This jazz piano improvisation exercise changed my life.

► Get your FREE Top 5 Piano Tips Guide:
pianowithjonny.com/top-5-tips/
► Download this Quick Tip lesson sheet and backing tracks:
pianowithjonny.com/piano-less...
LESSON SUMMARY
So you’ve learned some cool jazz scales and chords, and now you feel confident you’ll finally sound like a pro. You excitedly sit down at the piano to improvise a brilliant solo but then…something’s missing! Your solo might have some cool jazzy notes and colors but it still feels disconnected and uninspiring compared to the pros. Let’s fix that by discussing The Ultimate 2-5-1 Jazz Scale Exercise!
► 2-5-1 Soloing with Chord Tone Targets:
pianowithjonny.com/courses/2-...
► 2-5-1 Soloing with Outlining Chords:
pianowithjonny.com/courses/2-...
► 2-5-1 Soloing with Diatonic Triads:
pianowithjonny.com/courses/2-...
► 2-5-1 Soloing with Upper & Lower Neighbors:
pianowithjonny.com/courses/2-...
► 2-5-1 Soloing with Bebop Scales:
pianowithjonny.com/courses/2-...
► 2-5-1 Soloing with Enclosures:
pianowithjonny.com/courses/2-...
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - Improv - Before & After
01:49 - 2-5-1 Progression
02:50 - Scales for Improv
04:30 - Scale Connector Exercise
11:22 - Play with backing track
12:35 - Try in the opposite direction
13:09 - How to use this exercise
14:22 - Improvise over the 2-5-1
15:10 - Conclusion
===
► Get your FREE 14-Day Trial to PWJ here:
pianowithjonny.com/
►FACEBOOK: / pianowithjonny
►INSTAGRAM: / pianowithjonny
►TIKTOK: / pianowithjonny
►TWITTER: / pianowithjonny
Happy practicing!
Jonny May

[@PianoWithJonny]

00:00 - Intro 00:44 - Improv - Before & After 01:49 - 2-5-1 Progression 02:50 - Scales for Improv 04:30 - Scale Connector Exercise 11:22 - Play with backing track 12:35 - Try in the opposite direction 13:09 - How to use this exercise 14:22 - Improvise over the 2-5-1 15:10 - Conclusion

[@danieldeldaniel3919]

in my opinion, you really are the best piano teacher that I know on youtube

[@BuffyOnKeys]

jonny is the 🐐

[@juanruiz910]

By far

[@therelaxxcrew3034]

Genuinely agree

[@anilec333]

Agree

[@ferrero1967]

agree

[@private577]

Why doesn't this have more views? Jonny you're awesome man. Personally I'm moving from fast blues to more jazzy lines, Jonny helps a lot. Merci beaucoup

[@dcp8nts]

I'm not a beginner, (keys, sax, flute) and even though i might know most of this, it's always smart to review. You have such a wonderful vibe about you. You are such a great teacher. I love your channel.

[@christophcloren4740]

One of best and most clearly piano tutorials ever !! Thank you very much !!!

[@bellapayne]

This is an awesome lesson, Jonny! Thank you! I was not familiar with the dominant diminished scale. It's great to be able to learn new stuff at the piano all the time.

[@EANNE1000]

Certainly an eye-opener for me. Thanks so much!

[@kewsepehr1060]

Thanks everso much Jonny. An endless sea of theory, explaind in such a simple and understanding way..., wowww...

[@lauraobligado-arteenaccion8567]

I am so thankfull for all your videos, you are a fabulous teacher. Here from Argentina gracias!!!

[@fer7068]

Really great stuff for practice Jonny! I love it!

[@gtrdoc911]

Great lesson! Love that diminished scale. Really perks up the ears.

[@youlesptitscailloux]

This jazz piano improvisation exercise may have change my life too! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! 👏

[@diamondbreak]

Great lesson, Jonny. The best in town!

[@curtpiazza1688]

Great lesson!! Thanx!! Great concepts!

[@emilythesongbird2306]

I enjoyed this lesson. It's finally starting to sink and make sense. Thanks so much Jonny!

[@debralynnpaxton5238]

Great lesson !

[@monicaconsigliereLavieenfleur]

So useful as usual❤️

[@tomwesley483]

That was WAY cool Johnny,,your awesome buddy..Thanks..

[@cunananjonnelb.8662]

I love thiss kind of tutorials more 🙏 tutorial plsss ❤️ i love your style.. God bless you moreee abundantly . You're my inspiration to play 🎹 🙏👏

[@user-dt9fd8bl7h]

Si'mple practice way! Thank you very much. i take this for my' diminish' lesson.

