This is very helpful. You are absolutely correct. Beginners get pulled in some many different directions regarding chords voicing. I think learning this simple method makes the most sense. I will get busy. And keep you posted.
This is exactly the scaffolding I needed to learn this. As a new student to jazz, it’s been a mind boggling slog figuring out voicing. Switching the 3 and 7 each time in practice helps when it comes to applying the theory to the actual music. Brilliant and thank you. Liked and subscribed.
Haven't taken this new knowledge to my piano yet but I already feel like this is exactly the answer to what I was looking for last couple weeks. I thought I just had to cram in all the different voicings and inversions in order to get comfortable with accompanying. But here you are, blessing us newbies with easier methods to get our fingers jamming :)
This was my main concern when starting playing jazz chords, how to voice it....! I did more or less your technic by intuition, which is by far the easiest way to have a "full" sound. Thanks for sharing your knowledge !
Yes, this is profound. It is hard to image that something so simple can be so effective and offer such great results; but it does. It takes a great mind to innovate something with simplicity. Although I am very much a pedestrian piano player I am an experienced musician. I added a little something to it which made sense for me and that is after the I chord in every key I play the V7 chord of the II chord in the next key to connect the whole cycle of fifths and therefore create continuity as a larger exercise. (D-7 G7 Cmaj7 D7 G-7 C7 Fmaj7 G7 etc.)
Thank god for this video. In the vast ocean of free online content regarding piano lesson, this is the first one I encounter which really takes the time to explain things and match perfectly what I need to take it to the next level by giving me autonomy. I can set sail now thanks to you ! Let's go !!!!
Great! Really a beautiful video, an interesting and well-told lesson. You're a very good educator. Thanks a lot. I realize that it would be really very challenging for you but if you could do a complete piano jazz course it would be a wonderful thing for all of us. Thanks again for everything you are sharing with us. 🙏🙏🙏
This looks like a game changer for me Sam. I have been struggling to learn jazz for a long time. This looks like a great foundation to build from. Happy trails mate !
Been playing classical for two years and have wanted to get into jazz but never knew where to start. This lead sheet thing with a go-to left hand harmony shape is knockout. Thanks a ton man!
my pleasure dude glad it's helpful to you! I'm in the middle of making a paid course for people in your situation, so if you want something more structured that's coming down the line :)
Yes. Excellent. Always overwhelming so we spin our wheels. Even if we start here, once the tune and basic structure is "in our hands," our instincts will let us explore modifications over time as our feeling, ears, experience, knowledge etc. grow. Thank you.
Absolutely amazing!!! You have made it so easy to play this voicing WITHOUT having to think about it. The exercise routine with the three repetitions without error will be used for all of my other exercises. Thank you so much for this!
Yeah I used that 3x no mistake system for a very long time, though I have since moved away from it, especially for teaching, as I find it can be a little overly harsh, so don't beat yourself up if it seems a bit brutal sometimes, it can be! The basic lesson of it though, take your time and be careful, is always a good one to keep in mind when practicing
Sam, I completely agree with other viewers that you are an enlightening educator. It would be very interesting if you could accept a few arrangements by the viewers and offer your feedback. Using this process, you could make your channel dynamic and interactive. Look forward to your future releases.
Thanks! Very practical, even though you go really fast with the explanation. Knowing the notes of every chord is still hard for me. Btw, playing the melody on top is difficult with my little hands, i scarcely reach that note.
Is this not simply a spread voicing for a 7th chord which always fits the melody and harmony? Also the musical ear really loves this it just works! Nicely done.
yup that's all it is! What makes it special is that it can be pushed extremely low without sounding really bad, meaning you can use the same shape in almost every situation
Great method, really simplifies the whole process. Once this is under my fingers is there a next step that can be added? Perhaps adding extensions and/or different voicings for dominant chords?
