Jazz Piano Skills

DISCOVER • LEARN • PLAY

Complete the Weekly Learning Cycle

Each week at Jazz Piano Skills begins with discovery, develops through focused study, and ultimately leads to playing.

The Blog Recap brings the week together—revisiting the essential concepts introduced in the Podcast and developed through the Masterclass, while highlighting the musical ideas and practical skills that matter most at the piano.

DISCOVER the concept. LEARN the skill. PLAY the music.

Jazz piano solo playing with seven stages of harmony, melody, rhythm, stride, voicings, and improvisation using Our Love Is Here to Stay

Jazz Piano Solo Playing: Develop the Skills to Create Your Own Arrangements (Our Love Is Here to Stay)

Solo piano doesn't begin with a sophisticated arrangement. It begins with developing the skills that make arrangements possible. Discover seven stages of jazz piano solo playing that bring harmony, melody, rhythm, stride, and improvisation together—and help you develop the independence to create musical performances of your own.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

Oct 39 min read

Jazz piano improvisation using G7 chord tones, ascending and descending arpeggios, and creative musical decisions in Our Love Is Here to Stay

Jazz Piano Improvisation: If You Want to Be Creative, Practice Creativity (Our Love Is Here to Stay)

What if better improvisation doesn't require more scales, modes, or licks? Discover how limiting your musical choices can develop creativity, strengthen your command of chord tones, and help you begin making your own musical decisions. This week's study of Our Love Is Here to Stay demonstrates why creative freedom begins with musical command.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

Sep 269 min read

Jazz melody analysis of Our Love Is Here to Stay demonstrating melodic phrases, target notes, motion, rhythm, and harmonic relationships

Jazz Melody Analysis: Don't Memorize the Melody. Learn How to Reconstruct It. (Our Love Is Here to Stay)

Memorizing a jazz melody is not the same as understanding it. Discover how jazz melody analysis helps you recognize phrases, target notes, motion, rhythm, and harmonic relationships—so even when your memory fails, your musicianship can help you reconstruct the melody.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

Sep 198 min read

Jazz harmony analysis of Our Love Is Here to Stay demonstrating harmonic function, chord relationships, motion, and jazz piano voicings

Jazz Harmony Analysis: Learn the Harmony, Not Just the Chords (Our Love Is Here to Stay)

Learning the chords to a jazz standard is not the same as understanding its harmony. Discover how jazz harmony analysis reveals function, motion, and recurring relationships inside Our Love Is Here to Stay—and develops skills you can carry into every tune you learn.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

Sep 119 min read

Jazz piano solo playing practice with harmony and melody at the keyboard

Jazz Piano Solo Playing: Bringing It All Together (I Got Rhythm)

Solo jazz piano doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Learn how to organize harmony, melody, and rhythm in real time using a simple, structured approach. This lesson shows how to practice jazz piano solo playing with clarity, control, and confidence using I Got Rhythm.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

May 33 min read

Jazz Piano Practice Structure: Why You’re Not Improving (And How to Fix It)

If jazz piano feels overwhelming, the problem isn’t effort—it’s structure. Discover how to organize your practice using harmony, melody, and rhythm so you can stop chasing information and start making real progress.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

Apr 123 min read

Embraceable You — Improvisation Development

Stop running scales and start speaking jazz. This week’s Embraceable You improvisation development explores melodic pathways, target notes, and phrase awareness to build authentic jazz improvisation.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

Feb 213 min read

Embraceable You — Melodic Analysis

This week’s Embraceable You melodic analysis focuses on learning the melody by ear, mapping phrases, identifying target notes, and applying ballad, bossa nova, and swing treatments.

Dr. Bob Lawrence

Feb 134 min read