Beginner Piano Jazz Swing Feel
The final step is to add a swing rhythm to your accompaniment. Instead of playing half notes as in the example above, well play The Charleston Grove. To do this, play the root on beat 1 and the guide tones on the and of 2. This will clearly identify that we are playing in the swing style.
Great job! The last step is to practice along with the backing tracks to lock-in your feel.
If you enjoyed this lesson, youll want to explore the following courses also:
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Identifying The Guide Tones Of 7th Chords
The 3rd and 7th of a 7th chord are called its guide tones. These are the most important notes that define the chord quality. They also guide the resolution by resolving in a predictable manner that is pleasing to the ear. Specifically, the 7th generally resolves downward, although there are plenty of exceptions to this principle.
Many players refer to the chords guide tones as its chord shell. However, a chord shell is best understood more broadly to mean a 2 or 3 note simple chord voicing. A 3-note chord shell includes the guide tones plus the root. A 2-note chord shell can use any combination of root, 3rd and 7th. However, the term guide tones always refers to the 3rd and 7th of the chord. The term inverted guide tones refers to a voicing in which the 3rd of the chord is place above the 7th as in measures 1 and 3 of the example below.
This excerpt from our course on Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells and Guide Tones features the root and guide tones in the left hand. This example is based on Fly Me to the Moon, however the melody has been altered due to publishers restrictions.
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Learn The Left Hand Piano Chord Shell Accompaniment
Now, lets see what we can do in our left hand to accompany our solo. Heres what the above chords look like in shell voicings:
Notice how all these voicings are either the root and 3rd or root and 7th. Those chord tones generally give us all we need to know what chords we are playing. They are kind of like a skeleton of the chords. These voicings are easy to learn and they also avoid jumping around too much in the left hand.
Now that youve learned these shell voicings, try adding some rhythm to really make your accompaniment pop:
Dont be fooled by the simplicity, they are used by many professional pianists in many scenarios. Jazz pianists in the older days, such as Bud Powell, used these types of voicings almost exclusively.
If you want an even deeper dive into these voicings, check out Play Piano Lead Sheets With Shells And Guide Tones.
Eighth Note Rhythm And Dotted Quarter Note
Both the eighth note rhythm and dotted quarter note are stapled rhythms of the swing genera. You will be able to find multiple opportunities to use both dotted quarter note and eighth note rhythm in the melody of the song, Fly Me to the Moon. You will also be able to see it on the lead sheet notation.
For example, you may use the eighth note rhythm and the dotted quarter note to measure two downbeats in conjunction with the prediction that is previously said in measure 1. You will find these rhythms as well in measure 3. Finally, the entire note of measure 4 includes a prediction.
As a beginner, you may feel uncomfortable if you are asked not to follow the rhythms of the lead sheet notations. However, you have to do that for your improvement.
Only then, you, as a performer will be able to find out multiple new ways that differ from each other rhythmically. Also, you will be able to add variety to the melody of the song, Fly Me to the Moon.
As a beginner, you should practice bringing swing to the song melody with a backing track or metronome. It will make sure that the time will be maintained.
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Getting Ready: The Cycle Of 5ths Progression
Fly Me To The Moon uses a very common and powerful chord progression called the cycle of 5ths. Sometimes it is called the circle of 5ths, or a circle progression.
What is the cycle of 5ths chord progression? It is a progression where every time we are going to a new chord, it goes down by the interval of a 5th. Take a look at what it looks like below in the key of C where all the chords are in root position:
This progression is exactly the first 8 bars of Fly Me To The Moon. Learn and memorize all of these chords. They are the basis and framework for our improvisations!
If you havent learned all your 7th chords, then check out the Intermediate Piano Learning Track, Part 1.
Once you learn the chords and the order of chords, you can then learn how to play these chords in shell form to accompany your solo.
Lead Sheet Notation Understanding
Lead sheet notation will work like a map. It provides you with both harmony and melody. A deep understanding of the lead sheet notation helps you add multiple styles while interpreting them.
As a beginner, you may just interpret and play just the lead sheet notation guide you. As you grow, you will learn to play them in an advanced way.
