JAZZ PIANO ESSENTIALS

The Beginner’s
Jazz Piano
Workbook
The essential jazz theory, chord voicings, and
practice drills for beginner jazz piano students.
Let me introduce
myself
I created this workbook to

help students visualize the key

theory milestones for begin-

ner jazz piano studies.

It’s important to understand

that the word ‘beginner‘ does

not mean ‘easy‘. The theory

presented here will take time

and patience to truly master.

This workbook contains

theory guidance, practice
planners, and lesson sam-
I’m Hayden, Founder of PianoGroove.
ples from our most popular
beginner courses.
I’m a passionate jazz pianist and edu-
cator with over 25 years’ experience
This structured guide caters
performing and teaching music.
for new jazz students and
will also help experienced
As the director of PianoGroove - the
students to fill in the gaps
web’s leading jazz piano e-learning
in their theoretical under-
community - I’ve helped thousands of
standing of jazz theory.
aspiring musicians elevate their skills
through the power of remote learning.
So, let’s get started...

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Workbook Contents
Our beginner courses are designed to be studied simultaneously. The theory is
inter related and it will provide a sense of progression to see how the founda-
tional material is applied and developed in the subsequent courses.

This workbook includes lesson samples from 3 PianoGroove courses:

1. Chapter
Jazz Piano Foundations
Learn the foundational pillars of jazz including
scales, triads, 7th chords, & the 251 progression.

2. Chapter
Extended Chord Voicings
Discover the rich and lush sound of extended
chord voicings; A hallmark of the jazz style.

3. Chapter
Altered Harmony & USTs
Simplify your thought process with simple for-
mulas to unlock sophisticated jazz harmonies.

4. Chapter
Practice Plans & Guidance
Follow our step-by-step practice planners to
add structure to your jazz piano practice.

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 1.
Jazz Piano
Foundations

Major Scales: Building From The Ground Up

When starting out with jazz piano we must learn and memorise basic
chord structures, in particular 3-note triads and 7 th chords.

Fortunately, this information exists within the major scale. Learning the
12 major scales numerically provides the ‘blueprint’ from which we can
then construct basic chords and jazz chord progressions.

Let’s take a closer look at the numerics of the C major scale:

The first step is to learn the 12 major scales and assign a number to
each scale degree (1-2-3-4-5-6-7) instead of the note names.

This number system helps us to find triads, 7 th chords, 251 progres-

sions, and also simplifies the process of transposing chord voicings
and musical ideas between the different keys.

The lessons on the following page will teach you the basic chords
and progressions needed to progress at jazz piano. Ensure that you
are also studying the jazz standard arrangements so that you un-
derstand how the theory is applied in the context of songs.

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Essential Drills
Jazz Piano
Foundations Foundations
Course: Key Learning Outcomes
The essential theory and drills to master the foundations of jazz piano.

Major & Minor Triads

Visualize major & minor triad shapes

Major & minor triad arpeggios & inversions

Augmented & diminished triad construction

5 Types of 7th Chords

Extend the triad to create 4-note chord structures

Learn the 5 most common types of 7th chord

Understand their role and usage in jazz harmony

3-Note 251 Progression

The most basic variation of the 251 progression

Visualize the voice leading of 7ths falling to 3rds

Create strong foundations for the next courses

Your First Jazz Standard

Apply 3-note spread voicings to the tune “Georgia“

Learn the most basic way to harmonize a lead sheet

We also touch upon upcoming theory and concepts

Step-by-step theory lessons & beginner jazz standard arrangements

Click to learn more...

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 2.
Extended Chords
& Voicings

From Basic to Brilliant: Mastering Chord Extensions

Extended chords create richer and more sophisticated sounds than
triads and 7 th chords and they are used extensively in solo jazz piano.

There are 3 possible chord extensions: the 9 th, the 11 th, and the 13 th. We
access these tones by extending a chord beyond the 7 th note of the
scale. Let’s now explore the upper extensions for a C major chord:

Starting on the left we have a C triad which contains the scale tones
R-3-5. We add the 7 th degree to create a C major 7 chord (R-3-5-7). In
the final 3 bars we have Cmaj9, Cmaj11, and Cmaj13 with basic voicings.
Watch the lessons on the next page for full explanations on extensions.

Voicings, voicings, and more voicings!

A chord voicing refers to how we arrange the notes of a chord. As jazz
musicians we are always learning new voicings. Here are 4 extended
voicings for an F minor 11 chord that we explore in this course:

We start this course by exploring a range of extended chord voicings.

