In this lesson I'll teach you the analysis for Jobim's Girl From Ipanema. I will also show you a few re-harmonization techniques. We will also cover how to improvise using arpeggio "upper structures."

Student questions answered.

In part 2 of Faster Fingers we will be covering keys G through B. I will also give you a "lesson plan" in the last chapter so you know what to do with these arpeggios and how to move forward.

Get ready for some rocking piano! This lesson will show you how to create the exciting piano style of Jerry Lee Lewis. We will use the progression of Great Balls of Fire to create a blues arrangement with many of Jerry's classic licks. I'll also show you some of Jerry's keyboard "stunts" and teach you how to not hurt yourself while rocking heavy on the piano. Grab your cup of coffee for this lesson...it's intense!

In this second volume we are going to focus on arpeggios. The sheet music has the fingering for all 12 Major scales in 2 octaves. In the lesson we will cover Major, minor and Dominant 7th arpeggios in ALL 12 keys. We will also cover how to gain more fluidity in your arpeggio playing. In addition, I will show you fun and unique exercises in each key that you can apply to other keys and incorporate into your playing.

In this original song (in 3 sections) I will show you how to create FULL chord voicings while also creating a progression with motion using tri-tone substitutions and other techniques. The sound of this song will appeal to many of you, especially if you like that "smooth jazz" contemporary sound. In this lesson I am using a Nord Electro keyboard which has very nice electric piano sounds. At the end of the lesson, I spend time on improvisation over the C section, giving you more techniques to use in your soloing.

In this lesson I am going to show you some organ techniques that I have learnt over the years. I'll show you how I use the drawbars. We will discuss sustaining notes, creating pads and I'll teach you a cool progression, some chords to go with it and improvisation!

We all want to play the piano faster and be stronger in what we play. However, we also need accuracy, dexterity, fluidity, dynamics and most of all musicality. In this lesson, I will show you how to achieve these characteristics in your playing through some simple exercises of both your fingers...and your mind!

In this second part of the You've Got A Friend lesson, we will learn how to create the ending groove section, how the harmony works and how to create a groove step-by-step.

In this lesson, we are covering how to gain more fluidity in your playing and soloing. We will cover some unique exercises that will spur new ideas in your soloing while also improving your technique. These exercises work well over Funk styles, but can be applied to other styles as well. We will also talk about target-note soloing in which a target note becomes your goal and other notes are arbitrary.

In this lesson we focus on improvisation. I will cover some common questions like "What notes do I choose for my solo?" I will also teach you exercises that will help your improvisation become more fluid.

In this Joe Cocker version of “Feelin’ Alright,” I will show you how to play the grooves of the song and alter those grooves to create your own sound. We will also cover some of the original keyboardist, Artie Butler’s, licks for improvisation. If you like a funky piano sound, this is a great lesson for you.

In this lesson you'll learn some cool Gene Harris blues/gospel licks. You'll also learn a common "bluesy" chord progression and some nice chord voicings.

In this lesson, we will cover a more advanced 12-Bar blues. We start by learning two choruses of an original blues called Blowin’ On The Blues. This song is a great way to explain your voicings and learn new techniques to make your blues playing sound more sophisticated. We will also cover improvisation over the song!

In this important lesson, we will cover different practice techniques, how to create exercises for yourself to practice, musical practice, practical technical exercises, the Major scale both hands two-octaves and many more concepts that will help you focus your practice time at the piano.

Tequila, written by Daniel Flores (aka Chuck Rio) is an easy, yet fun song which is known by many. In this lesson, we break down the arrangement and I will show you improvisation techniques and licks that you can use over the song. This is a nice tune to have in your repertoire!

In this lesson we followup on our Rock piano techniques from the Suzuki workshop in the lesson "Suzuki Workshop - Easy Rock and Blues Grooves." You'll learn how to break up the chords to create a more flowing rock piano sound while also learning some exercises that will give you more fluidity in your playing.

In this lesson, I create an original song using a nice chord progression that I heard on the radio from a song called "Richard Tee". It's gospel-blues infused sound reminded me of Richard Tee's style and soulfulness. I will teach you the entire arrangement which has a bunch of really nice chords and licks that you will love adding to your repertoire!

Using a lesson request from a student, I created an accompaniment lesson on a gospel version of You've Got A Friend. In this 2-part lesson I will show you the rich gospel chords and how to 'fill the space' using a more gospel/jazz style. In addition, you will learn some nice transition chords. These are chords that move use smoothly between the larger I-IV-V chords. While not an easy lesson, there is something here for all levels. In part 2 we will cover 'gospel grooving' where we take a simple progression and really groove on it.

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.

In this lesson we will be covering how to use the pedal and some stride piano techniques. Both of these techniques take time to master, but using the examples laid out in the lesson, you'll be up and running a lot faster.

Learn Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" along with advanced techniques to make this song your own. We will cover all sections of the song along with alternate bass lines and right hand fills. We will also discuss how to learn a song by ear and what to listen for. If you like that rock piano sound, you'll like this lesson a lot. The last section of the song is very pretty and is open to a lot of improvisation, making it fun to jam on this song.

In this lesson Willie answers students' questions and talks about how to Approach Target Chords. We will also discuss the gospel 1-7-3-6 progression and what it should really be called.

Learn Duke's beautiful ballad In A Sentimental Mood. We start with the analysis of the song which makes it easier to memorize and transpose the song to other keys. Next we cover the step-by-step process for creating an easy "quick" arrangement. After that we talk about how to re-harmonize the song to create an interesting arrangement. Finally, you will learn the arrangement note-for-note.

This lesson I am going to show you some techniques I taught Suzuki students this past week in Louisville, KY. These are some great easy Blues techniques as well as some Rock/Pop piano ideas.