Yes 100% A good rule when learning new stuff is to only do 1 thing at a time. If you have enough knowledge to add a little complexity to this, pick one thing, and start incorporating it. I would recommend 9ths :)
Sam, I've been looking all over youtube for a lesson like this because when I check Real Book I see a lot of chord extensions that look so intimidating to me and I even end up leaving the whole thing, and now you've just opened the Pandora Box" for me. From now on I'll follow and subscribe to all your courses, well done! Thanks.
glad you enjoyed it man! Jazz can be very intimidating, I totally get it. I'm working on making courses right now that really break it down and make it digestible, may be the next thing I drop we'll see. If you end up getting demotivated again at some point, just keep checking in, because at some point I'll have something tailored for someone with your skills and ability that will slowly and enjoyably bring you up to a high level of competence with jazz standards.
Interestingly, 1-5-7-3 inversion is guitar voicing for the C-shaped chord and G-shaped chord with both with barré on 3-rd fret. Also D-shaped (open strings) features a 1-5-7-3 inversion Example Cmaj7 Tab Degree(Note) --X-- --5-- 3(E) --4-- 7(B) --5-- 5(G) --3-- 1(C) --X--
Thanks, Excellent Lesson! I'm interested in how to expand this idea for playing as an Accompanist, where you don't want to double the Melody. I can see that you could just leave out the melody note or bury it in a middle voice, or play a 4th voicing in the RH over the 5th in the LH. Any ideas? There's really more work for me as an Accompanist than say a Piano Trio.
This is brilliant. Are the left hand 5 1 interchangeable? So 1 5 or 5 1. It seems so easy as they can be closer depending on finger placing. Thanks great help.
Gershwin/ First 4 Notes of "I Got Rhythm"/Where else does this Occur? "Buttons and Bows", "All Gods Children Got Rhythm", "I Say Yeh Yeh", Theme from "Bewitched" (TV Show), "Tonight, Tonight", "Nowhere to Run to", "Here I Go Again"/: Why?! This little four note fragment of the pentatonic scale starting on the 5th is Ubiquitous in Modern Music. You can just as easily take the first four notes starting on any scale degree of the Pentatonic scale, or any scale for that matter. Composers don't' use the whole Scale to create a melody. Especially Gershwin. Take "Embraceable You" First 4 Notes of the Dorian Mode. Same for "Fascinating Rhythm". Or take the first 4 notes of the Blues Scale and compare that to Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Meditation". Now I just keep a notebook of 4 Note Melodies. A Bugle Call is a 4 Note Melody, and a perfect way to learn Triads, and you can take a page from Charlie Parker and learn them in minor starting on the 6th, or Wayne Shorter "ESP" and play them in 4ths.
This is a brilliant exercise, especially forr semi-advanced beginners. If you spoke just a little slower I would be way happier. Still, mastering this exercise will be a huge step forward. Thanks.
Such a tricky balance on YT the speaking speed thing, gotta keep the audience engaged by not being too ponderous, but also make it easy to understand, I haven't figured that one out yet haha. Glad you like the exercise, thanks for the comment :)
Again, a mighty useful video.. A question/thought tho.. When you illustrate the "stack" of notes, say with the Dm7... You show "R 5 3 7". This would assume that, as it's a "minor" chord, you'd use the "minor" scale to determine the "3" (F).. rather than looking at the Major scale (which is often the "reference standard" for determining degrees).. and thus come to "F#"... and so should be notated in your stack as "b3". Which do you think is going to be "simpler" for beginners? It's not a criticism.. but more of a question about how your audience will perceive what you're saying, given a "minor scale" may be a bit foreign to some, hence the "3" in the stack (rather than "b3") might be confusing...
While there’s a minor third, it uses only diatonic (in-key) notes of the major scale, and sothe chord is written without accidentals. Accidentals are used to indicate non-diatonic notes.