Next we play extended voicings in context of common progressions,
and finally apply the new voicings to a selection of jazz standards.

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Essential Drills
Extended Chords Voicings
Theory, drills, and exercises to build confidence with chord extensions.

Chord Extensions 9, 11, & 13

Where do chord extensions come from?

Extended voicings from stacked 3rd intervals

Voicings for major, minor, & dominant chords

The ‘So What‘ Chord Voicing

Understand voicings built from 4th intervals

Add a modern flavour to your chord voicings

From the iconic Miles Davis recording “So What“

Herbie Hancock Chord Voicing

A rich and lush extended chord voicing

How to apply extended chords to jazz standards

Named after the jazz pianist Herbie Hancock

The Extended 251 Drill

The most important drill for chord extensions

Clean voice leading for 251 progressions

Sets the foundation to learn altered jazz harmony

Download PDF notation & worksheets for all lessons & exercises.
Click to learn more...

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 3.
Altered Harmony
& Upper Structures

Breaking the Mold: Jazz Chord Alterations & Beyond

An alteration is when we raise or lower the chord extensions 9, 11, & 13.
Alterations are mainly applied to dominant chords and are used to
add beautiful colors, textures, and tensions to our chord progressions.

There are 4 possible chord alterations, here they are for a C7 chord:

The 4 possible alterations are: b 9, # 9, #11, and b 13. Watch the 1st lesson
on the next page where we apply these sounds to the 251 progression.

Upper Structure Triad Voicings (USTs)

An upper structure triad (UST) is when we superimpose a triad above a
dominant 7 th chord shell. We cover 4 useful UST formulas in this course:

My view is that students of all levels should work on upper structure

triad theory. Download the Upper Structure Triad Cheat Sheet which
contains the 4 UST formulas that we must learn and memorise.

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Essential Drills
Altered Harmony & USTs
Add sophisticated colors and textures to your chords and progressions.

251s with Alterations

Systematically introduce alterations into 251s

Learn to hear the ‘character‘ of each alteration

Combine alterations for a more complex sound

Targeting Single Alterations

Target specific alterations using arpeggios

Used to ‘fill in the space’ when playing tunes

Create color and tension in your playing

Upper Structure Triads

Learn the 4 most useful UST formulas

Understand the importance of the melody note

Apply these voicings to your favorite tunes

Apply To Jazz Standards

Apply USTs to the tune “The Nearness Of You“

Learn to use USTs as passing chords

Always keep the melody note in mind

Apply the theory and concepts in 100+ jazz standard tutorials

Click to learn more...

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Practice Guidance
This section details how to structure our practice time. A key feature of
the PianoGroove method is our focus on jazz standards allowing stu-
dents to play beautiful arrangements whilst studying the theory.

Let’s dive a little deeper into the specifics of practicing jazz piano:

How much time should we practice?

I recommend 2 hours per day as the optimal amount of practice time.
This can be split into 1 hour of theory drills, and 1 hour of jazz standards.

How to structure our practice time?

Our 1 hour of theory study can be subdivided into 4 x 15 minute chunks
where we focus on 4 specific theory areas. This avoids ‘noodling‘ and
ensures a structured and methodical approach to our theory practice.

How to use the practice planners?

Our practice planners contain 4 theory areas, each of which includes a
selection of different drills and exercises. You will also find a key chart
to make note of the keys that you have and haven’t practiced.

Practicing theory in all 12 keys is very important. I recommend that new

jazz piano students create groups of 3 or 4 keys to make the task more
manageable. With time you will be able to complete the drills in all 12
keys in the allocated 15 minutes.

I recommend a modular approach to our practice planners. Depend-

ing on your level, you can stick with 1 planner, or alternate the planners
on different days as the theory topics are inter related. This workbook
contains a monthly planner to map out and document your progress.

How to practice jazz standards?

I recommend the following 4 jazz standard courses for new students:

• ‘Misty’ - Cocktail Piano Improvisation

• ‘Georgia’ - Bluesy Stride For Beginners
• ‘Nearness Of You’ - Ballad Fills & Runs
• ‘Sentimental Mood’ - Minor Harmony & Improv

These step-by-step courses will teach you how to apply the theory in
context of tunes and give you motivation to complete the theory drills.

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Practice Planner
Jazz Piano Foundations Course
This 1 hour practice planner covers scales, triads, 7 th chords, and the
251 progression. When starting out, focus on 3 or 4 keys per session
and use the trackers to keep a log on the keys that you have practiced.

