I love how it's down to business from the beginning. Nothing infuriates me more when you have to wait and wait listening to some one talking about nothing. A complete toss. Great stuff Michael..a total smorgasbord of info.
This guy is pouring out a wealth of knowledge to us for free. You have to wonder what inspires some people to click the thumbs down button. Such great instruction. Thank you for making it available to everyone!
when i was learning about modes in school, i remember always having trouble finding ways to apply them. this is very enlightening and simplifies the idea of soloing. it also really opens up my way of thinking about how much i can integrate into a jazz solo alongside a chord progression. being creative with modes and scales can create very nice and colorful sounds.
Some one that knows the real shit, done his homework, and is explaining, and using fantastic examples how to apply this stuff in your playing! I have BIG respect for you Micheal! Thanks you're doing a good thing!
Been playing jazz piano for 23 years, and I'm still learning and constantly humbled by its complexity, beauty and mathematical nature. Even if you don't listen to Jazz, how can one see this video and not appreciate it's awesomeness ? Just watching this makes me wanna get my piano tuned
Glad I found these videos. Good lesson. One thing I think bears mentioning to more inexperienced players is his use of running up and down the scales: I frequently advise people not to do this. I realize it's being used here to illustrate the harmonic concepts, but I would not dwell too long on the overlaying scales. Start coming up with some melodic ideas. That's what solos are (melodic ideas), they often derive from scales, but are not merely the scales themselves. Motivic development is a hallmark of great improvising. If you begin with some simple, short melodic ideas (just a couple to begin with), you can experiment with the harmonic concepts and begin to develop motive and rhythm as well. this kind of gets into a whole other area of development, and I'm not trying to start a new class in the comments, just an observation, and my reason for mentioning it. Thanks again for the video!
Very true Bob. Some of the best runs in a modality are things that cant be taught. They are born from the mind as to where the music is going. Some of the most complex scales or runs have such ridiculously wonderful timing, intervals, and note choice that I have spent my life mastering are just "otherwordly" if I may. Kit Watkins of Happy The Man comes instantly to mind.
I use to watch and listen to this video all the time back in the day! Glad to have stumbled on this video! Thanks! I understand way more than what I did back then.
The two chord thought process is amazing. What sounded so complicated initially became an "AHA" moment for me when I instead related it to two overlapping chords. Thanks for sharing!
Wow this was an excellent lesson. I play improv piano and play by ear which is all about trying to be creative and think outside the box. When he started saying think of it as two chords instead of getting all technical, damn. incredibly basic but powerful and something most wouldn't think of.
Mike just shared such a wealth of knowledge I have to watch this all the time. This is the most informative video I've ever seen. I've been copying other musicians for 23 years and although many non-musicians say I'm amazing, I don't agree because I can't improv. This video is the key to breaking me out of that pattern and start expressing my own personality through the piano for the first time in my life. I just didn't understand the beauty of the piano until recently and Mike was the catalyst.
The bi-chordal thing seems like something very cool to try out. Thanks. Also, I could tell instantly that you were playing on a Steinway, as your harp and red felt looks exactly like mine.
Ok, this shit is too advanced for me, but I do love it and it does drive me with excitement about learning and someday knowing how to play like this (I've been playing for a year haha). thnx!
I thought this song was In Ab. I really like your chord extensions! Never had any time or patience for modes. No time to think about it when improvising at any speed.
As a former professional composer and arranger, I have gradually learnt that there is only one way to climb the slippery slopes of jazz improvisation skills. I had to develop a love of sufferance. You have to practice many hours a day and visualize all sort of melodic and harmonic patterns before they become part of you for ever after. Michael's excellent presentation is helpful but making it part of your playing will take much time and effort.
this is fantastic, Michael, thank you! I'm guitarist..I like to develop my own arrangements of tunes, and improvise over them. A lot of the type of stuff you are doing here ( and explaining so well, I might add.), I have been playing by ear, and I have recently decided that I had better learn the names of things, and the name(s) of the concepts related to them. There are some new tidbits in here as well, that I had touched on ( i.e. poly chords..) and thought; "This sounds cool, but in no way can it be theoretically correct.." Now I see that it is, and that is very reassuring. I can't wait to learn more of what I used to think was very abstruse material. A word to the wise, esp. guitarists- If you want to really know this stuff on a high level, you MUST know where all the notes are on the guitar, and what their intervalic relations are. Thanks again, Michael, and great improvisations, by the way. Not only do you know your stuff, but you are a fantastic player!
Are you kidding me? I was right along with you in the beginning of that bichordal section, but once you dropped B Major on top of F7 I almost fell out of my seat. Awesome work, great food for thought. Thanks for posting!
