Jazz Tutorial

What is Side-Slipping?

Side-slipping is a technique used by Jazz pianists. It works by transposing the chord voicing you're playing up or down by a step (either a half-step or whole-step).

By transposing the chord voicing like this, ' in parallel',  you almost always move out of the key you're in, into a new key. This creates an interesting sounding modulation - which is perfect for Jazz.

When can you use  Side-Slipping?

Side-slipping can be applied to any type of Jazz piano chord. That includes major 7 chords, minor 7 chords, dominant 7 chords, half-diminished chords, major 6 chords, minor 6 chords, minor-major 7 chords.

You can apply Side-slipping to any type of chord voicing. That includes shells (shell voicings), rootless voicings, open voicings, upper structure triads, 4th voicings, and more.

Just make sure you're transposing every single note in the chord voicing accurately, every note by the same precise interval (either a half-step or whole-step).

What do you do after you've Side-slipped the chord?

After you've moved away to the new chord, it usually works best to come back to the original chord. So you'll play the original chord, then side-slip up or down by a step or half-step, and then to return to the original chord again.

Side-slipping is ideal for Jazz piano.

Side-slipping can be used in other genres, but it works perfectly in Jazz piano, when playing a Jazz standard.

You don't need to play the Side-Slipping technique loudly or make a big thing of it. I like to play quietly when I use Side-slipping, because it already sounds so good. It's effortless.

What will I learn in this lesson?

In this lesson I explain the dos and don'ts of 'Side-Slipping' for Jazz piano.

I'll show you when to use Side-Slipping when playing Jazz Standards, and the trigger I look for in a melody to use Side-Slipping.

I'll also show you how to practice Side-Slipping at the piano.

Is there anything to help me learn Side-Slipping?

To go with this lesson, I've written a free chord voicing ebook for Jazz piano. It shows you 5 types of chord voicing, each of which you can apply Side-slipping to. Download it at:
https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

You can also download my free '29 Jazz Piano Licks' sheet music at:
https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

What should I learn next?

Watch my beginner Jazz piano lesson, where I show you all the essential Jazz theory you need to know in under 20 minutes. Watch it here:
https://jazztutorial.com/start

For more Julian Bradley Jazz piano lessons, go to https://jazztutorial.com

Copyright 2024 (C) Julian Bradley

What is Jazz Reharmonization?

Reharmonization is when a Jazz musician changes the original chords of a song, and  plays a different chord or chords of their own choosing.

Reharmonization is a subtle form of composition, where the Jazz musician adds their own take to a well known Jazz standard.

Reharmonization is a great way to add an interesting twist to a Jazz Standard, and give an old song a new modern sound.

When can I use Jazz Reharmonization?

As a Jazz piano player, you have the freedom to change any chord, in any song.

You can reharmonize as little as one chord in the entire song, or all of the chords.

How often is Jazz Reharmonization used?

Usually, reharmonization is used sparingly. It's typical for a Jazz musician to change one or two chords in a song, based on their own personal preference and how they want to play the song.

Are there different Reharmonization techniques?

There are many reharmonization techniques you can use. Tritone substitution is probably the most common reharmonization technique of all.

In this lesson I show you 3 more Jazz reharmonization techniques you can use.

Do I have to change the melody notes?

When you use Jazz reharmonization, you sometimes have to change the melody notes as well as the chord.

Since the melody is always related to the chord (because both melody and chord are built from the same scale), that means that when you change the chord, you're also changing the scale that's implied by the chord.

So if the original melody notes no longer fit with the new chord and the scale of the chord, then you will have to shift some of the clashing notes up or down by a half-step, so that they fit with the new chord and its scale.

What will I learn in this lesson?

I'll show you when to use reharmonization in a Jazz Standard.

I'll show you 3 reharmonization techniques for your Jazz piano playing.

And I'll show you how to practice Jazz reharmonization.

Is there anything to help me learn Jazz reharmonization?

To go with this lesson, I've written a free chord voicing ebook for Jazz piano. It shows you 5 types of chord voicing which you can use to play Jazz standards. Download it at:

https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

You can also download my free '29 Jazz Piano Licks' sheet music at:

https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

Where can I learn more Jazz piano techniques?

If you're new to Jazz piano, you can watch my beginner Jazz piano lesson where I teach you Jazz theory from the ground up. Watch it here:

https://jazztutorial.com/start

For more Julian Bradley Jazz piano lessons, go to https://jazztutorial.com

What is an Upper Structure Triad?

Upper Structure Triads are a style of chord voicing used by Jazz pianists.

Upper Structures are large voicings, consisting of 5-7 notes, and require two hands to play.

In the left hand, the pianist plays the chord's root, 3rd, and 7th.

And in the right hand, the pianist plays a major or minor triad (usually major), built from a specific scale degree above the chord's root - for example a major chord built from the 9th.

What type of chord are Upper Structures used for?

Upper Structure voicings are used primarily for dominant 7 chords.

Occasionally they can be used for other types of chord, like the minor-major 7 chord.

How many different Upper Structure Triads are there?

