Jazz Piano School

Learning how to swing in jazz is one of the most difficult things you could possibly do. And no matter how many fancy lines you play, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. That statement could not be more true. Unfortunately, most jazz piano students rhythm is the thing that is lacking the most. But don't worry. Here are 6 amazing rhythm drills you can use to improve your swing feel fo...

I told myself I wouldn't do this, but I just couldn't help it. This is a replay from the first live workshop I did for all my 30-Challenge participants. I won't be reposting anymore, but I had to repost this one. If you want to join simply go to the link below to get all the replays and assignments. Enjoy! Also, my FREE 30 Day Challenge is now open for registration. Get 4 live zoom workshops with...

Practicing is NOT about being comfortable. It's about being uncomfortable. So when it comes time for you to perform, you're ready for anything. With the 14 practice strategies I'll teach you in this podcast, you'll learn any jazz piano tool or concept 10 times faster than you ever would. Try it and see for yourself. Also, my FREE 30 Day Challenge is now open for registration. Get 4 live zoom works...

It's not about WHAT you play, it's about HOW you play. This phrase alone changed my musical life. At some point, learning more notes and licks won't get you anywhere. You got to take what you already know and make it musical. In this lesson, I'll go over 11 amazing textures you can add to your improvisation TODAY, that will elevate your performance instantly. Let's check them out! Enjoy. ----- Hav...

I'm sure you get sick of listening to me tell you what to work on, what to practice etc. Trust me, I've been there. I would zone out constantly when my teacher was talking. BUT...when I saw another student make drastic progress in a short amount of time, I had to know what they were working on. In today's podcast you'll hear directly from my student that is currently in the JPS Accelerator Program...

Most jazz piano students fail because we're chasing the 1%. That cool McCoy lick or that killin' Herbie Voicing. That is not really jazz my friends, that is the brilliance of the artist. If you chase the shiny pearly or the 1% you're only going to make 1% of progress. Wouldn't you like to make 90% of your progress with something that you learn? Well you're in luck, because in this episode I'm goin...

Follow along as Sterling shows you a diminished voicing that is sure to turn some heads. These crunchy chords work over diminished tonalities, and can also be applied to dominant chords in various jazz standards. These chords always bring the "wow" factor!! Have you been trying to learn jazz piano with youtube videos, dvds, teachers but feel like you're still constantly guessing, can't play any tu...

I've filtered down my education A LOT recently due to my Accelerator and Mastermind programs that are now open for enrollment until Sept 5th, 2023. 99% of all jazz piano students want one, a combination, or all of just 3 goals. Here they are ranked in order from easiest to hardest. #1 - Play in a band or accompany a vocalist, or instrumentalist. (Comping) #2 - Play solo piano jazz standards on the...

I've filtered down my education A LOT recently due to my Accelerator and Mastermind programs that are now open for enrollment until Sept 5th, 2023. 99% of all jazz piano students want one, a combination, or all of just 3 goals. Here they are ranked in order from easiest to hardest. #1 - Play in a band or accompany a vocalist, or instrumentalist. (Comping) #2 - Play solo piano jazz standards on the...

I've filtered down my education A LOT recently due to my Accelerator and Mastermind programs that are now open for enrollment until Sept 5th, 2023. 99% of all jazz piano students want one, a combination, or all of just 3 goals. Here they are ranked in order from easiest to hardest. #1 - Play in a band or accompany a vocalist, or instrumentalist. (Comping) #2 - Play solo piano jazz standards on the...

It's one thing to be taught one part of the puzzle...but what about the whole puzzle? In this fun lesson, I'll show you my 11 step improvisation road map and start at the very beginning. I'll demonstrate step one over the tune Autumn Leaves, then continue to add on layers one at a time. You'll be able to hear the complete transformation each individual step will make to your improvisation so that...

Follow along as Sterling shows you a diminished voicing that is sure to turn some heads. These crunchy chords work over diminished tonalities, and can also be applied to dominant chords in various jazz standards. These chords always bring the "wow" factor!! https://jazzpianoschool.com/smallgroup There are a limited number of spots so if you're interested, definitely enroll sooner rather than later...