OMGG! Ugh the dissonance and harmony is amazing! i love this video! I have this song on my electric piano on the demo feature. Thanks so much for this.
Excellent... Thanks for sharing your knowledge... The theory will really help me improvise... My right hand is way stronger than my left hand... I need to get my chord voicings down. I'm doing a lot of straight 1, 3, 5, 7 voicings. I need to get those open or shell voicings down... Thanks again for this! Please do many more...
I just love going over chords to the point that it seems impossible to not sound creative. That lovely feeling where it's stuck in your head and you can go to work doing everything with grace and style lol
Great stuff! How about a video on how to create rhythmic movement in the left hand without (as you do in this video), walking a bass line? What chord tones are played in the lower and higher portion of the left hand reach; not just static voicings? Thanks!
You're right and I stand corrected! I'm wracking my brain to remember which famous pianist's hands were small-ish with rather stubby fingers. I'll be back when I can find that artist, but I remember, years ago, being surprised to see that. Thanks for the correction! :-)
You know what...you're freakin' awesome! Thank you for breaking stuff apart to see it more clearly! I'm a bassist and I just picked up some great tips! Thanks again!
Truly informative. Quick question though referring to your bi-chordal section...would you recommend that the chording instruments voice the tritone triads you used in soloing before a musician used them?
I enjoyed this. Thanks. Frequently put it on [pause] went over to the piano to follow what he was doing. I remember seeing the name - Michael Wolf - I think it was, anyway - accompanying Carly Simon in one of her 1990's standard CD's. Think it was "My Romance. Dunno if of of the same. Do you have a series of these?
one of the best posting ever on jazz! just 9min55 to change my play. I am going to subscribe I am going to apply it to stella by starlight and see how it sound
superb video. Best of it´s kind IMHO. With respect to the solo line concept around 2.07, what are the best practice patterns/exercises to get that concept down? Many thanks!
Thanx 4 the lesson Michael. Lot of upper structure triads at the end. I'm not that fluid yet. I'm not sure how you get that much music out of a simple triad. That might be a good lesson. :)
Yeah nice. I have used the chord a tone below in the right hand which makes 11 chords but loving the #11 chords by playing a tone above that's real nice. I love the chromatic notes in solos but i can never pull them off. Any suggestions??
just roll your hand from the bottom root note to the 10th on top. You can't stretch that far, maybe, but you can roll your hand and hit the 10th just a fraction of a second after the bottom note. Hit the 5th in the middle on the way up to the 10th. So, you'll hit 3 notes in sequence very quickly and it'll be fine.
You don't have to stretch & literally spread all the way to the extensions. The 9th is the 2nd...a 13th is a 6th, etc. Oscar Peterson had smallish hands & short fingers.
You are an excellent teacher! I'm tired of trying to find someone who explains everything related to voicings. Could you help me understand the voicing concepts?
You've just told the story of my life in 2 videos...most of my achievements in here xd i would rate those videos as "THE BEST TUTORIALS FOR A JAZZ MUSICIAN!!!"
Hi ! This is just my opinion but I think that typically, you can rely on the modal approach, which is quite simple to apply on a tune like Autumn Leaves that is (almost) in one tonality (Bb major). For exemple, for the Eb^ chord, it's the fourth degree of the Bb major scale. It means you can relate to the Eb lydian mode, so your extensions will be 9, #11 and 13. It gives you a F7 chord (if you add Eb as a 7). But you have the possibiliy to alterate some notes of those chord, like in the modal approach. I'm not really sure that is clear, or even right. To me, the modal approach is quite clear and interresting when you have a main and lasting chord, like in "So What", because you can easily alterate and play with the notes outside the chords and in fact rely on different modes of your choice. But when you have a chord progression in one tonality, I don't really see how you can distinguish the fact that you use a tonal approach (without tone modulation) with the fact that playing strictly on the modes based on the degrees would allow you to use only 7 different notes. Even when you have tone modulation during your tune, most of the times, you're able to find out what the new tonality is and so, could "rigidely" apply modal concept (but you don't have to). That's why, in my opinion, bi-chord comes from the modal approach and so they're strongly linked. Their rigide application gives the same notes and same kind of the same colour, but if you start alterating some notes and playing more freely, it becomes another story...
gud day! can you give me a transcription of the harmonic systems which particularly played a double-chords combination for both hands.thanks....bryan carnicer
I love how it's down to business from the beginning. Nothing infuriates me more when you have to wait and wait listening to some one talking about nothing.
A complete toss.
Great stuff Michael..a total smorgasbord of info.
Michael Wolff is one of the BEST piano tutors whom I have ever viewed.