The most common Upper Structure triad is to play a major chord in your right hand, built from the dominant 7 chord's 9th.

So over C dominant 7, you would build a major triad from D (the 9th), which would be a D major triad (D F# A). Your complete Upper Structure would be C E Bb in your left hand, and D F# A in your right hand.

Next, it's common to build a major triad from the dominant 7 chord's 13th (6th), which over C7 would be A. So you would play an A major triad in your right hand (A C# E) over the left hand (C E Bb).

What are all the Upper Structure Triads Jazz pianists use?

Here are all the triads Jazz pianists can use over a C dominant 7 chord:

- Major triad built from the 9th (D). That would be D major played over C7: C E Bb / D F# A.

- Major triad built from the 6th (A). That would be A major played over C7: C E Bb / A C# E.

- Major triad built from the #9th (Eb). That would be Eb major played over C7: C E Bb / Eb G Bb.

- Major triad built from the b13 (Ab). That would be Ab major played over C7: C E Bb / Ab C Eb.

- Major triad built from the #11th (F#). That would be F# major played over C7: C E Bb / F# A# C#.

- Minor triad built from the #9th (Eb). That would be Eb minor played over C7: C E Bb / Eb Gb Bb.

- Minor triad built from the #11th (F#). That would be F# minor played over C7: C E Bb / F# A C#.

Can I use chord inversion for an Upper Structure triad?

It is common for Jazz pianists to invert the Upper structure triad, which means to rearrange the 3 notes of the triad into a different order.

So instead of playing the triad in root position (1 3 5), you can invert the triad and play it in first inversion (3 5 1), or second inversion (5 1 3).

Using chord inversion in your Upper Structure triads can be useful when you want to lower the notes of the right hand's triad, so that your right hand has less of a gap above the left hand's notes.

Chord inversion is also useful when you want to have a specific note at the top of your chord voicing, like when you want the melody note to be at the top of your voicing. Use chord inversion to rearrange the Upper structure triad in your right hand.

Is there anything else that can help me learn Upper Structure Triads?

To go with this lesson, I've written a free chord voicing ebook for Jazz piano, which shows you Upper Structures in action and shows you how to  use them on Jazz Standards. Download it at:

https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

You can also download my free '29 Jazz Piano Licks' sheet music at:

https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

Where can I learn more Jazz piano techniques?

If you're new to Jazz piano, you can watch my beginner Jazz piano lesson where I teach you Jazz theory from the ground up. Watch it here:

https://jazztutorial.com/start

What is a Fourth Voicing?

Fourth voicings are when you take an ordinary chord (that would normally be built in thirds), and you spread out its notes in fourths, instead of thirds.

For example, C major 7 would normally be played C E G B, each note plays a third above the note below it.

But you could play C major 7 using a fourth voicing, where you would play B E A D G C (typically the bass player would play the chord's root note below the voicing, which would be C).

What type of Jazz chords can I use Fourth Voicings on?

Fourth voicings can be used to play all types of Jazz chord. This includes major 7 chords, minor 7 chords, and dominant 7 chords.

For each type of 7th chord, you'll use the same fourth voicing - that is the same set of scale degrees counting from the chord's root - but you'll need to adjust the third and seventh in order to fit with the chord type.

So for C major 7, you would play a major 3rd (E) and a major 7th (B), like this:

B - E - A - D - G - C  (bass player plays C).

But for C minor 7, you would play a minor 3rd (Eb) and a minor 7th (Bb), like this:

Bb - Eb - A - D - G - C (bass player plays C).

And for C dominant 7, you would play a major 3rd (E) and a minor 7th (Bb), because those are the notes found in C7, like this:

Bb - E - A - D - G - C (bass player plays C).

Can I use fourth voicings when playing Jazz standards?

Fourth voicings can be used when you're playing Jazz standards on piano. However they work best when you're playing with a bass player, because that way the bass player can play the root of the chord, while you play the fourth voicing higher up the keyboard.

If you're playing solo Jazz piano, without a bass player, it might be hard for you to stretch a fourth voicing, while also playing the root of the chord.

If you're playing solo Jazz piano,  I recommend reducing the number of notes in your fourth voicing.

For example, you can cut off the top note, or even the top two notes, from your fourth voicing, like this:

You could play C major 7 as a fourth voicing with C and B in your left hand, and E, A and D in your right hand.

Or you could play C minor 7 as a fourth voicing with C and Bb in your left hand, and Eb, A and D in your right hand.

And you could play C dominant 7 as a fourth voicing with C and Bb in your left hand, and E, A and D in your right hand.

How do I practice Jazz piano chord voicings?

The best way to practice Jazz piano chord voicings is to build them from every note. There's only 12 notes, which means a chord voicing can only be built from 12 notes.

When you practice building a chord voicing, make sure you count the intervals out precisely every time. Do not try to memorize the note names for every chord voicing, as you'll max out after your first few voicings.

Instead, just remember a chord voicing as an interval pattern - e.g. 'root - 7th - 9th - 3rd - 5th', and then you can build that interval pattern from every note.

