Playing left-hand chords off the beat
With
Tim RichardsLearn how to play a C major scale loop and a major pentatonic loop with On-Off chords on the piano.
What's in the course
20 lessons (0h 46m) · 1 free
Lesson transcript
Music Lesson
As well as the blue third in "Swing Thing," the next piece will also involve playing some left-hand chords off the beat in an on-off rhythm.
Preparing for Left-Hand Chords
To prepare for this, let's play a C Major scale with our C and F chords as follows:
- First, play in straight eights.
- Then, play the same thing in swing.
This will help you get used to where the left-hand chord should come in, either in a straight feel or a swing feel. It should correspond with the F in the right hand, as indicated by the dotted lines.
Pentatonic Scale Practice
It's also useful to practice a pentatonic scale or a pentatonic loop over the same chord. This could be:
- Hand position at the top with the thumb on C and G.
- This gives you just enough fingers to reach up to the third of the scale, skipping F and B.
Examples:
- Straight Feel: [Play the scale here.]
- Swing Feel: [Play the loop here.]
Techniques for Playing Chords
Don't forget to:
- Make the chords alternately short (staccato) and long.
On the PDF, I've suggested some other things you could try with the backing track. For instance:
- Instead of playing these inversions, try alternating with a different set of inversions, or even explore this one.
- Additionally, experiment with four-note groups in the right hand.
Experimentation Tips
Here's an example to illustrate.
So, experiment with all these ideas in your solo. Don't be afraid to try out different inversions and combinations of notes from the pentatonic scale.
20 lessons
0h 46m of structured video lessons
Advanced video features
Slow down, loop a passage, follow along
Mobile, tablet & desktop
Practise wherever you are
100% satisfaction guarantee
30-day money-back guarantee
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
