This lesson shows you some basic chording techniques. Various easy left hand devices and techniques are shown that professional pianists commonly use. Playing the outside notes of the chord in the left hand, arpeggiating the chord in the left hand, keeping straight time with the left hand, all of these devices give you a solid underpinning so that you can play the melody or improvise with your right hand.
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MP4 video will take
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The lessons on this page are on various topics of improvisation,
piano skills and methods. The first one, "The Five Jazz Chords"
is the most important lesson to begin with. Then you will have a better understanding for the other lessons.
Click on the video to see the Youtube preview of this 56 minute lesson
$19.99
MP4 video will take
10-20 minutes to download
This is a scanned copy of the original book. It wasn't set up as a normal ebook. It is a literal scan of my original. It's done cleanly and will give all the information that you need if you are interesting in writing out your instrument parts by hand as it was done for centuries until the last 15 years when software was developed for computers for notating music. There are many computer fonts that try to duplicate the music copyists artistic hand but there is nothing comparable to an artists original hand work. The book is written completely in my own hand with the skill that my father who was a professional copyists his entire life, passed on to me. This is the way we wrote out all the orchestra parts for the film scores at 20th Century Fox Motion Picture Studios.
The Five Jazz Chord Types – One hour video lesson
Interesting pianist swinging in the groove and worth a listen:
$17.75
MP4 video will take
10-20 minutes to download
I recommend all of my students get the irealpro app for your smart phone, tablet and computer, all at one price $14. It's terrific for practice. Changes and play-along in any key or tempo for over a thousand standards.
https://irealpro.com/
Click on the video to see the Youtube preview of this one-hour lesson
Rootless jazz chords
Vince Guaraldi Trio
Fly Me to the Moon
Click on the video to see the Youtube preview of this 36 minute lesson
Endorsed by film composer
John Williams
Cocktail Piano Studies
Professional Piano Techniques
Some samples of my cocktail piano stylings
A book by Glen Rose
$16.95
MP4 video will take
10-20 minutes to download
What is cocktail piano music?
Rootless Package includes!
Includes two video lessons, practice tracks and teachers workbook.
"All Lessons Package"
Buy all 25 lesson that are currently in my catalogue of lessons in the
"All Lessons Package" for $325.
Check this out!
Slow down the videos to study them more closely with these helpful apps.
I have been hearing from a student of mine about an app he uses to slow my video lessons down so he can study them more closely. The App's retains the pitch while slowing the video itself down This way one can see more precisely where my hands are moving in case they are moving too fast for you. It's called, Transcribe+
Here's what he says about it. . .
Glen,
I used to use Amazing Slow Downer. I think it was with a CD player? Transcribe+ is on the iPad / iPhone and works so well on a tablet-touch interface. For me it has replaced Amazing Slow Downer..
Usually I don’t need it because you explain so clearly. Sometimes though I will loop and slow down a passage so I can be sure to repeat it enough to drill it into the hands. What the program does is to give users complete control over the video and audio speed. That way, you can slow down the performance as much as you want and learn to copy the performance note-by-note without changing the pitch. I learned from Transcribe+. for example, that in your Christmas Song performance you used 10ths a lot in the left hand. And you often skipped the 5th in the left hand and played only root and 10th. I also noticed where you timed the RH melody to coincide with the LH chords. I found this stuff out by applying Transcribe to your video.
Mike in Redondo
Here are the reviews:
“...an invaluable aid to anyone entering the field of music preparation.”
John Williams - Motion Picture Composer, “Jaws” and “Star Wars”
“...this book should be in every arrangers or composer’s ‘copyist briefcase’.”
Sammy Nestico - Composer and Arranger for Count Basie.
Click on the photo below to see excerpts from the 46-minute lesson.
The Minor 2-5-1 Jazz Pattern
Understanding the 2-5-1 Jazz Progression
This lesson is good brain food too!
This book shows how to write the symbols of music by hand. A guide for music copyist's and calligraphers. it was a standards text in university orchestration/composition classes before notation software took over. The book is written entirely in hand script, with pen stroke directions given in large examples showing how to draw all of the music symbols.
