In this podcast lesson we will explore various 5-note combinations of pentatonic voicings as seen in the classic modal jazz tune "So What." There are many variations on how to use these chords, and by the end of this lesson you will have several new ways of playing them which will give a fresh sound to your comping in minor keys!
Major 7th chords are the resolution to a 2-5-1 and with that comes new bebop lines and approaches. Learn how to utilize the major 7th in your improvisation and how to start picturing your bebop line from start to finish through a 2-5-1. Enjoy!
In this podcast episode I'll dive into bebop approach notes and bebop lines you can play over dominant 7th chords. Dominant 7th chords tend to give students problems for some reason. With this episode you'll learn all the bebop movements you and need and how to connect them so you can create some killer improv over dominant 7th chords in tunes.
We've talked about learning tunes here in previous podcast lessons, but here we're going to focus on how to master playing the melody of any standard tune in 5 easy steps. By the end of this lesson, you will know the melody of a standard and not only be able to perform it convincingly, but also interpret it in an authentic and original way!
Learning bebop can feel completely overwhelming. There are so many approaches over so many chords and then connecting them is a whole other ball game. To help you out, I'm going to show you the most POPULAR bebop approaches I use on a daily basis and at all my gigs. Today I'll cover minor 7th chords and specifically what I play over each chord tone. Enjoy!
The blues is a fundamental element of jazz piano. What would happen if you played a blues every day as part of your jazz piano practice routine in 2022? By playing a blues-a-day, you can challenge yourself to learn melodies, voicings, and improvise in different keys. This will expand your musicality, and make you ready for just about anything!
Playing original compositions can be quite the journey compared to playing regular jazz standards. In this episode I explore 3 weird and very modern chords I had to play and solo over on a recent gig I played. Here's what they are!
We finally wrap up this series by talking about taking action. How do we take action in 2022 to make progress in jazz piano? I'll talk about what practice exercises to use, how to follow the systems, and so much more.
We go a little further into our planning in this one. We're looking at the plan for our goals today. What is the plan to accomplish our goals? What are the systems? In today's podcast episode I'll show you how to plan to accomplish different jazz piano goals like solo piano, improvisation, and more.
A little planning and thoughtful strategizing can go a long way. Can you imagine if coaches never prepared for games with their team? The games would be a mess. The same holds true for your 2022 year. Knowing HOW to plan, prepare, and set goals is a whole other thing though. That's exactly what I'll teach you in today's podcast. Enjoy!
When I think about the things that hurt my progress the most through out my jazz piano pursuit there are 4 things that come to mind. And I dont mean, me sitting on the couch with my hand on my chin wondering. I mean like BAM! These 4 things DIRECTLY come to my mind because they're so blatantly obvious now that I can see them and know of them. In episode 2 of my new mini series I'm going to explain what these 4 things are. They're STILL, to this day, very heavily rearing their ugly head and the m...
When I think about the things that hurt my progress the most through out my jazz piano pursuit there are 4 things that come to mind. And I dont mean, me sitting on the couch with my hand on my chin wondering. I mean like BAM! These 4 things DIRECTLY come to my mind because they're so blatantly obvious now that I can see them and know of them. In episode 2 of my new mini series I'm going to explain what these 4 things are. They're STILL, to this day, very heavily rearing their ugly head and the m...
I get kind of bitter when I talk about it. I try not to but I really can't help it. Because this ONE thing was extremely close to robbing me of my jazz piano dream. And to this day, I feel my body tighten and clench when talking about it. This is Episode 1, of a 3 part mini series I'm releasing that's going to take a step back. It's going to hopefully help you rethink your own jazz piano education and journey, as I share all the downfalls, doubts, frustrations and pains I've gone through on mine...
The age old question. How do you practice improvisation? Practice lines and licks right? Not exactly. Believe it or not, most of the work and practice should be done outside the tune. Just like baseball players. They work on batting practice outside of games, so when the games do come, they can hit better. In this episode I'll show you my system I still use to this day to practice improvisation.
