Jazz Piano - Ultimate Beginners Course for Piano & Keyboard

Master the ii–V–I jazz progression as the foundation of harmony, and map scale degrees 1 through 7 with octaves using C and D major examples.

Explore how multiple notes played together form chords; pop and rock favor simple chords, while jazz adds more notes for richer, more diverse sounds, as in the C major chord.

Learn diatonic seventh chords by playing a simple right-hand pattern on the white keys of the C major scale. Move the pattern up one step to play the next chord.

practice diatonic seven chords with the left hand, starting an octave lower, using a five-three-two-one fingering to mirror the right-hand pattern, keeping a relaxed arch and flat fingers.

Explore piano basics by freely pairing left hand chords with the C major scale in the right hand, in any order or timing. Try one finger and use sustain pedal.

Learn how major and minor triads form on the piano and why they sound happy or sad. Use the 3 and 2 trick to locate any triad from the root.

Learn the ii–V–I jazz progression by practicing the Dm7–G7–Cmaj7 cadence with a steady four-beat count in the left hand, then connect chords using the sustain pedal and pedal types.

Practice along with a ii–v–i chord progression using the left hand, starting slow and then accelerating, counting in to improve timing and accuracy.

Learn the a minor pentatonic scale, a five-note pattern for improvisation, across one octave starting on A above middle C. Practice with the indicated fingering, slowly, then descending.

play a minor pentatonic scale with II-V-I chords in a two-hand drill, counting 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 while left-hand chords stay on the downbeat.

learn how to use the sustain pedal correctly to smooth your piano playing, including ankle-led technique, pedal timing with chords, and reading pedal marks in sheet music.

Build hand and finger strength with a jazzy warmup that pairs scale fingerings in the right hand with a left hand ii-V-I progression, emphasizing even tempo and proper arch.

Explore the difference between major seventh, minor seventh, and seventh chords using the C major scale; learn how to play C major seven, C minor seven, and C seven.

Learn to identify major seven, minor seven, and seventh chords by building triads and adding a seventh, with examples like C major seven, C minor seven, and D7.

Compare a normal seven chord, and see how the dominant seven is built from the scale's fifth note, using C7 and G7 as examples.

Learn how to construct a minor seven flat five chord from the minor triad, locate the seventh, and flatten the fifth interval, using B, D, A, and F examples.

Practice a Hanon finger exercise across one octave to build hand strength, dexterity, and technique, using the ascending and descending 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2 pattern with both hands.

Learn the autumn leaves ii-v-i progression in the key of C using diatonic seventh chords, with a practical, song-first approach that moves beyond theory.

Master the autumn leaves right-hand melody by following the note sequence and rests, count four beats per bar, and practice slowly before adding left-hand chords in the next lecture.

Learn to play Autumn leaves with both hands by aligning right and left-hand notes, counting rhythms, and coordinating chord changes, with a lead sheet lesson to follow.

Learn the second part of autumn leaves using a lead sheet with symbols, follow the chord progression, and practice the left-hand pattern with the right-hand melody until both hands synchronize.

Learn seven-three voicings by playing the third and seventh in the right hand and the root in the left. Use inversions to reduce movement and apply this to two-five-one progressions.

Apply the seven three card voicing to the autumn leaves progression, identify the third and seventh, place the root in the left hand, and practice with a click track.

Practice along with the click track to master autumn leaves using seven-three chord voicing, starting on the second bar, first slow then faster, with melody on top.

Master the full autumn leaves arrangement with left-hand inversions, repeat signs, and practical chord transitions, supported by a downloadable lead sheet PDF for easy practice.

Develop coordination for playing with both hands by training eye focus between hands, building muscle memory, and practicing the left-hand jump exercise that integrates octave jumps with the right-hand pattern.

Practice right- and left-hand jumps in coordination to develop finger strength, especially in the little and forefingers, improve dexterity for big octave jumps, and gain bilateral piano awareness.

Learn to build improvisation skills by applying pentatonic handgrips to the C major two-five-one progression, using D minor, E minor, and A starting handshape, guided by the circle of fifths.

Explore D, A, E pentatonic hand grips and improvise over ii-V-I chords in C major, using a structured warmup to develop timing and two-hand coordination.

Explore triplets and swung rhythms by converting three notes into the time of two, practicing long shot and swell rhythms to feel the beat beyond straight timing.

Practice the pentatonic handgrip exercise with swung rhythm to build improvisation and left-right hand coordination, using the 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 counting as a warm-up.

Learn songs alongside exercises, scales, and theory, then study Fly Me to the Moon with jazzy seven chords in the left hand and the swell rhythm.

Master the second line of fly me to the moon by matching the right-hand melody pattern with consistent timing and practical chord voicings, from f major seven to e seven.

Play the third line of fly me to the moon, time c sharp on fourth beat, and connect the right-hand melody to d minus seven and c major seven progressions.

Practice fly me to the moon part 4 melody with counting and rhythm, and study chord shapes: C major seven, B minus seven five, and E seven, then combine parts.

Practice fly me to the moon with counting, start slowly, then play without the counts, gradually speed up, and put the parts together for a full pace.

Explore an alternate left-hand approach to Fly Me to the Moon using chord inversions, teaching first and second inversions for C major and G major with octave voicing.

Learn straight bossa nova rhythms and count-along timing to apply two-five-one chord progressions, practicing rhythm patterns that lock in even beats and guide tempo.

