How To Play Herbie Hancock Style Piano Chords
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I had to send this one your way because WOW. This lesson is basically a front-row seat to Herbie Hancock casually bending the laws of harmony like it’s nothing.
We’re breaking down one of the most beautiful improvisations I’ve heard in a while. It starts super simple—like “anyone could sing this” simple—and then suddenly… boom. D13, G13, crunchy clusters, wild colors… and somehow it all makes perfect sense.
A few things to listen for while you watch:
- How he connects totally unrelated chords using melody (this is the secret sauce 👀)
- Those lush 6/9 and 13 chords that just melt
- The intentional dissonance—notes rubbing together in the best way
- That moment where he just goes completely off the rails (you’ll know it when you hear it 😄)
Also, fair warning: you might pause the video 20 times just to go “WAIT… what was THAT chord??”
The goal here isn’t just to copy the chords—it’s to start hearing how this stuff works so you can bring that same color into your own playing.
Anyway, press play and enjoy the ride. This one is special.
Writer
Jonny May
Jonathan May is a pianist from Southern California who specializes in many styles of piano. At age eighteen, Jonny became the youngest pianist to perform at Disneyland. Each week he entertained thousands of guests with his arrangements of American classics and Disney songs. Jonny has also performed with the Youtube...
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