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Exercises

Week 2 Exercises
You can record your own playing using a variety of different programs or apps. For this course, I particularly recommend Soundcloud.

  • Soundcloud is a free service but you will need to create an account, if you don’t have one already.
  • Once you have logged in, you can upload your recording.
  • To link your recording to those from other learners on the course use the tag #FLjazzpiano when filling in the Basic Info tab and post a link in the course comments area.

Week 2 Exercises

In each of the three exercises below, play five choruses of “Things Ain’t What They Used To Be”, in the middle of the piano (if possible, otherwise an octave higher):

  • First Chorus: Play tune
  • Second Chorus: Improvise using the American blues scale
  • Third Chorus: Improvise using the 3 seventh scales
  • Fourth Chorus: Improvise using the 3 full blues scales
  • Fifth Chorus: Play tune again
  1. Play open sevenths in the left hand using the thumb to mark the pulse

  2. Play fifth-tenths in the left hand playing one chord to the bar

  3. Play seventh-tenths in the left hand using the top two fingers to mark the pulse.

© Goldsmiths, University of London
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Learn Jazz Piano: Begin with the Blues

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