Stars Fell on Alabama, Harmonic Analysis

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Dr. Bob Lawrence (00:32.568)
Welcome to Jazz Piano Skills. I'm Dr. Bob Lawrence. It's time to discover, learn, and play jazz piano. Well, happy new year. Welcome back, everyone. Brand new year at Jazz Piano Skills. Today is, it's very exciting. We kick off season eight. A new season, and more importantly, a renewed sense of hope, a new sense of purpose.

heightened sense of excitement and anticipation. And honestly, I couldn't be more excited. No doubt about it. There is something incredibly powerful about the start of a new year. It's a moment to reset, refocus, and recommit to the craft of learning jazz piano the right way. And I want you to know that I am absolutely

humped about what we're doing this year at Jazz Piano Skills. The big news is that we're beginning 2026 with a new twist. And it's exciting new twist that adds to our standard monthly tune study. So instead of the classic three week study, we will now add an additional week. Yes, you've you heard that correctly. Moving forward.

our monthly tune study will now span a four week period, basically the entire month. And we launched this new format today. Today we start a four week deep dive into the timeless jazz standard stars fell on Alabama. And this is the perfect tune. It's absolutely the perfect tune to kick things off to launch a new year because it's it's standard key, it's form, it's changes.

harmonic movement, its function, the melody, the phrases, all of it allows us to explore jazz piano systematically, musically, and creatively, creatively. Is that a word creatively? Why does that sound weird? That just sounds odd to me. Well, the tune allows us to be creative. So here's how our four week steady format will work. Not just for this tune.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (02:56.588)
not just for Stars Fell on Alabama, but for every tune that we study this year. Week one, we'll explore harmonic architecture. In other words, the form, the unique changes, harmonic function, voicings. Week two, we will look at the melodic design of the tune. We'll learn the melody by ear training. We'll do the melodic analysis, the phrases, and of course our

various treatments. Week three, improvisation development will study chord scale relationships, development of rhythmic vocabulary, melodic patterns, and motif development. And then week four, this isn't the new twist week four, solo piano interpretation, our brand new focus for 2026. We'll take a look at bass lines, harmonic additions and substitutions, orchestration,

middle or third hand ideas. So wow, every month, every month, week one, week two, week three, week four is going to be an exciting journey. This is a big evolution for jazz piano skills. We're not just mechanically learning tunes, instead, we're learning the skills necessary for successfully playing tunes confidently and musically.

right, whether you're comping or improvising or sitting alone at the piano telling your own story. And just as important as what we study is how we study. And you know, one of the things that I that that makes jazz panel skills truly special is that we don't guess. We follow a process, we have an agenda, we have a weekly rhythm, if you will, that keeps keeps all of us moving forward with clarity.

and purpose. So here's what every week at Jazz Panel Skills look like, what is going to look like this year. Okay, Monday. Monday, I will release a YouTube video, which is a recap, reviewing the previous week's study. That's going to be every Monday. Tuesday, a brand new podcast episode is always is launched. I've been doing that now for years.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (05:24.408)
So Tuesday, the podcast is launched, introducing the next phase of our study. Wednesday, I will release a YouTube quick tip short video, which is laser focused on the week's skill. And now Thursday, we have our live Jazz Panel Skills Masterclass. That's every Thursday evening.

Don't worry if you can't make it every masterclass is recorded and released for members who can't attend the class. And Friday, I will release another YouTube short video, a YouTube challenge that that puts the week's skill into action. And then Saturday, I publish and release a blog post, giving you a concise musical recap of the week. And then Sunday,

Sunday's a day of rest because you know what growth needs space before the next climb begins. So how cool is that Monday through Sunday we have structure right and this structure matters this consistency matters because great jazz pianist listen to this great jazz pianist aren't built by random practice they're they're built by intentional

study. And that brings me to something that I stressed in every single episode of 2025. And something that I will continue to stress throughout 2026. And that is, there are seven musical facts that must guide everything we

Fact number one, music is the production of sound and silence, right? Sound being major dominant minor, half diminished and diminished are primary sounds. And sound is produced harmonically and melodically. Fact number three, when sound is produced harmonically, we're playing chords or what we call voicings. Fact number four, melodic shapes, melodic sounds are arpeggios and scales. Fact number five, when we're playing

Dr. Bob Lawrence (07:41.91)
arpeggios and scales, we can only move one of two directions, up or down. In fact, number six, we like to decorate or camouflage those arpeggios and scales with tension or chromaticism or notes outside the key. And then finally, fact number seven, to make facts one through six interesting, to make facts one through six come alive, we add rhythm. Now, these aren't opinions, these

these are musical truths. And once you truly understand them, jazz piano stops feeling mysterious and starts feeling manageable, logical, and creative. So here, here we are a new year, a new season, a powerful new format, and a very clear and proven path forward. Now,

Now more than ever, it's time to roll up our sleeves. It's time to focus. It's time to get busy. It's time to discover, learn, and play jazz piano. So today, you're going to discover the 1934 standard by Frank Perkins, Stars Fell on Alabama. You're going to learn the form, the chord changes, harmonic function for Stars Fell on Alabama.

