- Jazzedge Academy

In this first lesson we will learn the song C-Jam Blues with a left-hand accompaniment.

Come join me for an engaging live coaching experience unlike any other. In this dynamic new format, I'll be calling on each student individually to discuss what they've been working on, share their progress, and get personalized guidance on their biggest challenges.
This isn't a passive session where you sit back and listen – it's an interactive coaching session designed to keep everyone engaged and accountable. Each participant will have the opportunity to be in the hot seat, receiving direct feedback and actionable advice tailored to their specific situation and goals.

Chord Play will show you how to get the most music out of even the simplest chord progressions. You’ll learn how to take a basic two-chord loop and turn it into something rich, colorful, and full of movement. Step by step, we’ll explore different ways to “arrive” at a chord, how to break apart and re-build progressions, and how to combine the chords you already know with new ones borrowed from other keys for fresh, exciting sounds.
You’ll also discover how different chords create different moods—and how you can use those moods to spark your improvisation. By the end of the course, you’ll have a set of practical tools to make your playing more interesting, your arrangements more engaging, and your improvisations more expressive, all while deepening your understanding of harmony in a fun, hands-on way.

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Al Green's song "Let’s Stay Together" serves as a valuable resource for a tutorial on how to play the piece. This tutorial may include ear-training exercises to help musicians develop their listening skills. Additionally, the use of Roman numeral chords can be emphasized, as they are important for understanding the harmonic structure of the song. The tutorial will also highlight the significance of hearing the bass line, which is crucial for grasping the overall feel and rhythm of the music.

Learn why chord shells are such a powerful foundation for jazz, blues, pop, and cocktail piano. In this first lesson, Willie shows you how to read chord symbols, identify roots and chord qualities, use the Shell Finder System, and start building root–seventh and root–sixth shells with better time, movement, technique, and register control.

Learn how to build root–third, root–tenth, and root–third–seventh chord shells. Willie shows you how to find major and minor thirds quickly, use tenths safely without strain, and combine thirds with sevenths to create a stronger foundation for richer jazz chord sounds.

Expand your shell vocabulary with root–fifth chord shapes. In this lesson, Willie shows you how to use root–5–root, root–5–7, and root–5–10 shells to create bigger, fuller accompaniment patterns for jazz, pop, and rock while developing stronger left-hand movement and richer chord textures.

Learn how thirds and sevenths define the sound of your chords. In this lesson, Willie shows you how to build major, minor, and dominant guide tones, connect them with smooth voice leading, and use them as the foundation for richer, more modern jazz harmony and future rootless chord work.

Bring your chord shells together with practical jazz progressions. In this lesson, Willie shows you how to move smoothly between shell types, use guide fingers to play with less looking, and apply shells to essential progressions like 2–5–1, 1–6–2–5, and powerful chromatic/substitution patterns.

Finish the program by learning how to turn chord shells into music. In this lesson, Willie shows you how to add comping rhythms, practice shells with randomized chord progressions, apply them to real standards, and choose your next steps for continued growth.

Learn exactly what your left hand should play. In this step-by-step program, you’ll master chord shells to create fuller accompaniment, stronger groove, and smoother transitions for jazz, blues, cocktail piano, and your favorite songs—without theory overload or guesswork.

Advanced turnaround options include the “iii-vi-ii-V” progression. Additionally, utilizing a mode of the harmonic minor scale can enhance improvisation techniques.

This isn't a passive session where you sit back and listen – it's an interactive coaching session designed to keep everyone engaged and accountable. Each participant will have the opportunity to be in the hot seat, receiving direct feedback and actionable advice tailored to their specific situation and goals.

Membership Plans & Pricing

JazzEdge Academy offers membership plans that give you access to lessons, courses, and practice tools. All current pricing and plan options are on our Join page.

👉 See all plans and pricing: jazzedge.academy/join
That page always has the most up-to-date pricing, any active discounts, and the sign-up button.

How to find the Join page

There are several ways to get there from anywhere on the site:

Menu — click Join in the top navigation bar.
Direct link — go to jazzedge.academy/join

What's included with a membership?

Your membership gives you access to:

The full lesson library — hundreds of jazz piano lessons
Structured courses and Focus Areas
Sheet music and backing tracks for lessons
Practice tools including the Practice Hub and Focus widget
New content added regularly

Already a member?

