Lesson Description
At the heart of solo jazz piano playing lies the use of spread and rootless voicings. But to truly transform a simple lead sheet into a captivating piece of music involves digging deeper into the jazz player's bag of tricks and employing an array of arranging and reharmonization techniques to develop and intensify the underlying character of the melody and harmony of the tune. Each lesson in this series features a comparison of a fully realized two-handed arrangement of a tune with it's basic lead sheet that will reveal the techniques and devices used to transform the piece from a melody and chord symbols to a finished arrangement.
One of the most beautiful of the old English Christmas carols, this 20 measure, through-composed 18th century piece has been reharmonized with rich, colorful jazz chords and voicings in this lesson. Enjoy playing this full two-handed arrangement from your tablet or pc using the onscreen practice sessions or from a printout of the downloadable pdf. Try your hand at applying the techniques used in this lesson to a tune of your choice. Everything is demonstrated note-by-note and chord-by-chord so you can see how all of the pieces come together in this much requested holiday favorite.
Preview
Watch this short video for an overview of the content of this course.
Prerequisites
Rootless Voicings with Added Tension
Solo Jazz Piano
Related ii Chords
Substitute Dominants
Upper Structure Triads
Study Support
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Consult the Lesson Road Map to for a suggested sequence of lessons.
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Testimonials
"Right now I am very much enjoying going through all the lessons and information you have on your website. Finally, thanks to you, I am understanding and applying concepts I worked on over the years but never could make practical use of. I'm 63 years old, have a MS degree and certifications in many different fields that required many many classes. I honestly can say you are THE BEST TEACHER I have ever had. Your demonstrations and explanations are incredible, so well prepared and thought out. I am so glad I discovered you." -Keith
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Course Curriculum
What's included?
Bill Rinehart
About the instructor
Bill did undergraduate work at the Berklee College of Music and holds the M.Mus. degree in Jazz Studies from the Boston Conservatory/Berklee College of Music where he studied with Ray Santisi and Charlie Banacos. Bill taught and played extensively around the Boston area for the better part of two decades appearing everywhere from the legendary Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge MA to a long stand at the Hampshire House on Beacon Hill in Boston before relocating to the Raleigh-Durham NC area where he teaches full-time on JazzPianoOnline.com.