How to play Major 7th chords like Bill Evans! 

Your format, i.e. showing notes, keyboard, full staff, etc is HUGELy helpful! I've been beating my head against Bill Evans voicings for decades and here you are, lucidly explaining how they're done. Thank you, amigo!

wow, that is rich. theres a really strong sense of tension and release just moving up and down by scaler degrees. there was me before this lesson 😢 meandering, uncertain; and then me having digested what was discussed here 😊 confidently carving a well-graded path along a topography of changing harmonies. impossible to ever sound lame again once you understand😅

Wonderfully taught. Although playing and loving improvising and jamming for 20 years I was never taught theory and can't read music but, I know some basics and this.. made massive amounts of sense with such a beautiful concept. And love Bill, especially with a view when the rain is hitting the window. Subscribed of course! What an excellent way to teach. I thought the great Bill Evans was beyond my playing, as I focus on other styles and instruments, but can absolutely grasp they way you conceptualise this concept and will practice. These scales and chords are wonderful! Always played with contrary motion but never had a name for it, very nice. Thanks!

This video was awesome- really brings Barry Harris’ wisdom into a modern context, can’t wait to play around with the concept of expanding the sixth-diminished scale 🙌

Thank you. That was well explained and inspiring! I hope to see more from you.

A fantastic lesson. Am inspired to get to it. This echoes changes on the maj7 sound brilliant

Very useful harmonization technique, thanks!

Awesome channel! Thanks for posting such a useful video

Thanks a Lot for sharing those Amazing Concepts.

First time I’ve watched and found it to be helpful. Thanks very much John!!!

hey john,ive been looking for a more holistic approach to jazz piano harmony and your series is it !! thanks man big love

Awesome video! Good job.

Great lesson!

I really dug this technique of pretty-fying and resolving Major 7th Chords. I noticed that it does give things a somber more Minor tonality buy hey, its still better than those antique sounding block chords. Thank you much!

Great precious & precise lesson. Thank you!

Excellent practical explanation of harmony Thank You!

What a great breakdown. Many thanks!

Simply superlative! Many thanks.

That is super cool, I will try that tomorrow, thank you so much. ❤

You’re a really good teacher man

Where have you been ??? Best rational and understandable explanation I have ever seen of how in part that unique and rich Evans harmonic sound is achieved. Keep them coming ! Maybe next some more on Bill's right hand lines ? THANK YOU !

this is terrific! gonna sit down this fall and study this!!

Splendid, thank you.

This was just beautiful. Thanks man

It's very interesting what you have discovered here.. like you say this has a lovely classical feeling with an echo of Bill Evans. The 'locked hands' technique of George Shearing is great too but more old fashioned sounding. Thanks again

Excellent man! I’ll share this quite a lot. Side note: Never imagined David Foster Wallace came back as a pianist ;-) ❤️ 🎶 🔥

Such a nice lesson, I will practice it till i get in al the tones. Thanks mate!!

Very cool. Thanks!

Very cool. Thank you.

Yes. Thank you so much.

Beautiful! Thanks ❤

that was really good thanks

Thanks so much for this wisdom!

Cool stuff, thanks!

Nice video! I would be very interested in different kinds of excercices that wrap up this concept.

Really, really cool! Subscribed!

this, I can understand. thank you very much. more videos like this

Thanx, John🌹🌹🌹🌹

Thanks for sharing this little jewel of information John! Luckily I recently learnt about the be bop scale with the sharp 5th. George Shearing uses this quite a lot with his double hand technique and this demonstration has a lovely classical and poignant feel. Lucian

Excellent.

Dude..this was class..make more of these..I might actually get a lesson at some stage..

That's so cool! ty so much

Brilliant. Thank you.

Great video

thank you so much for this!! this is so well (and relaxed) explained, it gives me a lot! Finally I seem to begin to understand a bit of Bill Evans way of voicings. I always disliked the major7 when I play and included the 7, but this concept of major and dimished at the same time played in opposite manner makes the difference. Really, thank you!

Wonderful

Bruh amazing

Dang we found the deep youtube. This the real deal, keep up the lessons and the channel will grow.

