Gabriel Piano Studio
  • 2024-25 FALL-SPRING
  • 2023-24 FALL-SPRING
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Lesson page.  LESSON TEMPLATE FOR BEGINNING JAZZ STUDENT

TECHNIQUE. Scales. C Major

6/22
Chris, we are going to start scales very simple.  Be sure to learn the fingering well, because this fingering will apply to many more scales.

1- C Major Separate hands
One octave with exact fingering. Up and down. Separate hands.  When you are proficient, then hands together in contrary motion. Click in the image to enlarge.  Press the escape key to return to the lesson page.
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On reserve for later use:
COMPLETE BOOK OF SCALES
File Size: 2414 kb
File Type: pdf
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2- C Major hands together. Contrary motion
​See video below on how to play contrary motion.
3- C Major Parallel motion
Only after you are confident with steps 1 and 2, try playing C Major in parallel motion. Up and down.

Chords in C Major

You will need to learn all the chord inversions for C Major and be very quick moving among them.
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Here is the basic fingering for the chord inversions
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Arpeggios in C Major

Learn how to play the arpeggios in C Major.  They are just C Major chords played one note at a time.  Attention to the fingering.
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Reading pieces fully written

7/6
We are starting very simple and build gradually from here.

Hey Jude (F Major)

HEY JUDE
File Size: 564 kb
File Type: pdf
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Greensleeves. 1-Block chords 2-Bass+block chords

"Greensleeves" two versions. 
1-Block chords, to start practicing chords in different inversions
2-Bass and chord to start arranging a song breaking the basic chord into "bass and chord".  
See the videos to help you understand what will the final result will sound like.
greensleeves_block_chords.pdf
File Size: 47 kb
File Type: pdf
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greensleeves_bass_chords.pdf
File Size: 48 kb
File Type: pdf
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Reading from a jazz chart. Building the basic chords

Review of basic chord symbols

Be able to build all these chords on any of the white keys.  See video on the right  --->

C        C Major    
        3-note chord    C - E - G

C7        C Major + minor 7th (also known as Dominant 7th chord)
        4-note chord    C - E - G - Bb

CMaj7    C Major + Major 7th
        4-note chord    C - E - G - B

Cm7    C minor + minor 7th
        4-note chord    C - Eb - G - Bb

CmMaj7    C minor + Major 7th (very rare)
        4-note chord    C - Eb - G - B
THESE OTHER CHORDS BELOW ARE MORE COMPLEX AND WE WILL USE THEM LATER

C7dim       (also known as C diminished)
C minor + diminished 5th + diminished 7th
        4-note chord    C - Eb - Gb - Bbb (A)

Cm7(b5)    (also known as C half-diminished)
C minor + diminished 5th + minor 7th

        4-note chord    C - Eb - Gb - Bb

Reducing chords to the 3rd and 7th

7/6
Building chords on the LH by using only the 3rd and the 7th of the chord.
Start by building the following chords using all the four notes:

C Major with Major 7th
A Major with minor 7th
D Major with minor 7th
G Major with minor 7th

Then eliminate the 1 (root) and the 5th, keep the 3rd and the 7th.
This video will show you a review on how to build the chords we are learning today.

Applying chords to "All of Me" (in C Major)

Here are two exercises to apply the chords we are learning.

1- The song "All of Me" with left hand playing only the chords as 3-7
​2- The same song with left hand playing bass + the 3-7 chords
ALL OF ME LH 3-7
File Size: 58 kb
File Type: pdf
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ALL OF ME LH bass + 3-7
File Size: 60 kb
File Type: pdf
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ON RESERVE FOR LATER: Yesterday (in F Major)

yesterday_real_book.pdf
File Size: 100 kb
File Type: pdf
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  • 2024-25 FALL-SPRING
  • 2023-24 FALL-SPRING
  • VIDEO TUTORIALS