I've been getting some requests for more beginner solo piano arrangements so I thought I would teach you a MUST-KNOW jazz ballad -- Body and Soul.   I decided to make this one a two-parter.  In part 1, I teach an easy arrangement with melody in the right hand and shell voicings in the left hand.  Remember, shell voicings are simple two-note voicings usually consist of Root and 3rd or Root and 7th (although I snuck in a few Root and 5ths!).   This is an excellent barebones way to learn a jazz standard;  For an even more simplified version, just learn melody and root notes!  

​Sheet music for the beginner arrangement HERE!

​In the next part, I build off of this beginner arrangement by adding two more notes in the right hand.  Now the melody will be played by mostly the 4th and 5th fingers of the right hand and I've added a few more notes to fill out the chords -- this notes will contain chord tones or chord tensions.  

​Sheet music for the intermediate arrangement HERE!

I hope you enjoy these arrangements -- let me know if you have any song requests for more tutorials/arrangements in this format!

​Happy shedding!

One of the many blessings of being a Dad is rediscovering music I've loved in the past while introducing it to my son.  He's just about two years old now and "Over the Rainbow" is one of his new favorites.  His mom started singing it to him recently for a lullaby.  He even interrupted her while she was singing a lullaby the other night and said "Want Rainbow."  Haha.  What can I say, he knows what he wants!  While I was finishing up editing this video, he heard the first few bars and said to me, "Hear Rainbow."  My heart just about melted.

So anyway, this beautiful song has been in my head recently and I thought I would work out an intermediate piano arrangement of it for you all.  I hope you enjoy it.  The arrangement has some classic solo piano techniques that work great for ballads.  The left hand is mostly arpeggiating roots, 3rds, 5ths, and 7ths while the top of the right hand covers the melody and the some chord tones and tensions below it.  I stuck with mostly the original harmony on this one, aside from a few tritone substitutions in measure 6 of the A section (or subV7s as we like to call them at Berklee!).  There's also some interesting chord tensions -- check out the b9 on the Bb7 and the #11 on the D7 in the A section.  In the bridge check out the 9 on the G-7 and the 9, #11, 13 on the C7 in the bridge.  

When your practicing this one, really try to bring out the melody and let the chords and bass sit underneath it in volume.  Be as expressive as you can with dynamics, it makes all the difference!  

Happy shedding!  

In my latest solo piano pop arrangement, I decided to focus on one my absolute favorite songs, God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.  This song never fails to give me the chills and it's one of those tunes I can't just listen to once.  I have to hear a few times just to soak it all in.  It's such a beautiful marriage of harmony, melody, and lyrics, a true masterpiece.  For this arrangement, I didn't touch the harmony at all!  No need to reharmonize this beauty!  

For the left hand, I was working on a ballad stride feel.  I mostly play root/5th or root/7th on beats 1 and 3.  On beats 2 and 4 a played crunchy cluster voicings (lots of 2nds!).  I love to use this sound, especially on pop progressions.  For a major triad, I'll often play the root and 9th right next to each other.  For a minor 7 chord, I'll play the third and 9 next to each other or the third and 11 (or all three!).  

For the improvisation, I decided to vamp the IV, I/3, II-7, I progression and treat it like a little mediation.  I was really inspired by Bill Evan's beautiful solo piano improvisation called "Peace Piece."  You may be able to hear the influence?  

I hope you enjoy it!