9 Essential Tips for Playing Jazz in a Big Band

Learning how to play piano in a big band was one of the most fun, and challenging times in my career. Here are 9 tips of things I wish I knew when I first started in the big band.
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- Buy the Mantooth Voicings book referenced here: jazz-library.com/resources/
HUGE thank you to ‪@darrendrums‬ for creating his #theultimatebigband play along track, composed by @cottielaurence, which I used for the music in this video. All credit goes to him, and you should totally download your own copy, for free, from here: www.darrenwilliams.org/bigband
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - Swing Revival
02:30 - 9 Tips
08:20 - Big Band Piano Voicings

[@fretlessblunder]

Guitar here. It took me a loooong time to figure out points 8&9. Everyone in guitar-land is pretty fixated in teaching Freddie Green voicings that they miss these important concepts. Well done!

[@DuncanCustomAirbrush]

Wow dude, fantastic story!!

[@bbbrashear]

This is very useful. I started playing with a big band six months ago and am just now figuring some of this out on my own. Thanks.

[@thinksocrates]

Regarding number 8, sometimes those figures are the hits the horn secion is doing to do, but it's not intented for the rythmic section to hit them with them. Drummers will ofter play "setups" which come before those figures. The comping instruments sometimes should actually take those figures as evidence of where NOT to play.

[@gabrielmoore6099]

Wow thank you so much

[@charlesmccormick2625]

You speak like my lost older brother/music mentor! Keep the vibe!

[@vwtrombone50]

Another strong video. I'm a trombone player that hacks at piano, so there was a lot of good info here for me. I especially dig the voicings at the end; I utilize the 3+7 LH, but doubling the root in the 1+5 RH is a new concept for me. Thanks!

[@JoshWalshMusic]

Vern - I was a long time professional trombone player, but never learned to improvise. Piano was always my strongest instrument. But I haven’t opened the case to my Bach 42BO in probably 8-10 years 🤐

[@HGQjazz]

7:00 cues vs queues

[@frankvaleron]

Benny Goodman did of course have Charlie Christian as well :) Great video as always

[@JoshWalshMusic]

Thanks Frank!

[@rockstarjazzcat]

👍🏼

[@zottelpony1084]

Amazing video! How do you voice a minor 6 chord? Or a chord that's just major or minor without the 7 written in the chord symbol? Thank you!

[@JoshWalshMusic]

Hey Zottel. Great question, and there’s so many answers. As a general rule you can voice a 6 like a 7, just swap them out. For example, a simple voicing could be 1-6 in left hand, and 3-5 in the right.

[@Claires_Muse]

Thank you so much for this :) Wanted to ask re the books you recommend, I am a classical pianist and new to jazz, so definitely feel like a beginner - hence which book do you recommend me to purchase, please? Thank you! :)

[@JoshWalshMusic]

Not to be salesy, but I’d recommend checking out my Jazz Fundamentals course at courses.jazz-library.com. It was designed for classical players who are new to jazz. Email me at josh at jazz-library dot-com and I’ll hook you up with an extra good deal since you left such a great comment.

[@JoshWalshMusic]

… also Jeremy Siskind’s Jazz Fundamentals books are 🔥🔥. I had a small hand in editing portions of them too, and can’t recommend them enough.

[@gabrielmoore6099]

I literally just bought that book 10:23

[@JoshWalshMusic]

Awesome, it’s so useful.

[@yusefandersen]

.... and... and I sincerely hope you have finally found - the perfect girl! If not then keep practicing🏁 PS: thanks for the great video

[@JoshWalshMusic]

I did! 15 years strong. Though she likes punk rock more than boogie woogie too!

[@yusefandersen]

@@JoshWalshMusic 😊

[@krumpelschtiltzkeen]

It's like, clown swing.

[@superblondeDotOrg]

01:45 Don't play the butter notes.