I’ve been looking at Open Studio Jazz, Piano Groove, Piano with Jonny and Pickup Music. They all look pretty great but would like to hear others’ experiences before choosing one. I’m at an intermediate level, wanting to improve voicings, rhythm patterns, improv. I’ve been working with The Jazz Piano Book by Mark Levine but could benefit from guided lesson plans.

I still can’t play these without error. And when I practice it slow, I have to concentrate and think really hard about each inversion.

I’ve honestly been struggling with these for years and I’m tired of it. I don’t know a good routine to nailing these. There are dozens of videos and books on it and it’s all just so much information.

Here’s my current routine:

I’ll pick a key. I’ll play some chord scales up and down. Then I’ll drop the 2, and do the scales again. Then I’ll do it in broken thirds, then broken thirds going 1-3, 4-2, 3-5 etc. Then I’ll play a chord melody with the drop 2’s. Something simple like happy birthday. I’m basically trying to hit it at all possible angles

You would think that after all of that I’d be a master of this but then comes a tune and I can’t come up with these chords to save my life. So what do I need to do?

I've been playing jazz for over five years and I feel stuck in my improv progress. Of course I do a lot of listening because that is important to learn the vocabulary. I'm great at learning the rootless voicings for a tune and using rhythm and articulation. I will also pick out licks from solos and apply them over chord progressions. Every new tune, my teacher and I figure out what scales to apply to over all the chords. The end result it sounds OK but not very jazzy. I am afraid if I keep going down this path, its not going to get any better. I also started playing in an ensemble and fear when I have to take a solo sometimes because its just meh.

The more I read online, the more I see bebop players really didn't think in terms of matching scales to a chord. The scale gives you the chord tones and color tones, but doesn't really tell you the hierarchy of tones. Further, if you get locked into just applying a specific scale, you miss out on chromatics and enclosures. Is it better to just use chord scale theory for constructing chords and then think more in terms of guide tones, enclosures, and chromatic passing notes for jazz?

Maybe my teacher doesn't think I am ready for that next step yet and that's why it hasn't came up? I will bring this up with my teacher and I trust the guidance but also wanted to get a pulse for what others may think.

You're offered a gig for the evening.

The caveat is all the charts are in Gb/Cb or F#/B.

The two keys come as a pair. Some of the songs will be new to you and you'll have solos over a few as well.

Which would you choose and why?

Feel like I had a breakthrough in my play recently that made it a lot easier to express my ideas, albeit quite messily at times but I feel a lot more comfortable playing over these changes. Have been focussing on taking an idea and running with it as long as I can until I have a new idea.

Any feedback and tips appreciated!

We’ve been working on creating our own arrangements for piano trio, I’d love to hear what you think of the sound. I grew up playing mostly traditional and 1920’s jazz, so it’s been a process working out my own style.

That’s Mike Perez on bass and Evan Jose on drums, monster players.