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.
ok, you’re killing me…i didn’t even know this was one of the lessons as I voted for this awhile ago. I’m in heaven and no longer care about the routines of my daily life until i learn this song completely! Thank you so much, Tuomo & Hayden, for doing this lesson. It’s absolutely beautiful. Also Tuomo gives a wonderful and concise understanding of modal so now i won’t beat my brain trying to figure out the functional harmony and just enjoy the chords. Thanks again.
Thank you Lonnie, I’m glad you liked the lesson! Stay tuned for more!
Hi Tuomo,
Wow what a great tutorial I really enjoyed this and it is one my favorite tunes that got me into jazz music years ago :).
I was a bit scared at the beginning to start the tutorial since it is flagged as advanced, but I am able to get satisfying results with your guidance playing this ! :).
Thank you.
Regards,
Ariel.
Thank you Ariel, I’m so happy you enjoyed the tutorial!
Let me know if I you have any questions,
All the best,
-Tuomo
Hi Tuomo, about a year ago I was convinced that I’ll never be able to understand, conceptually or practically, modal ballad playing.
After tackling this lesson, the basics of modal playing has become much clearer to me based on your very, very clear and instructive lesson.
Thank you, as always, greatly. Smole
Thank you so much for the kind words, happy I can help!
Also check out new fun transcription exercises on the forum,
pianogroove.com/community/c/improvisation-exercises/30
keep up the good work,
-Tuomo