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Dec. 28, 2021

St. Thomas, Sonny Rollins

This JazzPianoSkills Podcast Episode explores St. Thomas by jazz legend Sonny Rollins. Discover, Learn, and Play this jazz standard in all twelve keys!

Welcome to JazzPianoSkills; it's time to discover, learn, and play Jazz Piano!

Every JazzPianoSkills weekly podcast episode introduces aspiring jazz pianists to essential Jazz Piano Skills. Each Podcast episode explores a specific Jazz Piano Skill in depth. Today you will discover, learn, play St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins. In this Jazz Piano Lesson you will:

Discover
St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins

Learn
How well you know and think in keys using St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins.

Play
The melody and chord progression using Two-Handed Contemporary Voicings for St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins in all twelve keys.

For maximum musical growth, be sure to use the Jazz Piano Podcast Packets for this Jazz Piano Lesson. All three Podcast Packets are designed to help you gain insight and command of a specific Jazz Piano Skill. The Podcast Packets are invaluable educational tools to have at your fingertips while studying St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins.

Open Podcast Packets
Illustrations
(detailed graphics of the jazz piano skill)

Lead Sheets
(beautifully notated music lead sheets)

Play Alongs
(ensemble assistance and practice tips)

Educational Support
Community Forum
SpeakPipe

Episode Outline
Introduction
Discover, Learn, Play
Invite to Join JazzPianoSkills
Rationale
Exploration of Jazz Piano Skills
Conclusion
Closing Comments

Visit JazzPianoSkills for more educational resources that include a sequential curriculum with comprehensive Jazz Piano Courses, private and group online Jazz Piano Classes, a private jazz piano community hosting a variety of Jazz Piano Forums, an interactive Jazz Fake Book, plus unlimited professional educational jazz piano support.

If you wish to support JazzPianoSkills with a donation you can do so easily through the JazzPianoSkills Paypal Account.

Thank you for being a JazzPianoSkills listener. It is my pleasure to help you discover, learn, and play jazz piano!

Warm Regards,
Dr. Bob Lawrence
President, The Dallas School of Music
JazzPianoSkills

AMDG

Transcript

0:33  
Welcome to jazz piano skills. I'm Dr. Bob Lawrence. It's time to discover, learn and play jazz piano. Today, you're going to discover St. Thomas by jazz greats, Sonny Rollins, and you're going to learn how well you know and think in keys using St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins. And you are going to play the melody and the chord progression using two-handed contemporary voicings for St. Thomas by the jazz legend, Sonny Rollins, and get this and all 12 keys. That's right, all 12 keys. So as I always like to say regardless of where you are, in your jazz journey, a beginner an intermediate player, an advanced player, even if you are a seasoned and experienced professional, you will find this jazz piano skills podcasts lesson exploring the jazz standard St. Thomas by the jazz legend Sonny Rollins to be very beneficial. If you are a new jazz panel skills podcast listener if you're new to jazz panel skills, I want to take just a couple of minutes as I always do at the start of every podcast episode, I want to personally invite you to become a jazz piano skills member. It's easy. Visit jazz panel skills.com. To learn more about all the great jazz educational resources, materials and services that are waiting for you available for you to use to help you on your journey to becoming an accomplished jazz pianist. For example, as a jazz piano skills member, you have access to all of the educational podcast packets. These are the illustrations in the lead sheets in the play alongs that I developed and produced and published for every weekly podcast episode. Now, these are invaluable tools that you want to have at your fingertips as you listen to the podcast episode and you want to have sitting on your piano as you study and as you practice. You also as a jazz panel skills member have access to the online sequential jazz piano curriculum, which is loaded with comprehensive courses. And each course uses a self-paced format. There are educational talks, interactive media, video demonstrations, and all 12 keys with a jazz panel skill being taught. Plus play alongs and much more. So check out the jazz piano skills curriculum. Also, as a jazz panel skills member you have a reserved seat each and every week, to the online weekly masterclasses, which are in essence, a one-hour lesson with me online every single week. And as a jazz panel skills member you have access to the jazz panel skills community, which is a forum hosting community that hosts a variety of engaging forums, from podcast-specific forums to core-specific forums, to just general jazz piano forums as well. And last but certainly not least, as a jazz piano skills member, you have unlimited, private, personal, and professional educational support whenever and as often as you need it. It's very cool. So again, just take a moment to visit jazz panel skills.com. To learn more about all the educational opportunities and how to easily activate your membership. There are several plans to choose from. And I'm confident there is one that is perfect for you. So once you're there, if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Let me know. I'm always happy to spend some time with you and answer any questions that you may have, and help you in any way that I possibly can. So, okay, let's discover, learn and play jazz piano. All right, let's discover learn in place St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins. Well,

