Lady Be Good, Harmonic Analysis

Dr. Bob Lawrence (00:32.782)
Welcome to Jazz Piano Skills. I'm Dr. Bob Lawrence. It's time to discover, learn and play jazz piano. Well, here we are again, the start of a new month. And as y'all know, the start of a new month at Jazz Piano Skills means the start of a new tune. Then we start studying a new tune. A new tune, but the same thorough, organized, structured, logical, skill-centric approach to studying and learning a tune.

so important to be skill-centric because that's exactly what the toons expect us to be. It doesn't take long, I say this all the time, it doesn't take long when trying to learn a toon to discover the importance of having a command of skills. Toons have a funny way of illuminating our weaknesses very, very quickly. And once we come to realize the importance of having a physical command,

of essential jazz skills, we quickly want to know, well, what are those essential skills? And how can I begin to learn those skills, successfully learn those skills? Well, to help us achieve this goal, to help us catalog the essential jazz skills, we organize them into very specific camps, very specific pillars of music. Number one, harmony.

our ability to play the sounds of music using various voicing voicing approaches such as blocks, shells, two handed structures, and our ability to recognize and understand harmonic function. We're going to do all that today. Number two melody, our ability to hear determine and properly articulate melodies, phrases, which of course requires mature technique, which of course requires

good fingerings. And then we look at improvisation always with a focus on rhythmic development, and our ability to correctly determine chord scale relationships so that we can play the sounds of music using the correct arpeggios and scales and ascending and descending motion. So, you know, it really makes no difference what tune we study what tune we want to play. It's the same rings true.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (03:01.181)
that if we're incapable of executing the essential jazz piano skills that I just mentioned, harmony, melody, improvisation, rhythm, well, we don't have to worry about playing any tunes because the reality is we can't. I mean, that's just the brutal fact. And that is why at Jazz Piano Skills, we use tunes to illuminate the skills, right? Especially what I like to call the grunt orc skills that are needed

to play jazz piano and then we attack those skills. We start with a new tune every month in order to gain a new perspective on the essential jazz piano skills. Different tune, right? Different tune always, but the same skills with a new perspective. We always end up with a new perspective of our harmonic skills, a new perspective of our melodic skills, and a new perspective of our improvisation and rhythmic skills.

And these distinct musical camps, right? Harmony, melody, improvisation, rhythm, allow us to conceptually organize and methodically practice jazz skills. And that is the key, right? Right, the key is not only knowing the skills to practice, but how do we practice these essential jazz skills? It's a very important question. And as y'all know,

especially if you've been listening to jazz piano scales for some time, that everything we do in music must begin with the right mindset because it is our conceptual understanding that drives our physical development and ultimately determines how we approach our instrument and the music that we play. And this is precisely why I stress over and over and over and over again.

that we must see, we must understand the essential jazz skills in relationship to our musical compass. Our musical compass, the seven facts of music. And what are the seven facts? I know you can all recite it with me. So let's go through it together. Number one, music is the production of sound and silence. All right. Number two, sound, major, dominant, minor, half-diminished and diminished is produced harmonically.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (05:23.837)
and melodically. These are shapes, have harmonic shapes, we have melodic shapes. The harmonic shapes. Number three, the harmonic shapes are chords or what we call voicings. Number four, melodic shapes are arpeggios and scales, melodies, right? Number five, when playing arpeggios and scales, we move in one one of two directions, we can only go up and down. That's it. And six,

musical facts six, we decorate or we camouflage our arpeggios and scales with tension or notes that are outside the key chromaticism. And finally, number seven to make facts one through six. Interesting. We add rhythm. That's it. Everything we do should be framed, we should see it through this lens, the seven facts of music. And I have stressed in every episode since the beginning of the year that

If you are unable to see the essential jazz piano skills framed within the seven facts of music, then there is a high probability that you're running in place like a dog chasing its tail. You have a skewed perspective. In other words, you are not accomplishing what you think you're accomplishing when you sit down and practice. Here at Jazz Piano Skills, right?

make sure that this doesn't happen. We take an essential skill and examine it harmonically and melodically. We use it to develop our improvisation and rhythm. We see it and practice it governed by the seven facts of music and in doing so, we avoid falling into the trap of running in place. The trap of being one dimensional with our understanding and application of any skill.

