Keyboard/Piano for Swing Jazz

Historical Context

Evolution of Jazz Piano Styles

Era	Style	Left Hand	Right Hand
1900-1920s	Ragtime	"Oom-pah" bass	Composed melodies
1920-1940s	Stride	Leaping bass-chord	Improvised lines
1930-1945	Swing/Big Band	Stride or comping	Chords, arpeggios
1940s+	Bebop/Modern	Comping chords	Horn-like lines

Key Swing Era Pianists

Count Basie - sparse, minimalist comping
Duke Ellington - orchestral, rich voicings
Art Tatum - virtuosic stride
Teddy Wilson - elegant, fluid style
Earl Hines - "trumpet style" right hand
Mary Lou Williams - swing to bebop bridge

Swing Era Piano Techniques

1. Stride Piano (Solo Playing)

The left hand "strides" between bass notes and chords:

Beat 1: Bass note (low)
Beat 2: Chord (mid-range)
Beat 3: Bass note (could be 5th or octave)
Beat 4: Chord (mid-range)

Basic Stride Pattern (C major)

Left Hand:
Beat 1: C (bass, low)
Beat 2: E-G-C (chord, mid)
Beat 3: G (bass, low)
Beat 4: E-G-C (chord, mid)

Right Hand: Melody, fills, arpeggios

Stride Tips

Bass notes on 1 & 3 provide root/5th movement
Chords on 2 & 4 support rhythm
Right hand plays melody or improvises
Requires large hand stretch (practice slowly!)

2. Comping (Ensemble Playing)

When playing with a band, the pianist "comps" - providing rhythmic and harmonic support.

Count Basie Style: Sparse Comping

Less is more
Leave space for other instruments
Punctuate rather than fill
"Stab" chords between phrases

Comping Rhythms

Basic:       | . . . . | . . . . |  (quarter notes)
Swing:       | . - . - | . - . - |  (accent 2 & 4)
Syncopated:  | - . - . | . - - . |  (off-beats)

3. Left Hand Techniques

Shell Voicings (Beginner)

Just root + 7th or root + 3rd:

Cmaj7: C + B (root + 7th)
C7:    C + Bb (root + 7th)
Cm7:   C + Bb (root + 7th)

Tenths (Intermediate)

Root + 10th (compound 3rd):

Cmaj7: C (bass) + E (10th above)
Cm7:   C (bass) + Eb (10th above)

Rootless Voicings (Advanced)

Bass player has the root, so play 3-5-7-9:

Cmaj7: E - G - B - D
C7:    E - Bb - D - G (or E - A - Bb - D)
Cm7:   Eb - G - Bb - D

Chord Voicings for Swing

7th Chord Voicings (Two-Hand)

Major 7th (Cmaj7)

LH: C - G
RH: E - B - D (or E - G - B)

Dominant 7th (C7)

LH: C - G
RH: E - Bb - D (or E - G - Bb)

Minor 7th (Cm7)

LH: C - G
RH: Eb - Bb - D (or Eb - G - Bb)

"A" and "B" Voicings (Left Hand)

Type A: 3rd on bottom

Dm7:  F - A - C - E  (3-5-7-9)
G7:   B - D - F - A  (3-5-7-9)
Cmaj7: E - G - B - D  (3-5-7-9)

Type B: 7th on bottom

Dm7:  C - E - F - A  (7-9-3-5)
G7:   F - A - B - D  (7-9-3-5)
Cmaj7: B - D - E - G  (7-9-3-5)

Alternate A and B voicings for smooth voice leading through ii-V-I.

Scales and Solo Ideas

Right Hand Solo Techniques

Chord-Tone Approach

Base improvisation on chord tones:

Cmaj7: C - E - G - B (target these notes)
       Connect with passing tones

Scale Patterns

1-2-3-5 pattern: C - D - E - G (ascending)
                 G - E - D - C (descending)

3-5-7-9 pattern: E - G - B - D
                 (arpeggiating upper structure)

Blues Licks

Over dominant 7th chords, use blues scale:

G blues over G7: G - Bb - C - Db - D - F - G
Add blue notes for authentic swing flavor

Common Solo Devices

Tremolo: Rapid alternation between notes
Octave Runs: Right hand plays in octaves
Block Chords: Melody with chords locked beneath
Arpeggios: Broken chord patterns
Grace Notes: Quick notes before main notes

Patterns for Common Progressions

ii-V-I Lick (Right Hand)

Dm7:       F - A - C - D (ascending)
G7:        F - E - D - B (descending)
Cmaj7:     C (land on root)

Blues Turnaround

| C7     | F7     | C7     | C7  G7 |
  C-E-G    F-A-C    E-G-Bb   G-B-D-F

"Rhythm Changes" Bridge

| D7     | D7     | G7     | G7     |
| C7     | C7     | F7     | F7     |

Left Hand Comping Patterns

Pattern 1: Quarter Notes (Basic)

|  .  .  .  .  |  (chord on every beat)

Pattern 2: 2 and 4 (Swing Feel)

|  -  .  -  .  |  (chord on 2 and 4 only)

Pattern 3: Charleston Rhythm

|  .  -  -  .  |  (syncopated)

Pattern 4: Basie "Plunks"

|  -  -  .  -  |  (sparse, unpredictable)

Intro, Outro, and Fills

Common Intro Patterns

Count-off Chords

| (rest) | (rest) | I  VI | ii  V |

Stride Intro (2 bars)

| I     | V7    | (band enters on I)

Fill Ideas Between Phrases

Scale runs up to next chord
Arpeggio of upcoming chord
Tremolo on chord tones
Octave jump to melody note

Endings (Tags)

Standard: | ii7   | V7    | I     ||
Fancy:    | ii7   | bII7  | I     ||
Ritard:   | ii7 rit. | V7 | Imaj9  ||

Practice Recommendations

Daily Routine

Scales: All major and minor, 2 octaves, in swing rhythm
Arpeggios: Maj7, m7, dom7 in all 12 keys
ii-V-I: Practice A and B voicings through all keys
Comping Rhythms: With metronome at 120-160 BPM
Left Hand Independence: Stride patterns with metronome

Transcription Study

Listen to and learn from:

Count Basie - "One O'Clock Jump"
Duke Ellington - "C Jam Blues"
Teddy Wilson - "I Got Rhythm"
Art Tatum - "Tiger Rag"

Working with the Band

Communication with Bass

Don't duplicate bass notes
Leave root to bassist
Use rootless voicings when bass is playing

Supporting Soloists

Play softer during solos
Comp behind the beat slightly
Leave space for soloist's phrases
Build energy gradually

Dynamics

Verse: Medium soft
Chorus: Medium
Solo section: Soft to medium
Final chorus: Full volume
Endings: Follow the leader