Improvisation can feel overwhelming, even when you’re technically playing the “right” notes. One concept I’ve been using in my own practice and with students is called “anchor phrases.”

It’s a fun, manageable, and creative way to blend the language of jazz improvisation into your own playing.

When we practice improvisation, it can be easy to get caught up chasing new things.

• New scales.
• New licks.
• New chord substitutions.

Those things can be great, but in that quest, it can be easy to overlook one of the most powerful tools we have as improvisers: The melody. 

The melody is t...

Playing in 3/4 time can feel awkward at first. I’m going to show you a simple way to make comping in 3/4 feel natural using a few essential rhythmic ideas. You'll learn 3 simple patterns to help you internalize swing feel in a jazz waltz.

I’ll demonstrate these rhythm patterns using the standard...

A lot of jazz students spend time learning what chords to play—but not always how to make them move. If harmony ever feels static in your playing, it’s usually not because you don’t know enough chords. It’s because the chords aren’t interacting with each other in a meaningful way.

In this week’s...

This week, I use the blues as a framework to explore five-note jazz piano voicings that sound great and actually make sense under your fingers.

Instead of memorizing isolated shapes, we build everything from the ground up—starting with 3rds and 7ths, then stacking extensions, altered tones, uppe...

This week’s video is a continuation of a lesson I really enjoyed making—and one that seemed to resonate with a lot of players: 10 Must-Know Jazz Licks. This is Volume 2, and the goal is the same—give you clear, usable ideas that translate directly to the piano.

Each lick in this lesson is short ...

In this video, I break the blues down into ten focused levels that will help you gain a deeper understanding of the form. Let's dig in!