Learning jazz piano might seem a little daunting at first glance. You’ll be using piano chords that almost never adhere to the basic triad. And if these types of chords seem scary, then the thought of using them to improvise something fun and catchy just might make you want to turn and run. 

At Piano Chops, we take these seemingly out-of-reach techniques and drop them right in front of you, so they’re much easier to pick up. These jazz piano lessons for beginners are designed to help you develop great skills under your hands so that you'll be taking it to the next level in no time.

Jazz Lessons Overview

These tutorials focus on developing good muscle memory in your hands so that you can play "giant" chords with ease. Getting the ii V7 I (2 5 1) movement down is essential to jazz, so you will learn it in two different, but great-sounding shapes. 

You will also spend time on individual chords, chord alterations, and improvisation techniques.

Jazz is definitely a challenging genre, but that just means the sense of accomplishment will be even greater as you learn the chords and develop your ear for improvisation.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that JAZZ is a journey and will take some time to develop. Don't be in a rush and enjoy the trip!

Shape 1 Practice

Shape 1 gets you playing amazing chords that start on the (3) of the minor chord. You will play three chords for each key and start developing some incredible muscle memory, so you can practically play them with your eyes closed.

Shape 1 Explanation

Workouts:
C and Bb__ ii V7 I
Ab and Gb_ii V7 I
E and D____ii V7 I
Eb and Db_ii V7 I
B and A____ii V7 I
G and F____ii V7 I

Shape 2 Practice

Shape 2 gets you playing some chords that have a great sound, but now you will start on the (7) of the minor chord. You need to know both "shape 1 and 2" chords so that you can try and keep everything around middle C for the best sounds.

Shape 2 Explanation

Workouts:
C and Bb__ ii V7 I
Ab and Gb_ii V7 I
E and D____ii V7 I
Eb and Db_ii V7 I
B and A____ii V7 I
G and F____ii V7 I

Bass Lines

Learn how to connect your fancy-sounding jazz chords with a sweet bass line. Here are a few good tricks:

Piano Jazz Bass Lines

Dominant 7ths

Now, it’s time to start working on playing jazz dominant 7th chords by themselves. A dominant chord does not always follow a ii chord, so go through these workouts to see and feel them under your hands.

Starting on the 3
C7 and F7
Bb7 and Eb7
Ab7 and Db7
F#7 and B7
E7 and A7
D7 and G7

Starting on the 7
C7 and F7
Bb7 and Eb7
Ab7 and Db7
F#7 and B7
E7 and A7
D7 and G7

Major 7ths

The next step is to work on the jazz major 7th chords by themselves. There are many ways to play a chord in jazz and these will sound great for a major 7th and many others.

Starting on the 3
CM7 and FM7
BbM7 and EbM7
AbM7 and DbM7
F#M7 and BM7
EM7 and AM7
DM7 and GM7

Starting on the 7
CM7 and FM7
BbM7 and EbM7
AbM7 and DbM7
F#M7 and BM7
EM7 and AM7
DM7 and GM7

Alter Jazz Chords to Create Others

Now, we are going to take your basic shape 1 and 2 chords and alter them a little to create some others. Make sure you have gone through the "Shape 1” and “Shape 2" lessons before watching this video.

Other Jazz Chords