Jazz Piano School

There are just some tools that every pianist has to know...this is one of them. These "McCoy Tyner" 4th voicing structures are a must know tool to have in your tool box. This is a simple episode that teaches you exactly what they are. Easy to add in your repertoire. Enjoy!

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. :)

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!

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.

Connecting harmonies during improvisation is very simple when executed properly. Watch as I breakdown some ways to work on connecting harmonies and show you how to put everything together.

This is part 2 of I Should Care Improvisation Analysis. We got a lot of great feedback on this type of podcast so we're going to release a couple more as well. Watch as I break down my thought process while creating a solo from scratch.

Watch as I build a solo from scratch talking about the importance of specific and harmonic changes you should add. I also add my thought process at approaching your connections through the harmonies.

Soloing over diminished chords can be tricky, but very pretty if you have some tools in your toolbox. Check out these two scales to help your improv over the diminished passing chord and dominant chords.

It's hard to know exactly what to do to improve our improvisation right? Most of the time we just spend time learning licks and transcribing but this doesn't really create the freedom we want. Learn how to systematically approach improvement at bebop!

There are always those tiny details that instantly improve the sound of someones playing. This episode is about the little secret movements players put into their playing to add flavor and spice!

Space doesn’t always have to be in your right hand, and it doesn’t always have to mean not playing. Check out these different ways to conceptualize space and add it into your playing for some tasty improvements.

Improvisation is like trying to fill the gaps in a resolution. We're trying to land on chord tones but there are so many ways to resolve, mixed with rhythms...we need to figure out what fits the gap! In this video I debunk improvisation so you don't have to copy and paste licks into your solo's.

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!

Latin and Bossa tunes can be a great style to add to your repertoire. A lot of people think they are difficult to play but as I'll demonstrate in this episode there is not much difference in the way you'll approach these tunes.

This was a request from a JPS member who wanted me to play a little bit more in the episode to get some ideas. This episode covers solo piano blues styles advanced textures, and progressions to help spark some creativity. Enjoy!