$16.95
This scanned copy, e-book will download to your computer in minutes
The Joy of Scales – 56 minute video lesson
VLC Media Player info
VLC can be downloaded for free. I highly recommend it to al my students. Get it at this link: https://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
Check out these instructions and tips that Dave in Denver has provided:
The app has multiple applications for a student trying to both listen to a teaching video and be able to actually see what is happening on the keyboard. Here are a few suggestions you may find very helpful:
1. With a video playing go to the top left go to: PLAYBACK, SPEED. There you’ll be able to suit the audio and visual aspects of the video to suit your own needs. Whichever speed you chose both the audio as well as the video will change to your selected speed.
2. With a video playing go to the bottom left go to the small “n” shaped icon. This is used to make a “loop” of anything you wish to have played over and over repetitively without your having to do more than define the stop and ending points. Thus with the video playing click on the icon at the point where you want the video to start the loop. Continue watching the video and click on the icon when you wish to define the end of the loop. The loop will now repeat until stopped by clicking on the icon third time.
3. If you are still puzzled and would like the video to slow down as much as possible, you can watch the video frame-by-frame. On the bottom left look at the top row of icons. The one on the far right is shaped like a triangle pointing to the right with a tiny bar just to its left. With the video playing click on the triangle. Each click will show a single frame of the recording. Keep clicking and eventually you will be able to minutely follow what the teacher is doing. To return to “normal” speed click on the black triangle at the far bottom left row of icons.
4. If you have a mouse that you can program to control movement up/down a page in a document, you can also use the mouse to vary volume up and down as well. To do this with the video playing put the mouse cursor on the upper right of the screen. You will see nothing happen, but as soon as you roll the mouse-wheel up/down you’ll see and hear the volume change accordingly. This can be especially useful when playing a “loop” as you can lower the volume of the loop to a level where the constant loud repetition will not drive you (or anyone in the near vicinity) absolutely nuts.
Dave in Denver
This is the full, advanced study on rootless jazz chords which are often referred to as the Bill Evans chords because he was the first jazz pianist to bring them to the forefront of jazz piano in the 50's. The video lesson will introduce you to all of the rootless jazz chords in twelve keys in two isets of inversions and explains how to access all of the extended jazz color tones and their alterations (sharps and flats). I show tips on how to learn and practice them and make them a part of your piano chord vocabulary. PDF of all chords written out are included. The package includes and "easy start" video and teachers workbook.
$19.99
MP4 video will take
10-20 minutes to download
Click on the video to see the Youtube preview of this lesson
John Mehegan
Can't We be Friends?
Rootless jazz chords- full version
Includes two video lessons, practice tracks and teachers workbook (Mp4)
$19.99
This lesson prepares you for the "Playing from a fake book" series of lessons. - Link here.
$19.99
MP4 video will take
10-20 minutes to download
This is some very important information for you to understand if you are just beginning to play piano with a chord concept. Dominant chords are the most versatile and colorful of all the chords. You will learn how to make all of the possible variations when you study the "Rootless Chords Video Lesson."
The Five Jazz Chord Types Video Lesson
includes 24-page PDF, study charts
Now read this!
Cocktail Piano Arrangements
60 pages 5.5"x 8.5"
All hand calligraphy.
PDF download
Vera Marijit Trio
Volare
In this video I use a “director’s cut” type of narrative over my playing. First I play a jazz standard down in a straight-ahead arrangement, with various jazz voicings that are intrinsic to my cocktail style playing. Then I go back and walk through the tune slowly, discussing all of the various jazz chords and techniques I use to support the melody throughout the tune. Move-by-move, I try to describe everything I am doing, talking while playing each jazz arrangement slowly the second time though. I liken this to how a movie director describes his movie when it is being played back in a special cut for viewers, but I stop the action to let you see clearly what I am doing.
Professional Piano Techniques – One-hour video lesson
Click on the photo below to see excerpts from the one-hour lesson.
Some cocktail piano arrangements
for your listening pleasure
click on the tunes
Chord players . . .
Cocktail Piano Arrangements – 46 minute video lesson.
If one of your goals is to learn how to play cocktail piano and understand how to play from a fake book, then this is the most important lesson to begin with. Knowing how to make the five basic jazz chord types from any given note is fundamental to your evolving understanding of playing piano by chord concept. Once you understand how the five basic chord qualities are made, the next lessons in the series will teach you how to use the five chord types to harmonize melodies with two different methods when playing from a fake book. This video lesson demonstrates how to build these necessary four-note, 7th chords, step-by-step, clearly showing how to make and locate each one from any note on the piano. Various exercises and study concepts are shown that will make your practice enjoyable and sound like music, not just practice. A 24-page PDF with practice charts is included.
