Stevie Wonder’s Famous Line from “Sir Duke” Pt. 1 (LOTW #179)
“Sir Duke” is a tune off of Stevie Wonders iconic album, “Songs in the Key of Life” (1976). He wrote it in homage to one of his great jazz influences, Duke Ellington. This soli line one minute into the song is infamous among horn players, and uses some hip pentatonic language. Check it out! https://youtu.be/_QltxXyKvS8 […]
Mastering the Left Hand (pt. 1) – Chord Inversions (Ep:189)
This jazz piano podcast tutorial series will show you how to work your left hand so your left hand can work for YOU! In this episode, we discuss which chords you can use in your LH voicings, first through exploring chord inversions. We will have your left hand sounding like the best of them all (Red Garland, Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett… ever heard of them??) by the end of this video!
Herbie’s Minor Third Lick from “Dolphin Dance” (LOTW #178)
Herbie Hancock is known as one of the great innovators of jazz piano. In honor of his 80th birthday last week, we’ve got a lick this week from his iconic record “Maiden Voyage” (1965). He introduces his solo with this ascending minor third idea on what would become a jazz standard tune of his, “Dolphin […]
“Walking the Blues” – How to Walk Basslines and Improvise Jazz Piano (Ep:188)
Have you ever wanted to play bass lines on piano and improvise at the same time? Well, with this podcast that idea could become a reality! Follow along as we explore steps to build your own bass lines and work your way toward implementing right hand improvisation over your favorite jazz tunes.
Brad Mehldau’s Ballad Artistry on “Blame it on My Youth” (LOTW #177)
On this cut from his iconic record, “Art of the Trio Vol. 1,” Brad Mehldau shows us that he is not afraid to go deep when it comes to playing ballads. He starts of the track with a sensitive intro, and brings in the band at a daringly SLOW tempo. When it comes time for […]
Solo Piano Architecture (Ep:187)
When playing solo piano, it’s helpful to design the flow of an arrangement. With no constraints, playing solo can quickly become boring to both the player and the listener. By developing concepts to shape your arrangements, you will achieve a greater sense of freedom in your playing and have confidence in performance.
Tips to Stay Motivated During Quarantine (Jazz Piano Practice Routine)(Ep:186)
Are you stuck inside left wondering what to practice? This week’s podcast can help with that! We’ll cover aspects of warmup routine, classical workouts, learning tunes, transcriptions and more! By the end, you are sure to have some ideas of new material and hopefully be inspired to find some new things to work on!
Keith Jarrett Opens His Solo with this Genius Pattern (LOTW #176)
We all know Keith Jarrett as one of the greats, but did you know he was a child prodigy? By age 7, he was already performing major works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven and Chopin. As an adult pianist and improviser, he now performs entire concerts completely extemporaneously. In one of his iconic jazz […]
Bill Evans Swings this Opening Melodic Sequence from “Waltz for Debby” (LOTW #175)
On one of his most iconic trio tunes,”Waltz for Debby,” Bill Evans takes a left turn from the ordinary waltz and goes into 4/4 meter after the first chorus! Check out this week’s lick as Bill opens his solo with a beautiful melodic sequence, demonstrating quintessential characteristics of his own style improvisation. The rest of […]
My 11 Step Improvisation Blueprint (Ep:185)
This piece of content is taken directly from inside our Jazz Piano School Members area. It’s called the “Improvisation Bootcamp Masterclass”. This is my 11 step improvisation blueprint that is meant to take a step back and show you all the steps you need to master in order to become the burnin’ improv player you want to be. This is juicy my friends. Now does each one of these steps take a lot of hard-work and time? Absolutely! But…if you follow this plan and move through these meticulously you’ll grow exponentially! Have fun!
