Jazz Piano: Common Questions Answered

Dr. Bob Lawrence (00:32.75)
Welcome to Jazz Piano Skills. I'm Dr. Bob Lawrence. It's time to discover, learn, and play jazz piano. Week five of September. Week five. It has been a great month, no doubt about it. We have spent the last four weeks exploring Bluebossa. Week one, harmonic analysis. Looked at the form, changes harmonic function, common harmonic movement.

and of course our voicings, traditional block voicings, traditional shells, contemporary shells, two handed structures. Week two, melodic analysis, melody, fingerings, phrases, targets, and various standard melodic treatments. Week three and four, dedicated to improvisation development, various approaches used for developing rhythmic and melodic vocabulary necessary for improvising.

So our monthly tune study of every tune, not just Blue Bossa this month, but of every tune is pretty thorough. It's enlightening and of course beneficial. So what are we going to do today? Week five of the month. Well, a week five is always a great time for a guest interview, a lecture series episode, or for something completely new and fun. So with that being said,

I opted for something new and fun. Not to say that the other options aren't fun, because they are, but I thought today would be a great opportunity to do something different while at the same time spotlighting some of the fabulous questions that I receive on a weekly basis that do not get selected for the question of the week, only because there are only so many episodes each month and each year.

The questions are fantastic that I receive every week throughout the year and deserve attention. So I thought, what the heck? Let's do a jazz piano common questions answered episode. Sounds good to me. You know, this format from this day forward will forever now be known as a CQA episode, common questions.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (02:59.015)
answered. So today we are going to discover some important common jazz questions. We are going to learn some very important do's and don'ts about studying jazz. And we are going to play around with various answers and approaches often cited in response to these common questions.

So as I like to say, regardless of where you are in your jazz journey, a beginner, an intermediate player, advanced player, or even if you are a seasoned and experienced professional, you're going to find this Jazz Panel Skills podcast lesson, common questions answered to be very beneficial. But

Before we get started, want to, as I always do, I want to welcome all of you first time listeners to the Jazz Piano Skills podcast. And if you are indeed new to Jazz Piano Skills, I want to welcome you and invite you to become a Jazz Piano Skills member. Your membership comes with many perks. For instance, as a Jazz Piano Skills member, you have access to premium podcast content.

which basically means you get to listen to the entire podcast episode, the whole thing. You know, the first half is free for everyone to enjoy. I usually deal with the question of the week, the educational agenda, the lesson rationale, the second half of each podcast episode for members only, the lesson content is presented demonstrations. And then of course, the exploration of the podcast packets, the illustrations, the lead sheets and the play longs.

podcast packets or educational content that that I put together designed for every weekly podcast episode to help you get the most out of each episode and to maximize your jazz piano growth. As a member, you also have access to the online courses. These are comprehensive, interactive, self paced and sequential courses.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (05:11.658)
You also have a reserved seat in my online weekly masterclass, which is held every Thursday evening at 8pm Central Time, which of course I know is not a good time for everyone around the world. But all of the masterclasses are recorded so you can watch and rewatch the video of the class at your convenience and as often as you wish. As a member, you also have access to the private online Jazz Piano Skills Community.

which hosts a variety of educational forums. There are podcast specific forums and general jazz forums as well. It's a wonderful place to meet new folks, make new friends, provide member feedback and assistance and also receive some member feedback and assistance as well. And finally, as a Jazz Panel Skills member, you have access to educational support, private, personal and professional support. So

All these perks are waiting to help you discover, learn and play Jazz Piano. So when you get a moment, check it all out at JazzPanelsKills.com. And of course, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. I'm always happy to help answer any questions that you may have and help you determine which membership platform is best for you. I also want to take just a few minutes to encourage you to subscribe to the Jazz Panel Skills YouTube channel. Once you do, you'll begin receiving

notifications when I release a new video. I deal with harmony and melody and rhythm challenges. There are jazz quick tips, jazz talks, and I'm starting to populate these playlists with new videos every week. again, just be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out. You get notified whenever a new Jazz Piano Skills video is released. Okay, let's get to Jazz Piano common questions answered.

is going to be fun. Okay, so as I mentioned earlier, I receive questions daily throughout the week, throughout the month, throughout the year, a ton of fabulous questions. And I pick one each week to kind of spotlight and use as the question of the week that I that I address in every weekly podcast episode. Now the drag with that is there are a lot of questions that I don't

