CORRECTION: In the video, I mention Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne! WRONG! The song "A Beautiful Friendship" was composed by Donald Kahn with lyrics by Stanley Styne. Apologies for the confusion! 🎶 Monthly Tune Study: “A Beautiful Friendship” by Donald Kahn and Jule Styne. Hosted by Dr. Bob Lawrence |…
🎵 Jazz Piano Rhythm Challenge! Hosted by Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills and The Dallas School of Music, today’s Rhythm Challenge puts your time feel and groove precision to the test! You’ll start by playing upbeats on counts 2 and 4, then flip the script and play upbeats…
🎹 In this quick jazz piano tip, Dr. Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills demonstrates how to practice arpeggio motion with any chord—Major, Dominant, Minor, Half-Diminished, or Diminished—using downbeats and upbeats! Learn the technique using the C Minor 7th Chord and discover how rhythmic placement transforms your sound and feel. It’s…
Jazz Piano Skills – Reflect & Project: “Tangerine” Improvisation Week In this week’s Reflect and Project video, Dr. Bob Lawrence kicks off Monday by looking back at last week’s progress and previewing the exciting jazz piano studies ahead. Reflection: Dr. Lawrence highlights the recent Jazz Piano Skills interview with New…
🎵 Rhythm Challenge for Jazz Pianists! Hosted by Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills and The Dallas School of Music, today’s Rhythm Challenge puts your time, touch, and coordination to the test! You’ll be playing a dotted quarter / 8th note rhythm stretched across an arpeggio from root to…
🎹 In this quick jazz piano tip, Dr. Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills uses the classic standard “Tangerine” to demonstrate how to practice quarter note triplets! Learn how to feel and articulate this essential jazz rhythm by working through the melody in the final eight measures of the tune. It’s…
Keywords Jazz, Piano, Music Education, Jazz Piano Skills, Musical Journey, Influences, Practice, Learning, Community, Listening Takeaways Lisa's mother was a significant influence on her love for music. She grew up in a musically rich environment with classical and jazz influences. Lisa's journey into jazz began in college with a history…
🎹 Jazz Piano Skills Weekly Recap – “Tangerine” Melodic Mastery and the Seven Facts of Music This week on Jazz Piano Skills, Dr. Bob Lawrence checked in from the road — coffee in hand, hotel room setting — after visiting his sons in Nashville and Danville, both collegiate baseball players.…
🎹 Melody Challenge for Jazz Pianists! Hosted by Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills and Director of The Dallas School of Music. Today’s Melody Challenge tests your ability to play ascending and descending arpeggio motion through the classic progression: I–♭IV7–III–7–VI7–II–7–V7 Dr. Lawrence demonstrates the challenge in F Major, but…
🎹 In this quick jazz piano tip, Dr. Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills demonstrates how to practice intentional hand shifts when playing four-note arpeggios! Learn the proper technique using the family of C Chords (Major, Dominant, Minor, Half-Diminished, and Diminished) to develop smooth, controlled motion across the keyboard. Dr. Lawrence…
🎹 Jazz Piano Skills: Kicking Off “Tangerine” – Harmonic Analysis Week Dr. Bob Lawrence opens a new month of Jazz Piano Skills with excitement and focus: a new month means a new tune—and this time, it’s the 1941 classic “Tangerine.” As always, Dr. Lawrence guides students through a structured three-week…
🎹 Harmony Challenge: Major II–V–I in F Major! Hosted by Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills and Director of The Dallas School of Music. Today’s Harmony Challenge tests your ability to play a classic Major II–V–I progression in F Major — Gm7 → C7 → Fmaj7 — using both…
🎹 In this quick jazz piano tip, Dr. Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills demonstrates how to harmonize the major scale using the Root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th of each scale tone—ascending and descending through the C Major Scale. This essential exercise strengthens your harmonic awareness and hand coordination. #majorscales #jazzharmony…
🎶 Monthly Tune Study: “Tangerine” by Victor Schertzinger, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer 🎶 Hosted by Dr. Bob Lawrence | Jazz Piano Skills | Director, The Dallas School of Music This month’s Jazz Piano Skills Tune Study features the timeless 1941, “Tangerine.” Over three weeks, Dr. Bob Lawrence guides you…
🎹 Want to strengthen your jazz chops? In this quick tip, Dr. Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills demonstrates how to practice playing one arpeggio through the II-V-I progression in C Major (D-7 → G7 → C Major 7). It’s a powerful exercise that sounds simple—but playing it smoothly in all…
Discover the power of the 3rd interval in jazz improvisation! 🎹 In this quick lesson, Dr. Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills shows how practicing improvisation with just the 3rd gives you everything you need: arpeggio motion, scale motion, and harmonic tension. Learn how to apply this concept by exploring different…
🎹 Quick Jazz Piano Lesson: Build your improvisation vocabulary and technique at the same time! In this short, Dr. Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills demonstrates how to use melodic diatonic triads through the C Minor Scale to create powerful jazz lines. By practicing triads through the scale, you not only…
🎹 Altered Dominant Sound with a Simple Polychord! 🎶 In this quick jazz piano lesson, Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills shows you how to create the C7♭9♯5 altered dominant chord using a polychord approach: play a C Dominant chord together with a C♯ Minor triad. This powerful voicing…
🎹 Hear the Minor 7th Sound with This Scale Exercise! 🎶 In this quick jazz piano lesson, Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills shows you how to practice the minor scale up to the 7th—a powerful way to truly "hear" and internalize the minor 7th sound. Using the C…
🎹 Hear the Dominant 7th Sound with This Scale Exercise! 🎶 In this quick jazz piano lesson, Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills shows you how to practice the dominant scale up to the 7th—a powerful way to truly "hear" and internalize the dominant 7th sound. Using the C…
🎹 Hear the Major 7th Sound with This Scale Exercise! 🎶 In this quick jazz piano lesson, Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills shows you how to practice the major scale up to the 7th—a powerful way to truly "hear" and internalize the major 7th sound. Using the C…
🎶 Monthly Tune Study: “Blue Bossa” by Kenny Dorham 🎶 Hosted by Dr. Bob Lawrence | Jazz Piano Skills | Director, The Dallas School of Music This month’s Jazz Piano Skills Tune Study features the timeless 1963 Kenny Dorham classic, “Blue Bossa.” Over three weeks, Dr. Bob Lawrence guides you…
🎹 2 Essential Quartal Voicings for Diminished Chords! 🎶 In this quick jazz piano lesson, Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills shares two must-know quartal voicing structures for diminished chords: 3-6-9 and 7-3-6-9—both drawn from the 7th mode of the Harmonic Minor scale. Using C Diminished as the example,…
🎹 2 Essential Quartal Voicings for Half-Diminished Chords! 🎶 In this quick jazz piano lesson, Dr. Bob Lawrence of Jazz Piano Skills teaches two powerful quartal voicing structures for half-diminished chords: 1-4-7 and 5-1-4—both pulled directly from the Locrian mode. Using C Half-Diminished (Cm7♭5) as the example, you’ll learn how…