If you already have an account, log in here. Once logged in you'll have full access to everything included in your plan.

Billing or account questions? If you need help with a charge, cancellation, or updating your payment method, see the Billing help docs or submit a support ticket.

How Practice Actions Work

Each Focus Area is broken into six Practice Actions—short, focused assignments that tell you exactly what to work on. Complete them in order to finish your focus path.

What is a Practice Action?

A Practice Action (PA) is a small, actionable step—not a full course. Each one typically includes:

Instruction video — a focused clip showing what to practice.
Sheet Music — downloadable notation for the action (members).
Backing Track — play-along audio to practice with (members).
Dive Deeper — a link to the full related lesson for more context.

Your daily workflow

Open your Dashboard and find your Focus widget.
Watch the current Practice Action video.
Practice the idea at the piano. Use sheet music and the backing track if available.
When you've genuinely worked on it, click Mark Complete.
The next Practice Action unlocks automatically.
Repeat until all six are done.

The Practice Actions sidebar

On the right side of the Focus widget you'll see a list of all six Practice Actions:

Completed actions show a green checkmark—you can click them to rewatch.
Current action is highlighted in orange—this is what you should work on now.
Locked actions are upcoming steps you haven't reached yet.

"All lessons in this focus"

Below the video area, expand All lessons in this focus to see the full list. You can click completed rows to review a Practice Action, or open the related full lesson from the right column.

Remember: The yellow quote at the bottom of the sidebar (for example, "You don't need another lesson right now") is intentional. Finish your current Practice Action before jumping to something new.

Progress milestones

As you complete Practice Actions, your progress bar updates. You'll also pass milestones along the way:

First Steps — 25%
Halfway — 50%
Almost Done — 75%
Complete — 100% (all 6 Practice Actions done)

When am I "done"? You've finished a Focus Area level when all six Practice Actions are marked complete. You'll then be able to view your certificate. See Focus Area Certificates.

Focus Area Certificates

When you complete all six Practice Actions in a Focus Area level, you earn a Certificate of Completion you can view, print, or save as a PDF.

How to earn your certificate

Choose a Focus Area and level on your Dashboard.
Complete all 6 Practice Actions in order.
Click Mark Complete on the final action.
Your progress bar reaches 100%.
A celebration screen appears—you’ve finished the focus!

Jazzedge Academy

Certificate of Completion

Your Name · Blues Piano · Beginner Level · 6 lessons

How to view your certificate later

After you’ve earned it, you can open your certificate anytime from the Focus widget:

Click the Certificate button in the top bar of the widget, or
Click View Certificate in the action row below the video.

How to save or print

Open your certificate from the dashboard.
Click Save as PDF in the certificate modal.
Use your browser’s print dialog to save as PDF or print a physical copy.

Certificates are earned per focus and level. Completing Blues Piano (Beginner) gives you one certificate. Completing Blues Piano (Intermediate+) is a separate achievement with its own certificate.

What if I reset my focus?

Using Reset on your current focus and level clears your Practice Action progress and removes the certificate for that path. You can earn it again by completing all six actions from the beginning.

See Changing Your Focus vs Resetting Your Progress for details.

What’s next after finishing?

After your celebration screen, you can:

Review any Practice Action by clicking it in the sidebar or accordion.
Move up to Intermediate+ in the same focus.
Click Choose Your Next Focus to start a new topic.

Changing Your Focus vs Resetting Your Progress

Your Focus widget has two buttons that sound similar but do very different things: Change focus and Reset. Here’s how to know which one to use.

Change focus

Switch to a different Focus Area or level. Your completed work in other focuses is preserved.

Reset

Start over on your current focus and level. This clears your Practice Action progress and certificate for that path.

When to use “Change focus”

Use this when you want to work on a different topic or try a different level—but you’re not trying to wipe your history.

Click Change focus in your Focus widget.
Choose a new Focus Area from the switch panel.
Select Beginner or Intermediate+ for that focus.
Confirm. Your dashboard updates to the new path.

Your progress is saved per focus and level. If you complete 3 Practice Actions in Blues Piano (Beginner), then switch to Piano Foundations, your Blues Piano progress will still be there when you come back.

