Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episodes

Discover the Four Pillars of Jazz Piano with Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills. In this special year-end episode, Dr. Lawrence reflects on the musical growth, educational progress, and community development experienced throughout 2025 while introducing an exciting new approach to jazz piano study for 2026. Explore why harmony serves as the foundation of meaningful musical expression and how strong harmonic understanding supports melodic development, purposeful improvisation, and confident piano performance. Dr. Lawrence introduces the Four Pillars of Jazz Piano: Harmonic Architecture, Melodic Design, Improvisation Development, and Solo Piano Interpretation. Learn how these four interconnected areas provide a comprehensive framework for studying jazz standards, developing practical musicianship, and becoming a more confident and expressive jazz pianist. The episode also explores the relationship between harmony and emotion, why improvisation is composition in real ti…

Celebrate the holiday season with "A Jazz Piano Christmas" featuring Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills. Enjoy five Christmas classics performed as solo jazz piano arrangements: "Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)", "Silent Night", "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", "Let It Snow", and "The Christmas Song". Dr. Lawrence explores stride piano, chord voicings, rubato, rhythmic feel, and the importance of musical space while introducing the new Solo Piano Interpretation curriculum for 2026. Discover why ensemble experience provides the foundation for solo piano playing and how pianists can combine harmony, melody, bass, rhythm, and musical expression into a complete performance. Discover • Learn • Play

Discover how to develop jazz piano improvisation through Vince Guaraldi's Christmas classic "Christmas Time Is Here" with Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills. In this improvisation development lesson, Dr. Lawrence explores how common harmonic progressions provide the foundation for creating original melodic motifs and strengthening rhythmic vocabulary. Learn how to organize your improvisation practice, develop melodic ideas that reflect harmonic movement, and build musical confidence through a consistent educational process. The episode also introduces a practical Beginner Jazz Improvisation Checklist designed to reduce information overload and help students focus on essential musical skills. Discover • Learn • Play

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "Christmas Time is Here" with a Melodic Analysis. Part Two of this study focuses on Melodic Transcribing, Fingerings, Phrases, Targets, and standard Treatments.

This Episode explores the Vince Guaraldi classic "Christmas Time is Here". Part One of this study focuses on Form, Chord Changes, Harmonic Functio,n and Voicings

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode, "How to Start Jazz Improvising", focuses on the importance of seeing Arpeggios and Scales as two elements of MELODY. Explore primary sounds from the Root to the 13th with Motifs using Arpeggio and Scale Motion.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "A Beautiful Friendship." Part three of this study focuses on Improvisation development, using Etudes to generate melodic ideas.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "A Beautiful Friendship" with a Melodic Analysis. Part Two of this study focuses on Melodic Transcribing, Fingerings, Phrases, Targets, and standard Treatments.

This Jazz Piano Skills Episode explores the timeless jazz standard "A Beautiful Friendship" with a Harmonic Analysis. Part One of this study focuses on Form, Chord Changes, Harmonic Function, and Voicings.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "Tangerine." Part three of this study focuses on Improvisation development, using Improvisation Trees to generate melodic ideas.

In this engaging conversation, Special Guest Lisa Deneau shares her profound journey through music, highlighting the significant influence of her mother, her experiences in jazz education, and the challenges of practicing jazz. She emphasizes the importance of community in learning and the joy of making beautiful sounds on the piano. Lisa also discusses her role in curating the listening list for the Jazz Piano Skills community, showcasing her dedication to sharing music with others.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "Tangerine" with a Melodic Analysis. Part Two of this study focuses on Melodic Transcribing, Fingerings, Phrases, Targets, and standard Treatments.

This Jazz Piano Skills Episode explores the timeless jazz standard "Tangerine" with a Harmonic Analysis. Part One of this study focuses on Form, Chord Changes, Harmonic Function, and Voicings.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode provides answers to some of the most common questions about the study of jazz. Questions submitted to Dr. Lawrence throughout the year are presented and answered clearly and succinctly.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode, "How to Start Jazz Improvising" focuses on Improvisation, The Mastery of Harmony. Discover Harmonic Structures for the development of YOUR Melodic Ideas

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "Blue Bossa." Part three of this study focuses on Improvisation development, using harmonic shapes to generate melodic ideas.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "Blue Bossa" with a Melodic Analysis. Part Two of this study focuses on Melodic Transcribing, Fingerings, Phrases, Targets, and standard Treatments.

This Jazz Piano Skills Episode explores the timeless jazz standard "Blue Bossa" with a Harmonic Analysis. Part One of this study focuses on Form, Chord Changes, Harmonic Function, and Voicings.

Celebrating 300 Episodes of Jazz Piano Skills with Dr. Bob Lawrence! Dr. Lawrence reflects on his personal journey and discusses insights into the favorite episodes, as determined by Jazz Piano Skills Listeners.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "That's All." Part three of this study focuses on Improvisation development, doing an analysis of a solo over the entire form of the tune.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the jazz standard "That's All" with a Melodic Analysis. Part Two of this study focuses on Melodic Transcribing, Fingerings, Phrases, Targets, and standard Treatments.

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode explores the timeless jazz standard "That's All" with a Harmonic Analysis. Part One of this study focuses on Form, Chord Changes, Harmonic Function, and Voicings.

Congrats, You're Improvising! This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode focuses on playing Improvising using Inverted Arpeggios. Harmonic Pairs are used to construct one melodic line that reflects the chords being played. It's time to Discover, Learn, and Play Jazz Piano!

This Jazz Piano Skills Podcast Episode focuses on playing Inverted Major Arpeggios. Melody Blocks are used to construct motifs using arpeggio motion from the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th of the sound. It's time to Discover, Learn, and Play Jazz Piano!