Exercise #2: Descending Chromatic. Jazz Improvisation Lesson (Jazz Piano)

In this video lesson we will take a look at Exercise #2 from my 10-part jazz improvisation book on basic chromatic embellishment.  Take a look at last week's post to find out the contents of the .pdf lessons and how to download them.

This exercise takes us through descending chromatic embellishments of all Major/minor triads through all 12 keys.  Remember to practice each exercise very slowly.  It's more about hearing each pitch accurately than playing through the exercises quickly.  Speed will come with time (and with context!).

A preview of the the 10-part .pdf download can be viewed here: Chord Tone Improvisation Part 1: Chromatic Embelishments (via Scribd.com).  A download is available be clicking the "Add to Cart" button under the top right hand sidebar.

Thanks for watching and please let me know if you have any questions about the exercises.

New Jazz Improvisation E-Book. Exercise #1 (Jazz Piano)

Embellishing basic triads and seventh chords is the foundation for all Bebop and modern jazz playing.   In this new series of 10-part lessons we will look at basic/advanced chromatic embellishment of these chords.  Dedicated practice of these exercises will greatly improve your ability to hear and improvise creative melodies.

Over the next couple of weeks we will cover the following topics in jazz improvisation.

1) Ascending Chromatic Embellishment
2) Descending Chromatic Embellishment
3) Ascending Chromatic ii-V
4) Descending Chromatic ii-V
5) Cycle Practice
6) The Jazz Blues Form
7) Ascending Chromatic over Jazz Blues
8) Descending Chromatic over Jazz Blues
9) Non-Root Chromatics
10) Endless Eighth Notes

Part one of these jazz lessons can be viewed below.  A preview of the lesson is available HERE (via Scribd.com).  To purchase and download the complete 10-part jazz lesson click here or click the appropriate "add to cart button" on the Sheet Music Downloads sidebar.


I hope you enjoy playing through the exercises over the next couple of weeks.  As always, let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below or on the YouTube page.  Thanks for watching!

Modern Jazz Line #18: Triplet Displacement in 3/4 Time - Piano Jazz Melodies

Today my youtube channel Tjjazzpiano reached 500,000 views (and 2700+ subscribers).  The blog has also just reached 100,000 in just over the one year since I bought the domain and began posting.  Thank you so much for your support!  I couldn't have done it without all you loyal readers and subscribers.

In this week's Modern Jazz Line we'll tackle a triplet based melody based on arpeggio extensions of each chords.  This is the first melody I've published that is written in the 3/4 time signature.  Be careful to count and make sure you're playing the rhythms correctly.  Any displacement should feel effortless, not forced or disjunct.

I hope you enjoyed watching the first 10 lessons from my Modern Jazz Line series.  In these jazz lessons I covered how to become a better improvisor using the ii-V-I progression as a guide.  The next Modern Jazz Line videos will cover the tri-tone substitution used in the context of a basic ii-V-I progression (see example below).  If you haven't read or watched my explanation of the tri-tone substitution you may want to check it out before continuing with the lesson below.

Sheet Music for this lesson:  Modern Jazz Line #18 .pdf

You can find a complete list of my jazz piano lessons here and watch the playlist for either Modern Jazz Lines #1-10 or Modern Jazz Lines #11-20.

Introduction to the Tri-Tone Substitution: The Tri-Tone Substitution

Modern Jazz Line #18:

Watch the video lesson here:

Modern Jazz Line #5 (ii-V-I) - How to Improvise - Ear Training

Welcome to my new jazz lesson video series dedicated to becoming a better improvisor.  In these short videos, we'll explore jazz lines I've written out to help myself become a better improvisor.  Over time, dedicated practice of these lines will greatly improve your ability to hear and improvise modern jazz melodies.  Check out the links below after the break for the accompanying sheet music to this lesson.

Sheet Music:  Modern Jazz Line #5

Please feel free to send me a message or leave a comment if you have any questions on this or any other of my jazz piano lessons.  For a complete list of jazz lessons, click here or on the "lessons" tab above.

Personalized signed copies of my new cd are available here "Meditations Vol.1".  Thank you for all the donations and purchases of my sheet music.  I really do appreciate your support.  It goes a long way to help me keep these jazz lessons going.