Hi Noah: I just thought of a good question to address in a video, if this would be of any interest to you The use of the pedal For example, when do you lift and refresh the tone? In classical music you might not use a pedal on the second, but obviously, in jazz you might And any discussion about the pedal with left hand chords versus right hand Melody and improvisations
Hi Noah - great video. Have you checked out Alan Pasqua’s video on MyMusicMasterclass on basically what he calls the tenor voice? It is a LH technique and sound I’ve been looking for, but never found it explained. Basically, it highlights the 3rd/7th movements while leaving roots as afterthought, and creates rhythm. It definitely has influenced my solo playing. Just thought I’d share. Keep up the great videos
Unlike many folks who play by ear, I am very good at reading sheet music, not by ear, I was hoping to find a way as I play pieces to embellish and often sparse and uninteresting left hand. I’ve done the full octaves, the I 10, the fifths. You may have given me some ideas here to have more freedom when I’m streaming.
Just what I believe I need... not that my right hand is anywhere near yours though (far, far behind you...); but... as a former guitar player (advanced beginner/early intermediate jazz), now an advanced beginner on piano, my LH is weeeeak, compared with my RH. Will look into your method, or perhaps you could point me at something you think would be most appropriate, having understood my music background. Thank you & best wishes 👍👍
Yessss, this video would have been gold when I started out playing jazz! Don't forget about playing a walking bass with your left hand too! Great content as always Noah :)
Thank you SO much for this. I really appreciate the step by step approach you lay out in this video. I'm really excited to practice and experiment with my left hand comping now :)
Hi there Noah I just watched the video near my keyboard and I started writing down and applying the concepts and I felt so free when playing my favorite tunes. Thanks for these lessons are really helpful. Greetings from Nicaragua!
Can you do a video about your thoughts concerning building tension and release rhythmically? I feel that rhythm, time feel, and groove are really underrated topics in jazz instruction, but it seems like having a framework in which to understand them is really important?
Even by his own admission, Evans wasn’t a great solo piano player. Hank Jones is a better guy to check out. His playing encompassed elements of Tatum and Bud Powell, and his left hand parts are really interesting rhythmically interesting and varied.
Are you using the pedal when you hit those bass notes around 5:00? They keep ringing for a while. How do you make them sound for a few beats while not making the melody muddy?
This is great, thank you! Understanding that QnA between the bass notes and keys is going to help my music be more dynamic sounding. I think I leave chords on the 1/4 note a bit too often.
Noah, could you do a lesson on basic rootless left hand voicings, especially for comping underneath right hand improv? I couldn't find such a video on your home page. You have sometimes shown more advanced techniques, such as Bill Evans' use of LH block chords for this purpose. But something more basic (like use of 1st and 3rd positions) would be useful. Thanks!
Great video. I have very large hands so I play a lot of tenths in my voice leading, and when I have to teach I'm always unsure of how students with smaller hands should go about it. Great tips, thanks!
I have small hands, and if I'm stretching, I can barely reach a minor tenth. Something I tend to do is either brake it up and not play it simultaneously, and to not let it feel too "empty" with two separate notes, I tend to add a fifth or sixth together with the base note followed by the tenth, or do an arpeggio with 1, 5, 10. In rare cases, but which I'd actually like to practice more, I've actually played the tenth note using my right hand while soloing. The "conditions" have to be right though, I can't do it while the improvisation is getting too complicated, or if the line is too far away from the tenth.