[@demisdanoudis5889]

Brilliant mate!

[@omerbennahum1903]

This is great!!! Thank you

[@ColinAtkinson-em6fs]

This was a really grrrr8 lesson Johnny, so many thanks for this. Col.

[@PianoWithJonny]

Thank you!

[@ozzwalwilliams6882]

Awesome tip Johnny

[@shcoryell879]

Awesome tutorial!

[@auteurcomic]

Thanks, thanks and Thanks... you're Great!

[@nametame6343]

Chapo ba Jonny,. this is Haitian Creole that's mean I bow down. You are very helpful to the world. Thanks for every tips and secrets. God Bless you.

[@solarsound744]

very instructive - thnx

[@keithtaylor9100]

Very cool!

[@user-ri8rk1jl1e]

Good morning, Thanks🙏

[@zoesong2802]

It’s awesome!

[@PianoWithJonny]

Thank you!

[@savagecalibre5178]

MAN!!!!! ❤ I LOVE YOU Understanding Jazz this is the missing thing i need to know to play Jazz supreme bro supreme teaching thank you

[@PianoWithJonny]

Thank you so much!

[@Ketsounet]

I finally understood that missing link of diminished, thank you very much. Suscribed

[@JeffRyan_88keys]

Nice video, Jonny.

[@lornacamarines921]

God bless you thank you for sharing

[@gun_worm]

cool stuff bro

[@PianoWithJonny]

Thank you!

[@user-nm7ng5zr5s]

Woo you awesome

[@MKONKEYS]

Best piano teacher on KZbin ❤️

[@tomradvig]

Damn man, best teacher on yt thank you

[@raphaelrodrigosantosdasilv525]

From Brazil, Thanks

[@adolfosc5783]

Excelente.

[@marcelomatos8172]

Bom demais. Abraço do Brasil

[@Vissualstudiobcn]

Hello Johny I am a member of Piano witn Johny, it is amazing what I am learning. I wanted to comment that I have been having some problems with the fingering on this exercise. I see that you start each time with a different finger, I haven't learned this yet. Do you have any exercises for this? it would be great to have this agulity to be able to go up and up the scales more automatically. Greetings!

[@dvk578]

You are the Bob Ross of piano instruction...❤

[@Spahr62]

Thank you Jonny! Fun excercise to practice! Gonna get those notes soinding great soon! Love playing with backing track!

[@JooSMusic]

This is a great resource sir and thanks for sharing this. But I need help with the fingerings for this exercises. Thanks

[@geoffstockton]

I like the general idea of this exercise and I’ve done stuff quite similar to it but I really don’t like where the 4ths wind up rhythmically on the Imaj7. I like to do this kind of stuff but using the bebop major and Dorian scales. In that context, you wind up with the chord tones in all the important places rhythmically.

[@lemons107]

I love you Johnny

[@oyvindroth]

And I also see that you use a LH fingering (e.g. at 9:51) that I (as an amateur) would not have chosen. I would use (2,1), (5,1), (3,2) and (3,1) and so on... My automatic fingering tend to choose the fingering that you show in the video (at 9:50 using (2,1), (5,1), (2,1) and (2,1)), but it seems anatomically better choose the fingering I suggest above. In your choice, in a subsequent run you have to move (2,1) from (C,E) to (D,F) (both fingers), whereas in my suggestion you only have to move 1 from E to F having 2 free to place it on D. I suppose I have erroneous assessments, but could you elaborate a bit on that? Generally, in your lessons, I think you should focus somewhat more on fingering issues. I have the conviction that having the fingering as good as ergonomically possible from the start will prevent later muscle trouble.

[@oyvindroth]

I love your courses, they pinpoint exactly what I need at this stage. Thanks so much! But: I miss fingering annotations very, very much. E.g. in this excercise it took me a quarter of an hour (at 6:51) to find out that 3 on the B flat in the second bar and 2 on the F (the last note) beautifully gave me the thumb (1) on the G in the 3. bar. And so on, which opened up the eternity of the excercise upwards. I would have saved much time if you had given me that cue in the first place. (This also goes for the left hand, of course.) I am considering paying for your courses, as i like them very much. Will the paid lessons give the fingering annotations?

[@thisguy9820]

Dude I have an adult student who wants to learn jazz and you saved my life.