Dr. Bob Lawrence (07:36.82)
get a chance or an opportunity to answer or spotlight as to questions in the week. So why I'm excited about today is because I went through the last several months and selected

it's around, are you sitting down? Around 35 questions that I hope to go through today. I may have to eliminate some because sometimes, you know, I don't know if you know this or not, I can get a little long winded at times. So I'm going to try to keep my answers really kind of short and succinct. But what I've done is I've created seven categories, took these questions and I've

kind of arrange them and organize them into seven categories. And the seven categories are this, are these. Number one, fundamentals and technique. Number two, harmony, chords and voicing. Voicings. Three, improvisation. Four, repertoire and learning tunes. Five, rhythm and comping. Six, practice and growth. And then finally, number seven, the big picture. So I have about

five questions slated in each one of those categories. So about around 35 questions. Again, I may not get to all of them. My intentions are good here because these questions are good and deserve some attention. But I'm going to just kind of go through the list and watch the clock and get through as many as I possibly can. Okay, so category number one, fundamentals and techniques. First question, what's the best fingering for jazz scales?

Is it the same as classical? The answer? Yes. Great fingering is great fingering. It makes no difference what genre of music you are playing. You have to have you have to have good technique. Period. Period. Now, you know, I've I've told this story before that

Dr. Bob Lawrence (09:42.044)
In graduate school, I had the good fortune of studying with classical pianist Nina Lelchuk. Nina Lelchuk was from Russia, did her bachelor's, master's, doctorate degree at the Moscow Conservatory. A stickler for details, a stickler for perfection, a stickler for good technique, right? And she told me that upon hearing me play in front of her for the first time, it was a Mozart sonata.

she informed me that I would never ever be a classical pianist. And I informed her, thank goodness, because I want to be a jazz pianist. Now, what was fun was she took all her, she had stacks of music sitting on top of her piano. And she took her arm and she pushed all the all the music off the piano. I'm talking like, collect Beethoven, repertoire, Brahms Bach.

Mozart. She just shoved that all off the back of the piano. And she looked at me, I was stunned, of course. And she looked at me and she said, great. She said, you still need great technique. And so for two years, I literally focused on technique development with her. Now, the only difference that I would suggest or recommend when playing scales as a jazz pianist versus a classical pianist

is to play scales using a different entry point and a destination point. So stop playing scales from do to do, right? One octave. I stress over and over again, practice a scale from the root to the seventh or from the third to the ninth or fifth to the eleventh, right? So your ears become actively engaged and your scales then become sound focused, right? So your

focusing on a major sound with your scales or a dominant sound or a minor sound and so on, right? The key to practicing scales as a jazz musician is to make sure that your ears become actively engaged in the process and that you're able to identify not just conceptually, not just physically, but orally what sound you are playing. So yes, the fingerings are the same, right? Great technique is great technique.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (12:05.152)
but I would suggest making that slight modification so that your ears become actively engaged in your scale practicing process. Okay, question number two. How do I work on rhythm and time if I don't have a drummer? Answer, backing tracks. There are various software applications and apps available today.

that simulate an ensemble experience, allowing you to easily practice skills and tunes within a musical context, a musical setting, so that you can develop your internal sense of time, which of course is needed to successfully play rhythm. So no drummer, no problem. Turn to technology, and I strongly suggest investing in some software.

or an app that allows you to create backing tracks. All right, question number three. What scales should I learn first for jazz? My answer, without question, the major scales. That's an easy question. That's an easy answer. Learn your major scales first. Next question. Do I need to know all of

my major and minor scales before starting my jazz journey? The answer to that is no. You know, I recommend, I recommend learning all of your major scales to help first and foremost with the development of good technique, which of course includes good fingerings.

The minor scales, harmonic and melodic minor scales, are important, right? They're the origin of the altered sounds that you hear jazz musicians playing. However, I wouldn't worry about my harmonic and melodic minor scales until I have a handle or command of my major scales. Bottom line is this. Learn major scales plus the 60 chords of music and you're in great shape.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (14:28.061)
begin developing your jazz chops. Start there. All right, in the final question within this category of fundamentals and technique, how do I practice the swing feel? Well, that's a great question. Now the best way to practice the swing feel is to begin with being able to properly articulate the swing feel verbally. Verbally. Jazz requires a command of the

quarter note, eighth note relationship. So practice articulating, saying out loud, various quarter and eighth note patterns, I would recommend checking out a podcast episode that several podcast episodes that I did back in 2020, May 12, May 12, May 18, and May 26 of 2020. It's called the eighth note.