4:43  
this last week, I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how best to wrap up 2021 This is the last episode of 2021 and season three. So I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about just What's the best way to wrap things up. And of course, there were several ideas swimming around in my mind. But there was one that kept coming back to me over and over and over again. And the thought was simply this. It is so important, as aspiring jazz pianists to be able to gain a mastery of keys. In other words, we have to be able to think, in keys with ease, if we truly want to become accomplished jazz musicians, and in what do I mean when I say, think, in keys? Well, to think in a key means that you are capable of doing the following. Number one, you are capable of spelling, the scale, spelling the scales, right, regardless of what key you're thinking. Now, the word scale, and key are synonymous terms. The key of C major consists of the following seven notes, C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The scale of C Major consists of the very same seven notes. So you need to be able to spell all 12 major scales, keys, with ease, that's the first thing. The second thing to be able to do. If you're thinking in a key, you're capable of playing those scales, right. So once you know the scale, you need to be able to play the scale. Now, there are several ways to play a scale. And unfortunately for most people, they are taught one way to play the scale. From the root of the scale, the first note of the scale, to the root of the scale, over several octaves, that's how we're typically taught to play scales, and to no fault of their own, or maybe no fault to your own. They assume we assume that this is how you play a scale. This is what it means to play a scale, always starting on the root of the key or the scale and traveling to the root of the key or scale 123 or even four octaves higher. Now, if you have been a regular listener, listener to my podcast, then you know, you know that this is not what I mean when I talk about knowing or playing the scales. I have devoted many podcast episodes. Over the last couple of years many podcast episodes stressing the importance of becoming route independent when it comes to scale practice and always practicing scales using different entry and destination points. I have also stressed playing the scales using various rhythmic and intervallic patterns. In other words, there are many, many, many ways to explore scales other than the one-dimensional way in which all of us are initially taught. And in fact, I would go as far as to say that if you only play scales from the root to the root over several octaves, then you do not know your scales. And I think it's safe to say that if you only know anything, or anyone, one-dimensionally, then your perspective is extremely limited. So to think and a key is to be able to play the scales, spell the scales and play the scales. Okay. Number three, thinking a key

9:40  
you have to be able to identify, spell and play the chords of that key. Right? Every key. Every major scale produces a set of chords, seven chords to be specific. Right one way Word for each of the seven notes. And those seven chords serve as the harmonic foundation of that key. So to think in a key means that you are capable, capable of identifying, you are capable of spelling you're capable of playing the chords produced by each major scale. For example, the seven chords belonging to the key, or the scale of C Major are C major, D minor, E minor, F major, G dominant, a minor, and B half diminished. And again, I devoted several podcast episodes over the past couple of years, exploring the chords produced by major scales and how to approach playing them both harmonically and melodically in root position, and inversions. And finally, I would say, to say that you are to claim that you know, your keys or know your scales, and that you're capable of thinking and keys and scales, then I would say that you, you then must understand the common harmonic motion within a key or scale. So it's not enough to know just the chords that belong to a key that are produced by scale, but you have to understand the common harmonic motion within a key or scale, how those chords move common chord progressions. So once you can spell and play the scales, and once you can identify, spell and play the chords of a scale, then you have to have an understanding of how the chords move or progress within the key. For example, the infamous 251 progression, or the very common 36251 progression. See, to truly say that you know, your scales, you know, your keys, then you have to have a functional command of several jazz piano skills. So this podcast episode today, to wrap up 2021 is all about helping you gain an accurate assessment of how well you know your scales, how well you know, your keys. Do you know your scales well enough that you can easily figure out melodies and all 12 keys using your ears? Do you know your scales well enough? Or are you comfortable enough thinking in the key harmonically? How easily can you move around a key using common harmonic motion chord progressions? Can you quickly apply various jazz piano skills such as voicings to your key scale knowledge? These are very important questions that you need to have an answer to and not just an answer, an accurate answer it an accurate assessment. So that's what we're going to do. These are great questions again that you need to be able to accurately answer in and as we put a wrap on 2021 And we begin making some new year resolutions for our musical development and 20 for 2022. This was a great way This podcast is a great way to pull everything into focus for us.

