12 Key Improvisation Ideas For Piano: Just 1 Scale 7 Notes!
K-Pop, Early Classical Music, Contemporary Christian Praise Hymns, Folk Tunes, New Age Piano, Country & Western Music: When it comes to improvisation, what do these genres have in common? Hint: Musicians will often sound “right in the pocket” by creating solos made up of just 7 notes (using only 1 scale) over the entire tune! …
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3 Easy Tips: Playing With Minor Chords
Bored with that minor chord? Don’t be! Making music in minor keys can be quite exhilarating with these 3 fun and easy tips. All you need is a bit of time to move around on a minor chord – then you can add colorful sounds to your arrangement. The next 3 videos explain everything to …
8 Ways to Play 4 Notes: If I Had You (solo piano ideas)
If I Had You (1929) is a cute YOUtune that can be played various tempos; I chose to arrange it with a slow swinging ‘saunter through the park’ feel. The tutorial part of this first video explores 8 different ways to harmonize the opening 4 chromatic melody notes in the main body of the tune. Watch …
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About Debbie Denke
Professional jazz pianist, author of several instructional books with audio for jazz/church/various styles of keyboard improvisation. Debbie Denke is a classically trained pianist with a passion for jazz improvisation and a dedicated teacher.
Add Jazz Pizazz To Holiday Hits: Play by Ear & Improvise Piano Tutorials
December is the perfect time of year to develop one’s ear training skills. We’ve been by saturated listening to Christmas & Holiday tunes playing all over the place since Halloween, and know those familiar jingles a jing-jing-jingling quite well by now, so well in fact we can’t seem to get them out of our heads! …
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Adding Chords to a Jazz Ballad: Skylark Tutorial
Ever wonder how jazz musicians come up with inspired chords when playing ballads? Reharmonization can be a fun experiment to try! Watch my video to find 3 ways to create a compelling bass line plus some sweet chord voicings to play under the melody of Hoagy Carmichael’s classic composition Skylark:
Aeolian King – Unlock Piano Improvisation
I’d like to share my most popular composition Aeolian King with you: It was created in about 20 minutes while waiting for a new piano student to arrive at my house, and is a very easy tune designed to free up improvisation for pianists. The trick is, you really can’t hit a bad sounding note if …
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Amazing Gifts
What makes an amazing gift? (1/6/16) There is delight in unwrapping a special surprise inside a colorful bag or ripping open wrapping paper decorated with ribbons and bows to uncover a thoughtful gift. Yet there are many priceless gifts that don’t cost a thing (except maybe time, talent, or kindness) which can mean so much …
An Experiment With ‘Rhythm Changes’ (Skeletons Dance at Midnight)
Ever wonder what would happen if you took Rhythm Changes and put them in a minor key? You just might get a spooky October surprise! First, let’s define “Rhythm Changes“. (It has nothing to do with a rhythm changing or any meaning close to that. This jazz musician term is simply a shortening of the phrase, ‘Play the …
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Arranging Tip for the Pianist’s Left Hand: Broken 10th & Variations
The Broken 10th device most likely got introduced during a Nocturne by composer Frédéric Chopin. It’s a very rich sounding accompaniment for the pianist’s left hand, made with only the root, 5th, and 3rd of a chord. (If you take the 3rd out of the middle of a close position triad and transpose it …
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