In this lesson you'll learn: how to pick out the guide tones for any chord, how to create basic rootless voicings and which tensions to add.

Are you interested in writing or arranging music? Are you interested in understanding why certain chords “work” and sound so cool? Then this is the lesson for you. In this lesson, we will show you 7 different ways to resolve to a C major chord, a particularly valuable skill for anyone who wants to take command of the music they’re playing and unlock all of the creative possibilities. In fact, with all the different variations we will show you, you will learn more than 10 different chord progressions, all of which will bring you to C major.

This lesson puts you IN THE STUDIO! You’ve just been asked to play on a recording session which will feature a new smooth jazz/funk song entitled “Downtown Funk.” The producer has sent you the sheet music and the track in advance of the gig. You will learn all of the necessary preparation: understanding how to read the chart and why it is so different from reading classical music; how to work and count through difficult rhythms; how to interpret and build great-sounding chords; how to practice the tune; scales you can use to solo over the chords; how to select your sounds and what is meant by the expression “splitting your keyboard.” This lesson is packed with in-depth explanations and has everything you need to get ready to jam along with this great track!

This lesson will show you how to build your major and minor triads in all 12 keys. Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll learn how to double the various notes of the triads to create thick, rich, dense, and powerful major and minor chords. If you’re a beginner, this is absolutely essential information for playing rock piano. If you’re an intermediate player, this lesson can fill in any gaps in your understanding or serve as excellent review material.

In this lesson you'll learn how to think of playing standards in layers. Each layer adds sparkle to the arrangement and you'll learn how to use these layers for maximum effect!

Learn the steps needed to create your first arrangement of a jazz standard. After learning the techniques in this lesson, you'll be ready to create your own first arrangement from a lead sheet.

Learn the 3 basic types of 7th chords that you must know. Learn about adding tensions to the chords and how to play the chords using two-hands along with shells.

In this lesson we will learn how to improvise over the song Do'h blues. This is a great introduction to improvisation.

Learn Root-7 chord shells along with how to form all types of seventh chords.

In this lesson you'll learn some killer voicings that I love to us for the standard "My Ship."

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of G

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of F#

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of F

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of Eb

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of E

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of Db

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of D

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of Bb

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of Ab

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of A

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of B

10 examples in a variety of styles to help you learn your chords, comping, styles and rhythms in the key of C.

Day 21-30 of the 30-Day Piano Playbook. These lessons will be more difficult than days 1-20 by design to help you find your playing level.

This lesson is all about chords. You'll learn your 7th chords, chord scales and different open and closed position chord voicings.

Would you like to know what the Beatles, Journey, and Johann Pachelbel can teach you about diatonic harmony? Have you ever wondered about the meaning of all those “theory terms” that advanced musicians use, terms like “scale degree,” “diatonic chords,” or even “Roman numeral analysis”? If so, this lesson is for you because it will completely clarify your understanding and help you “talk the talk.” You will learn these concepts step-by-step and get practical examples while learning what a scale degree is, how to create diatonic triads and 7th chords, and why Roman numeral analysis is so critical in developing your ability to memorize and transpose songs.

Learn different chord tips that I've learned over the years and use in my playing to this day.

In this important lesson for ALL styles, we will talk about the core ingredients of a 2-5-1 progression and chord voicings. Once you understand these core concepts, it is easier to add upon them to create richer and fuller voicings. We will also discuss voice-leading and show you how to smoothly move between chords. There will be a followup to this lesson with several progression examples.

In this song lesson, we will use our step-by-step standards technique (similar to My Romance) to create an arrangement. In three steps (plus analysis) we will go from melody to complete arrangement along with some advanced tips to help you apply these techniques to other standards.

In this lesson, we will be covering fast funk grooves. More importantly, we will discuss how to create a groove between you and one other instrument. Often, we find ourselves in "non-traditional" situations like piano and drums only. In this lesson, I'll show you how to create a 'simple' groove, how to put it together in sections, how to do some groove improvisation and use outside chords to create an interesting sound.

Somos Novios is a beautiful ballad by Mexican composer Armando Manzanero. We will break down the chords, learn the analysis and talk about how to move this into new keys. We will also spend time on improvisation and learn the montunos in the song.

In this lesson we talk about HOW to create those BIG sounding chords. We will also cover how to turn a basic progression into a more contemporary sounding set of chords through re-harmonization, chord fills, left hand accompaniment techniques and chord tensions.

Learn how to create and extend your chord progressions. Have you ever been asked to just "wing it" and create a chord progression? Well, now you'll have some techniques to create your own progressions on-the-fly. You can also incorporate these techniques into existing songs to extend the progression.

I will teach you how to play this song in a solo/cocktail piano style using an easy shells and melody approach. After we cover the basic arrangement I'll show you how to create fills and flourishes. We will also cover how to create an ending. This is a great introduction to Real Book / Fakebook playing.

Learn the Erroll Garner classic, “Misty”. This three-step (Standards in 3) series will teach you how to re-harmonize the lead sheet, how to play the arrangement and put in fills and runs.

Learn how to make ordinary chords sound super fat using these techniques. You'll also learn many bassline tricks too!

Learn how to fix bad chord progressions, comp chords and switch into other styles.