The Jazz Piano Practice Routine (3 essential practice exercises)

Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only ‘perfect practice’ makes perfect.

As a jazz pianist, you need to practice the right things in order to get results (practice alone doesn’t guarantee success).

In this article I’ll show you 3 essential exercises that you can use to cure the most common weak areas I see in students.

1. Speed At Building Chords

Does it take you 5 (or more seconds) to find each finger to the notes of the next chord?

Do you find your fingers hovering there, while you slowly check each finger?

If so, this is the most common jazz piano weak area I see among students - it’s a sign that your ‘interval arithmetic’ is not fast enough.

‘Interval arithmetic’ is my term for ‘counting intervals’. As a jazz pianist, you’ll find yourself counting intervals constantly when you play:

So every chord voicing is an interval pattern that you must count (e.g. maj 3 + tritone + min 3rd + 4th).

Every jazz scale is an interval pattern (half-step - whole-step - half-step, etc).

NOTE: When playing jazz piano, you shouldn’t be trying to memorize note names (D, F#, Bb etc) - instead, think of everything as an interval pattern.

EXERCISE 1. To speed up your ‘interval arithmetic’ - spend a few weeks practicing counting intervals. To do this, choose a starting note, and then challenge yourself to count up (and sometimes down) by all 12 intervals:

Let’s start on C - what’s a minor 6th up from C?

Ab - now what’s a major 7th up from Ab?

G. Now what’s a tritone up from G?

Db. Now what’s a 4th up from Db?

Gb - and so on.

This exercise can be practiced away from your instrument - whenever you have some down time (e.g. while waiting for the dentist, getting a hair cut, or during a tea break).

2. Master The 2-5-1 In All 12 Keys

Are you fluent at playing the ii-V-I chord progression through all twelve keys?

If not, this should be your next priority - to master the ii-V-I in all 12 keys, using a couple of voicing patterns.

First, learn the ii-V-I played in the following ‘closed voicing’ pattern:

IMAGE - 2-5-1- V7 chord inversion - literal voicings

Notice that the V7 chord is played in 2nd inversion - this means that the bottom two notes (D and F) stay in place for the first two chords. And from the V7 chord to the I chord, the top two notes (G and B) stay in place.

To practice anything through the twelve keys, I suggest that you use ‘the twelve key pattern’ - which is a series of descending keys:

Start in C major - D min 7 - G7 - C maj 7.

IMAGE - 2-5-1 in C major - V7 chord inversion - literal voicings

Now take your I chord (C maj 7) and change it to a minor 7 chord (C min 7). This minor 7 chord will now be the ii chord of your next ii-V-I - this time we’re in the key of Bb major (a whole-step down from the previous key):

IMAGE - 2-5-1 in Bb major - V7 chord inversion - literal voicings

Then repeat the pattern - take the I chord (Bb maj 7) and make it a minor 7 chord (Bb min 7). This is now the ii chord of your next ii-V-I (in Ab major):

IMAGE - 2-5-1 in Ab major - V7 chord inversion - literal voicings

Keep repeating this pattern until you come back to the key of C major - where you’ll find yourself playing the same ii-V-I you started on.

So far, this has taken you through six keys (C maj - Bb maj - Ab maj -Gb maj - Eb maj - D maj), but there’s still six remaining keys. So when you get back to C major - count up a half-step and build a minor 7 chord (C# minor 7). This will be your new ii chord (of B major), and you’ll start the same pattern again from C# minor 7:

IMAGE - 2-5-1 in B major - literal voicings

Keep repeating this pattern until you come to the end (C# maj 7). You have now been through the complete cycle of keys.

I use the ‘twelve key pattern’ to practice all sorts of things in jazz - but in particular, I use it to learn chord voicing patterns applied to the ii-V-I.

Start by learning the ii-V-I played with ‘closed voicings’ (i.e. the pattern shown above).

After that, it’s also very useful to learn rootless chord voicings applied to the ii-V-I.

There’s two rootless voicing patterns commonly used - here’s how they look applied to a ii-V-I in C major:

IMAGE - 2-5-1 in C major. Rootless voicings - A B A.

The second rootless voicing pattern plays the same chords as above, but this time they’re played in inversion:

IMAGE - 2-5-1 in C major. Rootless voicings - A B A.

PRACTICE CHALLENGE: Look at the rootless chord voicings I’ve notated above - then transpose both patterns through the twelve key pattern. This will likely take you 2-4 weeks to fully master.

See if you can play the twelve key pattern note perfectly, three times in a row. This is a clear sign as to whether you’ve mastered your chord voicings or not.

For more jazz piano chord voicings, you can download my free Jazz Piano Chord Voicing guide - which gives you some of my top jazz piano chords voicings.
Click here to get the Jazz Tutorial Chord Voicing guide (free).

3. Performance Technique

Lastly, let’s say you want to polish up your piano playing technique - so that you sound more professional.

‘Technique’ is made up of many aspects - fingering, note accuracy, dynamics, pedaling, timing, and so on - and each of these aspects should be practiced on its own - in isolation (don not try to practice all technique together).

NOTE: Simply playing songs that you already know from beginning to end, is not practice. Effective practice requires you to identify your weak areas, and then design exercises which work on those weak areas in isolation. You must resist the temptation to play things that are inside your comfort zone - and instead, practice the areas of discomfort repeatedly until they’re no longer a problem.

I like to invent practice exercises that are based on real jazz songs from my real book (rather than uninspiring 8 bar cerebral exercises).

