HarmoniKeys
Master voice leading and transform your piano playing
Same chord, different bass note. How to build triad and seventh chord inversions, pick the right one by ear, and four drills to connect chords without your hand jumping.
Read the article →Place a triad you already know over a two-note shell and the altered dominant appears on its own. The five upper structures to know on C7 and three drills for tonight.
Read the article →One scale holds all four dominant tensions. The melodic-minor-a-half-step-up shortcut, how it is built, and where to drop it inside a ii-V-I.
Read the article →Reduce every chord to its 3rd and 7th, alternate the two shapes, and the voice leading takes care of itself. The first thing jazz pianists learn, ii-V-I included.
Read the article →Eight notes, a repeating pattern, and only three scales for all twelve keys. How to play the diminished scale over a dominant 7b9, without the conservatory jargon.
Read the article →3 against 4 is no brick wall: a grid of 12 subdivisions, two or three exercises, and the ear takes over. A step-by-step method, from 3 against 2 to Chopin's nocturnes.
Read the article →Raise the fourth degree a half step and major starts to float. The sharp 4 sound, the maj7#11 chord, the examples (Simpsons, E.T., Satriani) and three exercises at the keyboard.
Read the article →Close position or open position on piano: differences in sound, register rules and concrete exercises to pick the right voicing on every chord.
Read article →Chord melody means making a right-hand melody sing by dressing it in full chords. Techniques, chord choices, voice leading and a hands-on exercise on a standard.
Read article →The bebop scale adds one chromatic note so chord tones land on the strong beats. Theory, the Barry Harris method, and piano exercises to make your lines swing.
Read article →Quartal chords gave modal jazz its modern flavor. Build Bill Evans's So What chord and learn to play stacked fourths at the piano in a modal setting.
Read article →How to harmonize a melody on piano: spot the strong notes, find the chord that contains them, choose between options, then enrich the color. Method and exercises.
Read article →Suspended chords on piano: how to build sus4, sus2 and 7sus voicings, when to resolve them, and why modal jazz turned the 7sus into a color of its own.
Read article →Chromatic approach on jazz piano gives bebop lines their swing and shape. Target notes, approach notes and enclosures explained and put into practice.
Read article →Reharmonization on piano keeps the melody and changes the chords underneath. Substitutions, secondary dominants and passing chords to jazz up any standard.
Read article →The circle of fifths on piano explains why jazz chords move down in fifths. Understand the logic and play your ii-V-I in all 12 keys at the keyboard.
Read article →Jazz piano comping explained: the Charleston rhythm, playing on the offbeats, rootless voicings and the mistakes to avoid. With drills to make your accompaniment swing.
Read article →Learn modal improvisation on piano through Kind of Blue: the Dorian mode, Bill Evans' So What chord, quartal voicings and hands-on exercises to start improvising.
Read article →Block chords (locked hands) make the piano sound like a horn section. George Shearing's four-way close, the passing diminished chord and exercises to learn it.
Read article →Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian: the 7 modes of the major scale on piano, their color, their chord and how to play them.
Read article →Build a walking bass in the left hand on piano: root on beat 1, chord tones, and chromatic approach notes. A step-by-step guide with exercises.
Read article →Build and voice altered chords on jazz piano: b9, #9, #11, b13. When to place them, how to chain them cleanly, three patterns to practice tonight.
Read article →Tritone substitution swaps G7 for Db7 over a ii-V-I. Why the shared tritone makes the swap seamless, and the chromatic bass line that sounds instantly jazzy.
Read article →Rootless voicings free the left hand to follow the bassist. Learn Bill Evans' position A and position B, their logic and how to use them over a ii-V-I.
Read article →Drop 2 voicings are the secret behind big band piano and modern jazz comping. Learn to build them, connect them with voice leading, and use them on standards.
Read article →The ii-V-I is the most played progression in jazz piano. Understand why it sounds so natural, how to play it with clean voice leading, and drill it in all 12 keys.
Read article →Dive into jazz and discover how voice leading transforms your chord progressions into sophisticated, elegant sounds.
Read article →Practical tips for music teachers: how to integrate HarmoniKeys into your lessons to help your students progress faster.
Read article →Learn the 5 essential chord progressions that give your playing a professional sound, regardless of your skill level.
Read article →Discover the fundamentals of voice leading and how this technique makes your chord progressions smoother and more natural on piano.
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