JPS Ep:138 – 4 Ways To Spice Up Major 7th Chords
We ALL get stuck in our own ways of playing something the same way. Even me! Check out these 4 ways to add some spice, texture, and atmosphere to your major 7th chords.You can start to use these 4 building blocks to expand upon as well and create new sounds!
Sonny Clark’s Classic Improv Lines on “All of You” (LOTW #130)
Here is some classic hard bop vocabulary over the tune “All of You,” originally made famous by Miles Davis. Sonny Clark outlines the changes in his solo with clarity and grace from his album “Blues in the Night.”
JPS Ep:137 – What JPS Is Today & Where It’s Going
Jazz Piano School has come a LONGGG way since the days I first hacked together a terrible wordpress site. Now, JPS has helped, and is CURRENTLY helping thousands of people learn jazz piano freedom. In this episode I’ll explain my goals and ambitions that I’ve brought JPS to where it is. I’ll also talk about the AMAZING expansion, custom website, and teacher tools we plan to implement!Hold on to your butts cause here we go!
Quirky Polytonal Lick by Paul Bley on “All the Things You Are” (LOTW #129)
Paul Bley is known for his individual approach to creating melodies. Check out this line from “All the Things You Are” on a recording with Coleman Hawkins from 1963. He starts out with a chromatically ascending motive and cadences in A major, a half step above!
Bill Evans’ Swinging Two-Five Lick from “Peri’s Scope” (LOTW #128)
On his classic 1960 recording of “Peri’s Scope” from Portrait in Jazz, Bill Evans comes out swinging! In this phrase, he riffs on a C in rhythm over a 3-6-2-5 progression, and resolves it with a flourish outlining a D minor 11th chord. Quintessential Bill Evans right here!
JPS Ep:136 – Playing in 7/4 Meter with Claves
Playing in 7/4 meter can be a fun way to explore new rhythmic possibilities and comes with its own set of challenges. In this podcast lesson, we will explore ways of practicing 7/4 by using rhythmic claves to make it feel as natural as possible. Come along and feel the beat!
JPS Ep:135 – Learn Jazz Piano – Our 4 Step System
Learning jazz piano isn’t a guessing game, even that’s how I approached it for 15+ years. It’s a system. The majority of students, including myself start by learning tunes.This should be the LAST step we do. Before that we need jazz piano TOOLS. Would you try and read and write without learning the Alphabet? No of course not. Jazz Piano is the exact same way. In this 15 minute podcast I’m going to break down the 4 step system we use that is has successfully taught thousands of students jazz piano so you can use it too.
Chick Corea’s Burning Lines from Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (LOTW #127)
On his original tune “Matrix,” Chick Corea burns through this blues chorus with unique flair and creativity at a blistering tempo. He begins with some F suspended vocabulary which is reminiscent of McCoy Tyner, one of his major influences. He ascends dramatically to the top of the keyboard, and returns down to Earth to burn […]
Gospel Meets Jazz: The Hammond B3 Organ
Jazz, Blues, and Gospel have been evolving alongside each other for decades. The presence of blues and gospel influences brought jazz to another level and helped it become what it is today. The History of the Organ Organs had been used in gospel churches for years when some jazz musicians such as Fats Waller and […]
McCoy Tyner Rips Through Suspended Chord (LOTW #126)
There is one and only one McCoy Tyner, and this lick from his seminole album The Real McCoy (1967) brings home the point. Check how he rips through different pentatonic sounds over the F pedal on his tune “Passion Dance.”
