In this article we’re going to challenge your understanding of jazz arranging techniques. We’ll start off with a really common chord progression and then tweak it step-by-step, sprinkling in some of the common jazz arranging tricks of the pros. The chord progression is fairly simple – it’s from the Bobby Hebb tune “Sunny,” which has…
In this article we’ll be taking a look at three must-have latin piano grooves. The great thing about these latin piano grooves is that they’re fairly easy and illustrate quite nicely how much music you can make using simple chord structures and some syncopated rhythms. If you like latin piano grooves and want even more…
In our article “Relative and Parallel Minor,” we explained the often confusing terms that are associated with the minor scale. in this article, we will learn the differences, as well as how to construct, the natural, harmonic, and melodic minor scales. Many students find it easiest to begin with a major scale and use that…
The term “upper extensions” has a very important meaning to musicians, particularly to jazz players. This is because “upper extensions” refers to a jazz theory concept that is critical to jazz improvisation and (for piano players) jazz comping. Sometimes it’s not the concept of upper extensions that is confusing but rather the terminology. It might…
In this article we’re going to highlight some specific piano rhythm exercises that all musicians can use to improve their rhythmic understanding. The really great part about these rhythm exercises is that you can practice some of them away from your instrument, meaning that you can work on rhythmic training while you’re at the gym,…
In Part 1 of our “Upper Extensions” article we discussed the terminology and theory that students often find confusing when studying this concept. Here in Part 2 we will discuss how and when to use upper extensions by examining a few specific examples: Available upper extensions; left hand chords for comping (specific to piano comping);…
Building off of our previous article (Rhythm Exercises Part 1 – Easy) this article features the next level up in our rhythm exercises. But let’s get some important points out of the way before jumping in. First, you really need to be using a metronome for these exercises. Many students think “oh, I have a…
In this article we’re going to look at a few different types of funk piano chords that are important parts of funk playing. These funk piano chords can be used in various settings and genres so we’ll spend some time looking at the specific voicings that are being used as well as the theory behind…
Learning some funk scales is a great way to start practicing improvisation. And the great thing about funk tunes is that they often use only a few repetitive chords, which means you can generate a lot of improvisation material from just a few scales. In this article we’ll focus on three funk scales that you…
The tritone is a very common device used in the jazz and Great American Songbook repertoire. It’s responsible for some of those very interesting, authentic jazz harmony sounds that sets jazz apart from other genres. But although the tritone (also known as the tritone substitution) is common in jazz and cocktail music it is often…
In this article we’re going to take a look at three piano comping practice tips. These piano comping practice tips are meant to give you specific exercises to practices that will improve your harmonic understanding and help you learn the chords to a bunch of jazz tunes. Before we begin consider this: As pianists we…
In Part 1 of our article on tritone substitutions we discussed the tritone interval, the tritone substitution, and the theory behind why tritone substitution works. Here in Part 2 of our discussion on tritone substitution we will go through some specific examples of how tritone substitution works in practice and discuss some ideas for improvisation.…
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