And you are going to play Stars Fell on Alabama using my suggested voicings plus harmonic, common harmonic progressions for your training development. So as I always like to say, regardless of where you are in your jazz journey, a beginner, an intermediate player, an advanced player, or even if you are a seasoned and experienced professional, you're going to find this Jazz Panel Skills podcast lesson, Exploring Stars Fell on Alabama.

be very beneficial. But before we jump into this new year, I want to as I always do welcome all of you first time listeners to Jazz Piano Skills. If you're new to the website, if you're new to the podcast, welcome. I want to invite you to become a Jazz Piano Skills member and your membership will grant you many perks in this upcoming year. Number one as a Jazz Piano Skills member, you have access to premium podcast content.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (10:09.922)
which means you get to listen to the entire podcast episode. The first half of every weekly episode is free for everyone to enjoy. I deal with the question of the week, I lay out the educational agenda and the lesson rationale. The second half of each podcast is for members only. And that is where we deal with the lesson content and the demonstrations and discuss the podcast packets. These are the materials that

I design and develop for every weekly podcast episode. This is downloadable material, the illustrations, the lead sheets and the play alongs. And I stress it every week that you want to have this, these podcast packets, this material in your hands when listening to the episode to get the most out of it. And of course you want to have this material sitting on your piano or your music stand at home when practicing throughout the week.

As a Jazz Panel Skills member, also have access to the online Jazz Panel Skills courses. These are comprehensive, sound-based, self-paced and sequential courses, focusing on harmonic, melodic and improvisation development. As a Jazz Panel Skills member, you have a reserved seat in the Thursday evening master classes held every week, right?

Thursday evenings at 8pm Central Time. And again, I know this is not the best time for everyone, but they are recorded so you can watch and rewatch the video of the class at your convenience and as often as you wish. You also as a Jazz Panel Skills member have access to the private online Jazz Panel Skills community, which hosts a variety of educational forums, episode specific forums, general jazz forums. It's where we

host a killer listening list every, every week to go along with the podcast episode. It's also a great place to meet new folks, to interact with other members of Jazz Panel Skills, get some feedback and assistance when needed, and also to provide some feedback and assistance as well. And then finally, as a Jazz Panel Skills member, you have access to educational support, private, personal and professional support. So you know, all of these

Dr. Bob Lawrence (12:21.176)
perks. All of these privileges 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 and begin enjoying all of the privileges. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm always happy to spend some time with you and answer any questions that you may have. So please do not think twice about reaching out. I also want to encourage everyone to subscribe to

the Jazz Panel Skills YouTube channel. I am producing educational content videos that I think you'll find to be beneficial for your jazz growth. They're part of our weekly agenda. And I currently have several playlists that you can check out the weekly quick tips, you know, that come out on Wednesdays. And then there's the weekly challenges that come out on Fridays, and then the weekly recaps on Mondays. And again, I'm you know, I'm populating these playlists weekly.

So be sure to subscribe so that you are notified as soon as the video is released. And finally, if you are not receiving the Jazz Panel Skills blog every Saturday morning, take the time to join Jazz Panel Skills. Just go to the Jazz Panel Skills website, join the mail list by entering your name and email. Then every Saturday when I publish the blog, that summarizes the podcast episode in about a four minute.

read, you will be notified. It's definitely worth reading. It's definitely worth checking out every Saturday to keep you on track conceptually and physically. All right, so here we go. Question of the week. And this week's question comes from Antonio Jackson living in Johannesburg, South Africa. And Alexander writes,

Hey, Dr. Lawrence, I have been studying jazz piano for about six months. And the number one thing that I have learned so far is that there is so much to learn. Correct. My greatest challenge at this time is getting a handle on what exactly various terms mean and how they differ. For example, what is the difference between a chord

Dr. Bob Lawrence (14:45.0)
and a voicing? Wow. Alexander, great question and a great way to kick off the new year. And I can absolutely 100 % feel your pain. It can be without question very confusing study in music, not just jazz, just music. Because you know, the problem is, quite often that

In music, what's really odd is that we we use the same term to express different aspects of music or to discuss different parts of music. For example, we use the word major. Let's take the word major. And when we use the word major, we could be referring to chords. We use it to refer it to intervals. We use the word when referring to scales and arpeggios. We use the word to refer to keys.

right? There's a lot of different ways to use the word major. So I get it. You know, why are we using the same word to refer to different things? It can get frustrating. Now, Alexander, your question is excellent, and addresses another problem in music. Oftentimes, two different words that do indeed mean different things are used as synonymous terms, which creates its own kind of confusion.

which I believe is why you're scratching your head and rightfully so. You know, what's the difference between chord and voicings? So let me take a stab at this and see if I can clear up some of the confusion. A chord is the harmonic identity. The what?

a chord is the harmonic identity. It's the what a voicing is the way is the way you play that chord. It's the how, right? So a chord is the what a voicing is the how, right? So same chord can have many voicings. Okay, so we'll start with that. Now, what is a chord a chord?

