ACADEMY BLUEPRINT

Jazz Piano (Beginner)

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Lesson 1 - Jazz Piano Technique

Lesson 2 - The Melody

			Practice This...
			The main focus of your practice should be getting down the melody as best you can. Practice with the backing track or metronome. You do not have to memorize it, but memorization does help. Take your time and go slow. Pay particular attention to your fingering and grabbing at the notes. Learning the melody is a really important step that often gets overlooked by students! Having a solid grasp of the melody will make the rest of the blueprint easier for you.		

			Key to Abbreviations:
			RH = right hand
LH = left hand
HT = hands together
Contrary motion = hands moving in opposite directions
Repetitions will be in parenthesis. For example (10x) means do it 10 times

		

Lesson 3 - The Bass

			Practice This...
			Start by identifying each of the roots. Next, try playing just the roots in the LH alone. Next, add the RH and try to play the melody along with the roots like I did starting at 4:52.		

			Key to Abbreviations:
			RH = right hand
LH = left hand
HT = hands together
Contrary motion = hands moving in opposite directions
Repetitions will be in parenthesis. For example (10x) means do it 10 times

		

Lesson 4 - R7 Shells

			Practice This...
			Start by learning all of the R7 chord shell notes. You should be able to look at the chord symbol and say out loud the name of the root and the 7th. Once you can do this, try playing the R7 chord shell along with the melody. Go line-by-line until you feel comfortable playing the chords along with the melody. Practice this until you can comfortably play the entire piece with shells.		

			Key to Abbreviations:
			RH = right hand
LH = left hand
HT = hands together
Contrary motion = hands moving in opposite directions
Repetitions will be in parenthesis. For example (10x) means do it 10 times

		

Lesson 5 - R3 Shells

			Practice This...
			Start by learning all of the R3 chord shell notes. You should be able to look at the chord symbol and say out loud the name of the root and the 3rd. Once you can do this, try playing the R3 chord shell along with the melody. Go line-by-line until you feel comfortable playing the chords along with the melody.		

			Key to Abbreviations:
			RH = right hand
LH = left hand
HT = hands together
Contrary motion = hands moving in opposite directions
Repetitions will be in parenthesis. For example (10x) means do it 10 times

		

Lesson 6 - R7/R3 Shells

			Practice This...
			Go slow and practice this line-by-line. Do not move on to the comping until you feel really comfortable playing the R7/R3 shells without making a mistake. As an added challenge, try starting on a R3 shell and see how the inversions change. For example, when you start on a R3 chord, the next chord naturally wants to be a R7 as this "feels" best in the hands for voice leading.		

			Key to Abbreviations:
			RH = right hand
LH = left hand
HT = hands together
Contrary motion = hands moving in opposite directions
Repetitions will be in parenthesis. For example (10x) means do it 10 times

		

Lesson 7 - Five Comping Rhythms

			Practice This...
			Practice these rhythms at the piano and away from the piano. Rhythm is something you can "take with you" everywhere and to really get a solid rhythm, it is best to practice tapping these rhythms even when away from the piano. Vocalizing these rhythms will help with your swing feel.		

			Key to Abbreviations:
			RH = right hand
LH = left hand
HT = hands together
Contrary motion = hands moving in opposite directions
Repetitions will be in parenthesis. For example (10x) means do it 10 times

		

Lesson 8 - Shells with Comping

			Practice This...
			This is the fun part. Comping really brings the tune alive and creates more intensity and motion in your playing. Remember, these rhythms are just suggestions. It is recommended that you start with what is here first before you move to your own rhythms. However, feel free to explore and experiment with different rhythms!		

			Key to Abbreviations:
			RH = right hand
LH = left hand
HT = hands together
Contrary motion = hands moving in opposite directions
Repetitions will be in parenthesis. For example (10x) means do it 10 times

		

Blueprint Quiz

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Recommended Lessons

Mastering Rhythms - The Basics

Mastering Rhythms - Vol. 1

Mastering Rhythms - Vol. 2

SBTD-01: The Days of Wine And Roses

NBGJP Lesson #4 - Chord Shells

Essential Comping Techniques Part 1

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ACADEMY BLUEPRINT

Jazz Piano (Beginner)

Lesson 1 - Jazz Piano Technique

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Key to Abbreviations:

Lesson 2 - The Melody

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Lesson 3 - The Bass

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Lesson 4 - R7 Shells

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Lesson 5 - R3 Shells

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Lesson 6 - R7/R3 Shells

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Lesson 7 - Five Comping Rhythms

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Lesson 8 - Shells with Comping

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