Minor II & V Chords in Every Key

Summary: Music is a powerful, strange and important part of the human experience. From the first interplay of our heart beating in time with our mother’s in the womb, we have recognized that music is an integral part of life. Over the course of history, we’ve devised ways to write, record and play our musical compositions. We’ve invented fancy Italian names for every rhythmic idea we could conceive, and collected these into a body of knowledge and practice which we call “music theory.” Concepts like minor and major, intervals and chords are all examples of this theory. Yet, improvisation is an instance where we play at the speed of thought, without classification or nomenclature. Very popular among jazz players, improvisation is a great tool to develop intimate knowledge of the expressive characteristics of a given instrument—as well as let go of some of the traditions of the past to allow for new modes of musical creativity.

In these free jazz piano lessons on video, our expert pianist Ryan Larson teaches you not only how to improve your freestyle techniques, but also how to read and write music—since you are only able to improvise with what you know. Keyboard lessons include how to play 2-5 chords, how to do chord progressions in the key of C 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.