do we pick for each melody note and when do we place them. In this harmonization beginner's podcast, I go over how to use diatonic chords as well as some substitutes to spice up a simple melody like twinkle twinkle. Enjoy!
Learning how to play at fast tempos can be quite frustrating. Why can't we play faster?! We see or listen to the monsters do it effortlessly yet when we try it comes out as a moshposh of jumbled up mess. Well here are 7 tips to follow to increase the speed at which you can improvise! Enjoy!
In this episode I expand on our bebop playing by showing you how to apply our approaches to specific improvisation exercises that will help you improve. After you the improv exercises we will apply our approaches to a tune, in this case, Autumn Leaves. Enjoy!
Learning bebop can be quite easy when you relate it to building legos! Simply connect the lego's and bam, you got bebop. Am I making sense? Of course not, but kinda. Learn the simple approaches to improve or start piecing together your bebop improv.
Ballads can be extremely difficult. More so than fast tunes because they are SO slow! You are much more vulnerable to stand out with your mistakes and insecure playing. Luckily, this podcast will help you gain confidence to play ballads with a group, comp for singers or other instruments playing the melody, and improvise like a pro yourself. Enjoy!
Here is the part 2 of the comping series. This one is a doozy! Trust me. There is a lot of great information stacked in here. Take your time and split it up if you need to into different watching or listening sessions. You'll love it!
As I was reviewing through all the JPS podcasts I realized there were none on comping! Wow! Well we're about to change that. In this two part series I'm going to go over everything comping ranging from beginner to advanced techniques, where to place your hands and what voicings to use. Enjoy!
This is a great topic that someone requested on the podcast page the other day. Learning to improvise is one thing. Learning to comp with your LH while your RH improvises is a completely different story. So in this podcast I go over 5 key points that will help you practice your LH comping with your RH improvisation. I know you'll love it! Enjoy!
This is a topic within jazz piano education that I get asked about A LOT! For good reason too. Fortunately, most of the work I get actually come with playing with singers. I've excelled at this through out my career from playing in a church for a long time. In church, I've had to accompany singers in all sorts of styles, genres and situations. Let me tell you, the path is not easy. I'm confident these basics will get you started on the right path. Enjoy!
Well guess what? I fell off again! But who doesn't right? The good thing is you simply pick yourself back up and keep going at it from where ever you last left off. This goes for anything in life. Never give up! Especially jazz piano. If you stop practicing for 1 week, 2 months or even a year, just accept it and start again from where you left off. The hardest part is to start up again, take it from me! Haha In this episode I share some random thoughts that have been on my mind and share a tease...
