Jazz Piano Demonstration in E Major

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Part of the video series: Jazz Piano Lessons in the Key of E Major

Summary: A jazz piano demonstration in the key of E major by expert jazz pianist Ryan Larson in this free online video series of jazz piano lessons. Watch for tips, tricks and more as he puts together a musical composition.

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Presenter

By Ryan Larson
eHow Presenter

Ryan Larson is a young jazz composer whose teaching technique focuses on the basics of music theory in all 12 keys. When applying his 12-key technique to understanding the logic behind...read more

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Series Summary

Music has ever been a fundamental language concerning all things human. In other words, part of the human experience is to make sounds with certain cadences, tones and relationships. Music tumbles from our lips every time we speak. It is hard-wired into our brains, our hearts. This being the case, humans have invented myriad ways to play music—and to pass it on to those around them. We have developed a system of musical expression, a religion of rhythm if you will, with terms for every formal musical construct that has come along in the last 1500 years—and crystallized these terms into a grand musical theory of everything. Concepts like minor and major, chords and intervals all stand as examples of this church of harmony. Yet, jazz is one form of music that still remains aloof, an iconoclastic body that represents all that is indefinable about the human spirit present in music. Very popular among jazz players, improvisation is a great tool to test one’s knowledge of their instrument; rather than assigning value to the traditional forms, jazz musicians tap into the passions of the soul.

In these free jazz piano lessons on video, lounge lizard Ryan Larson shows us not only how to improve our freestyle skills, but also how to read and write music on paper—since you are only able to improvise with as much as you know. Lessons include how to play 2-5 chords, how to do chord progressions in the key of E major, how to use sharps, flats and intervals, how to play bass lines, how to change chord voicings, and how to compose for jazz piano. Take these tips in hand and carve out some new, undiscovered sonic territory of your own.

Video Transcript

"(playing piano) So we're starting at the key of E major so first we got to get that pattern. It's the lower 2 black notes and the low black notes of the 3 group of 3 black notes. So you start right here at E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 so that's your pattern you just want to really move around. For fingering I usually use 2, 1 so I use my 2's and use your thumb as a pillar note. (playing piano) and there is the key of E measure."