With New Orleans music it’s easy to concentrate on the rhythmic aspects but the way we structure our chord progressions is also important.

Elsewhere in the world, the blues is generally heard in the 12 bar format. Here in New Orleans it is most often played in the 8 bar form.

We explore how we can break up the 4 beats of a bar, place accents on the weaker beats, and introduce dissonance into our chord voicings.

The Rhumba and Habanera grooves are an important element of the rhythmic toolbox of New Orleans Piano to make the music funky.

The 12/8 groove is associated with Fats Domino who was one of the most famous musicians to come out of New Orleans in the 20th century.

In this lesson we provide an introduction and overview of New Orleans music in general as represented in its various piano styles.

In this lesson we create an arrangement for the tune “Insensatez” by Antonio Carlos Jobim. This tune is also known as “How Insensitive”.

We have lots of creative freedom when creating our introductions and in this lesson we will explore some of the options available to us.

In this lesson we create a beginner focused arrangement of the tune “When Sunny Gets Blue” using roots, 3rds, 7ths, and the melody.