WILLIE MYETTE’s

JAZZ
EDGE
 ESSENTIALS
WILLIE MYETTE’s

JAZZ JAZZ
EDGE EDGE

Piano Essentials
Lesson by Willie Myette

When you feel comfortable playing the Major scale hands together and you have completed
practicing the sections on Common Triads & 7th Chords, Natural Minor Scale and Chord
Tensions, you are now ready to practice the iii-V7/ii-ii-V-I progression.

I’ve created a play-along track in 2 tempi for you to use: 80bpm and 120bpm. Both tracks
elongate the iii-V7/ii-ii-V chords to two-beats each. The entire form is 3 measures in length.

Here are the steps (in order) that you should practice:

1. Play the example as written (2-5 min)

2. Add comping rhythms (2-5 min)
3. Play rootless chords in both hands (2-5 min)
4. Play rootless chords in left hand only (2 min)
5. Shells left hand, arpeggios right (2-5 min)
6. Arpeggios using rootless chords hands together (5 min)
7. Improvisational arpeggios (5-10 min)

Total practice time: 20 ~ 40 minutes depending on how much time you devote to each exercise.

There are many other exercise possibilities. Try new ideas. Let your creativity be your guide and
create your own exercises based upon what YOU need to accomplish.

Have fun!

-Willie

© 2015 JazzEdge, from the lesson; Piano Essentials, More lessons at JazzEdge.com

©JAZZEDGE - www.jazzedge.com
 Piano Essentials
{
Key of C
JAZZ TM

EDGE

{ {
MO
ION
Stats Major Scale
T TIO
T MO MAJOR KEYS
NU
P
AN BY
O
M
IN
C 5T
H
S
F
D
G
&
& & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
minor keys

a
Bb d e D

{
g 5
b 3 4

œ
2

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
1

?
2 3
Eb f#
1 1
2
c A 2 1 3
TM

4 3
5
f c#
Ab bb # g# E no sharps / no flats
a # d e b ab

{
b &
Db B
C# F# b C b
relative minor: Only this box will be written using the key signature. The rest of the music on this page
b ## A minor
& b bbb & # ##
G will be written with no key signature and all accidentals notated to make it easier to read.
##
© GE

Common Triads & 7th Chords

{
Major and Minor Triads Other Common Triads

œœ œœœ bœœ bœœœ

C Cmin Cº C+ Csus4 Csus2
œ
& œœœ œœ œ œ & bbœœ #œœ œœœ œœœ
bœœœ bœœ œ
5 5
5 3 5 3

œ œ
5 3 1 5 3 1
5 2 1 5 2 1
3 1 3 1
1 1

I-IV-V Chords
I IV V I I IV V7 I

{
C F G C C F/C G7/B C

& œœ œœœ œœœ œœ

Natural Minor Scale

œ œ œœœ œœœ œœ œœœ

œ
& œ œ bœ œ œ bœ bœ œ 4 5

{
3
Common 7th Chords

? œ œ bœ œ œ bœ bœ œ
1 2
2 3
1 1
3 2
2 1
3
5 4 C^7 C-7 C7 Cº7 C-7¨5 C+7

& œœœ bbœœœ bœœœ bbœœœ b bœœœ #bœœœ

These notes are identical to the E b major scale, except they start on C.
œ œ œ œ bœ œ

Chord Tensions iii-V7/ii-ii-V-I Progression

{
4 #œ œ
E-7 A7 D-7 G7 C^7 C%
nœœœœ œœœ
R ¨9 9 #9 3 #11 5 ¨13 13 ¨7

& 4 œœœ #œœœ

˙˙˙ ˙˙˙
& œ bœ nœ #œ œ #œ œ bœ nœ bœ œ ˙ ˙
œ
? 44 œ # œœ
nœ œœ ˙ ˙
Listed here are the available tensions for a C7 (dominant 7th) chord. œ ˙ ˙
Common tensions for a major 7th chord are: 9, #11 and 6 (usually replaces the 7th)
Common tensions for a minor 7th chord are: 9 and 11

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