Major Seventh Inversions
With
Tim RichardsLearn how to play tonic and dominant chords in the key of C major on the piano, and inversions for Cmaj7.
What's in the course
20 lessons (0h 46m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Lesson: Inspired by Bill Evans' "Peace Piece"
The next tune piece for Bill is inspired by the Bill Evans track "Peace Piece," which is an amazing improvisation over just two chords.
Chord Structure
In this case, they've both got 70/7 in, and it's in the key of C. It's basically a one to five vamp, but with the difference that we have:
- C major 7: a four-note chord from the scale of C.
- By playing the scale of C starting on G, you notice that it gives rise to a G7 chord, the dominant seventh.
So, those are the two chords we're going to be alternating all the way through.
Practicing C Major 7
To get used to this C major 7 chord, let's do the inversions routine on C major 7 in the right hand with the metronome set to 80 again, 2 clicks of chord 3, 4. You can do that in the left hand as well.
Left Hand Technique
Now, in "Piece for Bill," the left hand is based on this shape:
- The second inversion.
However, Bill Evans doesn't play all four notes. He leaves the bottom note out, so you're left with B, C, and E.
Think of it as a chord fragment. You could consider it as a seven root three shape, which is typical for a Bill Evans left hand, kind of minimalistic.
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Critically acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Tim Richards is one of Britain’s most experienced jazz educators, teaching piano privately for over 30 years, as well as at Morley College, Goldsmiths College, the University of Surrey, Premises Studios and other venues in the UK and abroad. He has produced numerous titles for Schott Music, including the best-selling two-volume Exploring Jazz Piano, Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection and the acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano. He is also co-author, with John Crawford, of Exploring Latin Piano and Brazilian Piano Collection.
More recently Schott have published Jazz, Latin & Modern Collection (15 pieces for solo piano), comprising Tim Richards originals alongside pieces by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the two volume set Beginning Jazz Piano (now a two-part MusicGurus course).
“The real joy of Tim’s music… is that it is both hugely educational but also such great fun to play. Anyone with the slightest interest in learning to play or teach jazz piano should really acquire a set of Tim’s books.” PianoDao
As a performer Tim has been a presence on the UK jazz scene since the 1980s, also playing the blues with UK and US legends such as Otis Grand, Earl Green, Dana Gillespie, Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and Mojo Buford. He has released over a dozen albums as a leader (featuring many of London’s best jazz musicians including Pete King, Gilad Atzmon, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Seb Rochford, Ed Jones, Dick Pearce and many others), and toured all over Europe with line-ups ranging from duo to nine-piece. His latest recording, the album ‘Telegraph Hill’ by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as "A true joy from beginning to end".
More info can be found on his website www.timrichards.ndo.co.uk