Taking private lessons can seen never ending. In fact, most of the time, it IS never ending. You never really know if you're getting better because the teacher doesn't give you any goals, benchmarks or assessments. You'll definitely want to save this lesson and download it. With the benchmarks and assessments I show you in this video, your practice will be more efficient, you'll be more motivated...

Doing anything in life over and over and over again is boring. Being in the same room for 5 hours is boring. Listening to single note eighth note lines over and over again is boring. We need contrast. We need change. That's why this call and response improvisation method is such an amazing texture to integrate into your solos. It's interesting. It's easy to use, and it's fun!! Check it out! By the...

One of the most successful jazz piano education things I've ever done to date has been my private Accelerator program. This gives students a chance to work me, get custom lesson plans, group lesson, guest masterclass', open mic nights and so much more. This September I'll be running another one of those PLUS a brand new Inner Circle Mastermind for students that want more education than just 3 mont...

It's one thing to play jazz standards like Autumn Leaves and Fly Me To The Moon, it's a whole other thing to actually make them swing. Did you just clench up? Don't worry because it only takes just one, simple, thing to make your jazz standards start to swing like you want! --- If you want more in depth knowledge on following an easy, step-by-step plan, to learn how to play jazz piano register for...

I remember always asking my teachers how they were able to keep track of the time and not get lost while improvising. Do you know what their response was most of the time? "I don't know, I just feel it." Unfortunately to most students out there, this type of response does not help you WHATSOEVER. So, in this video I'm going to deliver some actionable exercises you can work on to actually help you...

Moanin' is a classic jazz tune for a number of reasons. The soulful, blues, and gospel sound that the tune expresses and the amazing solo Bobby Timmons takes utilizing the octave trick that I'm about to show you in this video. EVERYONEEEEE should have this quick little octave improvisation trick in their tool bag. It may not be easy to execute right off the bat but it's VERYYY easy to learn, and I...

Most of the time you hear single note eighth note lines when listening to jazz. When you start to integrate diads into those lines you'll get some really spicy flavors that go great with the blues and really any other standard. In this lesson I'll show you the diads I like to use and how to start practicing them so that you can spice up your single note improvisation lines.

Have you ever heard a pianist with a beautifully sensitive touch and wondered, "how do they do that?" In this podcast lesson, Sterling will give you some practice tips on how you can improve your piano touch to enhance your expression at the keyboard.

You know you've been doing a podcast for a long time when you hit 300 episodes. Yes, I've been recording a podcast for jazz piano school for a little over 8 years now. In this live celebration you'll see a live zoom Q & A hosted by the Jazz Piano School educators and I. The students had some amazing questions that we demonstrate and teach on. I know this will be well worth your time if you watch a...

Jazz is obviously awesome with all it's 7th chords but sometimes just using plain old simple triads can create beautiful music. By using these 3 different passing chord movements that step from gospel and church playing you can write and play gorgeous sounding music through simple experimentation. You'll be surprised how easy it is to use these and integrate them into your playing. Enjoy! If you w...

Do you find yourself struggling to play in certain keys, or get stuck moving between them? Watch as Sterling Cozza shows you how to master playing in all 12 keys with this simple exercise! By practicing chords and scales using this approach, you will find ways of implementing them to be able to play and improvise more freely. Enjoy! If you want more in depth knowledge on following an easy, step-by...

Learn how to easily create #9 voicings fast in this free lesson. Even a complete beginner can do it, and even if you're a more intermediate or advanced player, I'll show you how to turn them into advanced #9 voicings as well. If you want more in depth knowledge on following an easy, step-by-step plan, to learn how to play jazz piano register for my free masterclass at the link below. https://jazzp...

Using extensions to improvise with is usually very overwhelming. How do we use them? When do we use them? Where do we use them? I never got much clear education on this but I'm about to change that for you. In this lesson I'll show you 3 clear strategies you can use to integrate extensions. Specifically the b9 in this episode. In the upcoming weeks, I'll go through the other extensions and show yo...