it was the eighth note series. And in that series, I literally explain this very concept of articulating or saying out loud the various quarter and eighth note patterns. If you can articulate the swing feel verbally, your hands will follow. The problem that people have with trying to play a swing feel is they have no conceptual understanding of the swing feel and

and are unable to articulate it verbally. So the hands are left on their own, which is not a good formula for success. All right, the hands have to take dictation from somewhere. And that's your conceptual understanding. So being able to verbally articulate, to say it out loud, various quarter and eighth note patterns and articulate it correctly is the beginning.

learning how to practice the swing feel effectively. Okay. So, hey, that wasn't bad, right? I got, I kind of just blew through five questions right there in a few minutes, right? Not bad. I still got about according to my clock here, I about another 45 minutes that I... Wow, this is fun. All right, so let's go to category number two, harmony.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (16:56.745)
chords and voicings. Question number one in this category, how do I connect chords smoothly without jumping around? Easy answer. Inversions. Right again, easy question, easy answer. You know, knowledge and command of inversions.

necessary for good voice leading, both harmonically and melodically speaking. Inversions, I will say this, inversions are not fun to practice and can be frustrating to learn because you are in essence stepping out of a one-dimensional musical world into a multi-dimensional musical world.

And your initial thought is, wow, being one dimensional is way more comfy than this multi dimensional perspective. And then of course, what happens is you look at all the inversions and then people start doing math and they start adding it up and they go, my gosh, look what you're asking me to do. Right. But I will say this, there is no way around

inversions. There's no way around. If you want to make music easier, physically and orally, meaning that it sounds good to the ears, then learning your chords and their inverted shapes is a hurdle that you must absolutely jump. And again, not just from a harmonic perspective, but also from a melodic perspective as well. So how do I connect chords smoothly without jumping around?

got to tackle inversions. No other way to do it. Question number two. What are shell voicings and why are they important? Well, shell voicings, oftentimes referred to as rootless voicings, are what professional jazz pianists use in their left hand.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (19:19.749)
when playing the melody of a tune or improvising in their right hand. Right? So why are they important? Because if you want to sound like a jazz pianist, then you want to play the voicings that jazz pianos that jazz pianist play. It's really that simple, right? These are the sounds that you hear when you listen to jazz pianist play. So if you want to sound like that,

you're going to have to use the voicing shapes, the voicing structures that jazz pianists use and shell voicings are those structures. again, like inversions, they can be kind of a challenge initially because now, you know, talk about a multi dimensional perspective of the skills that you're playing. Now you're playing voicings that

like I mentioned, often referred to as rootless voicing. So you're playing C chords that you don't even have a C in your hand, right? So it can be confusing and intimidating at first, but I will say that with strategic practice, the shells will start to look, look right, and feel right, and of course, most importantly, sound right.

And again, I have podcast episodes dealing with the shell voicing. So I'd recommend going to the Jazz Panel Skills podcast website, jazzpanelskillspodcast.com and do a search for shell voicings and those episodes will come up. So again, great question. What are shell voicings and why are they important? They are the structures that jazz musicians use in their left hand.

when playing melodies or improvising. All right, next question within this category of harmony chords and voicings. What is a two five one progression and why does it matter so much? Yeah, no question about it. If you start your jazz journey and you start poking around on the internet, you're going to find two five one pretty quickly. And then you're going to continue to hear about two five one for the rest of your life. So it's a great question. Why does it matter so much?

Dr. Bob Lawrence (21:46.759)
Well, the 251 progression is the poster child for circle harmonic motion that exists in music. In other words, it represents the most common, the most common way in which chords move within progressions. Now, the two other ways in which chords move

diatonic movement and chromatic movement, right diatonic movement moving within the key or the scale, chromatic movement, half step movement, but circle motion by far is the most common. And when I say circle motion, again, I am referring to the circle of fifths moving counterclockwise, counterclockwise. I did

Again, a podcast episode November 30 2021 November 30 2021. Dealing with this very question the 251 progression and counterclockwise movement. So I would strongly suggest checking out that episode for more information. All right, next question.

How do I make my chords sound jazzy? How do I make my chords sound jazzy? Well, use proper voicings as I just mentioned in the earlier question about shell voicings, right? So you want to sound jazzy, use proper voicings, use the voicings that jazz musicians use. And on top of that, get comfortable with the upper extensions of the sound.

of sound, the ninth, the 11th, the 13th. Now all musical sound, major, dominant, minor, half diminished and diminished consists of seven notes, the root, the third, the fifth, the seventh, the ninth, the 11th, and the 13th. And jazz music, jazz literature is laced with sounds, including the ninth, 11th, and 13th.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (24:10.025)
So, if you want to sound jazzy, then begin using these upper extensions in your voicings, in your harmony, and in your improvisation, your melody, your melody as well, to sound jazzy, right? So, how do I make my chords sound jazzy? Proper voicings and getting comfortable with the upper extensions.

