Library   /   Courses   /   Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones

Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones

Membership Required

Subscribe to a membership plan for full access to this course and learning resources!

Start Your Free Trial

Instructor
Jonny May
Course
Intermediate
04:07:32

In this course, Jonny will walk you through the piano lead sheets of 8 different chord progressions and show you how to utilize various piano techniques to create a richer and more interesting sound. You’ll learn how to implement piano chord shells, guide tones, and right hand filler harmony in the top 3 jazz styles: jazz swing, bossa nova, and jazz ballad.

By the end of the course, you will be confident in adding your own personal style to a lead sheet.

Course Objectives
  • Discover the top 8 chord progressions used in fake books
  • Color the root position chords with shells and guide tones
  • Create rich chords with right hand filler harmony
  • Explore the top 3 jazz styles: jazz swing, bossa nova, and jazz ballad
Learning Focus
  • Analysis
  • Chords
  • Lead Sheets
Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

great course!
...adding to my review... I love how you have created short tunes from standards and compacted them down to the essence. Such a great way to break this down to apply to all tunes. Really excellent teaching. Thank you!
great course!
Really great course. A LOT of material, and super challenging for someone with a classically trained brain used to reading notes more than jumping to chords in the LH while remembering what the melody was.
Play Piano Lead Sheets with shells and guide tones
Great course with Jonny. I had completed this course earlier but somehow it did not show as completed. Thank you.
Play Piano Lead Sheets.
A great course. I learned a lot. Thank you.
Left hand workout!!
The backing tracks and the increasingly difficult left hand patterns made me really have to know the chord shells and guide tones from the previous course. It has also given me a better ear for chord progressions. 3s and 7s! Eager to start the extensions course and really level up my left hand. Thanks Jonny.

Course Lessons

1
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 1
44:54

Cycle of 5ths

View lesson
2
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 2
25:43

Turnaround Progression

View lesson
3
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 3
26:41

Extended Turnaround Progression

View lesson
4
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 4
28:36

Chromatic Walk-Up Progression

View lesson
5
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 5
31:59

Minor Turnaround Progression

View lesson
6
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 6
30:59

Misty Progression

View lesson
7
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 7
30:24

Sentimental Progression

View lesson
8
Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones – Lesson 8
28:16

12-Bar Blues Progression

View lesson
Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

great course!
...adding to my review... I love how you have created short tunes from standards and compacted them down to the essence. Such a great way to break this down to apply to all tunes. Really excellent teaching. Thank you!
great course!
Really great course. A LOT of material, and super challenging for someone with a classically trained brain used to reading notes more than jumping to chords in the LH while remembering what the melody was.
Play Piano Lead Sheets with shells and guide tones
Great course with Jonny. I had completed this course earlier but somehow it did not show as completed. Thank you.
Play Piano Lead Sheets.
A great course. I learned a lot. Thank you.
Left hand workout!!
The backing tracks and the increasingly difficult left hand patterns made me really have to know the chord shells and guide tones from the previous course. It has also given me a better ear for chord progressions. 3s and 7s! Eager to start the extensions course and really level up my left hand. Thanks Jonny.
Related Courses
Chord Shell & Guide Tone Exercises

Learn the essential building blocks of Jazz harmony with chord shells and guide tones. Master these voicings with exercises for major, dominant, and minor 7th chords in all 12 keys.

Autumn Trees Lead Sheet

In this lesson for all playing levels, you'll transform the lead sheet Autumn Trees into a fun swing tune using the essential techniques of swing.  Fills, walking bass lines, and rootless voicings are all covered.

Join Us

Get instant access to this Course and other member features with a PWJ membership!

Guided Learning Tracks

View guided learning tracks for all music styles and skill levels

Progress Tracking

Complete lessons and courses as you track your learning progress

Downloadable Resources

Download Sheet Music and Backing Tracks

Community Forums

Engage with other PWJ members in our member-only community forums

Become a better piano player today. Try us out completely free for 14 days!

Get Started