Learning paths
What do you want to learn?
Pick a path. You can switch any time, or follow both.
Jazz levels
Starter · 0 of 5 done
Practise next: When the Saints Go Marching In
Get 2 stars on each piece and exercise to open the next level.
Starter tunes
Chords
Skills
- Name the chord from its symbol: maj7, m7, 7
- Play a shell voicing in the left hand under a melody
- Read a lead sheet with the left hand written out
Everything to practise
Pieces and reading
- Ready-made piecesMusic to play straight away, from Twinkle Twinkle to Bach's Prelude in C, with top picks for your level.
- Exam practiceTwo scales, a piece you've never seen and a piece of your own in one sitting, marked like an exam.
- Sight-readingA fresh short piece every time at your level: read it once, play it through without stopping.
Technique
Jazz and ear
- Lead sheetsMelody and chord symbols: play the tune, voice the chords — with the left hand written out to start.
- Chord drillsPlay the chord for each symbol in all 12 keys — shell voicings first, then full voicings.
- ii–V–I in all 12 keysThe progression behind most jazz tunes: roots and voice-led guide tones, one key or all twelve.
- Call and responseHear a short swung blues phrase and play it back, on the Ear training page.
- 12-bar bluesImprovise over a backing band, with the notes that fit marked on the keys.
- Scales for improvisingThe blues scale, pentatonics, Dorian, Mixolydian and Lydian in every key, over the chord each one fits.