Thanks, you unlocked the code! Wow

Thank you you are genius i subscribed

nice thanks

You’re great!

Amazing！

Great!

magic mate tx!

Thank you!!!

Major 7th were predominately used in Latin music. Nice to hears someone who understands voicings.

That is Gold 🪙

Thanks!

that was nice, thx! you should do more lessons! :)

Hearing the leading tone as a tension in a resolution is very 19th century. If you put it right under the melody of course it’s tense, but in the middle of the chord like trombone 7-3 voicing it’s beautiful. Soften it with a 9th even smoother. The 6th is also warm under a tonic melody, but that’s something else.

THANK YOU ~~~~~~!!!!!!!!

This movement is sick! Thanks for sharing bro. It can alsowork great on a Gbminb5 chord.... The Amin/D7...

Great video and channel. Subbed.

Love it. Great lesson. What's funny is we all know you love M7 chords.

Nailed it!!! Thanks for sharing John

Gracias

Thanks John … just sent you an email .. I would love to learn some more from you .. I have always loved Bill Evans and have always tried a different way .. cant wait to apply this ❤️ thank you so much for the video 🤩

that’s a pretty good idea

Very niceeeee.

really reminds me of those voicings mingus would use on his piano album

Nice ideas! Bill Delatore

Download a PDF of the lesson materials here: www.johncolonna.com/product-page/how-to-play-major-7th-chords-like-bill-evans New videos about the same concept on Dominant 7th and ii-V-I chords out now! Dominant 7: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FEnYXGEsGhk.html ii-V-I: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ge6HqCvzscw.html

Professor John!

M I N D B L O W N ! Wow 🙏 Thanks!

Excellent tutorial. I particularly love how it was narrated by John c Reilly.

Awesome video!! I just have one question, how do i utilize the f# you where playing? Im having a hard time wrapping my head around that concept. Incredible video!!

i think i may need to watch this again.

I just subbed.

How about putting together an ebook? I would buy it.

Reminds me of the original Twin Peaks soundtrack, do you know what I mean?

Woah!!!! Dude! What!

Doesn't that scale with the added Ab have something to do with playing block chords, also?

Thanks for this, but i would like you to do examples of songs played normally and then played with that barry Harris scale style of your's so we can get a more practical idea of how to implement it in different songs.

Perfect. Where did you get the B. E. Class please?

That was lovely. I’ve heard Barry Harris would think of a Maj 7 chord as a Bass plus Maj 6 chord. For example, C Maj 7 = C + G Maj 6, in which case you could keep the C fixed and use the G Maj6/dim scale to harmonically move around. How you used that idea?

Very old timely sound for sure but.....I digress. I want all notifications.

Hi John, Do you have anymore videos?

I would look at that progression as a A minor 9th descend down to a Gb half-diminished and I would use the A melodic minor ascending scale.

Your material is great!! But a little last for me. I understand the diminished idea the tension and resolve. Do you have any pdf material I could download?

I think you transcend Barry and Theory both. Bill in a closet/nutshell. A pdf would be great, or Muse Score. Thanks! You make it look pretty easy.

Am is the related minor to "C".

Sometimes you want to resolve on major 7th chords with the leading tone in the highest voicing because of it sounding dissonant and unresolved. Sometimes that is perfect prosody based on the lyrical content. If you had a song that centers around the concept of "I hope she comes back to me" you would not want to have a full resolution sound, because it would fight the concept of her "not being back with you yet". You want to create the feeling of longing, and anticipation, and hope, etc. This concept is painting with sound to the text.

I have e greek friend he is over 60 now you have the same name and surname and when he was young he looked similar ! Now he is bold without the moustache. .😆How funny life can be sometimes !

Barry Harris rules rule!

Can I please know what you use for your piano sound?

Oh I love this guy. The way he expresses his disappointments in the modern world music stuff... Funny

Chord changes

Another way to think of it is just V-I-V-I.....and the b13 in the V chord gives it a little more resolving ooommmf

Awesome video. Is your microphone stereo? your voice sounds very phasy for some reason, just thought I'd point it out