Description
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Want to open a jazz fake book or lead sheet and actually know what to play?
In this jazz piano lesson, Willie Myette shows you how to take a simple lead sheet—with nothing more than a melody and chord symbols—and turn it into a complete-sounding piano arrangement using root-3 and root-7 chord shells.
Using “Misty” as an example, you’ll learn how to:
🎹 Build root-3 and root-7 chord shells
🎹 Create a left-hand accompaniment from chord symbols
🎹 Combine chord shells with the melody in your right hand
🎹 Choose voicings that avoid conflicts with the melody
🎹 Use smooth voice leading through ii-V-I progressions
🎹 Recognize dominant motion and move naturally between chord shells
🎹 Turn a basic lead sheet into an arrangement that actually sounds like jazz
One of the biggest takeaways from this lesson is that you don’t need huge, complicated jazz chords to start making music from a fake book. A strong melody, solid rhythm and well-chosen chord shells can already give you a convincing arrangement.
And once you understand this approach, you can apply it to far more than “Misty.” Willie demonstrates how the same chord-shell concept can work with other standards and ballads as well.
Ready to go beyond individual YouTube lessons?
👉 Visit Jazzedge Academy: https://jazzedge.academy
At Jazzedge Academy, you’ll find structured jazz piano training designed to help you know what to practice, how to practice it, and what to learn next—so you can spend less time searching for random lessons and more time actually playing.
Start learning at Jazzedge Academy today.
And remember: these voicings take practice. As Willie explains in the lesson, be patient with yourself and put a little time into them each day.
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