I am also of the opinion that this is one of the best jazz lessons on RUclips.
This guy is pouring out a wealth of knowledge to us for free. You have to wonder what inspires some people to click the thumbs down button.
Such great instruction. Thank you for making it available to everyone!
Jealousy
arrogance
dont pay attention to the thumbs down. it doesnt mean anything on youtube..
***** it's a hip way nowadays to show appreciation the hipster way. thumbs down man. fuck authority. yknow? NOPE.
The world is full of retards !
You kept it short and simple and clarified the use of modes and upper triads better than many a book I've bough and read. Many thanks.
Thanks for taking the time Michael, you are obviously a great pianist. Nice of you to take the time to do this. Thanks again.
when i was learning about modes in school, i remember always having trouble finding ways to apply them. this is very enlightening and simplifies the idea of soloing. it also really opens up my way of thinking about how much i can integrate into a jazz solo alongside a chord progression. being creative with modes and scales can create very nice and colorful sounds.
Some one that knows the real shit, done his homework, and is explaining, and using fantastic examples how to apply this stuff in your playing! I have BIG respect for you Micheal! Thanks you're doing a good thing!
Been playing jazz piano for 23 years, and I'm still learning and constantly humbled by its complexity, beauty and mathematical nature. Even if you don't listen to Jazz, how can one see this video and not appreciate it's awesomeness ? Just watching this makes me wanna get my piano tuned
Glad I found these videos. Good lesson. One thing I think bears mentioning to more inexperienced players is his use of running up and down the scales: I frequently advise people not to do this. I realize it's being used here to illustrate the harmonic concepts, but I would not dwell too long on the overlaying scales. Start coming up with some melodic ideas. That's what solos are (melodic ideas), they often derive from scales, but are not merely the scales themselves. Motivic development is a hallmark of great improvising. If you begin with some simple, short melodic ideas (just a couple to begin with), you can experiment with the harmonic concepts and begin to develop motive and rhythm as well. this kind of gets into a whole other area of development, and I'm not trying to start a new class in the comments, just an observation, and my reason for mentioning it. Thanks again for the video!
Very true Bob. Some of the best runs in a modality are things that cant be taught. They are born from the mind as to where the music is going. Some of the most complex scales or runs have such ridiculously wonderful timing, intervals, and note choice that I have spent my life mastering are just "otherwordly" if I may. Kit Watkins of Happy The Man comes instantly to mind.
This is just...awesome. These are practical concepts that can be immediately applied. I am indebted and so are so many other musicians, I'm sure.
I use to watch and listen to this video all the time back in the day! Glad to have stumbled on this video! Thanks! I understand way more than what I did back then.
Thank you so much for this, when you started hitting the modal improv it was like hearing lightening shoot out of the piano
The two chord thought process is amazing. What sounded so complicated initially became an "AHA" moment for me when I instead related it to two overlapping chords. Thanks for sharing!
Wow this was an excellent lesson. I play improv piano and play by ear which is all about trying to be creative and think outside the box. When he started saying think of it as two chords instead of getting all technical, damn. incredibly basic but powerful and something most wouldn't think of.
This video changed my life...
I've never felt so much freedom while improvising....
Mike just shared such a wealth of knowledge I have to watch this all the time. This is the most informative video I've ever seen. I've been copying other musicians for 23 years and although many non-musicians say I'm amazing, I don't agree because I can't improv. This video is the key to breaking me out of that pattern and start expressing my own personality through the piano for the first time in my life. I just didn't understand the beauty of the piano until recently and Mike was the catalyst.
Excellent and informative video! Thanks for sharing,
This is a real serious Jazz piano playing analysis, that covers a lot and can help a lot! Thanks :--)
The bi-chordal thing seems like something very cool to try out. Thanks.
Also, I could tell instantly that you were playing on a Steinway, as your harp and red felt looks exactly like mine.
Utterly brilliant. Especially love the bichordal stuff where we're breaking into hybrid key signatures.
Gracias por subir estos videos, no conocía a Michael Wolff, sus lecciones son excelentes
old videos are always gold, for some reason
Ok, this shit is too advanced for me, but I do love it and it does drive me with excitement about learning and someday knowing how to play like this (I've been playing for a year haha). thnx!
I thought this song was In Ab. I really like your chord extensions! Never had any time or patience for modes. No time to think about it when improvising at any speed.
As a former professional composer and arranger, I have gradually learnt that there is only one way to climb the slippery slopes of jazz improvisation skills. I had to develop a love of sufferance. You have to practice many hours a day and visualize all sort of melodic and harmonic patterns before they become part of you for ever after. Michael's excellent presentation is helpful but making it part of your playing will take much time and effort.