In this lesson we will use the chord progression to Summer Samba to learn how to create that cool, relaxed Bossa Nova beat. We will also cover how to add fills and learn how to comp the chords if you are playing with a group.

In this lesson we will cover part of Gene Harris's grooves that he plays on "Lady Be Good." I will show you 5 of Gene's fills and his intro groove.

In this lesson, we will continue where we left off from volume 1. We begin by reviewing “The Thrill is Gone” groove and bassline. Everything is broken down for you step-by-step, making it easy to learn regardless of your skill level. After mastering a basic version, we will add more tensions to the chords to create a richer blues sound. Next we move on to improvisation. You’ll learn 8 new scales for improvisation. We will work through different ways of breaking up the scales to create your own unique blues piano solo. This lesson will focus more on improvisation. We will cover neighbor chords, trills, crushed notes, double-stops and more to create some cool sounding improvisation.​ Trills, turns and double-stops are an important aspect of blues piano playing. We will cover these in detail! You’ll also learn how to improvise using rhythmic cells.

In this week's lesson we will be covering one of the most important songs that you should have in your repertoire...."Happy Birthday," also known as "Good Morning to All." In this lesson you'll learn a very simple way to play the song then 4 different variations including an advanced jazz version!

In this 2 part lesson we will be working through the groove for Bill Withers Use Me. In part 1 we will cover the different keyboard licks and variations. We will discuss the minor pentatonic and how to create interesting improvisation sequences and also talk about different chord voicings for the organ.

In this lesson, I will show you how to break down some of those more complicated groove sections that sound so cool. I will show you different exercises and patterns that you can follow to create some really fat grooves. I'll also show you a couple of grooves to get you started.

In this second volume we are going to learn about different "clustering" techniques which will help you create more progressions and change the progressions you use now. You will also learn a cool jazz/gospel progression along with improvisation tips.

In this lesson I will show you how to play the sections of the song and also teach you some Hornsby licks for improvisation. We will also discuss how to make this song your own by creating your own interpretation through different pentatonic lines.

In this second part we will cover some usage of the diminished chord for improvisation. We will also apply diminished replacement techniques to song snippets "I Could Write A Book" and "Have You Met Miss Jones?". We will end by covering the Barry Harris diminished approach technique and apply it to a snippet of "The Days Of Wine And Roses."

In this lesson we are going to continue where we left off in Rhythm Changes Vol 1. We will cover new ways of expanding rhythm changes, outside changes, back-cycling, tri-tone substitutions and more.

In this lesson we are going to cover the analysis of I Can't Get Started, learn the groove for Bill Wither's Use Me, play some Reggae grooves and learn a basic stride piano exercise. Yeah, we got a lot to cover!

In this "Romantic," rubato-style version I will show you step-by-step the improvisation of the song and how to use arpeggios in your songs to create flourishes, fills and runs.

In this lesson, we will focus on really digging into diminished harmony. This is an important skill, especially if you want to learn to play cocktail piano and re-harmonize songs. There are also many cool improvisation ideas that we will end up covering in this 2-part series.

In this lesson I will teach you all about the 16th-note triplet and how to use it to create some really slick Blues licks. I will also teach you my original piece, “Eeek’s Blues” for Annika, which has a lot of great material that you can use in your own Blues improvisation.

In this lesson I will show you some of the techniques I use to create improvisation lines over a steady bassline. We will be using my lesson on Herbie Hancock’s Cantaloupe Island to create our improvisation.

In this lesson I will show you exactly what a secondary and extended dominant is and how they are used. These chords are a great way to help your re-harmonization of standards and can also be used to expand on your composition of your own songs as well.

This is a classic funky tune with a great piano groove. In this lesson, I'll teach you the groove, how to alter it and also how to add some improvisation. We will also discuss inside/outside soloing techniques.

In this lesson, we will be covering some odd-time signature exercises that will get you started playing in time signatures outside of 4 and 3.

In this lesson we will be working through arranging this 6/8 traditional piece using re-harmonization techniques. We will also focus on various ways to 'groove' on a 6/8 song and use grooves in your improvisation. You'll also learn about the 7-3-6 progression and what it really is called.

In this lesson, we will be covering fingering techniques, learning and applying arpeggios and how to apply simple chords to a melody, the "Battle Hymn of The Republic."

In this lesson we are going to cover 8 variations of the classic chord progression Rhythm Changes. This progression is an important 'right of passage' for any jazz musician. It is also a great progression to work through re-harmonization and improvisation. We will learn the various chord progressions and basslines.

In this lesson I am going to give you some pointers about how I go about memorizing songs. We have all learned a lot of songs only to forget them over time. Using analysis and some of these techniques, you’ll be able to hold on to those songs longer. These techniques work for all styles of music. We will even learn how to analyze a Bach Minuet!

Manha De Carnaval from Black Orpheus is one of Luiz Bonfa’s most famous songs. In this lesson we will be breaking down the improvisation of the song first and add an arrangement at a later date. I will cover a few techniques that you can use in both group and solo settings. I will also play it a bit faster (like you will often find on gigs). This lesson is for the intermediate to advanced student.

We begin by learning the basic minor groove. I’ll show you how to make rich chord voicings to sound great while also teaching you a simple bass line to accompany yourself while singing, playing chords or improvising. Next, we move on to learning the entire minor blues progression and I’ll also show a cool walking bass line that you can use over and over to create a jazz/blues sound. After mastering the basic minor blues progression, I’ll show you how to expand it with rich jazz reharmonization and chord substitutions. Then we will add some more flair to the bass line by adding in approach notes to give it a more “pro” sound. Finally, we will learn the minor blues in 6/8 time.

In this advanced lesson, we will use concepts from volumes 1-3 to create some advanced improvisation using key centers, quartals and different voicing techniques.