There are certain musical elements that are so versatile and useful that basically every real life pianist needs to know them. I say “real life pianists” because I am referring to those of us who don’t sit in ivory (pun intended) towers playing Bach all day but rather play in the every day situations of […]
Tag Archives: color tones
Because it is Christmas and
so much of our secular Christmas music is jazz influenced, here are some
thoughts about jazz chords that might be helpful.
As you have seen in previous lessons, the 2nd/9th is really a very versatile color note. Remember that the 2nd and 9th are the same note–you call it a 9th only if there is a seventh in the chord. Today, I want to discuss its versatility as an added note in ornamental runs and arpeggios. […]
I hope that you are practicing what I taught in the last lesson about using the 9th in specific voicings. Don’t worry if it takes a while to get–those voicings will become instinctive and will greatly help your playing.One thing I want to mention at this point is that there is one particular finger you […]
As we continue working through “Take My Life,” I will be showing you potential color notes to add. Today, I want to give you a few specific voicings for adding the 9th. Remember that the 9th is just a complicated way of saying the2nd. (you call it a 9th rather than a 2nd when a […]
Polychords are just chords stacked on each other, or you could say they are just extended chords (chords with 9ths, 11ths and 13ths).
A quick guide to help you color your chords.