13:59  
So the educational agenda for today is as follows number one, we are going to explore St Thomas by Sonny Rollins in all 12 keys. Number two we are going to play the melody of St. Thomas in all 12 keys. Number three, we are going to play the chord progression of St Thomas in all 12 keys and number four we are going to understand the harmonic function of each chord in the chord progression of St. Thomas in all 12 keys and number five, the jazz piano skill we will be testing and applying to the chord progression of St. Thomas in all 12 keys are the contemporary two-handed voicings. So why St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins. Why this? Well, for starters, the tune is only 16 measures long, it's nice and short, making a perfect for us to explore all 12 keys. The melody of St. Thomas is 100% diatonic, which simply means that the notes of the entire melody come directly from the scale use. The melody uses only scale tones. No sharps, no flats. And this is a great melody to test your knowledge and understanding of scales, keys, as we move through all 12 keys. Also, much of the harmonic function of St. Thomas uses classic circle movement that is laced throughout jazz literature. And finally, St. Thomas, it's a great tool that you should study should know you should play. It's a jazz standard. So as we march into 2022, it's so vitally important that we have an accurate assessment of how well we know our keys, how well do we know our scales? Because to be quite honest with you, if you do not know scales, if you do not know keys, right? You're not going any further. I mean, that's just that's it. I mean, I don't want to be a bummer here at the end of the year. Just trying to be truthful, and get us ready, ready for 2022. Right. That's how important the topic is today. And by the end of the podcast, you will have an accurate assessment of just how well you know and understand keys scales. Okay, so if you're a jazz piano skills member, I want you to take just a few minutes right now to download and print the illustrations and the lead sheets, your podcast packets, right? You have access to all of the podcast packets, and I tell you each and every week, you should absolutely be using them. You should have them in your hands as you listen to this podcast episode. And of course, you should have them sitting on the piano when practicing as well. So if you're listening to this podcast on any of the popular podcast directories such as Google or Amazon, Apple, Spotify, I Heart Radio, Pandora, the list goes on and on. Then be sure to go to jazz piano skills podcast.com to download the podcast packets, you will find the active download links within the show notes. And one final but extremely important note that I mentioned each and every week that if you are for some reason, thinking that St. Thomas and the various scales that we are about to discover, learn and play is in some ways or even if you feel that it is all the way over your head, then I would say to you relax. No, no need to panic. Calm down. It's okay. It's okay, continue to listen and continue to grow your jazz piano skills intellectually by listening to this podcast episode. Because the fact is this all jazz panel skills when first introduce our overheads. And that is precisely why the first step and moving forward. The first step that we need to take in order to improve our musicianship is to simply listen. Our musical growth begins upstairs mentally, conceptually, before it can come out downstairs physically in your hands. So sit back and listen to this podcast lesson now to discover and learn the play as always, will come in time. Okay, so

18:51  
before we start marching through all 12 keys, let me just take a second right now. For those of you who may not be familiar with St. Thomas, by Sonny Rollins, let me just play for you the melody, here it is. Check it out

19:21  
very snappy, right very. In fact, I don't know anyone who hears St. Thomas that doesn't like that melody, it's very catchy. So again, it's only 16 measures long and again the melody The melody is 100% diatonic. So this is a great melody for you to use to test your skills, your key scale, your scale, your scales, skills, your scales skills in all 12 keys. So the first key we're going to start with key of C major and this is happens to be the standard key of St. Thomas as well. I want to first let's walk through the chord progression. Let's walk through it harmonically first harmonic function. Okay. So as I do this, I want you to be saying that along with me, right, you should be processing this at the same time that I am, and you should be coming up with the, the answers, at the same time that I do as well, that will tell you how quickly you're thinking in the key, right? So, St. Thomas begins with the one chord and then the 36251. So, in the key of C, one is what, C major, right, three minor, E minor, six dominant, a dominant to minor, D minor, five dominant G dominant. And the one chord major, one major, which is C major, right. So, as I'm saying those Roman numerals 136251, and we're thinking the key of C, you should be quickly going, C major, E minor, A dominant, D minor, G dominant C major, right? Classic 36251 motion, for the first eight measures, is what's happening, right, we start with the one major chord, then we immediately go to 36251, you should be able to identify that very quickly, in all 12 keys, then, the next little like bridge, if you will, or the third line of the piece starts with three half diminished, the key of C, three half diminished, E minor, seven, flat five, right, going to flat seven dominant, to be B flat down, go on the six dominant, a dominant, going to D minor, go on the flat six, dominant, which would be a flat dominant, going to five, which would be G dominant. And then the last line, one major, C major, one dominant, C dominant, for major, F major, sharp, four, diminish, F sharp diminished, go into one, C major, five, G dominant, back to one major, C major. So you should be as I'm saying those Roman numerals, and we're thinking in the key of C, you should be able to rattle those off the chord symbols, the courts, right. So now, let's play through St. Thomas. I'm going to bring the ensemble and we're going to play St. Thomas, I'm going to play it through a couple of times, I'm going to play the melody, which by the way, the melody starts on the fifth of the key. So in the key of C, the fifth is the note G. So I'm going to play the melody first. Then I'm going to play my two-handed contemporary voicings through this chord progression. And then I'm going to play the melody again to wrap things up. So I'm testing my skills, how well do I think within the key of C, understanding this harmonic movement, and then using being able to play the melody by ear and being able to use my two-handed voicings to play through the progression? Wow, a lot going on. This will truly test my scales. So here we go. Let's bring the ensemble and let's check it out. See what we think.

25:04  
Very cool, right? How quickly as you were listening, I hope you were quickly identifying and hearing the movement, the one chord going through the 36251. Right? Then that little bridge section on the third line, that that three half diminish, right going up, going to basically three, six to five there as well with the half step, dominant approaches to each of those five courts. And then the last line with the one chord going to the one dominant, going to the four going to the sharp four diminished, go into the one go into the five, go into the one, right. So when I think like this, I'm actually, to be honest with you, as I'm thinking harmonic function in Roman numerals, I'm actually thinking in all 12 keys, provided that I know my scales, right. So that's what we're gonna spend the rest of the podcast doing, we're gonna go through each key and I want you to be able to assess how quickly that you identify these right. So the one chord in the key of F, obviously, is F major, because this is the next key, we're going to what is 36251 in the key of F, three is a minor. Six is D dominant. Theoretically, I know D minor, but in St. Thomas, it's a dominant chord. So six, dominant is the dominant two chord, G minor, five chord, C dominant one chord, F major, okay, then our little Briggs section, the three half diminished is going to be what in the key of F, a half diminished. flat seven dominant is going to be what? E flat dominant, six dominant, D dominant, to minor, G minor, flat, flat six, D flat dominant, going to six dominant, I mean, I'm sorry, going to five dominant, which is C dominant. And then in the very end, we have what one major, F major, one dominant, F dominant, four, B flat major, sharp, four, B diminished, one, F, five, C dominant, one, F, there you go, be reciting this harmonic function as you listen to me play through St. Thomas, in the key of F. And again, going to play the melody first. Gonna play a couple courses using my two handed voicings, to see how well I can maneuver through the progression and then state the melody again. So here we go. Let's check it out, follow along, recite those chords here we go.

29:00  
Now you have the idea of what we're going to do today. And now you're starting to see why this is a good test for you as we wrap things up and 2021 to kind of accurately assess how well you're thinking in the keys and all 12 keys, right? And how well you're capable of playing the melody based on your understanding of all 12 major scales. How well can you take something like your voicings, your two-handed voicings, and play through the common progression, the common motion, right, the 36251 progression? So we are on to the key of B flat one chord in the key of B flat is what? B flat. What's our 36251 progression? Three is going to be D, right six is G two is C, five is F, one is B flat. Okay, what's the three half diminished? It's gonna be D half diminished. What's flat seven? In the key of B flat, A flat seven, and what is flat six, in the key of B flat, it would be G flat, or F sharp seven, G flat seven or F sharp seven, we would think of it actually as G flat seven, because it's flat six, right? And then what is our one dominant, it's going to be B flat dominant, what's our four chord, E flat major, what's our sharp four diminished, and key a B flat, E diminished. And then our one quarter, of course, is B flat. Our five chord is what F dominant and our one chord B flat. So let's bring the ensemble in. Let's play through it again, recite the chord progression, recite the function, right great ear training. And then when you play the melody, remember, the melody starts on the fifth of the key which will be the note F in the key of B flat. So here we go. Let's check it out. See what we think?

