Behind The Scenes: 3 Takeaways From Barry Harris Masterclass
On Monday, October 2nd, 2017 I had the privilege of participating in Barry Harris’ Masterclass at Manhattan School of Music as his ginny pig pianist. Barry is a bebop pioneer whose teaching has played an important part in the development of many jazz musicians. Here are 3 takeaways from what he showed me at this […]
Problem/Solution: What & How To Practice
Last time we examined why we practice – which is to slow down the process, extract your internal information, and achieve a high level of control in order to best equip yourself to spontaneously create. Today I am going to offer solutions to the common questions: what and how should I practice? HOW TO PRACTICE […]
SAQ: Why Do We Practice?
A common FAQ is “What Should I Practice?”. But a more important SAQ (“should ask question”) is “Why Do I Practice?”. Many have defined practicing as “the act of rehearsing a behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it, as in the phrase […]
Early McCoy vs Late McCoy: How McCoy Tyner’s Playing Style Evolved Over Time
McCoy Tyner is unquestionably one of the most influential jazz pianists to date, with one of the most clearly recognizable sounds. But McCoy’s sound changed drastically – arguably more than any other jazz musician – as he evolved from a mainstream hard-bop player to an innovative post-bop player who defined a new approach to improvisation […]
How to Arrange “Here’s That Rainy Day” Like Bill Evans
Last time we looked at some orchestration techniques and the main challenges involved in playing solo piano. If you haven’t checked that out yet, click here to read that first. Today we are going to tie it all together by looking in-depth at a solo piano arrangement of Bill Evans on “Here’s That Rainy Day”. […]
Improving Solo Piano: Challenges & Orchestration Techniques
While playing solo piano can be incredibly liberating, it can also be an incredibly daunting task with all of the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic onus on you. Some of the main challenges of solo piano include: Establishing a 3rd Layer of Accompaniment that’s independent of the melody and the bass with only 2 hands. This […]
9 Steps To Improving Your Solo Piano – The JPS Solo Piano System
Playing solo piano is the type of thing that may literally make you want to go into Crate & Barrel with a baseball bat and smash everything to bits. (Don’t tell me you’ve never thought of doing that.) Well maybe not, but still you get the idea. IT’S FRUSTRATING! How do I know? Because […]
5 Tips For Non-Classically Trained Jazz Pianists About Piano Technique; Lessons From Robert Estrin
A topic I get asked about frequently from non-classically trained jazz pianists is about piano technique. A little personal background – before I was a jazz pianist, I was a classical pianist, having performed concertos with symphony orchestras, in various chamber settings, and having performed numerous solo classical piano recitals. I had the tremendous privilege […]
Polychords: An Introduction To Polychords – Superimposing Upper-Structure Triads To Achieve Richer Harmony
Polychords are a simple yet effective way to enrich your harmonic vocabulary and access extended or altered tones. In a basic sense, a polychord is superimposing a chord over a chord. In notation, a polychord may be used to: simplify the construction of chords clarify applications when improvising and composing imply a specific voicing As […]
Polyrhythms – How To Subdivide Complex Polyrhythms: A Lesson From John Riley
Last year I had the incredible fortune of taking John Riley’s rhythmic analysis class at the Manhattan School of Music. John is an incredible player and educator, with an immense knowledge of rhythm. One lesson that resonated with me was his explanation as to how to mathematically figure out exactly where to place the subdivisions […]
