Most Popular Lessons

🚨 Play a Great Blues in 3 Months – Week 13

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been combining blues melodies with chord voicings and moving toward a fuller chord melody approach.

This week, we use a very simple melody:

👉 “C Jam Blues”

Because the melody is so minimal, it gives us room to focus on something else:

👉 Dense harmonic movement underneath the melody

This lesson introduces several important concepts:

1. See attached file
2. You learn it. Better if you memorize it. Know each chord you are playing. I.E. if in the 3rd bar of the tune you see Eb G Bb and D, that is NOT and Ebmaj7 chord. It's a Cmin9 chord. Get it? Look at the changes if you need to.
3. You play it on the piano, using your left hand to play the bass notes for each chord. If the chords are in an open position and you can't play them with your right hand, then try taking the bottom note up an octave and if that doesn't work, try taking the top note down an octave. 
4. Write in all the chords.

Friedman Etude 25

Check out the attached PDF!

Recorded in The USM School of Music 

Check out the attached PDF!

I put on a  C drone and did my best to improvise through the seven modes.

Open Closed Open exercise with Minor7 chords in all 12 keys

🚨 Playing in 3/4 – Pt. 2: Syncopated Comping and Forward Motion

Part 2 builds on the foundation from Part 1 by introducing syncopated rhythms and offbeat chord placements. These variations are designed to create a natural sense of forward motion while keeping the 3/4 pulse grounded. The goal is to develop balance—maintaining a steady groove while adding rhythmic interest and contrast.

In this lesson you’ll:

Wildflower Study Pt. 4