11th and 13th. Alright, so the final question in this category of harmony chords and voicings. What's the easiest way to play altered chords, like the G7 sharp five flat nine? Okay, great question. I would recommend using a polychord approach to begin and what I mean by polychord approach is that your

placing one chord that you know on top of another chord that you know to create this altered sound, right? The fancy schmancy chords as I call them. So explore playing a triad on top of your dominant chord. So I would play like the third and seventh of the dominant chord in your left hand and then play the triad in your right hand.

So for instance, if you want to play a C7 flat 9 sharp 5, I would play a first C dominant E and B flat in my left hand, and I would play a C sharp minor in my right hand. And if I put it all together, it sounds like this. Here's the root, now here's the chord. Wow, beautiful, right? If I want a sharp 9 flat 5, I'd put an E flat minor.

Okay, so have flat 9, flat 5, I'd play a G flat major. If I want a sharp 9, sharp 5, A flat major.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (26:23.283)
These are wonderful altered voicings, and I'm building, I'm using a triad, I'm selecting a triad off the flat nine, a triad off the sharp nine, a triad off the flat five, and a triad built off the sharp five. So the easiest way, I think, to begin getting acclimated to altered chords, fancy schmancy chords like G7, sharp five, flat nine, is to use this poly chord.

approach. Okay, and again, another podcast episode dealing with this very topic of polychords, January 20 2020, January 20 20 of 2020. Alright, that's a wrap on harmony chords and voicings. The next category, everyone's favorite improvisation. First question, what's the difference between playing inside

versus outside? Fantastic question. And that terminology is thrown around a lot. let me try to simplify it the best I can. So inside playing means you are using diatonic notes, notes that fit the chord tones, or notes that fit the scale or come from the scale.

from which the chord originates, Or scale tones. So we have chord tones, we have scale tones. Now, that's inside playing. Okay, now outside playing are playing the five notes that fall outside of the diatonic scale. The five notes that fall outside, right? Our tuning system gives us 12 notes. Seven of those notes, seven of those 12

are inside for every chord that you play. Seven are inside the chord tones, the scale tones. Five are outside, right? Out, create the tension. So all sounds major, dominant, minor, half diminished and diminished. All sounds contain this simple little equation. Four plus three plus five.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (28:51.785)
four being the chord tones plus three scale tones plus five the outside or tension tones equal 12. Every sound major dominant minor half diminished, diminished four plus three plus five. So inside is the four plus three, those seven inside notes, the five are outside. Okay, that's the difference.

we use outside notes to create tension, right or excitement, right within our plane harmonically, as well as melodically. Now, for more information regarding inside and outside plane, I did two podcast episodes, April 15 2020, April 21 2020, inside outside part one inside outside part

to. So I would recommend for more information and a deeper dive into inside and outside playing. I would recommend checking out both of those episodes. Alright, so question number two in the category of improvisation. Do I need to memorize licks? Or should I just make everything up? Do I

need to memorize licks or should I just make everything up? Okay. Well, first of all, how good is your memory?

my memory is terrible. I don't even know where my car keys are right now. So I prefer, I guess, making things up. Now, I also prefer thinking of making things up as discovering my musical ideas. That just sounds a lot better than making things up, right? Discovering my musical ideas. Making things up simply does not do justice to the process of

Dr. Bob Lawrence (30:55.811)
exploring musical sound and discovering within that sound various shapes and patterns and ideas and rhythms, right? That also that reside in me within me, right? So you know, I always use as an analogy, you know, a scholar going to the library to conduct research is not walking in the front doors of library and simply

starts grabbing books off the shelf in an effort to make things up regarding the discipline that they are researching or studying, right? Good researchers have a plan. And they strategically execute that plan. And the same goes for researching or practicing musical creativity. A jazz musician is not sitting at the piano

or with their instrument making things up by just grabbing random notes in hopes that something good happens. So like the skilled researcher, the skilled musician is approaching musical sound very strategically in order to discover personal musical ideas. So all this to say that

The study of jazz is a journey to discover and extract personal thoughts, ideas, and emotions, which is precisely why we refer to it as an art form. It's personal. So memorizing has always been a very, for me, memorizing has always been a very cold and sterile experience.

