Making it ‘jazzy’
Lesson time: (1min 20sec)
Given we’re at Ronnie Scotts, the home of jazz – Tom looks at a couple of ways to make 'New York State of Mind' more ‘jazzy’.
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Become The Ultimate 'Piano Man'
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Making Music Jazzy and Swingy
Of course, that's a way to make it bluesy. But we're here at Ronnie Scott's, the home of jazz, the most famous jazz club in the world.
Key Concepts
We need to think about how to make it a bit jazzy and a bit swingy.
Left Hand as the Double Bass
Now, the one thing I find really key is:
- Imagine that your left hand is the double bass player.
- So, we're going to walk the left hand.
- We're going to look at that in much more detail later on.
New York's State of Mind
But let's look at New York's state of mind right now and make it jazzy.
- What would it sound like?
Main Elements
The main thing here is the left hand walking. It gives that constant movement, swingy feel, along with some nice jazzy chords with the right hand.
Improvisation and Solos
But the only way to make this jazzy and bluesy is by improvising and incorporating some solos.
So, let's have a look at some solo ideas.
About the instructor
The mantle of UK Piano Man has long been held by Elton John, Jools Holland and Jamie Cullum. Over the past five decades no one else has come remotely close - until now! Fresh from his sell-out "Let The Good Times Roll" tour, Tom Seals - "quite possibly the future of jazz and blues" - has the world at his fingertips. His virtuoso soloing, excellent improvisation skills and distinctive voice have led top industry figures to hail him as the UK's finest boogie woogie and blues pianist and vocalist. Still in his mid-twenties, Seals has already played sold-out shows across the globe, including London's legendary Ronnie Scott's, a stunning performance at Birdland Jazz Club on Broadway in New York, and work alongside Jools Holland. Notable appearances include: Cheltenham Jazz Festival's 'Gregory Porter & Friends' Jools Holland's 'Boogie Woogie & Blues Spectacular' Birdland Jazz Club, New York City British Summer Time - Hyde Park Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Gisburne Park Pop-Up Montreux Jazz Festival Cropredy Festival The Steinway Two Pianos Festival Glastonbury Newark Showground "Drive-In" Blenheim Palace In his course, Tom throws open the secrets behind his playing - showing you how to swing standards at the piano, build authentic boogie woogie and blues lines, and find the freedom to improvise, so you can become the ultimate Piano Man yourself. You can read Tom's full biography at www.tomseals.co.uk. read more