Practicing Piano Technique by the Root

This is more for the advanced students, music teachers and anyone who wants to learn jazz chords and scales. Instead of practicing your technical exercises by key, practice them by their shared root. For example, play through:

  • C major Scale

  • C major Modes

  • C minor Scales (natural, harmonic, melodic, jazz minor)

  • C minor Modes

  • C Penatonic Scale

  • C Blues Scale

  • C Whole Tone Scale

  • C Octatonic Scale

  • C major tonic chord/triad

  • C minor tonic chord/triad

  • C7 (dominant 7th of F major)

  • Cm7 (ii7 of B-flat major)

  • Cm7(♭5) (viiø7 of D-flat major)

  • Cdim7, A.K.A. B#dim (viio7 of D-flat/c# minor)

  • and so on.

This was one of the first things I learned when I took jazz piano lessons with jazz pianist, clinician, adjudicator and examiner Derek Stoll.