Is there anything to help me learn Jazz reharmonization?

To go with this lesson, I've written a free chord voicing ebook for Jazz piano. It shows you 5 types of chord voicing which you can use to play Jazz standards. Download it at:

https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

You can also download my free '29 Jazz Piano Licks' sheet music at:

https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

Where can I learn more Jazz piano techniques?

If you're new to Jazz piano, you can watch my beginner Jazz piano lesson where I teach you Jazz theory from the ground up. Watch it here:

https://jazztutorial.com/start

What is an Open Voicing?

Open voicings are when you take an ordinary 7th chord (that would normally be built in thirds), and you spread out its notes so that they span a wider range.

Most open voicings span at least a 10th, if not a 12th, or even a two octave span.

What are some types of Open Voicing that Jazz pianists use?

Here are some open voicings that Jazz piano players use:

1 - 5 - 3 - 7  (ideal when the melody plays the chord's 7th).

 1 - 5 - 7 - 3  (ideal when the melody plays the chord's 3rd).

1 - 7 - 3 - 5  (ideal when the melody plays the chord's 5th).

What type of Jazz chords can I use Open Voicings on?

Open voicings can be used for all types of 7th chord in Jazz . This includes major 7 chords, minor 7 chords, dominant 7 chords, half-diminished chords, diminished 7 chords, and minor-major 7 chords.

In each case, the open voicing is the same (the same set of scale degrees), but you'll need to adjust the notes slightly each time to to fit the chord type and its chord tones.

So for a C major 7 chord, you could play an open voicing like this:

C - G - E - B

Notice that for C major 7 it has a major 3rd (E) and a major 7th (B).

For a C minor 7 chord, you could play the same open voicing as above, but with a minor 3rd (Eb) and a minor 7th (Bb), like this:

C - G - Eb - Bb.

And for C dominant 7, you could play the same open voicing again, but this time with a major 3rd (E) and a minor 7th (Bb), like this:

C - G - E - Bb.

You could even play the same open voicing for a C half-diminished chord, like this:

C - Gb - Eb - Bb.

You could play the same open voicing for a C diminished 7 chord, like this:

C - Gb - Eb - A.

And you could play the same open voicing for a C minor-major 7 chord, like this:

C - G - Eb - B.

And this is just one of the types of open voicing that Jazz piano players use. You can do the same thing for any of the other open voicings, just make sure you adjust each of the notes to fit with the chord type and its chord tones.

Can I use open voicings when playing Jazz standards?

Open voicings can be used when you're playing Jazz standards on the piano. They work best when the melody note is a chord tone - either the root, 3rd, 5th or 7th.

Just choose the open chord voicing that has the melody note as its top note.

Why do Jazz piano players use open voicings?

The benefit to using open voicings in your Jazz piano playing is that they have a wide, spread out sound. They span a wide range, from the bass, to the mid, sometimes even to the high range.

Because open voicings spread out the notes of a chord by bigger intervals, they create a clean sound in your Jazz piano playing.

You can use open voicings when playing any Jazz standard, and they are an essential type of chord voicing to add to your collection of chord voicings.

How do I practice Jazz piano chord voicings?

The best way to practice any Jazz piano chord voicing is to build it from every note on the piano. There's only 12 notes, which means a chord voicing can be built from 12 different notes.

When you practice building a chord voicing, make sure you count the intervals precisely every time. Do not try to memorize the note names for every chord voicing you learn, as you'll tap out after your first few voicings.

Instead, try to remember a chord voicing by its interval pattern - e.g. 'root - 7th - 9th - 3rd - 5th', and then you can build the interval pattern from any note.

Is there anything to help me learn open voicings?

To go with this lesson, I've written a free chord voicing ebook for Jazz piano. It shows you 5 types of chord voicing which you can use to play Jazz standards. Down

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I'll also show you how to practice walking bass lines over the ii-V-I progression.
By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to write a professional sounding walking bass line to any chord progression, and any jazz song.

Download my FREE WALKING BASS LINES SHEET MUSIC at https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

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By the end of this episode, you'll know 3 essential soloing techniques which you can use to solo over any jazz song.

Download my '29 JAZZ PIANO LICKS' SHEET MUSIC (FREE) at https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

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Don't worry - in this episode, we cover jazz piano intros and endings. I'll show you how to intro a song, and end a song in style.
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By the end of this episode, you'll know how to write a professional sounding intro and ending to every song in your repertoire.

Download my '10 JAZZ PIANO ENDINGS' SHEET MUSIC (FREE) at https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

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This lesson is essential for jazz musicians who want to improvise, as well as composers who want to write jazz music (using the authentic jazz scales).
I'll also show you a practice tip you can use to ingrain the different types of jazz scale.

Download my FREE JAZZ PIANO SHEET MUSIC at https://jazztutorial.com/podcast

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This episode is essential for jazz pianists who want to understand jazz harmony, as well as for musicians who want to compose their own jazz music.

Download my FREE JAZZ PIANO SHEET MUSIC at https://jazztutorial.com/podcast