It’s Week Two of our January tune study, which means one thing in the Jazz Piano Skills world: It’s melodic analysis week. Last week, we kicked off 2026 with a harmonic deep dive into the classic standard Stars Fell on Alabama—form, changes, harmonic function, common movement, and, of course, our voicings (block voicings, traditional shells, contemporary shells, and two-handed structures). And now, this week, we follow that harmonic foundation with the next step in our mon

Welcome back, Jazz Piano Skills family — Happy New Year! We’re officially kicking off Season 8, and I cannot tell you how pumped I am to start 2026 with all of you. There is something powerful about a new year. It’s a chance to reset, refocus, and recommit — and that’s exactly what we’re doing at Jazz Piano Skills. And we’re doing it with a big upgrade. The Big News for 2026: A Four-Week Tune Study Format 🎹 For years, our monthly tune study has followed a three-week form

As we arrive at the final Jazz Piano Skills episode of 2025, this moment feels different — and intentionally so. This episode wasn’t about a tune study, voicings, harmonic analysis, or improvisation development. It was about something more profound. Reflection.Gratitude.Vision It was about pausing long enough to acknowledge how far we’ve come together as a community, and then looking ahead with clarity and purpose toward what’s next.

Merry Christmas from Jazz Piano Skills! With Christmas Eve just around the corner and the holiday season in full swing, this week’s podcast episode was designed to do exactly what music does best — bring joy, reflection, and inspiration. A Jazz Piano Christmas is both a celebration of the season and a meaningful look ahead at what’s coming next at Jazz Piano Skills. Before diving into Christmas music, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on where we’ve been.

Week three of our monthly tune study has arrived — and as always at Jazz Piano Skills, week three means improvisation development. This month, we’ve been exploring Vince Guaraldi’s beloved Christmas classic, Christmas Time Is Here. During week one, we completed a thorough harmonic analysis, examining the form, harmonic function, common movement, and essential voicing structures. Last week, we followed with a melodic analysis, focusing on transcription, fingerings, phrasing,

This month’s tune is the beloved Vince Guaraldi Christmas classic, “Christmastime Is Here.” Last week, we completed our harmonic analysis—examining the form, traditional changes, harmonic function, common harmonic movement, and our full range of voicings: block voicings, traditional shells, contemporary shells, and two-handed structures. Now it’s time to shift our focus to melody.

Welcome to a new month of discovery, learning, and playing at Jazz Piano Skills! December has arrived, and with it comes one of the most beloved seasonal jazz classics ever written: “Christmas Time Is Here” by the great Vince Guaraldi, first featured in the 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. This tune is more than a holiday favorite—it is a masterclass in subtle harmony, lyrical melody, and expressive jazz phrasing. And, as always, we will use it to reinforce one key

Every jazz musician has heard the advice: “You need to practice your arpeggios and scales.” Good advice—but incomplete. Arpeggios and scales are inseparable. Two sides of the same coin. Two elements of a single musical skill: melody. Arpeggios outline the chord tones. Scales fill the space between those chord tones with passing tones. Together, they produce the raw material of improvisation. If you want to improvise, you must practice these two elements as one musical m

Why Etudes? Improvisation is not random inspiration—it’s controlled musical decision-making rooted in: Harmonic awareness Melodic motion Rhythmic vocabulary Balance of scale + arpeggio movement Etudes allow us to isolate specific aspects of improvisation and develop them with intention. Rather than simply “soloing over the tune,” we construct lines that reinforce essential musical behaviors. For this episode, four short harmonic phrases from A Beautiful Friendship were se

Welcome to week two of our monthly jazz journey! I’m Dr. Bob Lawrence, and this week on Jazz Piano Skills, we continue our exploration of the timeless standard “A Beautiful Friendship” with a melodic analysis. If you’ve been following along, you know our process — every month, we study one tune from three critical perspectives: Harmonic Analysis Melodic Analysis Improvisational Application

A new month means one of my favorite things—we begin exploring a brand-new tune. And as I like to remind all of you: new tune, same comfortable, familiar, skill-centric approach. It’s the consistency of this approach—thorough, organized, structured, and most importantly, logical—that allows us to learn jazz piano the right way. Because learning tunes isn’t really about the tunes at all. It’s about the skills that tunes illuminate.

As we wrap up another exciting month here at Jazz Piano Skills, I’m diving into one of my favorite topics — improvisation development. Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored the harmonic and melodic structures of the 1941 jazz classic Tangerine. Now, it’s time to pull everything together and focus on how to intentionally build melodic ideas through a concept I call Improvisation Trees. Improvisation Trees are a simple, structured way to develop authentic jazz vocabulary.

This week, I want to revisit a Podcast Episode I did on July 22, 2025, addressing the use of Inverted Arpeggios for developing jazz vocabulary to improve improvisation skills. Improvisation requires a multi-dimensional understanding — the ability to see and hear chords from every possible angle. That’s why this episode, Inverted Arpeggios, deepens our harmonic awareness and expands our jazz vocabulary.

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

This week’s heart of the lesson was all about improvisation using harmonic shapes. Instead of improvising “freely” (which usually results in running scales aimlessly), Dr. Lawrence builds solos by locking into specific shapes—root position, inversions, or upper extensions of chords—and then applying self-imposed constraints. The method is surprisingly freeing: Pick one harmonic shape per chord. Stay inside the notes of that shape. Create melodic ideas rhythmically

A melody isn’t just a collection of notes—it’s the voice of the tune. It’s what sticks in our memory, what we hum in the car, and what gives the harmony its purpose. That’s why week two always focuses on dissecting the melody: learning it by ear, figuring out fingerings, identifying phrases, and experimenting with treatments (ballad, bossa, swing) That’s the “catch-22” You need understanding to create a good practice plan, but you also need a good plan to gain unstandng!

I remember the first time I played Blue Bossa on a gig—I was around 15. I thought, “This is going to be easy.” But then the solo section came around, and suddenly that G7 altered chord wasn’t so easy. I stumbled. I fumbled. And I quickly realized: this “simple” tune has a way of showing you exactly where your skills are strong—and where they need work. That’s why I love teaching it. Blue Bossa is forgiving, but it’s also honest.