Standards by the Dozen™

In this first standard, you'll be learning the Henry Mancini classic "The Days of Wine and Roses." Be sure to watch "How the course works" to learn how best to use this course.

In this lesson you'll learn the jazz standard Autumn Leaves in both a solo and group style arrangement. We will also cover improvisation.

Learn the classic Erroll Garner standard using the Standards by the Dozen™ approach.

Learn this classic Jerome Kern tune using the Standards by the Dozen™ method.

Sheet music has been added. Please note, this is version 1 of the music and it will likely change a bit once the lesson video is released. I am no longer teaching the lesson live since there were not many student questions. Instead, SBTD and TCI will share a Q&A session every other Thursday.

Beautiful Rogers and Hart tune that works as a ballad, swing or even a funk tune! You'll learn different rootless chord ideas in this lesson as well as how to play it in a quasi latin-feel using iRealPro.

On Green Dolphin Street (originally called Green Dolphin Street) is another classic jazz standard which moves between latin and swing rhythmic feels. The song was composed for the film Green Dolphin Street and became a jazz standard after it was recorded by Miles Davis in 1958.

This classic Billy Joel tune is a great bridge between rock and jazz and offers many exciting jazz 'twists' which we will cover. This rock standard will be approached a bit differently than the other SBTD songs, so be sure to check the music for notes and watch the lesson.

A classic Thelonious Monk blues, Blue Monk is a great tune to learn. We will cover many things in this lesson including quartal voicings and a second-line bassline.

In this classic Horace Silver song, we will learn how to create a syncopated latin bassline to play over the melody. Improvisation will be discussed in the GEMS session.

This Lerner & Lowe classic is a must-have in any jazz piano repertoire. This song is also a great way to practice your shell voicings!

In this beautiful Rogers & Hart song, you'll learn how to create beautiful ballad arrangements using various techniques.

In this lesson we're going to learn Stevie Wonder's hit "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." This song features some exciting jazz devices such as the use of the whole-tone scale and a modulation.

In this lesson we'll be learning the jazz-funk classic "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. We will be learning and applying various jazz techniques - such as drop-2 voicings and reharmonization - in order to create a new, professional-sounding solo piano arrangement.

In this lesson we will be learning a quintessential jazz standard by one of the most famous musicians in jazz - 'Round Midnight by Thelonious Monk. We'll be examining a very specific solo piano recording by Thelonious Monk himself and learning a modified transcription of the piece. This lesson will demonstrate how Monk himself uses chord shells extensively in his left hand, his use of stride, and his use of chord tones to improvise and embellish the melody.

In this lesson we will learn a popular jazz standard by a famous bossa nova musician and composer - Desafinado by Antonio Carlos Jobim. We will learn how to create a bossa nova bassline in the left hand, a simple harmonization technique for the melody, and some advanced reharmonization approaches in select spots. We'll also revisit some drop-2 voicings and block chord techniques.

In this lesson we will learn a famous jazz standard written by a great jazz pianist, George Shearing. We will treat each 'A' section differently (3 in total) so that you have the option of learning all or some of the arrangement while still being able to play the complete song. We will cover some intermediate to advanced topics including "locked hands" voicings when harmonizing the melody, drop-2 voicings, modified stride playing, and even a bit of bebop improvisation.

This lesson features one of the greatest and most-covered songs of all-time. "Sunny" was written by Bobby Hebb 60 years ago and has been recorded by Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Billy Preston, George Benson, and so many other jazz and funk musicians. It's popularity makes it a great addition to your solo piano repertoire. This lesson features a discussion about improvisation, modulation, and even some "spy" movie music.

In this lesson we focus on a classic Stevie Wonder recording. This popular song uses many "jazz" chords and voicings despite the fact that it is undeniably a pop song. Specifically, we will encounter many augmented chords, and minor chords that use a descending chromatic bass line.

This lesson features a classic pop-funk tune that is often played in the jazz repertoire. The song features a 4-measure chord progression that repeats throughout the intro, verse, and chorus. An interlude, which uses different chords, is also part of the form. Despite the repeating chord cycle of the song, the intro, verse, and chorus all sound distinct from one another. We will discuss how these cyclical chords are made to sound different as you enter various sections of the song.

This lesson features one of the most classic and recognizable pieces of piano repertoire of all time. The piece, by Vince Guaraldi from "A Charlie Brown Christmas," has become a regular Christmas standard. In this lesson we'll focus on the musical element of form. Although long when notated, the entire piece centers around only 3 sections which are relatively short. By understanding the form, you learn to condense the song into small parts that are repeated in a particular order.

This lesson features a classic jazz ballad popularized by the great jazz singer Tony Bennett. We will investigate how to effectively play a jazz ballad, including some specific piano tips, a simple yet effective introduction technique that uses the augmented triad, a beautiful ending that borrows from a different jazz standard, and some very large (but also simple) chords.

This lesson features a classic multi-generational tune that fits well in both the pop and jazz styles. The arrangement uses an easy approach on the verse featuring arpeggios, and a more advanced approach on the chorus that features larger, denser chord voicings.

This lesson features a song by one of the most famous folk singer-songwriters of all time, James Taylor. A beautiful piece that is familiar to a large audience, this solo piano arrangement uses simple voicings and chords to achieve an advanced sound.