32:20  
How are you doing? Are you rattling off these chords within the keys as you think in the key of B flat. So we've done the key of C, then the key of F will then be flat. Let's go on to the key of E flat the one chord of course and the key of E flat to gimme its E flat major. What's our 36251 in the key of E flat three is going to be G six is going to be C two is going to be F five is going to be B flat. And one of course E flat. What's our three half diminished chord in the key of E flat, that would be G half diminished? What's our flat seven dominant? That would be D flat dominant. What's our flat six dominant, that would be C flat dominant or be dominant, right? And then what is our one dominant chord, E flat dominant, what's our four chord in the key of E flat, E flat major was to sharp four diminished chord, a diminished and then of course our one chord E flat, our five chord B flat seven. And our one chord E flat. Wow. We're thinking in the key of E flat. And we're using harmonic function as we think in the key of E flat. So now let's let's play it right let's play the melody using our ears. Let's play our two-handed voicings. Check out how well we're we can actually apply our two-hand voicings to this common circle motion that exists within St. Thomas. And then let's play our melody again. So here we go. Let's have some fun. key of E flat St. Thomas. Here we go.

35:18  
Very nice. Love that key. Alright, let's go on to the key of A flat, right a flat, we are now thinking in the key of A flat. So our one chord obviously is going to be A flat major, what is our 36251 progression and a flat three is going to be C, six is our F, two is B flat, five is E flat and one of course is a flat. And then what is our half diminished our three half diminished chord, A flat, C minor, seven, flat five c half diminished, what is our flat seven in the key of A flat, that would be G flat dominant seven, going to our six chord, which would be F dominant to our two chord B flat minor seven, and then what is our flat six in the key of A flat, it would be a flat dominant seven E dominant seven, going to our five chord which is E flat dominant. So what is our one dominant chord in a flat and would be a flat dominant, which takes us to what our four chord, D flat major to our sharp four, D diminished to our one, a flat to our five, E flat back to our one a flat, right? By the way, that one dominant go into four very common motion. One dominant go into four major happens in jazz standards all of the time as well as the 36251 progression, okay, as well as the sharp four diminished, right? This is why I picked St. Thomas. The melody is all diatonic. And the chord progression is very standard harmonic motion harmonic movement. So let's play St. Thomas key of A flat melody first two-handed contemporary voicings for a couple courses followed by Melody here we go, let's check it out.

38:42  
Alright, time to move on to D flat key of D flat five flats. So our one chord obviously is D flat major. What's our 36251 in the key of D flat, the route movement would be three is F six is B flat, two is a flat five is a flat back to one D flat. What's our three half diminished chord and D flat, F minor seven, flat five or F half diminished? What is our flat seven? It would be C flat dominant or be dominant seven. And then what is our flat six? dominant in the key of D flat. Alright, that would be our a dominant seven, right or B double flat, dominant seven. Okay, and then what's our one dominant? The flat dominant? Yes, that one dominant takes us to our four major which is what in the kid D flat, G flat major to our sharp four diminished G diminished, followed up with our one chord D flat, our five a flat dominant seven back to our one chord. E flat. So here we go. Let's play St. Thomas in the key of D flat major, right melody couple choruses of two-handed voicings followed by Melody yet, here we go, let's have some fun in the key of D flat with St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins here we go.