GREAT VIDEO, I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THIS GUY, SEEMS LIKE A GENUINE PERSON AND GREAT TEACHER
Thanks for this awesome yet easy to understand lesson. Means a lot to self learner(beginners) like myself.
I'd never seen this before! Gold, pure gold! thank you!
Michael, this is REALLY good lesson. Thank you so much. I need to work more on dexterity, but it's so nice to have infinate options of creation.
SNAP!!! Im exactly the same. Watching these kind of videos is very inspiring but also makes us amateurs release how little we know.
How generous of Michael Wolff to give us a treasure trove of musical info for free.
this is fantastic, Michael, thank you! I'm guitarist..I like to develop my own arrangements of tunes, and improvise over them. A lot of the type of stuff you are doing here ( and explaining so well, I might add.), I have been playing by ear, and I have recently decided that I had better learn the names of things, and the name(s) of the concepts related to them. There are some new tidbits in here as well, that I had touched on ( i.e. poly chords..) and thought; "This sounds cool, but in no way can it be theoretically correct.." Now I see that it is, and that is very reassuring. I can't wait to learn more of what I used to think was very abstruse material. A word to the wise, esp. guitarists- If you want to really know this stuff on a high level, you MUST know where all the notes are on the guitar, and what their intervalic relations are. Thanks again, Michael, and great improvisations, by the way. Not only do you know your stuff, but you are a fantastic player!
Are you kidding me? I was right along with you in the beginning of that bichordal section, but once you dropped B Major on top of F7 I almost fell out of my seat. Awesome work, great food for thought. Thanks for posting!
OMGG! Ugh the dissonance and harmony is amazing! i love this video! I have this song on my electric piano on the demo feature. Thanks so much for this.
Those bitonal sounds at the end were totally badass! A major on a Bb major 7 ends up sounding like Ritchie Beirach.
Great systematic and mathematical explanation. Opens eyes, thanks!
You are a very good teacher. Thank you for your posts.
Excellent... Thanks for sharing your knowledge... The theory will really help me improvise... My right hand is way stronger than my left hand... I need to get my chord voicings down. I'm doing a lot of straight 1, 3, 5, 7 voicings. I need to get those open or shell voicings down... Thanks again for this! Please do many more...
I just love going over chords to the point that it seems impossible to not sound creative. That lovely feeling where it's stuck in your head and you can go to work doing everything with grace and style lol
Great stuff! How about a video on how to create rhythmic movement in the left hand without (as you do in this video), walking a bass line? What chord tones are played in the lower and higher portion of the left hand reach; not just static voicings? Thanks!
You're right and I stand corrected! I'm wracking my brain to remember which famous pianist's hands were small-ish with rather stubby fingers. I'll be back when I can find that artist, but I remember, years ago, being surprised to see that. Thanks for the correction! :-)
Michel Petrucciani?
Vince Guaraldi?
high level... and a great music talent.
it has always mystified me how pianist comp under a soloist; especially themselves. Thanks 4 posting this
I love this blokes playing..and i love this tutorial too..excellent.
You know what...you're freakin' awesome! Thank you for breaking stuff apart to see it more clearly! I'm a bassist and I just picked up some great tips! Thanks again!
The best lesson on you tube period. Thanks alot...Im lost but this will help.
Mike I heard you in Baltimore with Johnny Griffin ,years ago. You were really playing. Good to see you!
This song sets jazz in its essence. for me is the best jazz music in the world.
I wouldnt watch your video without saying thanks for all you share.
like ur way explaining....great.. grande Mr. Wolff!!!!!
excellent ideas and explanation...it all makes sense...greatly appreciated...thanks!
Gotta love Michael Wolff!
Truly informative. Quick question though referring to your bi-chordal section...would you recommend that the chording instruments voice the tritone triads you used in soloing before a musician used them?
Excellent concepts, some very serious playing. Thanks for posting - looking forward to more!
Absolutely brilliant.
I enjoyed this. Thanks. Frequently put it on [pause] went over to the piano to follow what he was doing. I remember seeing the name - Michael Wolf - I think it was, anyway - accompanying Carly Simon in one of her 1990's standard CD's. Think it was "My Romance. Dunno if of of the same. Do you have a series of these?
one of the best posting ever on jazz! just 9min55 to change my play. I am going to subscribe I am going to apply it to stella by starlight and see how it sound
superb video. Best of it´s kind IMHO. With respect to the solo line concept around 2.07, what are the best practice patterns/exercises to get that concept down? Many thanks!
This man is quite competent. Pretty good teacher too.