Check Here: What Is Rhythm In music?
Recommended Reading: John Legend All Of Me Piano
Important Tips For Mastering This Fly Derita The Moon Piano Lesson
1. How Simple Chord Voicings Can Sound Ultra Cool
Notice how the 2 note shell voicings I teach in the Bud Powell section still sound good? Even though they donfalak have a ton of chord extensions they still really sound jazzy.
These type of voicings are a signature sound of the bebop era.
2. How I Get A Smooth Sound Moving From 1 Chord Into The Next
In the Bud Powell section youll notice how my left hand doesnkaki langit move a betulan lot. Titinada only is this physically easier to play but it also sounds better from a voice leading perspective.
To put it simply, when chord voicings dont jump around a lot this can help your chords sound ultra smooth.I first learned this technique from playing Bach pieces as a younger musician.
I discovered that the jazz masters all used this techniques in their jazz chords too.This is pretty awesome if you think about it!
3. Bill Evans Style Rootless Voicings
Did you notice how leaving the roots off the chords in the Bill Evans section completed changed the mood and feeling of the chords?
There are lots of reasons why but 1 thing that clearly changes things is where you play the chords on the piano.
Shell voicings tend to be lower than rootless voicings.
4. How I Use Rhythm To Add Flavor
Another cool technique you should listen for is the way I add syncopation into the melody.This helps bring energy and excitement into the performance.
Theyre easy to learn but once you learn them theyll transform your playing.
Swinging The Fly Me To The Moon Melody
Its important to recognize that jazz is an aural art form. Even though the melody appears mostly in quarter notes, think of this as a broad, catch all representation of the melody as performed by various performers. The question is, how should you perform it? The best piece of advice is to listen to how other have performed it. Here are a few versions for you to check out:
Anticipating the Downbeat
One common stylistic convention of the jazz swing style is to anticipate the downbeat. For example, performers will commonly shift a quarter note occurring on beat 1 to the and of 4 of the previous measure.
Dotted Quarter Note + Eighth Note Rhythm
The dotted quarter note + eight note rhythm is a staple rhythm of the swing era. James P. Johnsons 1920s swing mega hit The Charleston prominently features this rhythm. Consequently, this rhythm is often called The Charleston Groove or TheCharleston Rhythm. Sometimes, the eighth note is tied to a longer duration as in the second measure below.
There are many opportunities to apply the dotted quarter note + eighth note Charleston Rhythm to the repetitive quarter note melody of Fly Me to the Moon shown on the lead sheet. For example, in the excerpt below, the dotted quarter + eighth note rhythm is applied to the downbeat of measure two in conjunction with the anticipation previously described in measure 1. Additionally, the Charleston Rhythm appears again in measure 3 and the whole note of measure 4 features an anticipation.
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Fly Me To The Moon Piano: Putting It All Together
Once you can play the stock groove and the melodic embellishments with ease, its time to combine both parts:
This may be difficult to put together at first because there are a lot of different parts. Remember to practice each part separately until youve mastered it, then slowly put it all together.
If you want to keep learning the rest of this tune, check out our Fly Me To The Moon 1 and Fly Me To The Moon 2 courses where youll learn how to create a full swinging arrangement of this great song.
Thanks for learning, and see you in the next Quick Tip.
Blog by Austin Byrd / Quick Tip by Jonny May
This page allows you to filter by content type, skill level and learning focus.
Piano With Jonny offers three core content types:
Courses
Courses are comprised of lessons and are based on selected styles of music and learning focus topics. PWJ offers regular courses, workshops which include teacher interaction, and challenges which are divided into a 4 week learning format.
Lessons
Lessons are combined into courses. Most lessons build upon concepts of the previous lesson, with the exception of Quick Tips which stand alone.
Smartsheets
Smartsheets use the Soundslice sheet music player to give students digital access to all arrangements and lesson sheet music.
Piano With Jonny offers three core content types:
Courses
Lessons
Lessons are combined into courses. Most lessons build upon concepts of the previous lesson, with the exception of Quick Tips which stand alone.