12 Major Scales (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Learn each scale over 2 octaves

C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• Assign numbers to the 7 notes

• Quiz yourself away from the piano Gb B E A D G

• ie. “what is the 6 th note of C major“

Triad Exercises (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Play major triad then minor triad
C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• Notice there is only 1 note difference

• Invert each triad over 2 octaves

Gb B E A D G
• Arpeggiate each triad: 2 octaves

7 th Chord Drills (15 minutes)

Keys Practiced

• Play 5 types of 7 th chord C F Bb Eb Ab Db

• Say the chord names aloud

• Try to visualize the 3 rds & 7 ths Gb B E A D G

• Play each key’s diatonic 7 th chords

251 Progressions (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Pay attention to 7 ths falling to 3 rds

C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• Practice both Type A and Type B

• Drill around the circle of 5ths Gb B E A D G

• Drill around the whole step pattern

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Practice Planner
Extended Chords & Voicings
This 1 hour practice planner covers useful extended chord voicings
and drills to familiarize yourself with 9 ths, 11 ths, 13 ths, and the extended 251
progression. Aim to practice all 12 keys evenly and keep a log below.

9 th Voicing Drills (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Play major 9 th in all 12 keys

C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• Play minor 9 th in all 12 keys

• Drill both open and closed position Gb B E A D G

• Drill around the circle of fifths

Stacked 3 rd Drills (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Major chords stacked up to 13 th
C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• Minor chord stacked up to 13 th

• Dominant chord stacked up to 13 th

Gb B E A D G
• Drill around the circle of fifths

Extended 251 Drill (15 minutes)

Keys Practiced

• ii-9 to V13 to Imaj9 - in all 12 keys C F Bb Eb Ab Db

• Say scale degrees for V13 chords

• Drill around circle of fifths Gb B E A D G

• Drill around the whole step pattern

Stride Extended 251 (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Extended 251 drill in stride style

C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• Left hand bass and rootless voicing

• Practice around the circle of fifths Gb B E A D G

• Drill around the whole step pattern

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 Practice Planner
Altered Chord Voicings & USTs
This 1 hour practice planner includes drills and exercises to help you
visualize chord alterations and how to incorporate them into chord
progressions. The final 2 drills introduce upper structure triad voicings.

251s with b9s & b13s (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Extended 251 with V13b9 chord C F Bb Eb Ab Db

• Extended 251 with V7b13 chord

• Drill both open and closed position Gb B E A D G

• Circle of 5ths + whole step pattern

Targeting the #11 (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• Target the #11 using arpeggios
C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• Resolve the #11 or keep the tension

• Drill around the circle of fifths

Gb B E A D G
• Drill around the whole step pattern

US2 & US6 Drills (15 minutes)

Keys Practiced

• US-II & US-VI share the natural 13 C F Bb Eb Ab Db

• ii-9 to V13b9 to Imaj9 - in all 12 keys

• ii-9 to V13#11 to Imaj9 - in all 12 keys Gb B E A D G

• Circle of 5ths + whole step pattern

US#4 & US#5 Drills (15 minutes) Keys Practiced

• ii-9 to V7b9#11 to Imaj9 - all 12 keys

C F Bb Eb Ab Db
• ii-9 to V7#5#9 to Imaj9 - all 12 keys

• Drill around the circle of fifths Gb B E A D G

• Drill around the whole step pattern

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Monthly Planner
Use this planner to track your progress and ensure that you are revisiting
the drills and exercises on a regular basis. For each practice session, write
the name of the practice plan on the day that you completed the exercises.

Month:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.
22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.
29. 30. 31.
Month’s Goals Practice Notes

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 What our students are saying :

Pianogroove is an excellent resource if you want to learn jazz piano. The lessons are
clear and well structured to suit various levels of ability. There is plenty of advice and
additional help available. The downloadable resources are excellent.
- Clifford

The courses are very well structured and thorough. The supporting materials, such as
PDF downloads, are very detailed and useful. The live seminars and community forums
add to the learning experience. Excellent site.
- Humberto

Top notch, insightful and unpretentious lessons, with rapid and thorough support and
response. I appreciate the time spent and patience demonstrated by all the instructors.
- Mike

The courses are clearly and progressively explained and they are well documented
(practice tips, downloadable resources, etc.). The possibility to slow down (or speed up)
the videos is also a great functionality. The site is very well organized and user friendly.
- Pascal

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