Lesson 11: Jazz Etude in Gb

Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.

This entire module focuses on a singular jazz exercise. Technically, I could condense this module into a single lesson, and if so, your task would involve the following steps:

Step 1: Memorize the circle of fourths: C – F – Bb – Eb – Ab – Db – Gb – B – E – A – D – G.

Step 2: Play through all the dominant bebop scales (descending and ascending) in all 12 keys, using the circle of fourths.

Step 3: For each line, play a typical bebop ending. This gives you a brief rest in bar 4, allowing you just enough time to prepare for the next scale without losing the beat.

Step 4: In the left hand, effortlessly combine all the Dominant 7 voicings you’ve learned so far. Start in the lowest register with bass notes, then move higher to play shell voicings (R-7), and even higher for rootless voicings.

Step 5: Add syncopation to your left-hand voicings, focusing on the ‘2 and’ and ‘4 and’, but also include some bass notes on the downbeat.

Step 6: Be able to play this etude at 180 bpm or faster.

The entire etude, following these six steps, is demonstrated in Lesson 23. If you manage to play the entire etude according to these steps, you’re ready to progress to the next module.

Creative approach:

While closely following these steps, you might end up playing something entirely different. Despite the constraints,

a.) how you play your left-hand syncopations,
b.) end each line,
c.) and choose your left-hand voicings under the scale can vary.

And if that happens, it’s even better! Being able to improvise your voicings and left-hand syncopations while playing the bebop scale in your right hand introduces an element of improvisation into the scale etude. This not only fuels your creativity and desire for novelty each time you play through the etude but also deepens your understanding of applying these left-hand techniques skillfully. So, I encourage you to explore your creativity while still following the guidelines of the exercise.

Here’s the plan:

1. We’ll go through each key one by one, gradually increasing the tempo from 120 to 160 bpm. Each key will have a separate lesson for this workout and you can follow along with the video.

2. Then, we’ll combine keys by two, creating a I – IV relationship between two chords (e.g., C and F), serving as useful preparation for jazz blues solo piano.

3. Next, we’ll combine four keys together (C, F, Bb, Eb) and further increase the tempo to 190 bpm.

4. This process will be repeated twice more for (Ab, Db, Gb, B) and (E, A, D, G) before combining them all to play as one piece.