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How to Practice Piano Jazz Chords to Remember Them

There’s an old adage among jazz musicians that a good jazz pianist is worth his weight in gold. What makes competent jazz pianists so valuable is their relative scarcity. Part of the issue lies in the lack of clear instruction in playing jazz chords. There are two basic principles to keep in mind when starting. The first is that every jazz musician should know every ii-V-I chord progression possible. The second is that there are only two notes of each chord a jazz pianist needs to make sure they play: the 3rd and the 7th.

Things You'll Need

  • Blank piece of sheet music
  • Play-along music (CD, software)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Divide each line of sheet music into four measures. Write the ii-V-I chord progression above the measures with the ii chord going above the first measure, the V chord above the second measure, and the I chord above the last two measures. Continue this process until each possible pitch has been used for the I chord.

    • 2

      Write the 3rd and the 7th of the chord in each measure. When moving from one chord to the next, if there is a repeated note, keep that note in the same place. For the movement of the second note, try to make the movement as small as possible.

    • 3

      Play the notes that you have written on the sheet music on piano. Keep the notes you play within an octave above or below middle C. Keep track of which finger you use to play each note for each chord.

    • 4

      Practice with music accompaniment from a play-along CD or computer software, once you are comfortable playing the notes for each chord of each ii-V-I pattern.

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