I much prefer discovering my musical ideas through the strategic exploration of sound. I think, I may be going out on a limb here, but I think that if you take the approach to trying to learn how to play jazz by memorizing licks, the odds are not in your favor. Okay. So yes, I would answer that question. I think

Dr. Bob Lawrence (33:21.271)
that as you stated, you should strive on making everything up. But again, I prefer discovering my musical ideas. All right, so let's go on to the next question. How do I start improvising if I only know a few scales? The answer? Don't start with scales. In fact, I would recommend to

begin improvising, would recommend using chord tones and chord tones only. Chord tones and chord tones only. Begin there. No scales needed. So you should focus on using the chord tones to create something melodic and rhythmic.

with those notes. And if you're not successful doing that with chord tones, then adding scale tones or notes outside the scale, as I just discussed earlier, makes no sense. It makes absolutely no sense. So I would recommend all beginning improvisers to start with chord tones and chord tones only.

no need to worry about scales. All right. All right. Next question. Should I think about scales or chords when soloing? So this kind of right same theme here, right? It's amazing to me how scales get so much attention with the study of jazz. They just get so much attention. So the question again, should I think about scales or chords when soloing? I just mentioned that really, right?

both ultimately, but I would start with chord tones. And then this next question, right? Kind of goes along the exact same lines, right? How do I avoid just running up and down scales when I improvise? Well, that's not improvisation. First of all, just running up and down scales. That's not it. Okay. But I get why why you would think that or why you would ask that question, because again, scales get so much attention.

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Everybody talks about chord scale relationships, and then we think, okay, go up the scale, come down the scale, go up the scale, come down the scale. Yeah, that's a dangerous trap to fall into. So how do you avoid that? Well, chord tones only, and then practice what I call stationary improvisation, staying in one place. So if I'm going to improvise using the chord C major seven, I'm going to improvise starting with middle C to that E to that G to that

B. And I'm going to focus on, as I discussed in last week's podcast episode, I'm going to focus on a third within that sound, maybe the C to the E or the E to the G or the G to the B. And I'm going to do something musical, melodic and rhythmic with that interval, right? Within that interval, that interval gives me arpeggio motion, that interval gives me scale movement, and that interval also gives me tension.

So I would adopt the mentality of practicing improvisation using what I call stationary improvisation. And guess what? Two episodes, podcast episodes, February, February, February 3rd, 2020 and February 11th, 2020 stationary improvisation, part one stationary improvisation, part two.

I would check out both of those episodes to get even a deeper understanding of what I am talking about here. But I would absolutely as you mentioned in your question, avoid running up and down scales, thinking that that somehow is improvisation. Alright, so again, check out the episodes, Feb 3 2020 and Feb 11 2020.

stationary improv part one stationary improv part two. Alright, so that does it for improvisation. Next category repertoire and learning to repertoire and learning tunes. First question, how many standards should I know before I can play with others? Simple one. One, you only need one. If you have one tune,

Dr. Bob Lawrence (38:16.787)
one song that you can play. You know the changes, you know the melody, and heck, you can even improvise over it a little bit. You're good to go. I'd find my closest jam session. I'd introduce myself to the guys and gals playing in the ensemble, and I would eventually work up the courage to be able to sit in and play my song, my one song. Nothing wrong with that.

I was maybe 14 years old when I had one song. It was all of me. That was my one song. I could play all of me. knew that I could only play it in C, but I knew it in the key of C. And so I asked to sit in on a jam session. And I said, Can I sit in? The answer was, Yeah, come on, man. Play with us. What do want to play? I said, all of me. Key of C. And

they all started laughing. I didn't know what they were laughing about. I think it was just funny that I was very adamant about, I know one song, I know one key, and that's this is it. Right. So I would encourage you that if you know one song, you're good to go find it, find a group. Musicians are great folks. They're good people. And they're very encouraging and very welcoming. And I would get to know

local band jam session where jazz musicians are hanging out and playing. And I would work up to after I got to know them, work up the nerve to ask them to sit in, they will welcome you with open arms, and will lift you up and encourage you in a huge way that you have no idea. So one tune is all that you need. Okay, question number two.

What's a turnaround and why does it matter? Okay, turnarounds are typically a little chord progression at the end of a piece that does exactly that. It turns you around, it gets you back to the beginning of the piece to go through it again. And, you know, I love turnarounds because they're like many little mini compositions. And you can get very creative with this little two measure

Dr. Bob Lawrence (40:37.182)
section at the end of the tune where you can create a turnaround to get you back to the beginning. Some very common turnarounds, of course, the 16251 progression. From there, many alterations can be applied to that simple circle movement to create interesting and fabulous turnarounds. And again, I have an episode dedicated to turnarounds March 16 2021.

I would absolutely check it out. I go through how to create turnarounds. I believe I start with the 16251 progression and then start making alterations to that turnaround to come up with many variations. So turnarounds are great. They're a great way to practice in different keys. And I would strongly recommend including turnaround practice into your weekly routine.

Again, there are little mini compositions that pack a huge punch. So again, check out the podcast episode for more information. All right, so then the next question within the repertoire and learning tunes category, what are the first jazz standards I should learn? What are the first jazz standards I should learn? Well, here's some quick ones. All right, and I've broken them into little

categories for you, right? For blues, I would recommend C Jam blues. For a bossa, blue bossa. We just spent the whole month studying blue bossa. It's a great one to start with. A swing style, I would, I think rhythm changes, right? I got rhythm is a great tone to begin playing. Modal, so what? And then a ballad, I would say something like

Misty or That's All. You know, we've done both. We've looked at both of those tunes here this year and devoted a study to each one of those tunes. So again, blues, C Jam blues, bossa, blue bossa, swing, rhythm changes, I got rhythm, modal, so what in a ballad, maybe something like Misty or That's All. I would also recommend checking out JB Dias' website, JB Dias, a good friend of Jazz Piano Skills. He has a

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PDF file there in his clinic packets that you can access at his website. And he has a PDF that you can download. I think it's titled like the 25, 25 songs that you should begin learning as a beginner. So that would be, I would recommend checking that out as well. JB has been a guest on Jazz Piano Skills a couple times, and is the director of the Herbie Hancock Institute.

California UCLA. So he is a master educator, no doubt about it. And that list is very comprehensive and has all the definitive recordings attached to it as well. So definitely check it out. That's JB Dias. Dias is spelled D Y A S. So JB Dias dot com. All right, next question. How do I memorize a tune instead of

always looking at the real book. Well, harmonic function, that's where it begins. We do it every month at Jazz Panel Skills, every new tune that we tackle. We begin with a harmonic analysis. We look at the form of that piece. We look at the chord changes within that form, and then the harmonic function of those chord changes. That's where it begins. A Roman numeral analysis of the progression, understanding function,

being able to play that chord progression with function in mind, and then also training the ears to hear that function. Okay, as soon as relationships are established, then you actually are learning the tune and not trying to memorize the tune. Remember when I said earlier that memorization is always seems to me to be a cold and sterile process? Well, it holds true for this example as well. So

I would stop trying to memorize the notes and memorize the chord changes and really get underneath the hood of a tune like we do every month at Jazz Panel Skills when we do our harmonic analysis, our melodic analysis, and then improv. That whole process is the process for learning a tune that helps you actually learn the tune as opposed to trying to memorize it. I promise you,

Dr. Bob Lawrence (45:30.268)
memorization, your memory will let you down, I guarantee it. And the very next question kind of piggybacks off this question. The next question I have here is what's the best way to learn a tune by ear? Well, I transcribe the melody, first of all, again, what we do with our melodic analysis, and then the harmonic function that I just mentioned. every month, what do we do with a new tune? We do a harmonic analysis, we do a melodic analysis.

this is the process for actually learning the tune, digesting the tune, understanding the relationships that are found within the tune so that you actually know the tune. All right. All right. Okay, I'm freaking out. I'm starting to run out of time here a little bit. So I'm going to actually skip rhythm and comping and and get to practice and growth and the big picture. So I'm hoping that I get

through both of these trying to keep this podcast at an hour in length. okay, practice and growth. Question number one, should I use a metronome when practicing jazz? Yes, of course, right? Any anything that's going to make time audible is good. Metronomes are great. However, I do prefer using backing tracks, which are basically a musical metronome. I'd much rather hear and practice skills and concepts placed within a musical context, the musical setting.

than just the click, click, click, click. Now, with that being said, there's sometimes I just want to hear a click, click, click. So nothing wrong with being old school, nothing wrong with pulling out a metronome, nothing wrong with using it to practice practicing jazz. So the answer, of course, is yes. All right. Question number two within practice and growth. How do I balance theory verse? How do I

balanced practicing theory verse actually playing. Well, first of all, keep in mind theory is, is an explanation of why a musical music concept or idea works, or where it originates from, it explains it, right. So I would, I would encourage you to do your theory practice away from the instrument, right, sitting at the kitchen table, sitting on your sofa, your favorite chair, in an airplane, what where did wherever, right? Do your theory practice away from the instrument.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (47:58.48)
and reserve your time at the instrument for actually playing. I think theory understanding is important. think it's, again, you know, I say it all the time in podcast episodes that conceptual understanding drives physical development. So I think there's great value of knowing why concepts, where they come from, to validate them, why we practice them, that's all part of the learning and growing process.