So let’s invent a few practice exercises to target separate aspects of ‘technique’ - which you can apply to any jazz song in your real book:

  • Note articulations practice. Every note you play can be ‘articulated’ in different ways. Most notes are either played sustained (‘legato’) or short (‘staccato’). You can give your melodic lines (and solos) a big lift by paying attention to how you articulate the notes. Most notes in jazz tend to be played sustained, but there will be a few specific notes which are crying out to be played staccato (and sometimes ‘accented’ - i.e. played louder) - even when the sheet music doesn’t specify any articulation.

To practice your note articulations - play through a song from your repertoire. First, play every single melody note legato (sustained for as long as possible, right until the next note is played). Do this five or more times in a row.

IMAGE - melody with all notes played legato

Next, play through the same song, and play every single melody note staccato (as short as possible). Again, do this five ore more times.

IMAGE - melody with all notes played staccato

This exercise will ingrain the legato and staccato finger technique, so that it’s ready for action.

Finally, play through the song slowly and identify which melody notes you want to hear played staccato (pencil them in):

IMAGE - staccatos notes demonstrated on Night in Tunisia

Now play the song repeatedly (10+ times) and focus on playing the note articulations exactly as written (the legato / staccato pattern).

  • Dynamics. Let’s say you want to practice your dynamics (your ‘louds’, ‘softs’, and everything in-between). To do this, take the same jazz song as before - but this time play every note loudly (‘forte’). Do this five times.

Next play through the song with every note played softly (‘piano’).

Next, practice the ‘crescendo’ (getting gradually louder over a period time). Break the song into a series of 4 bar crescendos.

And finally, practice the ‘diminuendo’ (getting quieter over time). Break the song into a series of 4 bar diminuendos.

Click here to get my recommended list of jazz songs + real books for learning jazz piano (free).

  • Chords played in unison. When it comes to playing chords, the number one technical aspect I focus on is playing each note in the chord together ‘as one’ - in perfect unison. When I hear a jazz pianist who plays every chord in perfect unison, I know that they’re good (whereas most pianists play their chords with a slight ‘un-togetherness’).

This can be easily practiced. Just take any series of chords - this could be the chords from a song in your real book, or you could take the ii-V-I we discussed earlier.

Play the chord progression and focus on playing each chord together ‘as one’ - in perfect unison. Play each chord three times in a row (or more) - this will allow you to spend more time practicing the technique itself, rather than finding your fingers to the next chord.

To play chords ‘as one’, first find your fingers to the right notes. Then lock your hand in place, with each finger pressing on the top its note. Lastly, when you’re ready to play the chord, press your forearm downwards - which should result in playing the chord in perfect unison.

  • Chords played rippled. There’s a second way to play chords - which is ‘rippled’. To ripple a chord, you create a slight delay in each note, and play one note at a time in ascending order. Rippling is a great way to highlight a chord (use it for your most sophisticated two-handed chord voicings).

‘Chord rippling’ needs to be practiced in isolation. To do this, take a chord progression to practice on (the same one you used above is fine) and this time, play every single chord rippled. Again, play each chord three times in a row.

To ripple a chord, first find your fingers to the right notes. Then use your hands to create the ripple motion - start with your left hand and rotate it from left to right. Then do the same with your right hand - rotate it from left to right. Rippling is done mostly with your hands, more than your fingers.

Do you want to discover sophisticated jazz piano chord voicings used by professional jazz musicians? If so, I’ve notated a free chord voicing guide that gives you some of my favorite chord voicings.
Click here to download the Jazz Tutorial Chord Voicing guide (free).

  • Pedaling. To practice pedaling (your use of the sustain pedal), choose a jazz song. Play through it ten or more times and focus exclusively on your right foot’s pedaling.

In general, the release of the pedal requires the most precision (less than the ‘stepping down’ of the pedal) - you must release the pedal at the precise moment that you play the next chord.

As you play through the song’s chords, see how accurately you can synchronize your release of the pedal, with the playing of the next chord. Both should line up together perfectly.

Click here to get my recommended list of jazz songs + real books for learning jazz piano (free).

Summary

We’ve now looked at a wide number of practice exercises for jazz piano - all of which I use.

The key is to choose one exercises at a time - and work on it consistently for a one week, two weeks, or more.

The practice exercises I showed you include:

  • Interval arithmetic (or counting intervals) - to find your fingers to the notes of the next chord more quickly.

  • Chord voicings - practice playing the ii-V-I through twelve key pattern. Master this using closed voicings, and rootless voicings.

  • Technique practice - use a song from your real book to practice individual technical aspects, one at a time. Focus on note articulations, dynamics, rippling chords, pedaling, and anything else that might be lagging in your technique.

Jazz Songs & Real Books

I’ve made a list of recommended jazz songs for beginners, plus my advice on which real books to buy.
Click here to download the Jazz Tutorial Guide to Songs & Real Books (free).

Free Jazz Piano Resources

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  • 29 Jazz Piano Licks (sheet music)

  • The Jazz Piano Chord Voicing Guide (ebook)

  • Instagram Jazz Piano Riffs (sheet music + MIDI)

  • Jazz Chords Ultimate Guide

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About the Author

Julian Bradley is a jazz pianist and music educator from the U.K. He has a masters degree in music from Bristol University, and has played with and composed for a variety of big bands.
Julian runs the popular Jazz Tutorial YouTube channel and writes educational jazz lessons at JazzTutorial.com