Arranging For Solo Jazz Piano
In this course we explore a range of voicings for major, minor and dominant chords. This will help you build full, solo piano arrangements.
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Arranging For Solo Jazz Piano
In this course we explore a range of voicings for major, minor and dominant chords. This will help you build full, solo piano arrangements.
One of the challenges of playing solo jazz piano is being able to quickly find a voicing that works well underneath any melody note you could come across on a lead sheet.
In this course we systematically work through the main types of chords – major, minor and dominant – to identify and analyse the suitable voicings options available to you.
Starting with major chords, we explore voicings that work under each of the 7 notes of the Lydian Mode. When you come across a major chord on a lead sheet, the melody note will most likely be part of the Lydian Mode.
Next we study minor chord voicings in the same way by exploring the voicing options available to you underneath each note of the Dorian Mode.
The final theory lessons in this series focuses on dominant chord voicings. Dominant chords are much more complex than their major and minor counterparts and so there are many more variations in the options available to you.
We analyse dominant chord voicing options under almost every note of the chromatic scale. We also revisit theory on altered harmony and upper structure triads.
The course then moves onto practical application on 6 jazz standards. We create full solo piano arrangements for all of the tunes and incorporate the voicings covered in the theory lessons.
We explore the voicing options for major chords under each note of the Lydian Mode which is a common scale to play over major chords.
We explore voicings for each note of the dorian mode. Watch this and never again get stuck on what to play for minor chords!
This is part 2 of the tutorial on dominant chord voicings. Here we explore voicing options for the natural 4th, #11, 5th, #5, 13th and the b7.
This is part 2 of the tutorial on dominant chord voicings. Here we explore voicing options for the natural 4th, #11, 5th, #5, 13th and the b7.
We can also achieve some really interesting sounds by applying upper structure triad theory to both major and minor chords.
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.
Cluster voicings are tightly spaced groups of 3 or more notes that act as a chord. They don't usually contain both ‘essential chord tones which are 3 & 7.
Usually played in the key of G Minor, the tune follows a 32 measure AABC form and contains both major and minor 251 progressions.
First we discuss how the melody is phrased when playing with a medium swing. We also look at the placement and syncopation of the chords.
For a ballad, the tune has quite an up-beat and bouncy vibe which can also be played at faster tempos with the same chord voicings.
All The Things You Are has been widely recorded so it's definitely worth listening to as many versions as you can to get some creative ideas and inspiration.
‘You Don’t Know What Love Is’ follows an A1 – A2 – B – A2 form and the tonality is primarily minor throughout which gives the tune a dark and melancholy vibe.
We start with simple voicings and then add in extensions, alterations & embellishments to add interest to the repetitive chord changes & melody.
Written in Eb, Skylark follows a 32 measure A-A-B-A form. We’ll start the tune with some simple voicings, and then add subs and reharms.
In this lesson we create a full solo piano arrangement incorporating chord substitutions and reharmonisations and advanced jazz theory.
'Yesterday' Beegie Adair Style
My One & Only Love is a jazz ballad written by Guy Wood. The tune follows a 32 measure AABA form and is usually played in the key of C major.
Like Someone In Love is one of the great jazz standards. The tune is written in the key of Eb Major and follows a 32 measure A1 - B1 - A2 - B2 form.
Thelonious Monk's Round Midnight contains lots of interesting chord changes. Written in the key of Eb Minor, there are 6 flats to watch out for!
Time Remembered is unusual tune as is doesn't contain any dominant 7th or diminished chords. It is a modal composition with interesting changes.
In Part 1 we run through the first half of the tune. We start with simple voicings and then create a more modern sound using chords built from 4ths.
In part 2 of this jazz standard tutorial we explore some interesting quartal voicings for 251s and also apply pentatonic harmony to the chord changes.
Joe Zawinul's 'Midnight Mood' is a 24 measure A-B tune. The form is repetitive which creates the opportunity to and add some interesting chord substitutions.
For the first time through the form we play simple voicings and for the 2nd chorus we add some interesting fills and reharmonisation.
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Major Voicings Lesson Supplement File Type: pdf
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Major Voicings Lesson Transcript File Type: pdf
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Minor Voicings Lesson Supplement File Type: pdf
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Minor Voicing Lesson Transcript File Type: pdf
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Dominant Chord Voicings Lesson Supplement File Type: pdf
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Major and Minor Upper Structures Cheat Sheet File Type: pdf
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Pure Imagination Midi File File Type: midi
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My One & Only Love Transcription File Type: pdf
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Wee Small Hours – Chord Changes File Type: pdf
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Wee Small Hours – Midi File File Type: midi
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