Tag: voicings

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Jazz voicings (Dan Haerle)
    • Major ii — V — I, format 2 (skill 41 both pages) — 80bpm (30m)
    • Major ii — V — I, format 1 (recap) — 80bpm (30m)
  • Modes (40m)
    • Harmonising Mixolydian scale with 7th chords (all keys through the cycle of 4ths, starting on C)
    • Harmonising Lydian scale with 7th chords (all keys through the cycle of 4ths, starting on C)
  • Improvisation (20m)
    • Shell voicings over walking bass line (Shine by Dabney-Mack-Brown)

Piano day (1h 20m)

  • Major ii — V — I, format 2 (Dan Haerle, skill 41 both pages) — without click, slowly several times (50m)
  • Shell voicings (7-3-5, 3-7-9) + inversions over walking bass line & drums for Autumn Leaves in Bb- (30m)

Observations

Shell voicings (chord inversions with some intervals removed or added) are probably the best thing I’ve learned during my jazz piano practice. They are fun to play (make you sound jazzy immediately) and at the same time they are an endless source of excercises! Like, you thing you’re cool playing all chords in 3-7-9 through the cycle? Then play ii — V — I based on each chord! Easy? Voice them as b6-3-b7, 7-3-5 and 3-7-11! Cool? How about playing chords instead of roots with the left hand and make your ii — V — I polychordal? Mastered that? Play the jazz standard now and feel like shit again! LOL. It’s so much fun and I can’t thank Mr. Haerle and Mr. Aebersold enough.

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Blues pentatonic scale in C- & F- in RH over 12-bar blues chord progression in LH
    • 2 octaves ↑, 2 octaves ↓, 1 octave ↑, 1 octave ↓ x 2 + fills
    • 1 — 6, 1 — 5, 1 — 4, 1 — 3 on i & iv, scale on iiº & V7
  • Cycle progressions in shell voicings (Dan Haerle) — Minor to Dominant
    • Skills 37c & 37d without click, then at 60bpm
    • Skills 37a & 37b at 84bpm

Observations

Slowing down almost to the point where it feels ridiculous actually helps get to the desired speed much quicker! Weird, but that’s so true. Play the figure 5 times super slow, then turn the click on, and suddenly you are able to play it perfectly in time! (As opposed to just endlessly trying to do it at higher tempos.)

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Polytchordal voicings from Dan Haerle book (skill 61a) — in time, 92bpm, from memory
  • Cycle progressions w/ shell voicings: Dominant to Major (skill 38a) — without click, then with click at 92bpm
  • Dorian scales in all keys, in similar motion
  • Harmonisation of Dorian scale with 7th chords, all keys, without click, then with click at 70bpm (pattern: i — VII, i — viº, i — v, etc.)
  • Dorian ii7 — v7 — i7 around the cycle of 4ths, 70 bpm
  • Attempted to run i — ii — bIII▵7 — IV7… in all keys at 70bpm, but it was a bit too fast for this pattern

Piano day (1h 30m)

  • Polychordal blues voicings (that sounds fancy doesn’t it!) from Dan Haerle book (Skill 61a, analysis + playing out of time)
  • Dorian scales round the circle of 5ths starting on D — start on C and run through cycle of 4ths next time
  • A couple of Hanon exercises at 70bpm just for the hell of it — play diminished arpeggios for technique next time