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Harry Evans trio Our Day Will Come
The Minor 2-5-1 Jazz Pattern – (52 minute video lesson)
Most cocktail piano runs are derived from classical piano arpeggios. We borrow and steal from the great masters to create our flashy cocktail style runs and rolling piano effects. When you analyze the runs of the great flashy pianists of the 19th century such as Franz Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, etc., you discover that their runs made great natural ergonomic sense. The hand movements sound difficult and spectacular but in fact, once you understand the hand movements, they’re not so very difficult to reproduce.
The 2-5-1 (two-five-one) jazz progression is the most valuable and necessary chord pattern in popular music. It is used extensively throughout standards, bossa novas, movie themes, broadway songs and jazz tunes. When you understand and can play this simple pattern made up of three chords it will give you a skill that you can use to play, memorize and understand standards. There really is no progression more important to know than this three chord combination. The lesson introduces you to the sound and shows how to make it in all twelve keys. I present musical exercises to use when studying the patterns and show you how and why they are so important to learn. Your knowledge of how standards are composed will improve immensely once you understand how the pattern works and is used.
"The art of music calligraphy"
The minor counterpart to the "Major 2-5-1 Jazz Pattern" above. It is used also used extensively throughout standards, bossa novas, movie themes, broadway songs and jazz tunes. It is necessary to understand and be able to make this 3-chord pattern to be able to play standards correctly. It isn't used as frequently as the major 2-5-1 but it is found in nearly all standards so it is a must to learn. The lesson introduces you to the sound of the pattern and shows how to make it in all twelve keys with enjoyable exercises.
Jazz Patterns. The minor 2-5-1 progression
Left Hand, Right Hand Independence - 36 minute video lesson
F.Y.I (For your information....)
Click on the video to see the Youtube preview of this one-hour lesson
Understanding the 2-5-1- Jazz Progression – (51 minute video lesson)
$18.75
MP4 video will take
10-20 minutes to download
This video shows you how to get your right and left hands doing separate things but synchronized together with some basic rhythm exercises that are good brain food. Learn a basic left-hand device that will add rhythm to your right-hand explorations. This shows you how to be creative and have a good time with scales!
The term “cocktail music” conjures up a lot of images. Generally it is associated with that now bygone era of class, associated with high society from the 1920’s thru the early 1960’s. But cocktail still remains cool and enjoyed in certain social settings today. Cocktail piano means to play in a pleasant manor while people are enjoying evening cocktails and making conversation in a social setting anywhere, be it at a corner bar, cocktail lounge, private party, wedding, company event or restaurant. Playing for diners in a restaurant is also referred to as “dinner music’ and should be played quietly so as not to interfere with conversation or digestion. There are many ways to play cocktail style piano. I have been able to survive the ups and downs of my career by having multifaceted music skills. I play a wide variety of styles in classical, jazz, band and solo stage playing. I can incorporate a lot of this versatility into my playing when I’m on cocktail gigs. I have a few favorite or personal styles that I default into naturally. One of them is to play in a clean, soft, sensitive, classical jazz style that sounds quite controlled and arranged. Another is to open up and play in an uncontrolled, splashy style with a quasi stride effect at times. You’ll be able to hear some of what I’m trying to describe in the video recordings below and the CD following them. If you find my cocktail styles appealing you can get some inside details on what I am doing in my video lesson, “Cocktail Piano Arrangements“, where I attempt describe the voicings and techniques I use in various standards as I play them down.
Click on the video below to see the Youtube preview of the advanced version
The incomparable George Shearing. One of the great icons of jazz piano. Keep your eye on his left hand and see how he keeps a quarter note rhythm going with it.
Click on the video to see the Youtube preview of this lesson
Cocktail Runs & Arpeggios – One-hour video lesson
This video shows you how to break your major scales up, get creative and express yourself. Your right-hand learns how to utilize the scale making short melodies while your left hand plays and simple underpinning. Explore the possibilities of making music with major scales!
A Music Notation Primer
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MP4 video will take
10-20 minutes to download
Cocktail Runs & Arpeggios
Copyright © Glen Rose Jazz.