This article will show you how to modify the way you practice and play piano in order to get yourself on the road to a true Jazz feel.

Lesson 1, Part 1

The most important thing to understand is that Jazz, to a large part, is a feel, and until you get this feel, it won't matter how many chords or fancy scales you learn.  The feel is almost everything, and once you get it, you will be at the point that you can play almost anything and it will sound right.

So what exactly is this feel?

Here's how it goes:   Go to the piano.  Tap your feet and with each tap count 1-ee-and-ee 2-ee-and-ee 3-ee-and-ee 4-ee-and--ee.  (That would be four taps which fall evenly on the numbers.  For example *tap*ee-and-ee *tap*ee-and-ee *tap*ee-and-ee *tap*ee-and-ee.  

Notice how the tap comprises 1/4 of each beat.  

You could also tap with a triplet feel:
*tap*and-uh *tap*and-uh *tap*and uh *tap*and-uh

In other words, you're tapping four beats to the bar, but each tap gets three beats:
1+and+uh 2+uh 3+and+uh 4+and+uh
(Make sure each syllable is even with no stress!)

Now, here's where we get into Jazz territory.

In Jazz, a quarter note might be written the same as a quarter note in classical, but we often only play it with a triplet duration.   In other words a quarter note is not a full 1-ee-and-ee or 1-and-uh, but just the 1 in the count.

To get these eel down, try this exercise...
First, begin by tapping your feet and calmly counting 1-and+uh 2-and-uh 3-and-uh 4-and-uh with each beat.
Next, tap, but don't count the tap, just say the and-uh part.
(tap)and-uh (tap)and-uh (tap)and-uh (tap)and-uh.

The merit of this is that you now have greater space to syncopate the beat.   For example, you can play that quarter note on the "uh" before the tap -- or you could play it on the "and" after it, or on the "uh".   Syncopation is created by subtly shifting the note.  The result is that there are now many ways to articulate a melody.

To explore this further, count as follow
uh1 and-uh | 2 and-uh | 3 and-uh | 4 and-uh

In other words, feel the and (when your foot is going down) but hasn't tapped yet.

This allows the beat to breathe.   Think of a person who is having an asthma attack or hyper-ventilating.  It is a short gasp! gasp! gasp! breath.  Hear, everything is calmly flowing onto the beat. 

This is where the shuffle, an important Jazz backbeat comes in.  Have a listen to Art Blakey's MOANIN' and listen to the pattern of his symbols and the basic drum beat.  What you are hearing is an exaggeration of syncopated triplet feel.  

Feeling the "uh" is how we put swing into our feel (uh1 uh2 uh3 uh4).  The first step to doing this is reducing the duration of our quarter notes to about 1/3.  (The actual duration will vary from tune to tune, and will come eventually come naturally with lot's and lot's of listening.)

Think about this as you work through the activities in my book! 

Lesson 1, Part 2

Now that we understand a key rhythmic aspect of Jazz articulation, let's learn how to apply it to our basic left hand chords.

First, hopefully by now you know how to play basic triads.  You may have learned how to voice a chord such as C E G using 5 3 1 fingering in your left hand.   

Let's learn a more practical voicing:  5 3 2.   Practice root position major triads in all 12 keys using this fingering.  
(ex. C E G, Db F Ab, D F# A etc.)   At first it will seem very awkward; however, there is a practical reason for this voicing.  You are freeing up your thumb to play the sixth.  

Once you feel 100% comfortable playing these voicing, play the note a whole step above your index finger with your thumb.  For example:  C E G A (5 3 2 1).   Work on the voicing in all keys until it comes naturally.    Play these voicing in the third octave and up.  (They will sound muddy if you play them too low.)   Practice the chords over and over until they come naturally when played up and down in all 12 keys.

Once they come naturally, work on playing them with triplet feel.  These means that you are not going to hold them down for a full quarter note beat, but just for the 1 of the and-uh.   You'll get the feel of this with practical tapping in a relaxed manner.  Toe down is the 1, the pull up is the and-uh.  (This is something I put a lot of effort coaching my students on in person.)

After mastering these M6 chords, I then have my students accompany them in their right hand in a variety of ways, also practicing basic Jazz feel.   Of course, the chords can be doubled up.   Another thing I have students do is harmonize them with Root/fourth/fifth/Octave voicings.  

For example, off of the root (in all keys):
(LH) C E G A     (RH) C F G C 

Off of the third: 
(LH) C E G A     (RH) E A B E

And off of the seventh:
(LH) C E G A     (RH) B E F# B 

Simple as these chords are, notice how cool these chords sound when played in all keys with a relaxed triplet feel.  
M6 chords can be further developed to create a cool George Shearing like Locked Hands approach.
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