[@abijith5892]

❤️

[@parisachenbach6028]

Wow why did they never teach me this in music school lmao thank you thank you

[@dk3250]

Hi Jonny, thank you for your educational effort! Can you please make a video or share with us recommended warm up exercises before we start hitting those notes on the piano? Thank you

[@agerray]

Great tutorial as ever! As a "classical intermediate/confused jazz beginner" could you explain how/why you chose the G dominant diminished scale?

[@EvanWiederandersJazz]

On a G dominant chord, there are 4 notes: G, B, D, and F. However, you can add more notes that give it more evolved and interesting qualities. These extra notes are called extensions, and as it turns out, the diminished scale has many extensions that happen to sound good on dominant chords.

[@Flying-Roro]

The dominant diminished scale usually works on dominant seventh chords, aka the fifth of a major scale or the seventh of a minor scale.

[@DizzyKrissi]

Using the altered scale would even give you the #5 but this scale sounds interesting, too.

[@CrowClouds]

But why did he choose it for G and not for say C or D? ​@@EvanWiederandersJazz

[@EvanWiederandersJazz]

@@CrowCloudsG diminished is used for G7, C diminished is used for C7, etc.

[@SuitedFrogDS]

2:25 it reminded me of that face fabd guy

[@PianoWithJonny]

Lol!

[@lemons107]

I'm struggling to get a nice sound out of the diminished dominant scale, its just sounding a bit janky, any suggestions you have that might fix this?

[@artmis6158]

How do you know which kind of scale to use for different chord progressions?

[@edwinbab3205]

What I can practice I just know notes little bit keys and what portable piano inget

[@abbesatty9498]

Looks like Jonny "secretly" visited the Phrygian , Lydian and Locrian modes in this improvisation. Great lesson!

[@JustFiddler]

matur suksma

[@sesamoideo]

Hi Jonny. I am very interested in your courses but I do not understand English, is it possible to follow your classes with audio in Spanish?

[@justsomefakeguywithoutamou5538]

first sentence is too relatable

[@manopablogo8983]

Hi, do you have perfect pitch?

[@dujsllim2786]

What kind and brand of piano is that?

[@adotationchretiennefreremellot]

hi Mellot i am ,i've a trouble with improvisation so Can i have some advice

[@skyslut1]

Hi Jonnie, I'm a subscriber to your website, but also a beginner. I have a question about G dominant demished scale. Why a full step from B is C sharp and not just C? And for the same token, why is it half step from E to F? Perhaps a silly question, but I don't get it...

[@zk6410]

Im also a beginner and i know it's a year late, but think of steps as litteral keys. So a half step would be one key and a whole step would be 2 keys.

[@rosslevitates]

Don’t forget to SWING! Double counting in your head gets the feeling going…..

[@LaterGator1425]

Jonny's choppy is my finest! lol

[@olgarakoto5728]

T H A N K S 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@TeresaBumbaMassuama]

Teacher john i've a complaint Therefore how can i practice scales?

[@percyvolnar8010]

Problem here is that no one on youtube makes videos like this for MINOR II-V-I.... And perhaps thats the gatekeep in effect.

[@sandwich1247]

true

[@m.ace.o]

Could you elaborate please?

[@justsomefakeguywithoutamou5538]

Whenever I am improvisng I just dont know where my fingers should go and when to jump how far? Can anyone please help me.

[@stevenz9916]

2:58 4:45

[@13londe85]

6:30

[@dabnauta]

3:30 (for myself) 5:30

[@normalizedaudio2481]

It's like you are breaking out of a diminished scale into the normal dominant scale.

[@lanphanh]

Play 11:23

[@dabnauta]

3:30 (for myself)

[@Bartnick81]

Can someone explain to me why he goes tediously through scales just up and down and at the end he makes very different unrelated improvisation. What has happened here ?

[@artmis6158]

Basically he picked notes on the scale and used the exercise to find ways to connect the melodies together to give the improv more direction

[@menasafwat4951]

Amazing 👏👏👏, you look like Lord Voldemort ( Ralph Fiennes ) 😂😂😂😂

[@somtingwongwai7194]

How many Guitarist are secretly watch these vids??

[@markkurochkin1785]

Sad fact: I'm an ordinary teenager, I shoot good music content, or rather I play the piano. but no one is watching me, God bless those who have read this.)

[@theveryfirst]

I've been playing for one year. I have no idea what this guy is talking about.

[@kylewatson6890]

I love Blues, but I just cannot see the appeal of Jazz.

[@nancymcmonarch]

Something must have drawn you here.

[@jamesmitchell6925]

Meh

[@peoriaos6627]

Great lesson!

[@cristobalmunoz9039]

❤

[@dabnauta]

3:30 (for myself)