Dr. Bob Lawrence (17:05.994)
is a collection of notes defined by its root, its anchor, right, and its quality or its function, a chord. So example, C major seven chord tones, right, the basic ingredients of C major seven, C, E, G, and B. That set of tones defines the chord's identity, major seventh sound.

another example, G seven chord tones would be GB DNF. That set of notes GB DNF defines dominant seventh. So chord equals name, plus the harmonic job like for the dominant seven wants to resolve right. So it tells you what sound it is and how it functions in the tomb.

major, dominant, minor, half diminish, diminish. Okay, so a chord equals the name plus harmonic job. I hope that helps. Now, voicing, what is a voicing? A voicing is how you arrange and distribute the chord tones.

the piano. So a voicing answers questions like, which chord tones am I using? All of them or some of them? What order are the notes in? What octaves or register am I going to play these notes in? Is the chord open, or in other words spread out? Do I have the notes spread out or am I keeping the notes close together, closed or stacked?

Am I using inversions? Am I adding extensions like the nine or the 11 or the 13th or alterations like a flat nine sharp nine, sharp 11 flat 13, right? These are all decorative components that I'm talking about here that we're adding to the chord. Am I omitting the root, which is very common, of course, in jazz piano? What's my top note? Is it the melody? Is it something else? Right? How does this voicing

Dr. Bob Lawrence (19:24.654)
lead to the next chord. Right? so voicing equals the architecture or the orchestration of the chord itself, right? So, again, going back, chord is the harmonic identity, the what. Voicing is the way you play that what, the way you play that chord, the how. So same chord, different voicings, like some examples that we

discuss and we will be discussing today with our harmonic analysis. For example, like C major 7, root position block chord, right? C, E, G, B. Or are we going to play that chord in an inverted position? Same chord, different note on the bottom, like E, G, B, C, right? Still C major 7, different color because the bottom changes the weight. How about shell voice scenes?

essential tones only basically, that's what we're using when we're doing shells. So in jazz, we often reduce the chord to its its function tones, right? So maybe the third, the seventh, and the ninth, or the seventh and the third, and the fifth. It's still C major seven, even if you didn't play all four chord tones, or include the root, right?

Maybe we'll add a color extension like I said, that nine, three, seven, nine. In jazz harmony, the third and the seventh are the ID card of the chord. So for G7, the third, B, the seventh, F. Those two tones alone tell your ear dominant. So a pianist can voice B and F plus maybe a

color tone and it still functions clearly as G7, especially if a bass player is playing G or you reach down with your left hand and play the G and then come up and play that B and F. That's why you'll hear things like rootless voicing, shell voicings, guide tones. You hear jazz pianists talk about these things all the time when talking about voicings. So why voicings matter?

Dr. Bob Lawrence (21:45.25)
Because on lead sheet, you'll see the chord symbol, D minor seven, G seven, C major seven. Those are chords. But the musical result depends on voicings, good voicings. Is the sound clear, not muddy? Does it appropriately support the melody? Does it connect smoothly to the next chord, or what is referred to as voice leading?

Does the voicing create forward motion like a tension release? Does the voicing fit the style, ballad, swing, bossa?

Bad voicings would clash with the melody or jump around awkwardly, too much movement, or sound too thick, muddy, played in the wrong register of the piano. Or maybe the bad voicing overuses roots. Or maybe the voicing just is not appropriate for the story that you're trying to tell with the tune.

So a simple analogy would be Alexander cord is the word and voicing is your pronunciation and tone of voice that you use to express the word. Let me say that again. Cord is the word. The voicing is your pronunciation and tone of voice that you use when expressing the word. So the same word

the very same word, depending on the voicing can sound gentle, or intense, or romantic or dark or bright, depending on how you say it. So as we analyze this month's tune, Stars Fell on Alabama, as we do, as we look at the harmonic architecture of this tune today, we're going to encounter chord symbols that label the harmony. But what we really want to focus on what we really want to practice

Dr. Bob Lawrence (23:51.946)
is selecting the right voicing type shells, blocks, contemporary quartals voicings, two handed voicings. We're going to study all that today. Placing those voicings in the right register at the right time. Using good voice leading that supports the melody of the tune that we will explore next week. Choosing the right color tones that match the melody and the mood of the tune.