Rarely does the crucial information you need to make progress expose itself easily. I went through years of nebulous education learning without no clear path. In this podcast lesson, I break down the MOST important 3 steps you need to practice and work on in order to achieve a pro level solo piano sound.
Learning the different jazz piano educational paths and how to combine them is powerful knowledge that could make or break your ability to reach your goals. Most of the time students try and learn everything else and have no real clue what to focus on in order to get better. They also don't know WHY they aren't really improving. In this episode you'll learn all about this and leave with a deep understanding of jazz piano paths for improvement. Enjoy!
Learning the different jazz piano educational paths and how to combine them is powerful knowledge that could make or break your ability to reach your goals. Most of the time students try and learn everything else and have no real clue what to focus on in order to get better. They also don't know WHY they aren't really improving. In this episode you'll learn all about this and leave with a deep understanding of jazz piano paths for improvement.
In this episode we will be examining a scale from Yusef Lateef's "Repository of Scales and Melodic Patterns" and putting it to use. Learn how to create unique lines over any chord.
In this episode I'll be continuing the talk of Playbooks. We will be releasing our brand new Playbooks on Black Friday, along with our amazing offer and discount. In today's episode I'll be going through bits and pieces of the voicings playbook. Enjoy!
Knowing what what to work on in order to systematically improve certain parts of your jazz piano performance is a HUGE advantage. But how do you know what to work on? What skills are you missing? What is your sound lacking? I'll go over how to get the blues sound you want and what to work on in this episode. Enjoy!
You can only sit at your piano, playing and practicing for yourself for so long. Eventually you're going to need some human connection and interaction. That's the beauty of music! It brings people together and connects humanity. But, if you never share, or open up, how can you ever connect? In this podcast I'll give you a quick update, and share some important news. Enjoy!
Have you ever heard the phrase "Let the melody be your guide" but wondered how to practically apply it to your playing? In this podcast, I show you how to use the melody as a springboard for melodic development in your solos. If you don't want to sound like a robot, this episode is for you.
Consistently make progress with your improvisation
I'm know how it goes, trust me. You hear someone's LH flying back and forth at lightening speed while the RH is playing some ridiculous line and you think to yourself, "There is no way I could do that". Am I right? This used to happen to me all the time. In To lead into our brand new specialty course called "How To Play Stride & Ragtime Like A Pro", set to be relased on June 29th, at 6am eastern, I have a great podcast to present to you to get you in the mood. Believe it or not this podcast ...
A demonstration of five different renditions of "Fly Me To The Moon."
Upper Structure Triads: How To Play Them And Use Them
Practicing jazz can feel nebulous. What do we play? What do we do? There are so many different things to practice. What exercises do we use? I'll be first one to say this, I wasted a full decade practicing jazz the WRONG way. In this episode I'll teach you my 5 step system that will give you a practice plan to ensure you're ACTUALLY making progress everytime you sit down to practice. Enjoy!
The Cocktail Piano style is a term that is thrown around and everyone wants to learn it. Whenever we walk into a lounge, bar, or cocktail hour, as musicians, we always marvel and what the pianist is playing and DOING. What are they doing though and what IS the "Cocktail Piano" style? In this podcast I'll pull back the curtain on the top 4 styles that make up the style, how to feather, and the fills you need to create the cocktail sound. Enjoy!
Practicing improvisation can be nebulous to say the least. What do you practice? How do you practice? When we're able to take a step back, and plan out our improvisation practice session using this 3 step process you'll make much more progress in a shorter amount of time.
I love demystifying the jazz education process. The moment when a student finally understand is magic. Everything clicks and the light bulb goes off. I never really got a step by step instruction, so this is why I dedicated myself to teaching in this manner. In this podcast episode, I break down exactly how bebop lines are created in the moment so you can have an accurate understanding of what is happening to create such gorgeous sounding lines. Enjoy!
