Block Chord Harmonization

Lesson Description

Block-chord harmonization (also known as locked-hands playing) is the technique of harmonizing each note of a melody with a three- or four-note chord to create a lush, full-bodied sound reminiscent of the sax sections of the swing era big bands. Popularized by George Shearing in the 1950s and used extensively by Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and all manner of straight-ahead jazz pianists since then, it remains a fundamental skill of the modern player. A transcription of Dave Brubeck's "The Duke" is used to introduce the concepts of this technique in this lesson, followed by the note-by-note block chord harmonization of excerpts of three tunes, "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," "You Make Me Feel So Young," and "What Am I Here For?" demonstrating three ways to create standard block-chord harmonizations: four-way close, four-way close double lead, and drop 2. The accompanying PDF practice sessions will guide you further through the harmonization of these and other tunes. 

Preview

Watch this short video for an overview of the content of this course.

Prerequisites

Five Essential Seventh Chords
Rootless Voicings with Added Tension
Introduction to Chordscale Theory
Dominant Chordscales
Related ii Chords
Chordscales of Major ii-V-I Progressions
Chordscales of Minor ii-V-i Progressions

Study Support

Ask private questions of the instructor at any time with by clicking on the "support" link at the bottom of this page or the question mark icon in your course control panel.

Leverage the experience of fellow students and leave messages or search the student discussion board.

To continue your study of this topic, face-to-face, live webcam lessons are available.

Testimonials

"I can't tell you how delighted I am with the site. I had a go at other online teaching sites in the past, but nothing I tried comes anyway close to the quality and presentation of yours" -Stephen