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Instructor
John Proulx
Course
Intermediate
02:12:08

This comprehensive course covers major 2-5-1 rootless voicings. We’ll learn these chords with fun exercises in each key, and apply them to short songs in a bossa, swing, ballad, and funk style.

Course Objectives
  • Learn major 2-5-1 rootless voicings
  • Practice exercises in each key
  • Apply these voicings to short songs in various styles
Learning Focus
  • Chords
  • Reharmonization

Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Excellent course
Very useful. I like the song at the end. Thanks.
Great Workout with a Bonus
This course takes a lot of concentration and persistence. However with practice you begin to "feel" the patterns and the way the fingers move as you go through the various 2-5-1 progressions in all 12 keys, and both voicings. I particularly liked the song "Velvet Action Figure" because of its connection with the Satin Doll piece, a long time favorite of mine on the keyboard. Our trio liked to imitate the Ramsey Lewis arrangement but I only used simple 7th chords. Now I can approach it with these chord extensions. Thanks, John!
Great course
I like that you're getting my left had moving with right hand melody action too... ; )
2 5 1 Fun
Excellent course. A wealth of tips on the 2-5-1 chord progression - with rootless voicings. Challenging at times (for me), but John explains the theory very clearly and has a cool, calm, collected way of teaching, which kept me focused. I played through some of the lessons a couple of times and needed to revise a few root position chords 🤪. (If you don’t know your chord extensions in root position, go and learn those thoroughly or it will be confusing😆) I especially like Johns quick tip of finding/recognising a minor 9 chord in the B position, i.e. If you play each note separately, it should sound like the melody of ‘I feel pretty’. Lesson 10 brings it altogether and really helps to integrate the rootless chords with jazz comping rhythms under a ‘SatinDoll’ type melody, which is again, beautifully taught by John. This course has taken my jazz comping , up another level!
Great stuff thank you John
I have enjoyed the lessons the other thing worth noting is that you guys are doing a great job never getting tired to repeat stuff this makes a learner to grasp the information in depths.

Course Lessons

2
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 2
12:44

Short “A-B-A” Voicing Exercise

3
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 3
15:46

Long “A-B-A” Voicing Exercise

4
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 4
16:51

Short “A-B-A” Voicing Exercise

5
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 5
10:48

Long “A-B-A” Voicing Exercise

6
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 6
08:22

Short “B-A-B” Voicing Exercise

7
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 7
07:26

Long “B-A-B” Voicing Exercise

8
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 8
11:13

Short “B-A-B” Voicing Exercise

9
Major 2-5-1 Rootless Voicings – Lesson 9
07:29

Long “B-A-B” Voicing Exercise

Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Excellent course
Very useful. I like the song at the end. Thanks.
Great Workout with a Bonus
This course takes a lot of concentration and persistence. However with practice you begin to "feel" the patterns and the way the fingers move as you go through the various 2-5-1 progressions in all 12 keys, and both voicings. I particularly liked the song "Velvet Action Figure" because of its connection with the Satin Doll piece, a long time favorite of mine on the keyboard. Our trio liked to imitate the Ramsey Lewis arrangement but I only used simple 7th chords. Now I can approach it with these chord extensions. Thanks, John!
Great course
I like that you're getting my left had moving with right hand melody action too... ; )
2 5 1 Fun
Excellent course. A wealth of tips on the 2-5-1 chord progression - with rootless voicings. Challenging at times (for me), but John explains the theory very clearly and has a cool, calm, collected way of teaching, which kept me focused. I played through some of the lessons a couple of times and needed to revise a few root position chords 🤪. (If you don’t know your chord extensions in root position, go and learn those thoroughly or it will be confusing😆) I especially like Johns quick tip of finding/recognising a minor 9 chord in the B position, i.e. If you play each note separately, it should sound like the melody of ‘I feel pretty’. Lesson 10 brings it altogether and really helps to integrate the rootless chords with jazz comping rhythms under a ‘SatinDoll’ type melody, which is again, beautifully taught by John. This course has taken my jazz comping , up another level!
Great stuff thank you John
I have enjoyed the lessons the other thing worth noting is that you guys are doing a great job never getting tired to repeat stuff this makes a learner to grasp the information in depths.
Related Courses

This comprehensive course covers minor 2-5-1 rootless voicings. We’ll learn these chords with fun exercises in each key, and apply them to short songs in a bossa, swing, ballad, and funk style.

This comprehensive course covers rootless voicings on altered dominant chords. We’ll learn these chords with fun exercises in each key, and apply them to short songs in a bossa, swing, ballad, and funk style.

This comprehensive course covers rootless voicings on dominant 7th chords. We'll learn these chords with fun exercises in each key, and apply them to short songs in a bossa, swing, ballad, and funk style.

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