However, do not try to take, do not try to apply theory. Do not try to perform theory. That's what I'm trying to say, right? So there are two different things, right? Performing, you know, for instance, I'll give you great example. Let's see dominant scale.

think of it as the C dominant scale. Do not think of it as the F major scale starting on C or the mixolydian mode. That's a great explanation of where the C dominant scale comes from. It validates the scale, right? But if you're trying to think like that when you play, you're in trouble. Okay, you think like that when you study music. Playing it is a very different thing. So just be careful, right? Theory practice, keep it away from the instrument, and then reserve your

that time at the instrument for playing. Question number three, how do I structure my practice time between scales, chords, and tunes? Well, guess what, man? Scale, chords, and tunes are all the same thing. I've said it many times. If you don't see the songs in the skills that you practice, and if you don't see the skills in the songs that you practice, then there's a disconnect, a huge disconnect.

So when I'm practicing scales, I'm practicing tunes. When I'm practicing arpeggios, I'm practicing tunes. When I'm practicing chords, I'm practicing tunes. And when I'm practicing tunes, I'm practicing scales, arpeggios, and chords. So it's really important that you make this connection conceptually, that it's the same. It's all the same. These are not different.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (50:12.734)
these are not different skills, they all they all come from the same pot. Okay. The fourth question within practice and growth, how do I know if I'm actually improving?

I stress it all the time, record yourself. Record yourself. Make it a habit to do some recording every week. And then do not delete those recordings. Keep them. Keep them. Catalog them. Organize them. And then go back and listen to them. You'll know. You'll see. And you'll hear your improvement. Given, I'm assuming, right?

that is, is if you are studying and practicing the correct way. And that's the whole point of Jazz Piano Skills. This podcast and the materials that I produce for every podcast episode is to help you study and practice jazz in a way that is going to keep you moving forward. But if you want proof, you should be recording yourself and then keeping those recordings.

Okay. And then finally, the last question within this category of practice and growth, how long should I practice every day? Okay. Man, I just don't even like thinking in those terms anymore. I'm always stealing practice time. I steal five minutes here, 10 minutes there, 15 minutes over there, five minutes here again, right? I

I never have the time to sit down and practice for an hour, two hours, three hours. Plus, I would never encourage that even if you had that kind of time. There does come a point of diminishing returns when you're sitting at the instrument for that long. So I always recommend that every single practice session should have a single practice objective. If you have more than that, you're off to, you're on the wrong road, okay?

Dr. Bob Lawrence (52:26.79)
So before you even sit down on a piano bench to practice, you should define what the objective is that you're wanting to practice. And then when you sit down, practice that objective. Have a plan in place to practice that objective and spend five, 10, 15 minutes really zeroing in on that concept. That will guarantee you great growth, right? Don't start scatter shooting all over the place because you'll be busy as a beaver and get nothing done.

I promise you. So I would encourage you not think in terms of how long you should practice every day. I would think in terms of just having consistent practice every day. One day that may accumulate into 30 minutes of practicing, 45 minutes of practicing, an hour of practicing. Some days maybe it's only ends up being 15 minutes of practicing. The key is consistency, knowing what you should be practicing and how you should be practicing it.

that will produce the results that you are looking for. Okay, so now for the final category, the big picture, right? Here's some questions that I just kind of threw into this category that I thought were excellent, that need some attention. So number one, do I need to transcribe solos? Or can I just practice scales? All right, here we go. This is not an either or question, you need to do both. But the

But you need to do both the correct way to optimize your growth, right? Efficiently. So I would start with transcribing melodies of standards of tunes, not solos. If you're to transcribing, transcribe melodies. And they don't even need to be jazz standards. You can transcribe country tunes, pop tunes, whatever, nursery rhymes. It makes no difference, right? Find a melody.

transcribe it. You don't even need to write it down. When I say transcribe, I'm not saying write it down. That's nice if you have that skill set. But if you don't, don't worry about it. Learn the melody, poke it out by ear, right? If you do transcribe a solo, no need to transcribe the entire solo. If you want to, great, not necessary. I very rarely transcribe an entire solo. There may be a section that I like.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (54:52.063)
And so I'll transcribe that section. But I would recommend you transcribing sections that you like as opposed to the entire solo. More importantly, quite honestly, I think transcribing is great, but I think you should study transcriptions. Transcriptions are a window into the mind of the musician. So I love studying Bill Evans transcriptions or Oscar Peterson transcriptions or Chick Corea or Herbie Hancock.