Now, with all that being said, we continue our study of harmony, melody, improvisation, rhythm, using another classic standard today. I'm excited about this month. And as always, we're going to begin with a harmonic analysis, as we always do. today, you are going to discover one of George Gershwin's most loved standards, Lady B-Good. We are going to learn.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (07:46.993)
form, chord changes, harmonic function for Lady B Good. And we are going to play Lady B Good using my suggested voicings for the blocks, the traditional and contemporary shells, two-handed structures. Plus, we're going to look at common harmonic progressions for ear training development as well. as I always like to say, regardless of where you are in your jazz journey, a beginner, 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 exploring George Gershwin's Lady Be Good to be very beneficial. But as always, before we jump in, before we get started, I want to welcome all of you first time listeners to Jazz Panel Skills. If you're new to the podcast, you're new to Jazz Panel Skills, welcome. I want to invite you to become a member. And your membership grants you many perks. First and foremost, it keeps

It helps keep Jazz Piano Skills podcast 100 % ad free. All education, no ads, which has been my goal from the very beginning. And then on top of all that, the perks that come with it, first and foremost, premium podcast content, which basically means you get to listen to the entire episode. The first half of every podcast episode is free for everyone to enjoy.

deal with the question of the week, I lay out the educational agenda and the lesson rationale. The second half of the podcast for members only deals with the lesson content and demonstrations. Now, the podcast packets also are available for members only. These are the educational materials that I develop for every weekly podcast episode, the illustrations, the lead sheets and the play alongs.

I encourage everybody have these in your hands, this material in your hands when listening to the podcast to get the most out of it. And of course, to have them sitting on your piano or your music stand when practicing as well. As a member, you have access to the online courses which are comprehensive, sound based, self based and sequential. You also have a reserved seat in my online weekly masterclass. This is a live weekly masterclass that I hold every Thursday evening at 8pm Central Time.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (10:05.787)
And I realize and I know that it's not the greatest time for everyone around the world. But that is why every masterclass is recorded so that you can participate, watch and rewatch the class at your convenience whenever and as often as you wish. And finally, as a Jazz Panel Skills member, you have access to unlimited educational support, private, personal and professional support.

So all of these amazing privileges, these perks are waiting to help you discover, learn and play jazz piano. So check it all out at jazzpanelskills.com. And of course, become a member. If you get to the site, you have questions, I'm always available to answer them for you. So do not hesitate to contact me. Please reach out. I'm always happy to spend some time with you and answer any questions that you may have. I also want to take just a minute to plug my YouTube channel, Jazz Piano Skills.

producing educational content videos daily that I think you'll find to be beneficial for your jazz growth. And I currently have several playlists at the channel, the daily challenges that go out, of course, every day, hence the title daily challenge. There are jazz talks, one minute lessons, podcast episodes, and podcast guests as well. So again, I'm populating these playlists with new videos every week. So be sure to subscribe so you are

notified anytime a new Jazz Piano Skills video is released. Needless to say, right, I'm excited about this new dimension of Jazz Piano Skills and looking forward to growing the channel and helping all of us discover, learn and play Jazz Piano or whatever instrument that we are studying. So check it all out at Jazz Piano Skills on YouTube. Okay, so on to the question of the week and this week's question.

comes from Scotty Case, Scotty Case living in Cape Town, South Africa. And here is what Scotty is wondering. Hey, Dr. Lawrence, I appreciate you taking my question. I hope to get some guidance on how best to proceed. I am not new to the piano. I've been playing for many years, primarily classical music. I am, however, new to jazz.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (12:23.291)
and fascinated with the idea of learning how to improvise. I have heard and read from many resources that I should begin improvising using the blues. I've been trying to improvise over the basic blues progression 145, but have found it to be more challenging than lead to believe correct, right? Do you feel this is the best approach? Or would I have better luck with a different approach?

Thanks again for taking my question and taking the time to provide me with some guidance. Well, Scotty, fantastic question. It's a question that I have dealt with before, I believe, on this podcast and many times throughout the years. And I can assure you that you are not alone. And the advice to use the blues as a launching point for improvisation development is very, very common.

And unfortunately, so is the struggle that follows when one follows that advice. But before I give you my thoughts on using the blues as a format for developing improvisation skills, let me address some other factors that may be and probably are at play that may be the source of your frustration and struggle. In other words,

we do not want to misdiagnose the ailment. so first and foremost, let's deal with the word improvisation. right, improvisation typically causes that the word typically causes a ton of problems because it in the minds of the learner is defined improperly. Right, most people

when thinking about improvisation, believe it to be the production of something new, something that has never been expressed before by the individual doing the improvising. And if this is indeed the belief, then any repetitive action is not improvisation. So in order to be successful,

Dr. Bob Lawrence (14:49.971)
be a successful and skilled improviser, you must always be in a state of creating something new. Never heard of or played before. Wow. That's a tall order. And if this is one's understanding of what it means to improvise, then unfortunately, they are setting themselves up for a lot of frustration and ultimately, failure.

