Rock organ soloing requires a different approach than jazz soloing. In the jazz context, keyboard solos are usually played at the piano and built around advanced harmonies and chord substitutions, various chord scales, quirky-syncopated rhythms, and left-handed comping. By contrast, rock keyboard solos are frequently played on a number of various keyboard instruments, including the…
This jazz improvisation tutorial features one of the all-time most requested and recorded jazz standards – “Autumn Leaves” written by Joseph Kosma way back in 1945. The song continues to be a favorite among jazz players and audiences today. In this article we’ll take a closer look at the chords of the ‘A’ section and…
In a Sentimental Mood is a jazz composition by the great Duke Ellington. It has been played and recorded by many jazz artists since it was written in 1935 and has become a popular jazz standard as a result. In this article we’re going to examine certain aspects of this tune in a jazz masterclass…
Jazz theory is not a separate subject area from music theory, although many people think that music theory and jazz theory require separate forms of study. Take it from someone who has attended many music theory and jazz theory classes at the university level – it’s all the same stuff. So why, then, is jazz…
Blues piano improvisation is an essential skill for a blues piano player. One simple form and yet the blues is played in jazz, rock, pop, country, and, well… the blues. We’re not gonna talk a lot of theory here. Instead we’re gonna offer some practical advice and tips to help you focus on some essential…
“Synthesizer basics” refers to knowing the particular aspects of the synthesizer, why it’s used, and how it’s different from a typical keyboard or piano. At first glance it might seem like the synthesizer and the piano are basically the same instrument, right? Well, they certainly do look similar in terms of the black and white…
Building an arrangement and knowing how to incorporate various harmonic devices is a major part of developing your cocktail piano repertoire. It’s also an essential skill that can be practiced at an easy, intermediate, and advanced level. In this article we’ll take a very popular cocktail piano piece – George Gershwin’s “Summertime” – and show…
Rock piano soloing requires a slightly different mindset than jazz piano soloing. In the jazz piano context, the right hand is free to play lots of chromatic tones, altered scales, and shifty rhythmic figures. The left hand often plays rootless voicings that use extended harmonies (i.e., things like 7ths, 9ths, and 13ths are common). These…
Reharmonization. It’s kind of a funny word when you first encounter it. It means exactly what it sounds like. To reharmonize something is to alter the harmony, and when we talk about harmony we’re really talking about chords. So to put it plainly, to reharmonize something is to change the chords. Why would a musician…
This jazz masterclass article will present a few different ways to go about playing a jazz standard like a pro in a quick, straightforward manner. We will discuss some basic concepts (and an advanced concept or two) that can help you tweak your playing using the first 2 measures of the beautiful jazz ballad “When…
Using hexatonic scales can be a powerful tool when practicing improvisation. In funk music we often encounter tunes that are built on a couple chords that repeat over and over again. Sometimes we even have entire solo sections that use only one chord! What should you do if you are asked to take a solo…
In this article we’ll discuss some easy blues piano practice exercises. These practice exercises will help you get more familiar with the blues form and the individual chords that make up the 12-bar blues structure. As you probably know, the blues form is used in jazz, rock, country, and well… blues music. Generally speaking, the…
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