Embedded Files
Chords & Harmony Explained
Chords & Harmony Explained
Clear, practical lessons on the building blocks of jazz harmony — intervals, chords, and chord families — explained step by step so every concept makes sense before you move to the next.
📚 Available Lessons
📚 Available Lessons
Each lesson breaks down one key concept at a time, building directly on what you learned before — so nothing feels random or disconnected.
🎼 Chord Construction
🎼 Chord Construction
Understanding Musical Intervals
Understanding Musical Intervals
Learn to measure the distance between any two notes — the essential skill behind every chord, scale, and voicing you'll ever play in jazz piano.
How to Build a Jazz Chord
How to Build a Jazz Chord
Discover how Major and minor chords are built note by note, and why a single half-step decides whether a chord sounds bright or dark.
The 4 Basic Triads
The 4 Basic Triads
Go beyond Major and Minor — learn Diminished and Augmented chords, and the simple one-semitone trick that connects all four.
The 5 Core Chord Families
The 5 Core Chord Families
Master the 5 essential chord types every jazz pianist needs — Major 7, Dominant 7, Minor 7, Half-Diminished, and Diminished — with clear formulas and real keyboard examples.
Watch the Full Lesson: Jazz Chord Construction Explained
Watch the Full Lesson: Jazz Chord Construction Explained
A complete walkthrough covering everything above — from measuring your first interval to building all five core jazz chord families. No music theory background required.
🎼 Diatonic Harmony
🎼 Diatonic Harmony
Harmonizing the Major Scale in 7th Chords
Harmonizing the Major Scale in 7th Chords
Build a 7th chord on each degree of the major scale using only the notes of the key. Discover the exact sequence of chord families that appears in every major key — and why there is only one Dominant 7 chord.
Chord Function & Degrees
Chord Function & Degrees
Not all chords in a key behave the same way. Learn how each degree carries a specific harmonic role — Tonic, Subdominant, or Dominant — and how these functions drive the movement of jazz harmony.
The Relative Minor
The Relative Minor
Every major key shares all its notes with a minor key. Discover how the 6th degree of the major scale opens the door to an entire parallel harmonic world — and why jazz pianists move between the two constantly.
The Circle of Fifths
The Circle of Fifths
The one diagram every jazz musician knows by heart. Learn how all 12 keys connect to each other, how to read key signatures at a glance, and how the circle predicts chord movement before you even play a note.
Watch the Full Lesson: Diatonic Harmony Explained
Watch the Full Lesson: Diatonic Harmony Explained
A complete walkthrough covering everything above — from harmonizing the major scale into seven chords, to understanding chord function, the relative minor, and the Circle of Fifths. Builds directly on what you learned in Lesson 1.
🎼 Minor Scales & Progressions
🎼 Minor Scales & Progressions
The Three Minor Scales
The Three Minor Scales
Learn the three minor scales used in jazz — Natural, Harmonic, and Melodic — and understand why each one exists and when to use it.
The II-V-I Progression
The II-V-I Progression
The most important progression in jazz — Major and Minor. Understand why it works, how the guide tones resolve, and how to recognize it in every standard you play.
Common Jazz Progressions
Common Jazz Progressions
Turnarounds, deceptive resolutions, backdoor progressions - learn the harmonic patterns that appear in hundreds of standards, and how to recognize them instantly in any lead sheet.
Secondary Dominants
Secondary Dominants
Any chord can become a temporary tonic. Discover how secondary dominants inject V7 tension into any progression and why jazz musicians chain them to build unstoppable harmonic momentum.
Watch the Full Lesson: Minor Scales & Progressions Explained
Watch the Full Lesson: Minor Scales & Progressions Explained
A complete walkthrough covering everything above — all three minor scales, the II-V-I engine in both major and minor, the turnaround, deceptive resolutions, the backdoor progression, passing diminished chords, and secondary dominants. Builds directly on what you learned in Lesson 2.
Google Sites
Report abuse