Great Tutorial! Bless you. Thanks for sharing
That was very clear, and very musical. Thank you.
Great lesson! Thanks for posting! This'll get me werking on my improv!
Please make more videos!
Thanx 4 the lesson Michael. Lot of upper structure triads at the end. I'm not that fluid yet. I'm not sure how you get that much music out of a simple triad. That might be a good lesson. :)
Fast but very nice instructional video. Thanks Michael....
Finally someone doing stuff on here properly. :-)
Wow. In these two videos I found out what I was hearing in my head but didn't know how to play!! Stand back everybody!
dayum you are good! right nao im majoring in classical music but i wanna learn something different and this is really amazing
Merci pour partager ces petits secrets simplement et efficacement expliquées.
Yeah nice. I have used the chord a tone below in the right hand which makes 11 chords but loving the #11 chords by playing a tone above that's real nice. I love the chromatic notes in solos but i can never pull them off. Any suggestions??
Love how you swing... would you be able to offer any advice? Can't seem to get it right.
just roll your hand from the bottom root note to the 10th on top. You can't stretch that far, maybe, but you can roll your hand and hit the 10th just a fraction of a second after the
bottom note. Hit the 5th in the middle on the way up to the 10th. So, you'll hit 3 notes in sequence very quickly and it'll be fine.
really enjoyed this presentation....quite usefu!
great stuff!!! Very helpful! Any room for whole tone scales? Always seem to add a nice colour to a solo
Bravo Michael!
Nice! Good review, plus I never though about playing two chords on top of each other. Thanks!
I never can play these since my maximum physical reach is one octave. I'm so envious of you guys that can reach like 14 or 15 semitones.
You don't have to stretch & literally spread all the way to the extensions. The 9th is the 2nd...a 13th is a 6th, etc. Oscar Peterson had smallish hands & short fingers.
pyannaguy Are you kidding me? His hands were huge.
yea ,definately need these lessons for the intermediate to advance players...keep it up man definately subscribing...
thank you dear Michael Wolff his class is extremely didactic and unfortunately not everyone has a reasoning as well rapidon big hug Tadeu Santos!!
excellent! the lesson and right example i was looking for. excellent explanation really. thanks.
Falling leaves! I love that song :)
You are an excellent teacher! I'm tired of trying to find someone who explains everything related to voicings. Could you help me understand the voicing concepts?
Fantastic information. Thanks
You've just told the story of my life in 2 videos...most of my achievements in here xd i would rate those videos as "THE BEST TUTORIALS FOR A JAZZ MUSICIAN!!!"
Superb information! Thanks!
Okay now he's starting to get brilliant . Very Slick .
Wow.. you really talented and nice video
Just plain sick! ARSENIO NEEDS YOU BACK!!!!!
I have a question on the 3rd 'Bi-chord' concept. How exactly do you choose these different chords that you play over the original chords?
Hi ! This is just my opinion but I think that typically, you can rely on the modal approach, which is quite simple to apply on a tune like Autumn Leaves that is (almost) in one tonality (Bb major).
For exemple, for the Eb^ chord, it's the fourth degree of the Bb major scale. It means you can relate to the Eb lydian mode, so your extensions will be 9, #11 and 13. It gives you a F7 chord (if you add Eb as a 7). But you have the possibiliy to alterate some notes of those chord, like in the modal approach.
I'm not really sure that is clear, or even right. To me, the modal approach is quite clear and interresting when you have a main and lasting chord, like in "So What", because you can easily alterate and play with the notes outside the chords and in fact rely on different modes of your choice.
But when you have a chord progression in one tonality, I don't really see how you can distinguish the fact that you use a tonal approach (without tone modulation) with the fact that playing strictly on the modes based on the degrees would allow you to use only 7 different notes.
Even when you have tone modulation during your tune, most of the times, you're able to find out what the new tonality is and so, could "rigidely" apply modal concept (but you don't have to).
That's why, in my opinion, bi-chord comes from the modal approach and so they're strongly linked. Their rigide application gives the same notes and same kind of the same colour, but if you start alterating some notes and playing more freely, it becomes another story...
So anything used to add color (i.e. 9th, 11th or 13th) might be played predominantly in the right hand?
Nice lecture!
Good stuff thanks for sharing
Baaically summed up my months of jazz piano lesson in 10 minutes
gud day!
can you give me a transcription of the harmonic systems which particularly played a double-chords combination for both hands.thanks....bryan carnicer
So awesome!
Great stuff mike !
are there for instance some intervals that always work, playing the same type of chord above the original chord?
in the part 2 of the video, how does he know what kinds of scales he should play in during the different chords? whats the system for knowing this?
Exelente aula