JPS Ep:155 – The Most Supportive & Effective Comping Voicing & Setup You Need To Know
Comping can be difficult. It’s hard to know what to play to create a solid, lush, supportive sound for your accompaniment comping. If you only learn one comping setup this is IT! Hands down this will deliver the MOST supportive and effective jazz comping sound you need while playing in any group. Duo, Trio, Quartet…anything! Have fun!
JPS Ep:154 – How to Reharmonize Like a Pro
Have you been looking for some new ways to harmonize with jazz chords? This one trick will help you reharmonize melodies like a pro! In this lesson, we will explore some new ways to move chromatically through the keyboard just like some of the greatest piano stylists!
JPS Ep:153 – What Are Shell Voicings, Why You Need Them, How To Use Them!
Everyone tells us to learn shell voicings but back when I was younger I never knew why…I also never knew how to USE them! This was very frustrating to me since everyone was saying how important they are. In this episode, I’ll break shell voicings down for you so you know exactly why they’re important AND how to use them. Here we go!
JPS Ep:152 – How To Spice Up Your Improv With Ornaments
Most of the time improv will sound bland not because of the notes…but because of the RHYTHMS! I had this little epiphany back in my earlier days, and it completely transformed my soloing. In this episode, you will learn how you can add ornaments to your improv lines so they sound 100x times better. Here we go!
JPS Ep:151 – Unlock Your Creativity by Shedding the “In-Between Tempos!”
Do you ever feel like you’re playing the same stuff over and over again? I know I’ve certainly been in that position before. It could be a simple problem of playing songs at similar tempos! In this podcast lesson, we examine the benefits of trying tunes at different tempos than we might be used to playing in our regular circles. Watch as we unlock new creative possibilities through playing the “In-Between Tempos!”
How to Prepare for Auditions
With performance examinations coming up in many music schools across the country, I thought I’d address a question I’ve often heard, which is: How do I prepare for my performance jury? Whether you have an audition or a jury coming up for school, we’ll be discussing some best kept secrets for how to prepare! Know […]
JPS Ep:150 – This Chord Will Instantly Make You Sound Like 70’s Herbie!
Here is a quick way to achieve a 70’s funk sound, straight out of Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters record! Follow along as we explore the use of this chord from “Watermelon Man.”
JPS Ep:149 – Rhythm Changes Bridge Improvisation: Use This Today!
We continue our rhythm changes series and approach these refreshing new ways to improvise over the 4 dominant chords in the bridge of rhythm changes. If you thought the bridge didn’t provide much harmonic content to improvise over…think again! Let’s get to it!
JPS Ep:148 – 4 Secrets To Improvising Over Rhythm Changes
Rhythm changes can seriously screw you up. Once you attempted and failed, you probably don’t want to try again. BUT…with these 4 secrets that will allow you to easily improvise over rhythm changes, you’ll be loving this form and itching to play it as much as possible! Here we go!
JPS Ep:147 – How to Play “Block Chords” (pt. 2)
In this lesson we’ll continue learning how to play “block chord” voicings in the style of George Shearing. We will be working on minor voicings in the key of F, specifically with the tune “Lullaby of Birdland.” George Shearing often played this tune with these very voicings, so it is a great model from which to start!
