Category: Export to JPB

Funk keyboard tricks of the pros… well, not “tricks” exactly. There’s no “inside secret” that the professionals know and refuse to share with the rest of the world. But there is a little thing called “experience” – something the pros have and the advancing students need. Have you ever wondered why your playing doesn’t sound…

Harmonic analysis is an incredibly important key in unlocking the mysteries of music. By understanding and using harmonic analysis we can answer questions such as “what was the composer thinking about (musically) when he/she wrote this music?” Or, “what chords are being used to make this song sound so good?” Or, “what role are each…

Voice leading. Maybe you’ve heard that term before in musical circles and not fully understood what it means. Voice leading is not just an interesting topic discussed by musicians, it is an absolutely essential part of playing rock piano. And as luck would have it, you’ve come to the right place. Because in this article…

In this article we’ll take a look at three specific ways to improve your blues playing. These three tips are presented here in a blues format, but they are equally valid in a jazz setting. After all, the blues form is frequently the template for jazz tunes. And rightfully so because the blues has everything!…

Funk harmony. That terms gets used a lot in funk keyboard lessons. It’s an important concept for all musicians to understand, but it’s especially important for keyboard players to understand. Why? Because when we hear the term ‘harmony,’ we naturally think of chords – and rightfully so. After all, harmony responsibilities in the form of…

Polychords are everywhere in music – all kinds of music. And yet polychords are often not fully understood, or even worse, are viewed as “scary” and “difficult,” leaving students to dismiss them as too advanced for their own understanding. Well, polychords are not too scary, difficult, or advanced. In fact, they are sometimes used to…

Rock organ tips. That’s our topic here. But we’ll take a slightly different approach than normal. The organ looks like a piano keyboard, but the two are vastly different instruments in many ways. This seems obvious, right? Well, let me tell you about a gig in which the information I’ll share below was not quite…

Blues piano comping is the topic of this article, in which we’ll be discussing 10 “do’s and don’ts.” Of course, these 10 tips can easily apply to comping in any genre – blues, jazz, rock, pop, etc. Being able to implement these tips in your playing is usually the difference between inexperienced players and true…

Diminished scale theory is usually seen as a dense and confusing topic that is reserved for advanced theory and harmony classes at the university level. Many advanced masterclasses have featured some of the world’s greatest musicians talking about how to apply the diminished scale to improvisation and composition. And while diminished scale theory can be…

In this article we’ll talk about creating funky chord resolutions. What do I mean by that? Well, a trademark of jazz-funk music is the harmony. Have you ever listened to a jazz-funk tune and thought “Wow, those chord changes sound really cool. But what are they?” Here we’ll explore some chord resolutions that step slightly…

In this article we’ll be featuring some piano licks from “Jessica” by the Allman Brothers, one of the greatest rock piano tunes – and rock piano solos – of all-time. One of the things that makes this solo so popular and copied by piano players is simply the way it sounds – it’s got 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…