Rhythm Section 101:

Jazz Piano 101

Adding Rhythm to Piano Voicings

Building upon our “Basic Piano Voicings” lesson, this lesson will demonstrate and explain how to add swinging jazz rhythms to your piano accompaniment. This skill will allow a pianist to interact with the ensemble in a more creative way during a jazz song.

Tips:

• Using our attached .pdf, “Playing 3rds and 7ths on the Piano” along with the B-Flat Blues playalong track, practice playing the “Charleston” and/or “1-and” rhythm though the chord progression as demonstrated in the video.

• When practicing alone, play the roots of each chord in the left hand. You may choose to play the syncopated rhythms in the left hand, whole notes or even a bass line of your choosing. We detail four different types of bass lines in our “How to Build a Bass Line” series of videos.

• Once you have learned to play the two demonstrated rhythms, explore your own rhythms based upon your favorite jazz recordings. Pianists such as Duke Ellington, Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk offer many creative approaches to playing unique comping rhythms.

Want to send this video to your students? Use this link: https://youtu.be/oPkcBmGX4r4