Smartsheets
Fly Me To The Moon Beginner Piano Chords
Now that you have learned the melody to Fly Me to the Moon and how to apply a swing feel, youll want to add in some beginner piano chords in the left hand. Initially, well begin by playing diatonic 7th chords in root position.
What are Diatonic 7th Chords?
Diatonic 7th chords are four-note chords consisting of a root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th that occur naturally within the key signature. For example, in C Major, our diatonic 7th chords will only use white keys on the piano. In other words, diatonic chords use every other note of the scale above whatever root is in the chord symbol. The image below shows all the diatonic chords in C Major.
Adding these chords to the melody sounds like this.
Borrowed Chords in Fly Me to the Moon
The are a few chords in Fly Me to the Moon that are not diatonic 7th chords. This means that these chords are not native to C Major. They are borrowed from related keys. For example, the chord E7 appears in measure 7 on the lead sheet. This chord does not belong to C Major. This type of chord usage is called a secondary dominant. The E7 is the V7 chord from the key of A minor and it works because is resolves to an Am7, which is a diatonic 7th chord in C major. Similarly, the A7 in measure 12 is also a secondary dominant that resolves to Dm7. You can learn more about secondary dominants in our course on Passing Chords & Reharmonization .
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Beginner Piano Tips For The Melody On Fly Me To The Moon
Before we begin, be sure to download the lesson sheet for todays lesson. We will refer to it throughout this lesson. The lesson sheet appears at the bottom of this page after logging in with your membership.
In Step 1 on the lesson sheet, you have a very typical setting of Fly Me to the Moon in lead sheet notation format. Lead sheet notation is the most common format used for notating jazz standards. Lead sheet notation includes the melody and chord symbols written above the staff. Notice that the melody is written almost entirely in quarter notes and everything is on the beat. If you want to faithfully create an authentic swing style, you will have to play the melody with more playful swing rhythms.
Learn 2 Easy Scales To Solo With On Fly Me To The Moon
Now, lets learn what scales to use to improvise a piano solo on Fly Me To The Moon chord progression. On the first 5 bars, we can simply use all white keys. This will be the C major scale:
Why is it that we can simply use the C major scale over all the chords in the first five bars? Simply put, all the 7th chords found in the first 5 bars of the chord progression are naturally found in the C major scale.
Check out below all the 7th chords formed on each scale degree of the C major scale. Circled are the chords used in the first 5 bars, and written above are the order they appear in those bars:
What about the last 3 bars? We can use A melodic minor:
This is because this is a chord progression that is pulling us to the key of A minor. The chord of E dominant 7th does not fit C major. Specifically, these measures use a famous 2-5-1 chord progression . Therefore, using any type of A minor scale will technically fit. You could use natural or harmonic minor if you wanted. However, many jazz musicians prefer the melodic minor scale.
If you want a deeper dive into which scales to use over different chords, then check out Scales for Improv on Major and Minor Chords, and Scales for Improv on 7th chords.
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Practice Improvisation Techniques And Exercises
Now that weve got our chords and scales down, how do we actually put it into practice and start improvising a piano solo on Fly Me To The Moon?
Here are some good soloing and improvising techniques and tips to try.
1.Divide each scale into the first 5 notes and the last 5 notes. Practice improvising starting only in these positions. This will simplify things as your hand wont have to move. You also wont have so many note options to overwhelm you at first. Practice each position, playing the correct scale over each chord as defined in the last section. You can split up the first 5 bars and the last 3 if you wish.
After doing each for a while you can allow yourself to unlock the full scale and range of the piano:
2.Focus on the rhythm. What many beginner improvisers dont realize is that most of what creates the sound of the music youre playing is rhythm. In fact, you could insert just about any note into a solid rhythmic phrase and itll almost always work. Try practicing the following exercises:
- Playing only 8th notes:
- Playing only triplets
- Start lines on different beats
- Start lines on the upbeats vs. downbeats :
If you want a detailed look into soloing techniques, then check out Soloing Over a 2-5-I Progression.
