7 stages from absolute beginner to advanced, based on established jazz piano pedagogy. Each stage builds on the previous one — learn them in order.
Based on Mark Levine's Jazz Piano Book, Frank Mantooth's Voicings for Jazz Keyboard, and the Barry Harris method.
The Bud Powell Foundation
Two-note shells are the absolute foundation of jazz piano voicing. You play just the root and 7th (or root and 3rd) in your left hand while a bassist covers the full harmony.
Hearing Voice Leading
Three-note shells add the third note — now you have root, 3rd, and 7th. This is where voice leading becomes audible.
The Bill Evans Sound
Rootless voicings are the core vocabulary of modern jazz piano. You drop the root entirely (the bassist plays it) and voice the chord with 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th.
Block Chord Technique
Close position voicings stack all four notes within an octave. Drop 2 takes a close position voicing and drops the second note from the top down an octave, creating a wider, more open sound.
McCoy Tyner Modal Sound
Quartal voicings are built from stacked perfect 4ths instead of 3rds. They produce an open, ambiguous sound that defined the modal jazz era — McCoy Tyner with John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock with Miles Davis.
Maximum Dominant Colour
Upper structure triads are the most colourful way to voice dominant chords. You play the tritone (3rd + b7th) in your left hand, then stack a major or minor triad on top that contains the extensions you want.
Solo Piano Independence
Stride and open voicings are for solo piano — when there is no bassist, you need to cover the bass, harmony, and melody yourself. Stride alternates a bass note on beats 1 and 3 with a chord on beats 2 and 4 (Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson).