Josh Walsh @ Jazz-Library

Reader, Over the last couple of years I've become more aware of the versatility of diminished chords. They serve so many musical functions, from passing chords, to dominant chord voicings, opening doors to change keys and more. And, as I've started to add them more to my playing, I've discovered some interesting movements, like this one. Diminished Chords are just Triplets The drop 2 variation is my favorite. The core of this movement is pretty simple to understand. A Diminished chord is...

Reader, We lost the great Sonny Rollins a couple of months ago. I had my "go to" tunes like Tenor Madness, St. Thomas and Pent-Up House, but I hadn't really spent time with his full catalog. His passing really motivated me to dive in, and as I listened and transcribed, I recognized how his aggressive tone, rhythmic drive and playfulness were sounds I wanted in my own playing... I Want to Be Happy Thelonious Monk with Sonny Rollins I love this passage from Sonny's recording with Monk. But as I...

Reader, This is our final part of the Bill Evans inner voice movement series. Over the past few weeks, we've learned smooth inner voice movements over minor, major and dominant chords. Today, we bring them all together over a 2-5-1 to create a movement that will totally transform your playing if you learn it in all 12 keys. Bill Evans Autumn Leaves The Movement A ii-V-I in C major is Dm7 → G7 → Cmaj7. Using the stock voicings from our Jazz Voicings Roadmap, this 2-5-1 would be played like...

Reader, As we've started Ballad Season, looking at new tunes for the first time, there's been many great questions about how to really study a lead sheet. It's not as straight forward as it seems. I recorded this video to answer all those questions and to show you some of the biggest "gotchas" that trip us up. Reading a Lead Sheet is Easy When You Know This I hope you find this helpful. Have a great weekend. Josh

Reader, This is Part 3 of a series on Bill Evans inner voice movements. Catch up on part 1 (minor chord movements) and Part 2 (major). This week we tackle dominant chord movements, which require a completely different approach. Bill Evans Danny Boy Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans On major and minor chords, the chords are resolved by their nature. We moved one note to create tension, and then moved it back. But dominant chords aren't resolved. They exist to sound dissonant. The resolution...

Reader, This Friday - Geoffrey Keezer joins us for a conversation about playing solo jazz piano. We'll talk about how to move from static voicing formulas and rote rhythms to play with more creative musical freedom. Lush Life Geoffrey Keezer with Gillian Margot Playing jazz piano solo has always been my true ambition. Now, I love playing with other people, but there's something to to be said about just being able to sit and play, when and where you want to. (Plus there are more gigs, and you...

Reader, This is Part 2 of a series on Bill Evans inner voice movements. In part 1 we learned a movement on minor chords. This week, I want to show you a super simple move for a major chord. Don't let the simplicity of this turn you off of it. It's a crucial sound worth practicing in every key. Bill Evans Blue in GreenPortrait in Jazz Here's a simple movement for a major 7 chord. On our minor chords, we discussed ways to introduce tension into a chord, by starting with one of the notes "out of...