Here is one of Bud Powell’s trade secrets for burning over fast tempos.
This lick follows a pattern of major thirds going down in whole steps.
The chromatic notes in between make it sound like a whirlwind all the way down!
If you have questions or suggestions for a Lick Of The Week you would like us to do, please leave them in the comments down below.
Happy Practicing!
Most jazz pianists aren’t stuck because they’re lazy — they’re stuck because they don’t have a path.
The Jazz Piano Roadmap shows you exactly what to practice and in what order.
The Proficient Jazz Pianist is my complete method for building real jazz piano skills — comping, solo piano, and improvisation — without guessing what to practice next.
Jazz Piano School was created by Brenden Lowe to help pianists stop guessing what to practice and start making real progress at the piano.
Everything here is built around a clear path for the skills that matter most:
comping, solo piano, and improvisation.
The starting point is The Proficient Jazz Pianist — the core step-by-step system that lays the foundation for confident playing.
From there, students can continue into the Jazz Piano School Membership, which builds on that foundation with live learning, deeper study, and community support.
The Jazz Piano Roadmap shows you how jazz pianists actually progress — with a clear, goal-based path for comping, solo piano, and improvisation.
If jazz piano has ever felt scattered or overwhelming, this will finally make it easy.
