Exploring Jazz Piano Vol. 2: Harmony / Technique / Improvisation

(Schott). Volume 2 deals with more complex and colorful harmony, from suspended fourth, sharp eleven and thirteenth chords to diminished and altered scales. Advanced voicing, accompaniment and improvisation techniques are examined in detail, including the following topics: Quartal harmony, modal improvisation, long and short II V patterns, altered dominant chords, polychords, stride piano, Bossa Nova, clave and Partido Alto, Lydian and Locrian modes, how to make scales swing, building bebop lines, bebop scales, R235 patterns, the b3 pentatonic scale, rhythm changes, turnarounds, minor II-V-I, playing in 3/4 time, playing in double-time, tension and release, transcribing, practice routines. 32 pieces by the author appear alongside special arrangements of well-known jazz standards, including: Beautiful Love * Blue Bossa * Blue in Green * Caravan * Impressions * Ladybird * Misty * On Green Dolphin Street * Softly as in a Morning Sunrise * Summertime * Tune Up and Yesterdays. Also included are transcribed solos by Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly and Hampton Hawes. Each volume has its own audio download (mp3-format), containing between performances of all pieces, played by Tim alone or with his trio of Dominic Howles (bass) and Matt Home (drums). Play-along tracks are also included, in which the piano is panned to one speaker, providing rhythm section accompaniment if desired by turning the amplifier's balance control. Copious examples of improvisation are accompanied by numerous assignments, with guidance to hand on every page. Audio is accessed online.