41:36  
Six keys down six keys to go. So let's keep marching forward key of G flat. I love it, St Thomas and the key of G flat. So our one chord obviously is G flat major, then what's our 36251 in the key of G flat three is going to be what, B flat six, E flat to a flat five, D flat back to one, G flat, what is our three half diminished chord in the key of G flat three half diminished is going to be B flat half diminished, or B flat minor seven flat five, what is our flat seven in the key of G flat it would be F dominant seven or F flat dominant seven or E dominant seven correct. And then of course what would be our flat six dominant it would be E flat flat dominant seven sharp five or it's going to be easier to think of it as simply D dominant seven sharp five resolving down to our five chord which would be the D flat seven. Okay, what is one dominant seven in the key of G flat, obviously G flat dominant seven. What is the four chord that down one down and it's going to take us to our four chord which is B major seven, our sharp four which would be B sharp or C diminished followed by our one G flat our five D flat seven and ending with our G flat major. So here we go. St Thomas in the key of G flat follow the lead sheets be reciting the chord symbols and the harmonic function as we go through this Alright, so again melody first couple courses of two-handed voicings followed by Melody here we go.

44:53  
key of G flat major hey you think that's crazy? The next one How about this St. Thomas in the key of B So obviously, our one chord and the B main in the key of B is B major. What's our 36251 and the key of B, three chords going to be D sharp minor, six chord, G sharp seven, two chord, C sharp minor, five chord, F sharp seven, back to the one chord, B Major, right? D sharp minor is our three, not E flat minor, D sharp, minor. subtle difference, right, same chord. But again, I want to think theoretically correctly in the key that I am playing. So the three is D sharp minor seven. Now what is the three half diminished seven, D sharp half diminished. And now the flat seven is going to be a dominant seven. And what about the flat six, gonna be G dominant seven. Okay, so now our one dominant is going to be B dominant. And that one dominant takes us back to the four chord in the key of E, I mean, I'm sorry, four chord in the key of B, which is E major. And then the sharp, four would be E sharp, diminished, or F diminished, right? But E sharp diminished is the sharp four, followed by our 151, which is B major to F sharp dominant seven, back to B major. So here we go. St Thomas in the key of B major five sharps. Well, here we go, let's play the melody followed by a couple choruses of two-handed voicings followed by the melody here we go, let's check it out.

47:56  
Okay, let's keep marching forward, St. Thomas key of E major. So our one chord obviously, is going to be E major, our 36251 progression in the key of E, R three is going to be G sharp minor seven, our six is going to be C sharp down and seven or two is going to be F sharp minor seven, our file is going to be B dominant seven, back to our one, E major seven. And just a quick note, you might be thinking can't I think A flat minor seven is that a G sharp minor seven, for my three and I would say no, I know it's the same chord. But that's not thinking in the key, the key, the note in the key of E, the third is G sharp, G sharp minor seven to C sharp, dominant seven. So for me, I like to keep things as pure as possible all the time thinking theoretically correct within the key, it makes it easier, much easier when it comes to improvising. So on to the little bridge section, the three minor or the three I'm sorry, three half diminished chord, which would be G sharp minor seven, flat five, or G sharp half diminished. And then of course, our flat seven is going to be what D dominant seven, followed by our flat six is going to be C dominant seven sharp five goes into our five which is B dominant seven, we get to the last line of the tune. Our one dominance is going to be E dominant, which takes us to our four chord in the key of E which is a major sharp four, a sharp diminished, going to our one, which is e to our five B seven back to our one E major. So here we go with St Thomas. In the key of E follow along, recite the harmonic function and recite the chord symbols. I'm going to play a melody again followed by two-handed voicings for a couple courses followed by Melody here we go let's check it out.

51:20  
Alright, let's march on key of a three sharps one chord in the key of A, a major, what is 36251 in the key of A is going to be C sharp, F sharp, B, E and a, what is the three half diminished in the key of a correct C sharp, half diminished, or C sharp minor seven, flat five, what is going to be flat seven dominant in the key of A, that's going to be our G dominant seven, then what is going to be our flat six. In the key of A flat six dominant, it's going to be F dominant seven followed by our one which is a what is one dominant? Correct a dominant that one domino is going to take us to our four chord which is D Major to our sharp four diminished D sharp diminished, followed by our 151. Our a going to E seven going back to A. So here we go St Thomas in the key of A major once again, follow along, recite the harmonic function and recite the chord symbols as well. Right. So here we go melody first couple choruses of two-handed voicings followed by the melody, let's check it out.