That's when a tune stops being chords on a paper and becomes music. So all of that to say, Alexander, here's the one sentence takeaway to answer your question. A chord tells you the harmonic identity. A voicing is the musical decision making that turns that identity. into the appropriate sound. Wow.

That was a lot to start the new year, but I hope this helps. All right. So Alexander, I hope I didn't cause more confusion, but if I did, and if more clarification is needed, by all means, please let me know. I'm always happy to dig deeper with you to find clarity, clarity of thought, which as you know, is needed to experience meaningful growth. All right, it's time.

It's time to kick off the new year. It's time to discover, learn and play jazz piano. It is time to discover, learn and play Stars Fell on Alabama. Okay, I stress this every time we study a tune, because it is that important that when we study a tune, we want to go about using a very systematic approach.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (25:55.554)
that we can retain from tune to tune to tune. And again, genre of music really makes no difference. It doesn't matter whether we're trying to learn a jazz tune or a rock tune or a pop tune or a country tune, R &B, it doesn't matter. We wanna go about learning a tune the same way. First and foremost, we listen. And this is why we have a killer listening list.

posted in the jazz community every week, we want to listen to the tune as much as possible from various artists, professional, amateur, vocalist, instrumentalist, pianist, pianist, makes no difference, right? We want to listen to the tune. So the listening list is absolutely crucial. And we should always start there every each and every week.

Then, as we're going to do today, we turn to a harmonic analysis, understanding the harmonic architecture of the tune. We want to clearly understand its form, the unique changes found within the form, the harmonic function of those changes. We want to identify the common harmonic movement within the tune that we encounter from tune to tune to tune. And of course, we want to study what? Our voicings. Our voicings. Our block voicings, our traditional shells.

our contemporary shells and our two handed structures. We then after do doing our harmonic analysis or looking at the harmonic architecture of the tune, we then want to turn our attention to the melody. Okay. And with every melodic analysis, we transcribe that melody to the best of our abilities using our ears, not reading it from a fake book or a lead sheet, doing it using our ears.

Once we have the melody, we like to illuminate those phrases and the target notes within those phrases and then explore playing the tune using various treatments. And we tend to focus on the three standard treatments that we encounter in jazz. Ballad, a ballad groove, a bossa groove, and a swing groove. And then finally, well, I shouldn't say finally because we have the additional segment. Then we, week three, we'll turn our attention to improvisation development.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (28:19.288)
We look at the chord scale relationships, the development of rhythmic vocabulary, melodic patterns, and motif development. And then week four, our new twist this week, our solo piano interpretation, where we are going to be studying bass lines and harmonic additions and substitutions, various ways to orchestrate the tune, and also like the middle or third hand ideas that you hear.

jazz pianist speak of. So it's a pretty thorough and complete approach that we apply to every tune. Listen, study harmony, study melody, work on improvisation, and then solo interpretation.

So this week, week one of our new year, first up harmonic, our harmonic study, which will have us listening, determining form, learning the chord changes, looking at the harmonic function, and of course, studying our voicings. So the educational agenda for today is as follows. Number one, we're going to listen to various recordings of Stars Fell on Alabama. Number two, we will discuss the form of Stars Fell on Alabama.

Number three, we will discover, learn and play the chord changes for this great standard, Stars Fell on Alabama. Number four, we will discover, learn and play the harmonic function of those chord changes found within Stars Fell on Alabama. And number five, we will discover, learn and play my suggested voicings for Stars Fell on Alabama, the block shapes, the left-hand traditional shells and contemporary shells and 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 the pause button. I want you to download and print your podcast packets, the illustrations, the lead sheets, the play alongs. Again, your membership grants you access to this material, so take advantage of it. Once you have your podcast packets downloaded in front of you, come on back and we will continue.

Dr. Bob Lawrence (30:35.04)
Okay, now that you have your podcast packets, I want you to grab the lead sheets. We'll talk about the illustrations and the play alongs a little later. But we as always, we'll start with our lead sheets. And I want to take just a moment to talk you through them. You should have eight lead sheets in your packet. So lead sheet one diagrams the form of Stars, Fell, and Alabama. Lead sheet two identifies the unique chord changes found within the tune.

Lead Sheet 3 gives us a very clean and precise lead sheet of the chord changes for Stars, Fell, and Alabama. Lead Sheet 4 harmonic function is laid out and mapped out for you for Stars, Fell, and Alabama. Now, Lead Sheet 5 highlights the common progressions that we will use for ear training. At Lead Sheet 6, Lead Sheet 7, Lead Sheet 8 all deal with voicings. Lead Sheet 6.

maps out the block voicings and inverted shapes that I recommend using. Sheet 7, the shell voicings, which is going to be a combination of traditional and contemporary shells that I use when playing Stars, Fell, and Alabama. And then Lead Sheet 8 gives you the two-handed voicing structures that I use when playing this tune. So we have a ton to do today. So let's get busy.

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