And I tried to look at and study and see what it is that they're doing. How are they treating certain sounds? How are they approaching their improvisation and trying to discover the answer to those type of questions? So then I can begin incorporating that concept that I did into my practicing. So I think the study of transcriptions is very important. And with the practicing of scales, make sure that you're practicing them.

correctly in relationship to a sound. And as I mentioned earlier, using different entry points and destination points when you practice your scales. So transcribing, practicing scales, both very important. It's not an either or question. need to do you need to do both. Question number two, why does everyone say listening is more important than practicing? Well, I'm not sure that's

I'm not sure everyone says that, but I will say that, again, this is not an either or question, right? You need to do both. Both are important. You need to do active and passive listening. And then, of course, you need to practice. In fact, I consider listening, I consider active listening, practicing. So again, it's not an either or. So if you're hearing that, that listening is more important than practicing.

I don't want you to be misled by that. think both are very, important. Question number three, do I need to learn classical piano before I can play jazz? The answer is no, you do not. Is it helpful? You know, yes, I think, you know, people say it's good for developing technique, classical literature, but you know, playing transcriptions are great for developing technique as well. So no, it's not absolutely necessary.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (57:17.909)
Is it is it a way for developing very good technique? Yes, it is. Okay. Question number four. How important is reading music first playing by ear? Well, reading music again is not necessary. It's a musical skill set not necessary to play jazz. However, however, I would I would strongly recommend becoming a functional reader.

having the skills to look at a lead sheet and be able to look at the melodic line notated on that lead sheet and be able to play it. All right, just be functional. You don't need to develop your reading skills so that you can sit down and sight read a Bach, Prelude, and Fugue. Not necessary, but I would recommend becoming a functional reader. And then finally, the last question, and I think I'm going to make it.

I hope I'm going to make it within the hour here. What's the difference between playing jazz solo piano and playing in a group? This is a great question to wrap things up. Well, to state the obvious when playing solo piano, you are responsible, you, the pianist are responsible for everything. You are now the drummer, you're the bassist, you're the of course the pianist, you're the instrumentalist and this

Because you are all that, this is precisely why I say that ensemble playing is the gateway to solo playing. Ensemble playing is the gateway to solo playing. You cannot recreate an experience that you've never experienced. Right?

I'm going say that again, you cannot recreate an experience that you've never experienced. Your ensemble experience is the very thing that shapes your solo piano playing. And how cool is it that we now live in a day and age where we can simulate, we can actually simulate an ensemble experience with the use of technology, with software programs and apps.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (59:37.323)
So another reason why I strongly recommend practicing with some technology that allows you to simulate an ensemble experience because by doing so, you are actually developing the skills needed to become a solo pianist. Well, there you have it. Wow.

the very first CQA episode, Common Questions Answered. And always, as always, right, one very short and very, very fast hour. I hope you have found this Jazz Piano Skills podcast lesson, right, Jazz Piano, Common Questions Answered, CQA, to be insightful and beneficial. Don't forget

I will see you online Thursday evening at the Jazz Panel Skills Masterclass. That's going to be 8 p.m. Central Time to discuss this podcast episode lesson in greater detail. And guess what? To answer any additional questions that you may have about the study of jazz. If can't make the class, no big deal. You can always listen to the class, watch the video of the class at your convenience as often as you wish.

All you have to do is access your Jazz Piano Skills account through the dashboard, navigate over to the master classes, select which class you want to watch and enjoy. If you have any questions, please post them in the Jazz Piano Skills forums so all the members can benefit. If you need to reach me, you can do so by phone. My office number here at the Dallas School of Music is 972-380-8050.

If you would like to text me or send me or call me my cell number is 972-380-9112 so you can call the office call my cell it makes no difference and if you're old school and you want to send me an email that's awesome as well drlawrence@jazzpianoskills.com.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (01:01:52.323)
Well, there is my cue. That's it for now. Until next week, enjoy Jazz Piano, Common Questions Answered. And most of all, have fun as you discover, learn, and play Jazz Piano!