Boot Camp For Lovers

Learn to play a beautiful jazz ballad with rich harmonies and expressive phrasing in this step-by-step course. Using My Funny Valentine as the focus, you’ll explore essential techniques like right-hand fills, reharmonization, and left-hand accompaniment patterns. This course is designed to help you improve your ability to interpret and arrange jazz standards, making it an excellent way to strengthen your fakebook skills.

Throughout the lessons, you’ll learn how to add movement to your left-hand accompaniment, create flowing arrangements, and apply chord tensions for a more expressive sound. You'll also dive into stride piano techniques and explore the "Last 8" concept to craft compelling introductions. By the end of the course, you’ll have a fully arranged version of My Funny Valentine and the skills to apply these techniques to other jazz ballads.

Perfect for intermediate to advanced players, this course helps you refine your arranging, reharmonization, and improvisation skills, allowing you to bring new life to jazz standards.

How to Create Expressive Jazz Ballad Arrangements

Jazz ballads are known for their emotional depth, and playing them well requires a combination of voicing, phrasing, and reharmonization techniques. The Boot Camp for Lovers course provides a structured approach to mastering these elements through the song My Funny Valentine.

The course starts with a step-by-step breakdown of the melody and chords, helping you develop a solid foundation. As you progress, you'll learn how to enhance your arrangement by adding right-hand fills, harmonic tensions, and left-hand movement. You'll also explore reharmonization techniques, allowing you to personalize the song and create a more sophisticated sound. One of the highlights of this course is the stride-style bridge, which introduces rhythmic motion and energy into your ballad playing.

By the end of the course, you'll not only have mastered My Funny Valentine, but you'll also have the tools to arrange and interpret other jazz standards with greater confidence and creativity.

Is this course suitable for beginners?
No, this course is best for intermediate to advanced pianists with some experience in jazz harmony and chord voicings.

Will I learn how to improvise in this course?
Yes! You'll explore right-hand fills and reharmonization techniques that can be applied to improvisation.

Do I need to read sheet music?
Not necessarily. The course breaks down the arrangement step by step, making it accessible for ear-trained players as well.

Can I apply these techniques to other jazz standards?
Absolutely! The skills learned in this course—reharmonization, chord tensions, and accompaniment techniques—can be applied to any jazz ballad.