Add a tritone to pentatonic handgrips to transform them into the blues scale, using flattening of the fifth and crush note, then apply to the two-five-one grip exercise.

Apply ii–V–I chords with D, A, E pentatonic handgrips and Krush notes on the two five one cards to build improvisation skills through a cool, swing rhythm exercise.

Mix pentatonic handgrips across octaves and chords to practice varied grips and progressions. Avoid dissonant invite-note pairs and resolve toward compatible options for smoother jazz piano phrasing.

Add a new B hand grip to provide another option beyond A and Ayhan grips, using notes from the C Lydian mode and pentatonic patterns.

Explore mixing D, A, E and B hand grips with II-V-I chords in swung rhythm, practicing switching grips freely to improvise left-hand chords and cultivate fluid transitions.

Apply ii-v-i handgrips with triplet rhythms to the two five one exercise, exploring pentatonic patterns, C major seven with the E handgrip, and swing timing to build a smooth tempo.

Practice a finger strength exercise using 1-3-2-4-3-5-4 patterns to improve finger isolation, hand posture, and coordination for the Cantaloupe Island riff, with slow, connected movements.

Learn Herbie Hancock's cantaloupe island main piano riff with a right-hand pattern in straight rhythm and a fingered left-hand outline on F minor seven.

Learn the second part of the Cantaloupe Island piano riff, with the same rhythm as part 1 but different right- and left-hand notes, and practice tips for hand stretches.

This final part guides repeating call phrases, practicing voicings with d, a, f, c, and g, and explains how g arises from stacking seven, nine, and eleven.

Learn to play Cantaloupe Island parts 1–3 together, with a twist in the first part and a piano intro leading into the trumpet melody, all at adjustable tempo.

This lecture teaches a simple walking bass pattern over the two five one progression in C, outlining root, fifth, octave, and the leading tone motions in the left hand.

Practice a walking bass line with pentatonic handgrips D, A, and E. Hold the left-hand first beat for four counts while the right plays single notes on each beat.

Learn a walking bass beneath triplet rhythm handgrips with pentatonic scales. Coordinate left-hand grips with right-hand rhythms, practicing slowly to build improvisational flow.

Mix left-hand patterns with varying rhythms, including swell and triplets, to build a walking bass line; start slow and gradually jump between hand grips and rhythms.

Learn comping by accompanying melodies with chords and rhythms, then practice the alternating syncopated swing rhythm on offbeats using seventh chord voicings in Autumn Leaves.

Master another swung comping rhythm by alternating two rhythms per bar, applying swing patterns to jazz progressions and songs such as Fly Me to the Moon.

Master jazz arpeggios by using pentatonic handgrips to outline chords, from a c major arpeggio to d minor add third up to 13, and explore g13 patterns with both hands.

Practice arpeggios with handgrips from top to bottom, starting at the top note and moving downward, coordinating thumb and the other fingers, then repeat with both hands.

Mix arpeggio hand grip patterns across the keyboard, moving around thirds and skipping parts to create varied left-hand textures and a playful, exploratory feel.

Learn to improvise by mixing different rhythms while incorporating rests between notes. Explore rests and syncopation, and count the rhythm to gain time for exploring handgrips.

Explore extended chord voicings beyond seventh chords by stacking thirds to build ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords on C major, and learn how to read lead sheets with flexible extensions.

Explore finding 9 and 11 chords in open position and learn why the 11th is often sharpened to avoid dissonance, with simple tricks linking pentatonic handgrips and the Lydian scale.

Learn how to find major nine chords by starting from the major seventh, identifying the second interval, and expanding by an octave, with the left hand down an octave.

Sharpen the 11th to form the major 11 chord in jazz, using an upper-structure approach with a left-hand major triad and a right-hand minor triad moved down a semitone.

Begin with the minor seventh, then add the ninth by moving an octave and identifying the second interval to form the minor nine, as shown with C minor nine.

Learn to locate major and minor 9th chords by tracing the seventh, identifying the second interval, and moving up a full octave with practical C9, G9, and E9 examples.

Learn to locate minor eleven chords by placing a major triad on top and moving it down a half step or two semitones, for major eleven and minor eleven.

Learn to locate 11th chords using open voicings, combining left-hand roots with right-hand major voicings, then transpose down by semitones to form C11, Eb11, G11 and related variations.

Learn to add spice with altered dominant chords by raising or lowering the fifth or ninth, then carry the extensions from the altered voice.

Learn a minor ii-V-I progression with chord extensions up to the eleventh, including D minor seven with flat fifth and G7 altered, plus push beats and sustain pedal.

Explore rootless colored voicings to play ninth chord extensions with one hand, invert and move chords between hands, and solo with scales over a smooth jazz progression.

Master the rootless Dm9 progression for soloing by using leading notes, tritone intervals, and a swing rhythm, while sustaining the Dm9 through the bar to develop improvisation.

Learn the melodic minor scale, built from the natural minor with raised sixth and seventh, and apply the jazz-friendly pattern to form any melodic minor scale, then practice two-octave fingering.

Learn to improvise over a d minor left-hand chord progression using the d minor melodic scale and d minor pentatonic, with practical fingering, blues twists, and call‑and‑response soloing.

Practice two right-hand scales over a slow left-hand progression, then increase tempo to improvise over the top of that left-hand accompaniment, building rhythm, phrasing, and solo fluency in smooth jazz.