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title date tags draft summary bannerImage
My Jazz Piano Journal
2024-03-23
music
piano
jazz
false
Collection of notes and exercises jazz piano.
/static/blog/piano/piano.webp

Confusing my hands

Note Clusters

  • Prefer 4 note clusters
  • Clusters of >4 can be broken down into 4/3/2 clusters
  • If you land on finger 5 you are going the other way

Standard Chromatic

{
  \relative c' {
    c8 cis d dis
    \tuplet 3/4 {e f fis}
    g gis a ais
    \tuplet 3/4 {b c cis}
    \tuplet 3/4 {d dis e}
    f fis g gis
    a ais b c
    }
}

Chromatic Cycles

4 Note Cycles

{
  \relative c' {
    c8 cis d dis
    d dis e f
    e f fis g
    f fis g gis
    g gis a ais
    a ais b c
    b c cis d
    c cis d dis
    }
}
Permutations
  • Starting with 1
    • 1234
    • 1243
    • 1324
    • 1342
    • 1423
    • 1432
  • Starting with 2
    • 2134
    • 2143
    • 2314
    • 2341
    • 2413
    • 2431
  • Starting with 3
    • 3124
    • 3142
    • 3214
    • 3241
    • 3412
    • 3421
  • Starting with 4
    • 4123
    • 4132
    • 4213
    • 4231
    • 4312
    • 4321

3 Note Cycles

{
  \relative c' {
    \tuplet 3/2 { 
      c8 cis d 
      d dis e
      e f fis
      f fis g
      g gis a
      a ais b
      b c cis
      c cis d
      }
    }
}

Use index and third finger

5 Note Cycles

6 Note Cycles

7 Note Cycles

Chromatic Cycles on C Thirds

{
  \relative c' {
    c8 cis d dis
    e f fis g
    d dis e f
    f fis g gis
    e f fis g
    g gis a ais
    f fis g gis
    a ais b c
    g gis a ais
    b c cis d
    a ais b c
    c cis d dis
    b c cis d
    d dis e f
    c cis d dis
    }
}

Chromatic Cycles on Chromatic Scale

Repeat previous drills on all major scales

Advanced Cycles

Interval Cycles on C scale

- semitone+tone
	- tone-semitone-semitone
	- semitone-tone-semitone
	- semitone-semitone-tone
	- tone-tone-semitone
	- semitone-tone-tone
	- tone-tone-tone

4 Note Cycles on Diminished Scale

Built from notes in C7b9 + Cdim7 + C#dim7

{
  \relative c' {
    c8 cis dis e fis g a bes
    }
}

Chord Cycles

  • 2 octave Chord Cycles on C scale
    • 7th
      • dim7: m3-m3-m3
      • halfdim7: m3-m3-3
      • maj7: 3-m3-3
      • dom7: 3-m3-m3
      • min7: m3-3-m3
    • 9th
      • halfdim7 b9: m3-m3-3-m3
    • 11th
      • halfdim7 b9 11: m3-m3-3-m3-3
    • 13th
      • halfdim7 b9 11 b13: m3-m3-3-m3-3-m3
    • Add more chords

Hand Independence

Bud Powell's Un Poco Loco

\clef bass {
  \relative c, {
    c4. g'8 g,4 g'8 c,8 |
    r8 des r g g,4 g'4 |
  }
}

Right Hand Independence

Permutations (Invert everything to ) - Whole Note on 1st beat (understand how RH moves parallel to down beat for rythmic resolution) - C4 on thumb - C4 on thumb C5 on pinky - Resolve to different fingers: Thumb on C4, pinky on G4 - 1 5, 1 3, 2 4, 3 5 - Play Cmadd2 with big leaps - Quarter Notes - Single note: C4 on thumb - 2 Note Cycles - Chromatic intervals (C4 C5, C4 B4, ...) - Fixed Interval Walks (maj7, dom7, 6, b6, ...) - 3 Note Cycles - C-G-C - Chromatic walk - Quarter Notes with Rests - Two crotchet rests between every note - Single Note - 2 Note Cycles - 3 Note Cycles - Quarter Notes with scales (can you play crossovers anywhere?) - Major scales - Starting on 1 - Starting on 2 - Starting on 3 - Starting on 4 - Eighth Notes - Thumb on C, third on G - Inverse by playing C on up beat (on the n, not the 1) - Accent up beats - Switch between C on up beat and down beat - Change interval - Change fingers - 1 4 - 2 5 - 1 3 - 3 5 - 3 Note Cycles - G Bb C - Different fingering - chromatic walk up - Accent Variation - Rest on the second note - Crossovers - C7 Bebop - Start on different eighth notes of the bar - Accenting - every four notes - only the thumb - Major scale - C -> C# ... - Dotted quarter notes -