A question , isn't it easier to play left hand the chords (with 2nd inversions when needed as you explained on other videos) and just the melody alone on the right hand ? Thaks for great videos
I really appreciate your videos and am learning things I didn’t know. However, I have two questions. Why did you choose chord notes 1 and 5 for the left hand and 3 and 7 plus the melody note in the right hand? Why is this better than 1 and 7 in the left hand and 3 and 5 plus the melody note in the right hand?
Hey Chuck, mostly because it can be pushed really low and still works, the one you suggested gets muddier quicker because 7ths are more dissonant than 5ths. Were it not for that I may have gone for the one you suggested!
Would you be Open to doing beginners for basics like really basic tutorials? Cuz i love your explaining and your great your just going too fast for me 😔
This is interesting, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to teach beginners to jump from 5th voicing to 5th voicing without smooth voice leading. Wouldn’t they be better served learning R 3rd/R 7th shell voicings and filling out the rest of the notes with the right hand? I don’t think it’s more difficult than this system
I would have to sit down and have a think about your proposed system to give a proper response to this, but with that said I like this system because it's the same every time, and it doesn't get much easier than that. I actually have a new favourite way of doing this now which is even easier, and again it rests upon being the same every time. In my experience voice leading is pretty complicated for most students, and is normally a later addition for me.
I agree, other than the fact the original is about as simple as it can get so to facilitate beginners. Once you master the consecutive fifths what you suggest is just the next step. That additional complexity at the beginning may just stop some students from ever mastering the concept.
Call me crazy but I think I have a simple way to sort out the chords in a 2-5-1 progression, no matter what the key. Play the #2 chord with your left hand; in the key of C that's Dm7 or D F A C. Now, move the thumb down a semitone to B and the index finger down a whole tone to G. You've just played the #5 chord, G7. Now repeat the process, using the bottom two fingers: middle finger goes down a semitone to E and the pinky (the ring finger is unused) goes down a whole tone to C. You've just played the #1 chord, CM7. AmI wrong? Could it be this simple?
Yes it is that simple! Though that only works if you play all the II V I's in sequence, ultimately you have to learn the rules for the chords and shapes independently of one another, so you might as well get on with that right away. Sometimes little hacks like the one you mention can be inticing cos they things seem easier, but they often prevent you from drilling information and skills that are extremely valuable. But still well done for spotting that pattern :)
The video title implies this method is easier than the one used in the preceding lead sheet videos. Some who spent time working through those videos might feel annoyed that you didn’t post this one first or at least explain why this one was done later.
Hey dude, these are two different methods for two different things, playing chords in the left hand is easier than incorporating the melody into the chords, so starting with the play any lead sheet course is still the best place to start if getting into jazz standards.
@@pc2nitecome on guy, cut some slack on the back with your flack! You’re getting these gold nuggets for free! Just enjoy and learn. We want him to keep sharing his knowledge with us and not having the trolls drive him away.
It has come to my attention that the utilization of parallel fifths in the left hand is considered an undesirable practice in the realm of music composition. To my ears, it lacks the harmonious quality that is sought after in musical pieces.
Yes definitely something to be said for that! This is a beginner technique, and a great way in to voicing melodies with chords, but eventually you would outgrow this shape in most situations, but it still has it's place :) Good luck with it!
Programing parallel 5ths in the left hand is not only bad harmonically, but pianistically clunky. Left hand should be 1,3 & 7 or 1,7,3. That way your tritone substitutions are very simple. A 5th in the left hand should be an intentional choice not an internalized shape.
The piano used in this "lesson" is grossly out of tune; and the tutor fools himself, all the arms flapping is not going to make him fly. I followed the instructions, now I also know how to destroy music.
In modern western music one semitone to another is separated by a ratio equal to the 12th root of 2. All pianos are out of tune. If anyone was undecided about you being an idiot your comment above removed any doubt.
Jazz is not music, it is anti-music and noise. The definition of noise is sound that one does not want to hear, such as Jazz. It means if I randomly play any combination of any notes; it will be jazz. No wonder the loo is also called the Jazz. Now, JC Bach; that is music.
