Here’s a free jazz piano lesson featuring the awesome jazz chords of Bill Evans.
This particular lesson features a ii-V-i-IV (2-5-1-4) chord progression in a minor key.
Download and Print Very Early sheet music for voice and other instruments (bass clef) by Bill Evans (real book - melody and chords). Chords and lead sheets included. High Quality PDF to download. Album: Moon Beams (1962) Bill Evans: piano, Chuck Israels: bass, Paul Motian: drums; Composition: Bill Evans. Bill Evans Trio - Very Early Bruningable. Unsubscribe from Bruningable?
These beautiful chords are very useful because you can use them in solo jazz piano arrangements and you can also use them to play behind other instrumentalists. They sound sweet too! (Video lesson, notation and jazz harmony tips below.)
This is the second set of Bill Evans chords in our series. You can also check out the other Bill Evans chords lesson here.
The best place to start is to watch the video first.
2 Take Away Tip For This Jazz Lesson
1. Bill Evans was a big fan of upper structure triads. He uses them in every chord in the chord progression. Upper structure triads are extensions of the harmony (9’s, 11’s, and 13th’s) played in simple triads in the right hand.
- For example, in measure 1 he plays a G major triad in the right hand over the Amin7(b5) measure. This G chord functions as the 7,9, and 11 of the Amin7(b5).
- Another example, in measure 2 he plays a Bb major triad in the right hand over the D7. The Bb triad functions as the #9, b13, and root of the D7 chord.
- If you want some more tips to understand how to use extensions on your chords then check out this jazz extensions lesson.
Very Early Bill Evans
The basic idea is that you can take simple triads you already know and stack them on top of each other to create more complex chords. This is a powerful way to improve your jazz harmony.
2. Notice how the top notes of these chord progression only move by step. One of the best ways to get smooth sounding chord progressions is to pay attention the voice leading of your top notes.
- To put it simply….try to create a nice simple melody with the top notes of your chords. If the top note of your chords moves too much from one chord to another it won’t sound very smooth.
Further Jazz Piano Resources
If you like these type of chords you can learn many more of them inside my Jazz Masters Method DVD. You can explore the DVD program right here.
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Bill Evans Abc Weatherman
I hope you’ve enjoyed this free jazz piano lesson. Do you like the sounds of these chords? Do you find this style of jazz harmony interesting? Let us know about it by leaving a comment below.
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'Very Early,' as its name implies, was composed while Bill Evans was a young man; it dates from his period of military service following college, and it was his only composition older than his well known 'Waltz for Debby' to remain a part of his regular repertoire throughout his recording career. This usually briskly played piece was always a highlight of any live set in which it was included. Often kicked off by the pianist with an impressionistic solo, 'Very Early' also was a potent feature for individual solos by some of the talented bassists who worked with Evans, especially Eddie Gomez and Marc Johnson. First recorded by Evans for Riverside in 1962, very few musicians recorded this challenging song until after the composer's death in 1980. In additional to numerous excellent live versions available on various CDs by Bill Evans, particularly rewarding versions include those by Phil Woods, Stan Getz and Joe Locke.
Bill Evans Weather
Appears On
Very Early Bill Evans Pdf Free
Year | Artist/Album | Label | Time | AllMusic Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|
1962 | Bill Evans / Bill Evans Trio | Original Jazz Classics / Riverside | 5:05 | |
2001 | Sony Music Distribution | 5:29 | ||
2011 | Fantasy / Riverside | 5:06 | ||
2013 | Bill Evans / Bill Evans Trio | Candid | 5:08 |