Most Popular Lessons

🚨 Harmony Without Chords – Pt. 4: Adding the ii Chord

In Part 4, we expand the harmonic framework by introducing the ii chord before each dominant, turning the previous dominant-focused ideas into full ii–V motion. This adds harmonic depth and forward momentum while keeping the emphasis on linear voice leading rather than vertical chord shapes.

Take notes and make sure you can follow me!  

Open Closed Open exercise with minor7b5 chords in all 12 keys 

🎵 Play A Great Rhythm Changes In 3 Months – Week 6

Last week, we introduced one of the most important concepts in jazz improvisation:

👉 Connecting the harmony through the 3rds and 7ths.

Those guide tones gave us a clear picture of the rhythm changes progression while keeping the melodic language relatively simple.

This week, we take the next step.

👉 We're keeping the same guide-tone foundation, but embellishing the lines.

Check out the attached PDF!

Do you know the chords!!! :-)

🎵 Harmony Without Chords – Pt. 10: Putting It All Together

In Part 10, we bring together the core concepts from Parts 1–9 into a single, musical chorus over Minority by Gigi Gryce. This etude is designed not to feel like a technical study, but like a complete improvised statement — one that clearly implies harmony through line construction alone.

Throughout the chorus, you’ll hear:

Check out the attached PDF!

Real simple, play this etude. Make it sound good. Look at the music, I put in some of the changes. you should be able to figure out the rest. 

After you figure out the cords, look at each bar and add all the upper partial so you know it's being played. A lot of these voice things are rootless voicings.

I didn't use a bass track because I want you guys to hear the harmony work all on its own without a bass so you can see that these are rootless  and that they work even if you're playing only Vibes or maybe Vibes and singer or Vibes in sax any of those combinations.

? Working on Time Pt. 3: Simple Blues with Four-Note Voicings

Goal:
Play through a simple three-chord blues using four-note voicings, while locking in your time with the metronome on beats 2 and 4 at a medium tempo. This lesson builds on Part 2 by applying the foundational third and seventh movement into fuller voicings across an entire 12-bar form.

What you’ll practice: