Learn Swing Standards on Piano with Tom Seals
CoursePianoJazzIntermediate
Part ofPiano

Learn Swing Standards on Piano with Tom Seals

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Duration1h 39m
Modules23
LevelIntermediate
LanguageEnglish

Lesson Plan (1h 39m)

About this course

Tom Seals takes you through two swing standards on piano - Count Basie's "Jumpin' At The Woodside" and Duke Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" - broken down section by section, one hand at a time. A regular on stage with Jools Holland and Gregory Porter, Tom shows you how the parts fit together, how to comp behind a melody, and how to add the horn-line fills and embellishments that make swing feel like swing.

Filmed at Pizza Express Dean Street in London, the course comes with interactive sheet music synced to Tom's performances, so you can slow any passage down and loop it until it's under your fingers. You can play the left-hand part while Tom takes the right, then swap. If you don't read music, the multi-camera angles let you follow exactly what he plays.

By the end you'll have two standards you can sit down and play, a first approach to soloing, and the confidence to try it.

Who it's for

  • Intermediate pianists curious about jazz and swing
  • Classical players wanting to loosen up and swing
  • Self-taught pianists ready to tackle real standards

What you'll learn

  • Play two swing standards hands together with confidence
  • Add tasteful embellishments and comping to a melody
  • Take your first improvised solos over swing changes

What you'll need

  • An acoustic piano or weighted keyboard
  • Comfort reading basic notation, or a good ear
  • A few minutes most days at the keys

Meet the Guru

Tom Seals

Tom Seals

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.

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