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Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones

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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!

Lead Sheet & Guide Tones
Very thorough explanation of guide tones, stride play, and how to select and spread notes when reading a lead sheet. Obviously, Jonny has mastered every aspect of jazz and improvisation, but he has an encouraging style of teaching that inspires you to try it all.
Chord shells and guide tones
Struggled with the stride technique at first, but it’s becoming more natural now
Good step-by-step buildup with multiple examples
Every time I’ve tried to learn jazz in the past it starts off well but the. I quickly reach a point where it either suddenly jumps to more advanced level without understanding what’s going on or it burdens you with hours and hours of practicing the same exercise in different keys and you feel like you’re never going to get anywhere. This course is great because it builds up in layers so you can understand incrementally how you get from basic block chords in the left hand, to stride rhythms with bass and shell chords and harmonies in the right hand, whilst also learning several common progressions

Course Lessons

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

Cycle of 5ths

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

Turnaround Progression

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

Extended Turnaround Progression

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

Chromatic Walk-Up Progression

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

Minor Turnaround Progression

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

Misty Progression

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

Sentimental Progression

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

12-Bar Blues Progression

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Featured Reviews

View PWJ member reviews of this course!

Lead Sheet & Guide Tones
Very thorough explanation of guide tones, stride play, and how to select and spread notes when reading a lead sheet. Obviously, Jonny has mastered every aspect of jazz and improvisation, but he has an encouraging style of teaching that inspires you to try it all.
Chord shells and guide tones
Struggled with the stride technique at first, but it’s becoming more natural now
Good step-by-step buildup with multiple examples
Every time I’ve tried to learn jazz in the past it starts off well but the. I quickly reach a point where it either suddenly jumps to more advanced level without understanding what’s going on or it burdens you with hours and hours of practicing the same exercise in different keys and you feel like you’re never going to get anywhere. This course is great because it builds up in layers so you can understand incrementally how you get from basic block chords in the left hand, to stride rhythms with bass and shell chords and harmonies in the right hand, whilst also learning several common progressions
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