Finding Good Voicings

To give some context: voicing is, given a chord name and quality, choosing the notes to play to represent the chord. The key to picking a good voicing is context: context of the chords that were played around the current chord. To figure out what voicing to use in a given context, you need to be aware of the different characteristics of sound th... Read more 06 Jun 2020 - 5 minute read

Basics of Triads and Seventh Chords

It’s important to be familiar with your chords when playing jazz, because when reading jazz music the chords aren’t written out for you: the harmony is only given to you in the form of chord names. Intervals Triads Seventh Chords Inversions Final Note Intervals Before learning about chords, you need a brief knowledge of intervals.... Read more 02 Jun 2020 - 2 minute read

Reharmonization Without the Theory

Reharmonization is adding to or changing the existing chords of a song to make it your own. This article will be about how to come up with your own reharmonizations based not around rules or extensive music theory, but your own ear. Scale Degree Chord Type Root Movement Bassline Final Note This is Too Much Scale Degree One way I... Read more 01 Jun 2020 - 5 minute read

Transcriptions #2: Skating In Central Park Bill Evans Solo

This song was performed by Bill Evans and Jim Hall. I transcribed Bill Evan’s first piano solo in this song between 1:36 and 2:23. I really like the relaxed vibe of this song, and the vibe of the album Undercurrent as a whole. skating-in-central-park-bill-evans.pdf Besides the solo, I think the rhythm in this song is really interesting. The ... Read more 30 May 2020 - less than 1 minute read

Common Extensions and Alterations

Extensions and alterations are used to add color to jazz chords. When I first learned that jazz chords could have extensions up to the 13th and alterations on top of that, I felt a little overwhelmed by all the options. This post is a little cheatsheet of the common alterations for each type of jazz chord. What I realized is that the key to figu... Read more 29 May 2020 - 3 minute read