PIANO STUDY GUIDE · ALL LEVELS A jazz standard isn’t simply a piece you “learn.” It’s a musical universe you explore — harmony, melody, rhythm, improvisation, and interpretation all coexisting in one tune. This guide gives you a structured, practical route so you don’t get lost in the process. Follow the steps in order —…
THE UNIVERSAL MIND OF BILL EVANS — 1966 “People tend to approach the whole problem approximately, instead of taking a small piece of it and being real and precise about that.” — Bill Evans, The Universal Mind of Bill Evans, 1966 In 1966, Bill Evans sat in front of a camera for an unusual 45-minute…
FROM STEVE LACY’S HANDWRITTEN LIST, 1960 “What you don’t play can be more important than what you play.” — Thelonious Monk In 1960, saxophonist Steve Lacy spent 16 weeks playing in Thelonious Monk’s band. Throughout that period, he kept a small notebook in which he wrote down the phrases, observations, and instructions Monk gave him…
PORTRAIT & LESSONS “I don’t try to be better than anyone else. I try to be better than my last performance.” — Hank Jones Hank Jones (1918–2010) isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think about the history of jazz piano. He doesn’t have the revolutionary force of Bud Powell, the virtuosity…
“It’s not enough to play correctly. You have to play in a way that makes someone feel something — otherwise, you’re just pressing keys.” — Oscar Peterson I once asked a student to describe what moves him when he hears a great pianist play. He struggled to find the words. “It’s got… something,” he said….
“ Barry Harris Method · Inversions “Movement should be minimal — not leaps, but steps.” — Barry Harris Barry Harris Inversions: How to Study Major 6 & Minor 6 for the Voicing System Before you enter the Barry Harris voicing system, there is a step most players skip: the inversions. Without them there is no…
“ Barry Harris Method · Reharmonization “Who do you play first? Your brothers.” — Barry Harris Reharmonization: The “Brothers” of the Dominant Every dominant chord has three brothers — dominant chords that can substitute for it. This is the secret behind some of the most beautiful harmonic moves in jazz. JazzTeaching.gr · Piano · Intermediate…
“ Barry Harris Method · Chord Melody “Music is motion. There is no such thing as a static chord — every chord is going somewhere.” — Barry Harris Melody Harmonization on the Piano — The Barry Harris Method for Chord Melody We play chords with the melody in the right hand — the technique that…
“ Barry Harris Method · Voicing “There are only two kinds of chords in jazz: Major 6 and Minor 6. Everything else is one of these, in some inversion.” — Barry Harris The Practical Application of the Barry Harris Method Which 6th chord do you play for every chord symbol you see on a jazz…
“ Barry Harris Method “In the beginning God created the universe. For us, that means the chromatic scale.” — Barry Harris How the Chromatic Scale Gave Birth to All of Jazz Harmony A different way to “see” music — how 12 notes generate the whole of jazz harmony through Barry Harris’s Family Chords. JazzTeaching.gr ·…
On Language & Learning “When you understand the language of instruction, you stop translating — and start playing.” — Christos Mastrogiannidis, JazzTeaching.gr Most Greek-speaking jazz piano students begin the same way: they sign up for an English-language platform, work through the lessons diligently, and still feel like something isn’t clicking. The problem isn’t the material…