To become fluid with mainstream pop and jazz harmony, you must practice two things:

Harmonic Exercises

This means drilling chord voicings alone and within typical progressions so that your hands are comfortable with the shapes and can find them quickly.

Tune Harmonization

As you are learning new voicings, you need to continually apply them to tune after tune. The harmonic exercises will make this activity easier.

A fakebook is your resource of tune lead sheets.

This discussion presents voicings which use the three most essential harmonic voices: the "root" (in the left hand) and the "third" and "seventh" (in the right hand.)

These notes are the foundation of mainstsream rock, pop, hip-hop, blues and jazz harmony; any additional tones are for coloration.

With these three voices alone we can distinguish between major, dominant, minor, and diminished quality chords.

The two right hand notes are sometimes called "guide tones."

These vocings provide enough harmonic information to provide a simple but satisfying accompaniment for most tunes, and sound especially full when played on an electronic instrument.

They are also particularly useful for supporting a big band in ensemble passages in which the piano part indicates chord symbols with fast-moving rhythmic hits and lots of chord extensions.

In such situations the band is already providing the full harmony, so you can reduce the harmony to simple guide tones.

This helps you to interpret the symbols quickly and to execute the harmony with rhythmic conviction.

Most importantly, mastering guide tones makes you understand an essential principle of good harmonic voice-leading: the smooth resolution of the thirds and sevenths of chords through a progression.

Notice how the third and seventh switch positions whenever there is root movement of a fourth.

To place these guide tone voicings in the most effective register:

You can write one or two part backgrounds as simple whole or half notes, or you can rhythmically embellish them.

Your mastery of guide tones will also enhance your hearing of melodic shape; they can become "target" or arrival notes in lines which you compose or improvise.

One interesting variation of this lesson's voicing format is achieved by adding a perfect fifth above the LH root on minor and major chords. This extra voice flattens the sound considerably without disturbing the voice-leading.

In any case, do not leave this lesson until you can quickly find the thirds and sevenths through any progression.

This foundation will make it much easier for you to hear and comprehend other voicing formats.

Below, you will find color-coded references of the ii - V7 - I chord progressions (using guide tones) for the Keys of D Major, C Major, B-Flat Major and A-Flat Major.

I suggest that you print out all of the pages at first before attempting to analyze the illustrations.

Please note that the red color-coded keys are to played with your right hand using fingers 1 and 3 only.

The blue color-coded keys are to be played with your left hand, using fingers 1 or 4.

Now, remember to practice the progressions using a steady tempo. Try to make the exercise sound as it were a complete song.

Practice the first ii - V7 - I progression many times; at least 10 times before you move on to the next Key!

You'll know when your fingers and hand muscles are comfortable with the movements, because you will instinctively start creating melodies with the 4th and 5th fingers of your right hand.

This Lead Sheet is based on harmonies of long duration and which only use one or two scale forms.

The original harmonies are only E minor 7th and F minor 7th Chords. However, I arranged the harmonies to include the (F# minor 7th and B7 chords) as well as the (G minor 7th and C7 chords) to add harmonic interest.

Specifically speaking, the harmonies include the Dorian and Mixolydian modes.

You should stress diatonic playing (free of chromatic embellishment) until each mode is firmly fixed in both your mind and fingers.

Once the tones of a particular scale are set, then chromaticism may be used sparingly.

Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of music in any style. As in traditional composition, improvisation is a craft.

You must develop your mind, body and spirit, though the study of musical principles.

This development is a prerequisite to the realistic practice of improvisation, despite the implications derived from the word spontaneous.

Spontaneity is combined with conditioning, so is the existing styles of improvisations combined with originality of expression.

Very seldom do you hear an improviser's solo that does not contain melodic fragments or patterns derived from the melody of the tune used -  from a fellow performer's solo -  from an influential player of the time - from a different tune altogether -  from material previously improvised, or from patterns (original or borrowed) currently studied in individual practice.

Another obvious combination is creation and performance.

The improviser pre-hears in his/her mind the next musical event, and then has the added task of playing it cleanly and with feeling.  This is the process of improvisation.

After practicing patterns, you will begin to instinctively create your own patterns that fall comfortably underneath your hands and fingers!

Please Note: The numbers underneath the notes represent the scale tones!

Remember to transpose the patterns to the other keys.

The study above will give you a few suggested accents to soften the monotony of the straight 8th notes.

It should be played slower than the suggested metronome speed (152) in order to get the feel of the accented notes. Once you have a feel of how the accents work, then you can take the exercise up to speed.

There are a few spots where a progresson of two 8th notes will sound more like the 1st and 3rd notes of an 8th triplet, but in this particular exercise, the important thing is the accent and where it goes.

Make sure you sound the accented notes louder than the other unaccented notes. If you find better places to accent the notes, go ahead and do your own thing!