Left Hand Independence

  • Async with Right Hand
    • Draw circles
    • Swipe back and forth, left and right

All scales are just a permutation of the following clusters

{
  \relative c' {
    c16 des ees e 
    e fis g a
    g a bes c
    a bes c des
  }
}
{
  \relative c' {
    \tuplet 3/4 {c16 des ees}
    \tuplet 3/4 {e16 fis g}
    \tuplet 3/4 {g16 a bes}
    \tuplet 3/4 {a16 bes c}
  }
}
{
  \relative c' {
    c8 des
    e8 fis
    g8 a
    a8 bes
  }
}
Permutations - Wiggle through each cluster - Wiggling should not be async, not strictly on meter - Combine clusters - Alternate between wiggling and within meter rhythms

Adding more Complexity

Add physical transposition to Fm7

\clef bass {
  \relative c, {
    c4. g'8 g,4 g'8 c,8 |
    r8 des r g g,4 g'4 |
    f4. c'8 c,4 c'8 f,8 |
    r8 ges r c c,4 c'4 |
  }
}

Add physical transposition to G7

\clef bass {
  \relative c, {
    c4. g'8 g,4 g'8 c,8 |
    r8 des r g g,4 g'4 |
    d4. g8 g,4 g'8 cis,8 |
    r8 d r g' g,4 g'4 |
  }
}
Permutations - Repeat previous exercises with the F pattern only - Then repeat with C and F cycle - Repeat previous exercises with the G pattern (resolving to second finger instead) - Then repeat with C and G cycle - Invert fingering - Then try two five one

Two Handed Voicings

Pentatonic Voicings

  • Stack perfect fourths until you reach the 2nd octave
  • Start from C (F minor / Ab pentatonic scale)
  • Play inversions ascending/descending
  • Start from different notes in the scale
  • Change direction every x notes
  • Skip notes
  • Improvise
    • Wiggle fingers differently
    • Make rhythmic variations
    • Sustain F and/or Ab in the left hand and improvise
    • Reset hands after every chord by moving each hand to extreme end of keyboard
  • Passing notes
    • Chromatic Outer Voicing
      • Right pinky does chromatic walk, all other fingers stack fourths towards the left
      • Left pinky does chromatic walk, all other fingers stack fourths towards the right
    • Chromatic Inner Voicing
      • One of the inner fingers does chromatic walk, all other fingers stack fourths towards the left and right

Licks / Runs

Whole Tone

  • Resolve chords
  • Move between phrases

There are only two whole tone scales on the piano

\relative c' {
  c4 d e fis gis ais
}
Permutations - Normal Run, thumb on C and E - 4 Note Cycles on C, D, E 
\relative c' {
  des ees f g a b
}
Permutations - Normal Run - Thumb on A and F - Thumb on G and B - Thumb on F and B - 4 Note Cycles on C, D, E - Resolve to different harmonies, e.g. third of the chord - AbMaj7 - EMaj7

Oscar Peterson - Body and Soul

  • Built from notes in F7b9 + Fdim7 + F#dim7.
  • Play F7b9 in left hand.
  • Alternate between E and Eb for different fingering permutations
{
  \relative c' {
    f8 fis a bes
    \tuplet 3/4 {c des ees}
  }
  \relative c' {
    f8 fis a bes
    \tuplet 3/4 {c des e}
  }
  \relative c' {
    f8 fis a bes
    c des ees e
  }
}

Art Tatum - Tea for Two

  • Diatonic 3rds from Db scale
  • Start from F on right hand + C7 on left hand
{
  \new PianoStaff <<
    \new Staff {
       \relative c'' { 
        <f ges bes>
        <e f aes>
        <d ees g>
        <c des f>
        <b c ees>
        <a bes des>
        <g aes c>
      }
    }
    \new Staff {
      \clef bass
      \relative c { 
        <c e bes'>
        <b dis a'>
        <bes d aes'>
        <a cis g'>
        <aes c ges'>
        <g b f'>
        <ges bes fes'>
      }
    }
  >>
}
Permutations - Motions in Parallel - Ascend - Descend - Contrary Motion - 3 note cycle permutations - Left Hand on different beat - 1st note - 2nd note - 3rd note - Increase interval between thumb and 3rd

Bud Powell - Bouncing with Bud

  • 6 Note Cycle of Gbdim7 + Bdim
{
  \relative c' {
    f8 ges
    a16 c d ees
    b8 c
    d16 ees f ges
    d8 ees
    f16 ges a d
  }
}
Permutations - Normal Run - 4 Note Cycles on A, D, F Thumb Positions - 6 Note Cycles - Two, Three, Four Octaves - Squash notes onto one scale, and play six notes on every note of the scale