Naima – Solo Piano Tutorial
In this lesson, we’re going to create a solo piano arrangement of John Coltrane song ‘Naima’.
Giant Steps Album
The song first appeared on the album Giant Steps, which I recommend to check out as it is one of the most influential albums of all time. Naima has also become one of the most known and played modal ballads.
The Form & Pedal Points
The tune follows an A A B A form. This song is a great example of the use of pedal point, where the chord color changes over the same bass note, A parts over Eb pedal sort of resolving to Abmaj, and B over Bb pedal. The outro is the only part that is around tonal center Ab. Let’s go through the tune.
Related Lessons
We start the lesson by recapping the basic theory behind sus chords and then explore them in context of major and minor 251s
Upper structure triads are complex sounding altered dominant chords. They will add texture and sophistication to your playing.
Slash chords contain 2 bits of info, the 1st letter indicates what chord should be played & the 2nd letter specifies the bass note of the chord.
Practice Tips
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If you are new to slash chords, check out the related lesson above.
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This song is a great example of the use of pedal point where the chord colour changes over the same bass note.
- Be sure to check out the album "Giant Steps" to learn more about Coltrane's style.
