Using passing notes to create basslines

This month Richard Barrett demonstrates how changing the order of the notes in a chord can open up a lot of harmonic possibilities

Richard Barrett is on a mission to make you a better blues player – with full audio examples and backing tracks

Improvisation. For many pianists, the very word can feel intimidating. We see a jazz player fly across the keys and assume they are simply making it up. But improvisation is not a random act. It is ro

LAST MONTH, I discussed the role of the turnaround in a 12-bar blues. To review, the turnaround occurs in the last two bars of the progression. Its function is to set up the return to the beginning of

Music cannot work a magic spell. It can, however, do wonderful things. In recent issues of BBC Music Magazine, we have explored the benefits to mental health of listening and playing music, not least

When it comes to how pianists acquire their technique, the 19th century tradition of practising specially written exercises and studies (etudes) perseveres to this day. Yet many top players claim they