How to Reharmonize Like a Pro

What is Reharmonization? Let’s do a quick review… Reharmonization is the process of replacing the chords underneath a melody with other chords that still work musically but have a different function. Chords share a variety of common tones that allow us to interchange them without wreaking havoc on the music. Take, for example, one of […]
Jazz Piano School Ep. 117 – Gospel Reharms You Can Use Today

I absolutely love gospel. I’ve been listening to it since I was a kid because I love the way it makes me feel! The chords and harmonies pull at my heart and soul strings because that’s what it’s meant to do! Give us an uplifting feeling, get us through hard times. The chords used in the chart do exactly that. I explain what types of chords do what and how you can use them in all different kinds of music to reharm whenever you want.
Basic Reharmonization: How To Harmonize A Melody & 5 Basic Reharmonization Techniques

A good way to begin working on basic reharmonization is to practice harmonizing a tune and coming up with a different chord for every note of the melody. Let’s take the first 8 bars to the tune “If I Should Lose You” as an example. Here are the basic chord changes and melody as you […]
Jazz Piano School Ep. 110 – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Jazz Arrangement

After amazing launch of our New LAB, we’re switching over to a analysis series on how to use all the tools in the JPS Podcast and implement them into tunes. In the spirit of the holiday, I walk through different reharms and strategies on the tune Santa Clause Is Coming To Town. Enjoy!
Jazz Piano School Ep. 105 – What To Do With Slow Swing Tunes

Isn’t it strange that when it comes to the slower tunes we start to struggle more? There’s just soon much space! What do we do when the tempo is deathly slow and we start feeling anxiety to fill in everything. In this episode I’ll give you some tips to start feeling confident over slow swing tunes.
Jazz Piano School Ep. 103 – Modal Interchange Reharm Part 2

We go a further down the rabbit hole and explore some of the way you can begin to use the modal interchange chords we discussed in the last episode for reharm. I also talk about my favorite ways to use these chords and how to optimize their beautiful harmonies.
Jazz Piano School Ep. 85 – Progression Reharm Series 3 Rhythm Changes Bridge

We’re at the last episode of our reharm series. We’re using our previous tools to reharm the bridge to rhythm changes. Let me tell you…this is a doozy. Because we have two bars each of our 3-6-2-5 our options expand by A LOT! This episode is for the brave. 🙂
Jazz Piano School Ep. 84 – Progression Reharm Series 2 (3-6-2-5)

We’re continuing our reharm series of progressions this week with a 3-6-2-5. We get a little crazy with the reharms, but all beautiful and effective none the less. We build off concepts from episode 83 so you if you haven’t watched that I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
Jazz Piano School Ep. 83 – Progression Reharm Series 1 (2-5-1)

Once you learn a couple of reharm tools it will completely open up your playing. Not only will you be able to comp differently but you will have more options for improvisation, arranging and solo piano freedom. Check out these reharms for a 2-5-1. I will cover different progressions in the upcoming podcasts.
Jazz Piano School Ep. 74 – 6 Ways To Add Passing Movements

Filling empty space in tunes can be challenging. There are a lot of different ways to do it. In this episode I go off on a small journey talking about reharms, but also give you 6 great ways to fill space in tunes. Enjoy!