Improvising Passing Diminished Chords There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds diminished chords. How do they work exactly? What chordscales do they take? How do you improvise over them? Gain some ...

Jazz Sessions, a new feature, presents some of today's most exciting musicians as they chat and perform in the studio with public radio hosts from around the country. I've been after Keith Jarrett for ...

Hiromi's understated solo over this well known baroque keyboard piece is an accessible introduction to improvising with pentatonics. In this lesson, a transcription of her solo from 2010's Place to Be ...

Werner named his new album after his state of mind when he's improvising. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says Werner's piano sings with the voice of experience. This is FRESH AIR. Jazz pianist Kenny ...

Just a little jazz improvisation on a public piano. No plan, no sheet music — just feeling the vibe and letting the music ...

Watching a skilled musician improvise a piece, you almost feel as though he or she is plucking the notes straight from thin air. Fortunately, science has given us a few clues as to what’s actually ...

There’s a popular myth that divides people into “left brain” and “right brain” categories, whereby the former are analytical and logical, while the latter are creative and innovative. The reality, of ...

It’s no surprise that improvisation is seen as a kind of holy grail for creativity. Whether it’s comedians or musicians, the act of creating something novel and interesting out of next to nothing is, ...

At 78, composer, conductor and pianist André Previn is one of the few pre-eminent classical musicians who are also major jazz figures. Or as he once told me, "I'm the only Vienna Philharmonic ...