HarmoniKeys
Master voice leading and transform your piano playing
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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