Jazz Piano Lessons

Home
Jazz Piano Lessons

Check out my 1,200 piano arrangements of standards and 65 jazz tutorials @ www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas He's also tutoring and taking requests there.

Piano teacher Harry Likas was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and also helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book". Harry spends his time teaching privately online and playing solo piano gigs.. Find over 200 of Harry's arrangements of standard tunes for solo jazz piano on patreon.com/HarryLikas. You'll find my arrangements of tunes such as Misty, As Time Goes By, The Girl F

rom Ipanema, etc.

28/05/2025

I’ve arranged "Over The Rainbow" using my basic 2+2 chord voicing method for piano.
The 2+2 chord voicing approach is a practical system for pianists to develop the skill of spontaneously forming clean, effective chord voicings from lead sheets. It keeps things simple by assigning each hand a clear role. The left hand provides the harmonic foundation, usually playing the root and either the 7th or the 3rd (occasionally the 5th, especially on tonic chords). The right-hand thumb fills in the missing essential chord tone—either the 3rd or 7th, whichever isn’t already covered by the left hand—while the remaining fingers in the right hand play the melody above.

This setup promotes smooth voice leading, creates a balanced sound, and works well in both solo and group settings. When it’s time to solo, a pianist can continue using the left hand as in the arrangement—alternating between root and 7th or root and 3rd voicings—to provide a strong foundation to improvise over. As players grow more comfortable with 2+2 chord voicings, they can enrich their harmony with additional notes, increase left-hand rhythmic motion, and incorporate melodic embellishments to develop their own style.

While most of my arrangements use the 2+2 chord arranging method, some explore alternative textures, including Broadway bass left-hand style, Latin patterns, stride techniques, walking bass lines, and arpeggio-based left-hand patterns.

Please check out my 1,200 “2+2” Jazz Piano Arrangements of Standards and 50 Tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas

I was the technical editor for Mark Levine’s “The Jazz Theory Book” and a contributor to “The Jazz Piano Book.”

30/09/2024

Adding notes to the 2+2 chord arranging "Then I'll Be Tired Of You."

The 2+2 chord arranging method involves distributing two notes in the left hand and two notes in the right hand to form a full harmonic structure.

Left Hand (2 Notes):
The left hand plays a combination of the root and the 7th, the root and the 3rd, or sometimes the root and the 5th.

Right Hand (2 Notes):
The right hand's thumb plays either the 3rd or 7th, whichever is not already being played by the left hand, with the melody added on top, often played by the 5th finger.

Adding Chord Tones & Extensions:

In the 2+2 system, it's common to add color to the chords by incorporating additional notes like the 9th, 11th, or 13th. Players are encouraged to make these additions, enhancing the harmonic complexity.

The method provides a balanced way to cover the bass, harmony, and melody without overwhelming any part of the arrangement, making it ideal for solo piano performance. It’s also a great educational tool for players to learn how to fill out harmonies and balance the different parts of a tune.

Harry Likas uses 2+2 chord arranging method to simplify complex chord voicings and give pianists a framework they can build on, either by adding notes or leaving it as a simple, clear 2+2 harmonic structure.

————————
Find 850 of Harry's arrangements of standards for solo piano, plus jazz piano tutorials at www.patreon.com/HarryLikas
_____________
Harry Likas was the technical editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

04/09/2024

I've arranged "Smile" for piano using my 2+2 basic chord arranging method. 2+2 chord arranging" involves each hand playing two specific notes, guided by a few simple rules that create balanced voicings while keeping fingerings and hand positioning straightforward. I recommend starting with 2+2 voicings, as they provide a solid foundation for building more complex techniques.
Find 800 of my arrangements of standards for solo piano, plus jazz piano tutorials at www.patreon.com/HarryLikas
____________________
Harry was the technical editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

21/05/2024

I've arranged "Pavane For A Dead Princess” for piano for educational purposes using my 2+2 jazz chord arranging method.
Find 700 of my arrangements of standards for solo piano, plus jazz piano tutorials at www.patreon.com/HarryLikas
__________________
Harry Likas was the technical editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

Address

Website

http://patreon.com/HarryLikas

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Jazz Piano Lessons posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Jazz Piano Lessons:

Want your school to be the top-listed School/college?

Country:

City: