Body & Soul Jazz Piano Tutorial Part 1
Body & Soul is widely quoted as the most popular jazz standard and is one of the most played ballad in the jazz repertoire. The catchy melodic motives, complex chord progressions and unusual key changes make this tune a favourite amongst jazz musicians.
Body & Soul follows a 32 measure AABA form and is written in the key of Db major however it modulates to D major and then C major in the bridge.
In part 1 we explore the form with left hand voicings. This is an important step to become familiar with the harmony. There are lot of key changes in Body & Soul and so spending the time to apply the left hand voicings with give you a clear understanding of the harmonic movement in the tune.
In part 2 of the tutorial we create a full solo piano arrangement incorporating extended and altered harmony.
Related Lessons
251 progressions are essential components of the jazz language and so taking the time to memorise them will greatly benefit your playing.
Rootless voicings sound more professional than root based 7th chords and they voice lead much more smoothly in a 251 progression.
To play a rootless voicing we leave out the root of the chord and play one of the upper extensions to get a richer, more colourful sound.
Practice Tips
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When playing through with left hand voicings, pay attention to good voice leading between the chords.
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The idea is to keep your hand movement to a minimum which will create smoother chord transitions and modulations.
- Left hand voicings are a great choice of voicing to support your right hand soloing and so taking the time to memorise them will help you enormously when you come to take a solo.