Remember, I have said this many, many times in many podcast episodes, your hands, your ears can never ever go where they have never gone before. I'm going to say that again, your hands, your ears can never go ever where they have never gone before. So in this situation,

the blues or any musical form for that matter would definitely not be the problem, right? The problem would stem from really a gigantic misunderstanding of what it means to improvise. Now, another premise that causes improvisation difficulties is the thought that you can play any notes you want. wow. I wish.

it were that easy. you imagine? Can you imagine play any note over any chord whenever you want and however you want? That would be fantastic. The irony, however, is that if you believe this approach is possible, you quickly discover that having endless possibilities, no boundaries, is actually musically paralyzing. And again, if this is your understanding,

of improvisation, then the blues or again, any musical form is not the source of the frustration or struggle. Just not. And you know, finally, if you are trying to improvise thinking the magic is found within the notes, like say the blues scale, you know, typically people say, hey, begin improvising using the blues format. And here's the blues scale. Here are the notes that you want to play.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (17:13.559)
So if you're thinking the magic is found within the notes, then you are actually like looking left when you should be looking right. In other words, you're looking in the wrong direction. You're focusing on the wrong musical scale. So listen to this very carefully, Scotty. Notes, notes without rhythm will always let you down. And therein lies the real culprit.

when it comes to improvisation frustration, right? Even if you know the right notes to play without them being attached to some rhythmic motif, some rhythmic idea, then all you're doing is playing a bunch of sine waves. It's not very exciting. So Scotty, I want you to give some thought to these three points.

that I just presented, right? The three points. One is that improvisation has to be new all the time, no repetition. The idea that, wait a minute, you can just sit down and the sky's the limit. Any notes can be played over any of the chords. And finally, the thought that the mystery lies within the notes. The mystery of improvisation lies within the notes that you play.

Right? Give some thought to these three points and make sure that you are conceptually ready to successfully begin developing improvisation skills. Now, as for the blues, there is no problem using the blues as a format for developing your improvisation skills. But, but, and this is all capital letters, but I would recommend

isolating sound. And that's in all caps to isolating sound before turning to the 12 bar blues format. You know, why worry about improvising over 145? The basic blues progression, right? Why worry about improvising over 145 as a progression if you can't improvise over the one chord? Why? Why worry about improvising over

Dr. Bob Lawrence (19:39.507)
improvising over 145 if you can't improvise over the four chord. And why worry about improvising over 145 when you can't improvise over the five chord? All right, it makes no sense. I guess what I'm trying to say is, keep it simple. And the same goes for the notes and the number of notes you use to play a rhythmic idea. Right? If you can't

play a rhythmic idea using one note. This is very important. Listen, if you cannot play a rhythmic idea using one note. Then why would you think it gets easier when you add additional notes? Again, makes no sense. And again, what I'm trying to say is keep it simple. So bottom line Scotty is this I would begin. I'd step back from the blues.

progression, and I would begin with a single chord, a single note, and a single rhythmic idea. Single chord, single note, single rhythmic idea. Play it. Congratulations. You're improvising. Again, right, your hands, your ears can never go where they have never been. So isolating a single chord along with a single note

along with a single rhythmic idea begins the process of introducing your hands in your ears to new ideas. It begins the improvisation development process. So the real question then becomes, well, where can I get some rhythmic ideas? You know what, Scotty, I'm so glad you asked that question. Because last week's episode,

50 must know rhythms is a great place to start. Or get active with my daily YouTube challenges. You see how I worked that in there?

Dr. Bob Lawrence (21:48.218)
Right? Got to work it in there, Get active with the daily YouTube challenges. Tons of rhythmic motifs already published with many more on the way. So great resources.

Wow, so Scotty, listen, your question is great. And again, it is a question that I've been asked many times and it's shared by many folks. So you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to devote a Saturday morning sunrise lesson to answer your question in even greater detail and provide some plain demonstrations that I think you'll find to be very helpful. And I'll post the video, of course, at the Jazz Panel Skills YouTube channel.

So you and many others can begin to successfully develop improvisation skills. All right, I'll let you know as soon as that video is done and published. I'm to try to get that out this weekend. So Scotty, great question. And if you can't wait for the YouTube video and further clarification is needed, no problem. Reach out to me. I'm always happy to help dig a little deeper with you.

course help you in any way that I can. Alright, so let's discover, learn and play jazz piano. Let's discover, learn and play George Gershwin's Lady Be Good. Okay, so you know, when learning any tune, as you all know, I had the same approach, regardless of genre makes no difference, whether it's a jazz tune or rock or pop country, R &B, folk.

reggae, I don't care. I go about the process of learning a tune the same way. And it's the process that we do every month here at Jazz Piano Skills. First and foremost, listen. We listen. We listen a lot to whatever it is, whatever tune that I'm wanting to learn. I devour it. I listen to it. All artists that I can get my hands on, professional, amateur, it makes no difference. And

Dr. Bob Lawrence (23:59.27)
it doesn't matter genre, it doesn't matter. I listen to instrumentalist, I listen to vocalist, and of course, I listen to pianist. So we will do a ton of listening this month to Lady Be Good and various artists from various genres and various instrumentation. So get ready. Then I always turn my attention to harmonic analysis. I always begin with harmony.

