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Jazz vs. Classical Harmony: How They Think About Chords Differently
Latest·2 min read

Jazz vs. Classical Harmony: How They Think About Chords Differently

Jazz and classical harmony both use seventh chords and functional progressions — but their underlying logic is almost opposite. Here's what separates them.

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Comping: The Art of Not Playing Too Much
·2 min read#jazz#piano#comping

Comping: The Art of Not Playing Too Much

Jazz piano comping is one of music's most nuanced skills — knowing when to play, what to voice, and crucially, when to leave silence for the soloist.

Bossa Nova: When Brazilian Music Taught Jazz to Breathe
·2 min read#jazz#bossa nova#Brazil

Bossa Nova: When Brazilian Music Taught Jazz to Breathe

Bossa nova emerged in late-1950s Rio de Janeiro as a synthesis of samba rhythm and jazz harmony. It changed American music permanently.

Autumn Walk: Composition Notes for a Bb Major Swing Piece
·2 min read#jazz#composition#Bb major

Autumn Walk: Composition Notes for a Bb Major Swing Piece

How the Mowjera Autumn Walk was built — the harmonic choices, the walking bass strategy, and why Bb major is the natural home of medium-swing jazz.

Minor Jazz: Three Scales, One Chord
·2 min read#jazz#minor#harmony

Minor Jazz: Three Scales, One Chord

Jazz minor harmony is more complex than major because the same minor chord can be part of three different scales. Here's how to hear the difference.

What Is Swing? The Rhythmic Heart of Jazz
·3 min read#jazz#swing#rhythm

What Is Swing? The Rhythmic Heart of Jazz

Swing is not just a tempo marking — it's a specific way of playing eighth notes unequally. Without it, jazz becomes technically correct but rhythmically inert.

Shell Voicings: Why Jazz Pianists Only Play Two Notes
·3 min read#jazz#voicings#shell voicings

Shell Voicings: Why Jazz Pianists Only Play Two Notes

Jazz chord voicings often leave out the root and fifth entirely, keeping only the 3rd and 7th. These 'guide tones' carry the full harmonic information of the chord in two notes.

The Tritone Substitution: Jazz's Most Useful Trick
·2 min read#jazz#tritone#substitution

The Tritone Substitution: Jazz's Most Useful Trick

A tritone substitution replaces any dominant seventh chord with one whose root is a tritone away. The mechanics are simple; the effect is striking.

ii-V-I: The Three Chords That Define Jazz
·2 min read#jazz#harmony#ii-V-I

ii-V-I: The Three Chords That Define Jazz

Every jazz musician learns the ii-V-I progression on day one. Here's why it's so harmonically powerful — and why every style of jazz uses some version of it.

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