Jazz Piano School Ep. 99 – Seven Steps To Heaven – Herbie Hancock Solo Analysis
Herbie has always been a god in the jazz piano world. In this iconic track, Seven Steps To Heaven, we take a look at how Herbie is burnin’ it up all over the place. He’s got some beginner movements mixed with some advanced concepts. Anyone can learn from taking a look at this one. Enjoy!
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 […]
Jazz Piano School Ep. 98 – Beautiful Love, Bill Evans Transcription Analysis
Bill Evans was one of the greats for a reason…well…multiple reasons. In this episode we take a look at the phrasing, subtleties, rhythmic motifs, and note selection of Bill Evans in this solo off one his famous albums, “Explorations”.
Jazz Piano School Ep. 97 – Freddie Freeloader, Wynton Kelly Transcription Analysis
It’s the small nuances and attention to detail that will take your playing to the next level. What sound are you trying to create? How do you get it? After you’ve learned the building blocks of jazz improvisation, these transcription analysis will help put you on top.
How To Command Your Left Hand Like Bill Evans
When playing in the trio setting, a jazz pianist’s left hand is often an afterthought, a purely supportive entity that acts out of reflex rather than thought. Too commonly, pianists spend hours at a time improving their right-handed lines without paying attention to their left-handed choices. There is a trend of simply falling back on […]
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 […]
Jazz Piano School Ep. 96 – 8 Different Ways To Add Rhythmic Variety To Improve Your Improvisation
Most of the time I hear beginner and intermediate players stop at using quarter notes and eighth notes. This greatly hurts the sound of your improvisation. Remember, jazz was and is a dance music! Rhythm is like the oxygen to jazz. Without it, your solo is going to die. Here’s how to start adding rhythmic variety to your improv.
Jazz Piano School Ep. 95 – What Happens In Your Playing As You Advance
A lot of the time when trying to get better at jazz piano, you simply have no idea what the future looks like…or even what the heck advanced players are doing! It sounds too far out of reach. Well I’m here to tell you it’s not. In this episode I show you what is going to happen as you advance through the levels. This way you’ll be able to see exactly what takes place.
Jazz Piano School Ep. 94 – How To Use Jazz Piano Modes Explained
I still get asked all the time, “How do I use modes to improvise and why are they important?” I’m confident this episode will remove this questions and finally allow you to understand how and why modes are important to your jazz improvisation. Enjoy!
Jazz Piano School Ep. 93 – Minor 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings & Improv
We continue our series on minor 2-5-1’s as I explain rootless voicing options and different ways to improvise along with the notes and scales that you can choose from. With a little practice you’ll feel confident about playing minor 2-5-1’s in standards in no time!