I'm always drawn to that first, maybe because I'm a pianist, but I like to do a harmonic analysis of a tune like we're going to do today. We're going look at the form, the changes, the function, common movement, and of course the voicings. After I do my harmonic analysis, I'll turn to melody. I listen to lyrics. I then transcribe the melody. I avoid learning the melody from a lead sheet, reading it.

because I want it to be real. I don't want it to be mathematical. I want to learn it based on the listening that I've done. And so I will poke it out. I will transcribe it. After I have the melody under my hand, I will then zero in on the phrases found within that melody, target notes within the phrases. And then I like to enjoy experimenting with the tune, various treatments. And I typically turn to

the standard jazz treatments, you know, a ballad, bossa, swing. And then finally, after my harmonic analysis and melodic analysis, I devote time to improvisation development. I'll explore various rhythmic ideas, as well as chord scale relationships, arpeggio and scale movement through the various sounds of the tune, explore tension, chromaticism as well. All the things we talk about, all the things that we do,

here at Jazz Piano Skills. So it's a pretty thorough, it's a pretty complete approach. It's a it's a great roadmap that I think that for all of you regulars that are listeners to the episode and go through the tunes every month and attend the master classes, I think you would agree that it is it's a comfort. It's comforting to have an approach that gets easier and easier and easier each and every month. So

Dr. Bob Lawrence (26:25.187)
This week, as I mentioned, we will dive into Lady B Good here with a harmonic analysis. And so we're going to start looking right away at the form, learning the chord changes, harmonic function, and voicings. Next week, we'll do melodic analysis. And in two weeks, we'll do some improvisation. So the educational agenda for today is as follows. Number one, we're going to listen to several definitive recordings of Lady B Good.

Number two, we will discuss the form of Lady Be Good. Number three, we will look at the chord changes, the standard changes for Lady Be Good. Number four, we will look at harmonic function of those chord changes. Number five, we will look at my suggested voicings. My, well, I should say before, before I even talk about the voicings, we will also look at common harmonic movement found within Lady Be Good. And then finally, we will

look at my suggested voicings, my block voicings and inversions, the left hand shells, traditional and contemporary, as well as the two handed structures. So if you are a Jazz Piano Skills member, I want you to take just a few minutes right now, hit that pause button, and I want you to take the time to download and print the podcast packets, again, the illustrations, the lead sheets, and the play alongs. Again, your membership grants, you access

to this material. And I want you to have it in your hands so you get the most out of the podcast episode. And of course, I want you to be utilizing the material when practicing Lady Be Good throughout the week. Okay, so now that you have your podcast packets, I want you to grab your lead sheets. We'll talk about the illustrations and the play alongs at the end of the episode. But for right now, want you to grab your lead sheets. And I just want to walk through them quickly before we dive into each one.

Lead Sheet 1 diagrams the form of Lady Be Good. Lead Sheet 2 identifies the unique chord changes found within the tune. Lead Sheet 3 gives you the chord change, just a clean lead sheet, just the chord changes of the tune. Lead Sheet 4 gives you a clean harmonic function lead sheet. So Lead Sheet 3 are the chord changes. Lead Sheet 4, the harmonic function. Lead Sheet 5, I highlight the common harmonic

Dr. Bob Lawrence (28:49.154)
motion or movement that is found in Lady Be Good, but is also found in like a million other standards as well. Lead Sheet 6, my block voicings and the inverted inversions that I suggest to begin using. Lead Sheet 7 are the two hand, I'm sorry, are the left hand shell voicings, the traditional voicings and contemporary voicings. And then finally, Lead Sheet 8 are my

two-handed voicings that I use when playing Lady B-Good. All right, so that's the lead sheet packet. We got a lot to get through today, so let's get busy. Now typically at this time I would play a recording of Lady B-Good, but as you all know that this year we have placed the listening suggestions inside the Jazz Panel Skills Community Forums.

check out all of the great listening renditions of Lady Be Good, waiting for you in the community. And then once you've done your listening, come on back. We're digging into lead sheet one. All right, so let's take a look at the form of Lady Be Good.

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