When to use “Reset”

Use Reset only when you want a true fresh start on your current focus and level—for example, you want to redo all six Practice Actions from scratch.

Warning: Reset will clear your Practice Action completions and remove your certificate for the current focus and level. This cannot be undone. If you just want to try a different topic, use Change focus instead.

Quick decision guide

“I want to try Jazz Ballads instead of Blues.” → Change focus
“I finished Beginner and want Intermediate+ in the same topic.” → Change focus (pick the same topic, new level)
“I rushed through and want to redo this same path from zero.” → Reset
“I picked the wrong level and want to start that level over.” → Reset (or switch level and start fresh there)

How to Choose a Focus Area and Level

You can choose any Focus Area and any level—and you can switch later. The goal is to pick something that excites you and commit long enough to see progress.

Step-by-step: choose your focus

Go to your Dashboard.
In the Focus widget, browse the available focus cards (for example, Blues Piano, Piano Foundations, and others).
Click the focus that interests you most right now.
Choose your level: Beginner or Intermediate+.
Confirm your selection. Your dashboard will update to show your new path.

Beginner vs Intermediate+

Beginner

Best if you’re new to this topic

Start here if the style or concept is mostly new to you. You’ll build fundamentals step by step through six Practice Actions.

Intermediate+

Best if you already have basics down

Choose this when you’re comfortable with the fundamentals and want a deeper challenge in the same topic.

Not sure where to start? Pick any focus that excites you and choose Beginner. You can always move up to Intermediate+ later in the same topic.

Which focus should I pick?

There’s no single “right” answer. A good rule of thumb:

Pick what you want to play right now. Motivation matters more than perfection.
Stay with one focus for at least 2 weeks before switching. Depth beats constant hopping.
Match your level honestly. Beginner is not “easier”—it’s the right starting point for that topic.

Tip: On your dashboard, click Which Focus Should I Choose? or What are Focuses? inside the Focus widget for a quick video overview.

Can I change my mind later?

Yes. You can switch focuses or levels at any time. Your progress is saved per focus and level, so switching doesn’t erase work you’ve already done in another path.

What Are Focus Areas?

Focus Areas help you stop guessing what to practice next. Instead of browsing hundreds of lessons, you pick one topic, follow a clear path, and build real skills one step at a time.

Why Focus Areas exist

Most students don’t need more lessons—they need direction. A Focus Area is a curated pathway built around a specific style or topic (for example, Blues Piano). It always shows you what to work on next so you can spend less time searching and more time playing.

Where to find your Focus Area

Your Focus Area lives at the top of your Jazzedge Academy dashboard, in the section labeled Your Focused Learning Path.

Log in to Jazzedge Academy.
Go to your Dashboard.
Look for the teal-bordered Focus widget near the top of the page.

What you’ll see inside the widget

Your current focus — the topic you chose (for example, Blues Piano).
Your level — Beginner or Intermediate+.
Progress bar — how many Practice Actions you’ve completed.
Practice Actions — short, focused steps to complete in order.
All lessons in this focus — an expandable list of everything in your path.

Good to know: Focus Areas are different from browsing the full lesson library. The library is great for exploration; your Focus Area is for structured progress. Many students use both—but when you’re not sure what to do, start with your Focus Area.

Who should use Focus Areas?

Focus Areas are for every logged-in Academy student, whether you’re brand new or returning after a break. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by choice, this is your starting point.

Ready to pick one? See How to Choose a Focus Area and Level.

1. The fundamentals of boogie woogie music, including its rhythmic patterns and characteristic elements.
2. Common reharmonizations for the jazz standard "Blue Bossa," focusing on variations in chord progressions.
3. Various options for turnaround harmonies that can be used in different musical contexts.

You’ll also discover how different chords create different moods—and how you can use those moods to spark your improvisation. By the end of the course, you’ll have a set of practical tools to make your playing more interesting, your arrangements more engaging, and your improvisations more expressive, all while deepening your understanding of harmony in a fun, hands-on way.

In this lesson we will learn how to create improvisation lines.

In this lesson we will learn the first half of the song.

In this lesson we will learn the second half of the song.

In this lesson we will learn three scales for improvisation.

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