Tag: improvisation

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Ways To Play “A Time For Love”

The gorgeous Johnny Mandel composition A Time For Love may be played in a variety of ways. The day I heard Emmet Cohen’s exquisite performance of this tune I became transfixed, not only with transcribing his dynamic cadenza/coda, but also took a deep dive into what he and other artists did with this tune, eventually combining ideas into my own version of A Time For Love. Let’s go down the rabbit hole to explore some favorite harmonic options!

The next step of this  journey led to finding a chart in a collection of tunes called, The Standards Real Book (Sher Publications). The tune is printed in the key of F Major -same key played by the Emmet Cohen Trio – although this standard is often performed by other musicians in the key of Bb. While the Sher book is a terrific resource for tunes, chords, and lyrics, just about every jazz pianist (myself included), likes to add their own harmony and personalize their arrangements, at least a little. So I set out to change up a few chords and create some flowing bass lines in a few places, and gave the ballad a solo piano approach, instead of the book’s suggested Double X Samba treatment!

Watch this tutorial to explore several options. Worksheets are printable under the “Downloads” column on this website. I’ve written out solo piano voicings for a few tricky areas which differ from Sher’s lead sheet suggestions:

Take a listen to my version complete with improvised intro & solo section, with a coda/cadenza inspired by Emmet Cohen Trio Live in Warsaw April 2023 performance. Note: If I get enough positive reacations and requests I just might share my transcription of EC’s hauntingly beautiful ending…;-)

Check out the links below my video to hear musicians who each did amazing performances of this timeless love song, and enjoy!

Key of F: Pianist Emmet Cohen, bassist Philip Norris, and drummer Kyle Poole:    • Emmet Cohen Trio | “A Time For Love” … (Emmet Cohen Trio Live Warsaw Second Set April 2023)  

Barry Harris: Key of Bb:                                                                                                                 • Barry Harris Trio (Live At Dug) – A T…   (Barry Harris Live at Dug 1995)   

Roy Hargrove Key of Bb: (Opening uses the note F in the bass)                                • ROY HARGROVE  –  A Time For Love   (Roy Hargrove Quintet Live At The New Morning July 2007)  

Bill Evans begins in Key of D, then transitions to Bb:                                                      • Transcripción: A time for love por Bi…   (Bill Evans Transcription Nacho Stoppani 2016)   

Tony Bennett sings in Key of Bb: It’s wise to hear the lyrics if a tune has them. Hear how Tony Bennett emotes the poetic lyrics by Paul Francis Webster        • A Time For Love   (Tony Bennett Sony with orchestra 1966)

 

 

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Jam Session 101: 22 Dos & Don’ts

A jam session can be a great way to gain performing experience. Plus, if you play it right, you’ll be introduced to other musicians who may want to work with you someday! Ready to go onstage, meet and play music with others?

Be aware that certain sit-in behaviors can influence your reputation in a positive way, while others may be highly off-putting. Of course, sounding good on your instrument matters, but it’s not the entire story!

Learn the unspoken (yet understood by the pros) protocol tips for sitting in: Continue reading “Jam Session 101: 22 Dos & Don’ts”

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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!

For the above genres of music (including certain even eighth note Jazz & Gospel styles), the 7 notes of the major key center scale work well for improvising over the whole piece. It’s an easy concept to keep in mind that may enhance your solos (without having to think of too many confusing options), so you can focus on building nice melodic lines with rhythmic variety. When we build solos upon one scale it’s called playing diatonically – which can sound good, provided the tune’s harmony doesn’t stray far from the home key. Continue reading “12 Key Improvisation Ideas For Piano: Just 1 Scale 7 Notes!”

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Notes To Choose For a 12 Bar Blues (Easy RH Improvisation Tips)

By popular request I filmed this tutorial exploring my easy go-to ideas a pianist may play over a medium-up tempo jazz blues in the key of F:

The original tutorial shown below was meant to be simply a lesson on a LH device called The Bud Powell Shell. Many of you then asked if I could share what RH “licks” I was using on my video, Improvising 28 Bars of Blues.  Continue reading “Notes To Choose For a 12 Bar Blues (Easy RH Improvisation Tips)”

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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! So you may as well face the music and do something creative with these tunes as long as you are hearing them over and over, right? Continue reading “Add Jazz Pizazz To Holiday Hits: Play by Ear & Improvise Piano Tutorials”

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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 up an octave it is now called the 10th.) Pianists with large enough hands may be able to play the 10th solidly as a chord, but those with smaller hands fear not – the video below shows 2 handed “cheating” ways to play walking 10ths, plus some lovely ways to break up 10th chords in a variety of rhythmic patterns. Continue reading “Arranging Tip for the Pianist’s Left Hand: Broken 10th & Variations”

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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 start exploring the ideas. Apply the following tips to a tune of your choice in a minor key, or choose a piece which has a minor chord lasting 2 bars or longer. You may also elect to work on the many song suggestions demonstrated in the body of these tutorial videos: Continue reading “3 Easy Tips: Playing With Minor Chords”

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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 same chords (aka the changes) that George & Ira Gershwin used for their popular tune, I Got Rhythm’. Knowing how to improvise over Rhythm Changes (especially in the key of Bb), is an expected part of every jazz musician’s repertoire, next in line after being able to improvise over the 12 bar blues form. Continue reading “An Experiment With ‘Rhythm Changes’ (Skeletons Dance at Midnight)”

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Got The Blues? Tips on How To Play a Slow Blues in G

It’s over 100º outside, we are all getting a bit bored with “socially distancing”, and let’s face it – today is a great day to learn to play a very slow, hot, blues.

This tutorial came together after giving several of my online piano students tips on the basic 12 bar blues, common blues endings/turnarounds, typical jazz blues substitutions – plus my “covid bubble hubby” music partner and I had just performed a live Zoom concert from our home studio to friends’ living rooms across the country in their own “covid bubbles.” Continue reading “Got The Blues? Tips on How To Play a Slow Blues in G”

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