Welcome to Jazz Piano Skills! I’m Dr. Bob Lawrence — and this week, we’re diving into Week Two of our monthly study of the classic 1941 standard, Tangerine. If you’re a regular listener, you know what Week Two means — it’s Melodic Analysis Week. Last week, we dissected Tangerine harmonically — form, changes, harmonic function, common movement, voicings, shells, and two-handed structures. This week, we shift our focus to the melodic side of the tune — learning the melody by e

Now it’s time to put those harmonic skills to work on Tangerine, a timeless standard from the Great American Songbook. As always, we begin our three-week tune study with Week One: Harmonic Analysis. Here’s what we uncover: Form: Unlike many standards that follow AABA or ABAB, Tangerine uses an ABAC form — less common, but beautifully balanced. Unique Chords: The tune contains 14 distinct chord changes, right in line with most jazz standards. Key: The standard key is F Maj

I receive questions every week from students and listeners worldwide. And while I normally spotlight one as my “question of the week,” the truth is, there are so many more fantastic questions that never make it into an episode. They’re too good to sit on the shelf. So I thought, why not take this bonus week and dedicate it entirely to them? And so, the Common Questions Answered (CQA) episode was born.

I’ll be honest: the word “improvisation” has intimidated more students than I can count. I still remember the first time a student sat across from me, eyes wide, almost whispering: “Dr. Lawrence, I just don’t know how to improvise. It feels like magic.” And I get it. The word carries a certain mystery, like you’re supposed to close your eyes and conjure something from thin air. But here’s the truth I always circle back to: improvisation is not magic. It’s music. And music