53:58  
Very nice, right. All right, kid D, D Major two sharps. So the one chord obviously is D major. What's 36251 And the key of D, F sharp, B, E, A and D. What's our three half diminished in the key of A D, F sharp, F sharp half diminished F sharp minor seven, flat five. What is our flat seven dominant in the key of D major? C dominant. What is our flat six dominant in the key of C major D major, B flat dominant. What is our one dominant? D dominant which is going to take us to our four chord which is what in the key of D major G major sharp four diminished, G sharp diminished, followed by our 151 courts. Right now. I've been going through This awfully quick and doing so on purpose, you should be able to identify these chords based on the harmonic function quickly if you are capable of thinking within a key. So here we go, St Thomas key of D melody, couple choruses of two-handed voicings followed by Melody, here we go, let's check it out.

56:41  
We're down to our final key, by the way, we've been moving counterclockwise around the circle of fifths, right, the way to move around the circle of fifths. So we started with C went to F, B flat, E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat. Now we came up with a circle, B, E, A D. And now our last key of the day, our 12th key key a G, one chord and G, G major. What's our 36251 in the key of G? That would be B, E, A, D, and G. What is our flat seven dominant? Oh, we went back let me back up what is our three half diminished chord in the key G, B half diminished B minor seven, flat five, what is our flat seven dominant? Correct F dominant what is our flat six dominant? Correct E flat dominant. What is our one dominant G dominant which takes us to our four chord which is what the key G, C major sharp, sharp four diminished in the key of G, C sharp diminished followed by our 151 or G major G dominant G major. So one last time St Thomas in the key of G melody followed by a couple courses a two-handed voicings followed by Melody Here we go. Let's check it out and have a little fun with St. Thomas in the key of G.

59:28  
Wow, that man that was a whirlwind trip around the circle of fifths playing St. Thomas in all 12 keys never fails, right? We always unpack a ton of information and each and every podcast episode and today was certainly no exception. Right as we explored the jazz standard St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins and all 12 keys. Now I have no doubt that after our very Quick exploration today of St. Thomas and all 12 keys that you now have a very clear understanding of where you stand with your command to the 12 major scales, the keys and your ability to quickly and easily apply various jazz piano skills such as the contemporary two-handed voicings to the common harmonic motion found within the 12 major keys. And what better way to wrap up 2021 and prepare for an exciting 2022 jazz piano skills. So if you found this episode to be a little fast moving, moving way too quick through the keys, not quickly able to identify all of the various 3625 ones and the and the flat sevens and the flat sixes and the sharp four diminishes and the three half diminished. If all that was moving a little too quickly, it just tells you that you have a little work to do if you were nailing it, and it was actually very easy for you. Congratulations, you have done a lot of work and you are sitting in a fantastic place to really begin to develop into an accomplished jazz pianist. Once again, I want to encourage you to use the podcast packets, the illustrations, the lead sheets to guide you. You've heard me say this over and over and over again in every single podcast episode that your conceptual understanding determines your physical development. So the time that you invest in studying and mapping out the scales, the courts, the voicings and all 12 keys, that time invested, the return on that investment cannot be adequately expressed. It's invaluable. As always be patient. In doing this kind of study this kind of intense what I like to call grunt work. Developing mature professional jazz piano skills takes time and begin structuring your improvisational development your core development your scale development, your key development after the plane demonstrations that I modeled for you today in this podcast episode and in previous podcast episodes, and you will begin to see you'll begin to feel and hear your musical progress I guarantee it. Well, I hope you have found this jazz panel skills podcast less than exploring St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins in all 12 keys to be insightful and of course beneficial. Don't forget, no masterclass this week, we are on our Christmas vacation. So we were off last week we are off this week. We will resume as normal next Thursday on January 6. Until then, be sure to use the educational podcast packets, the illustrations, the lead sheets and the play alongs for this podcast lesson and the jazz piano skills courses to maximize your musical growth. Likewise, make sure you are an active participant in the jazz piano skills community. Get involved and contribute to the various forums, more importantly, make some new jazz piano friends. As always, you can reach me by phone 972-380-8050 extension 211 Or by email Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Lawrence at jazz piano skills.com or by SpeakPipe found throughout the jazz piano skills website. Well, there is my cue. That's it for now and until next week. Enjoy testing your ability to easily think and play in all 12 keys using St. Thomas by Sunny rock. It's the perfect tool to begin accurately assessing your skills. Most of all, have fun as you discover, learn and play jazz piano