Epistrophy: Journey Through The Real Book

A jazz piano lesson with history, insights, and a jazz piano cover of this Thelonious Monk tune.
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Jazz Piano Left Hand Techniques
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You'll find my book, The Inner World of Piano Improvisation, on Amazon.
Here are some more Free Jazz Piano Lessons for you at the KeyboardImprov website:
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Thanks for joining me on this musical adventure, and please LIKE, COMMENT and SHARE this video with your musical friends.
If you'd like to start my full video course, you'll find it here:
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For Zoom and Skype lessons, please email me at [e-mail].
Enjoy the journey, and "let the music flow!"
Ron

[@prasadbidaye]

Love the explanation of the polyrhythm! Thanks for the breakdown and the performance too!

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

Hi Prasad, I'm glad this helps you play the tune!

[@curs3dgrl]

Great video for students :) !

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

Thanks!

[@nyssacollins8037]

I love this! I am working on this tune for an arranging class, and we didn't understand why a Monk tune was labeled bebop. Thanks for the historical context!

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

I'm glad this helps you understand more about Monk and bebop, Nyssa! Yes, the connection isn't always so clear from listening to his recordings, but it all makes sense once you realize the connection. Good luck to you and your class!

[@ChrisSmithSaxophone]

Thanks Ron this was great! I love Thelonious Monk compositions, and watching this was just like having a chat with another Monk fan.

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

Thanks, Chris, that's a great thing to say! Do you have a favorite Monk tune that you like to play?

[@ChrisSmithSaxophone]

Hi Ron, at the moment most of his work is beyond me, but I play Blue Monk when I'm out busking. ☺ 👍 🎷

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

@@ChrisSmithSaxophone Blue Monk is a good place to start. You might also want to begin playing the head to several of his tunes, sooner rather than later, since they can take a long time to "sink in."

[@ChrisSmithSaxophone]

Yes, that's a good idea, but there are so many tunes, and not enough hours in the day. As well as thelonious monk, I am spending a lot of time listening to, and learning, Coltrane, brubeck, herbie Hancock, horace silver, rollins... I have a century of jazz to work my way through! That's why your 8 year project through the real book is so close to my heart! 😀 👍 🎶

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

@@ChrisSmithSaxophone Great minds think alike, Chris!

[@WBIGTVBuffalo]

Wow!

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

Thanks Howard :)

[@Toxin08]

Love these vids, keep it up! Been learning a lot about the Real Book from watching these. Do you have a Patreon or PayPal for donations?

[@craigday8879]

Thanks for another great video, Ron! Do you ever use an octonic scale over chromatic changes like this? For example, for the C#7 to D7 chords, C#7 octonic (C#/D/E/F/G/G#/A#/B/C#) seems like an interesting choice that covers both keys somewhat and has some dissonance and color to it.

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

Hi Craig, thanks for this. Yes, I do use that, and sometimes put in an extra note: C. Even though the C doesn't fit over the C#7 in a true sense, we can tune through this scale quickly and it kind of works equally over both chords. Another way is to go totally chromatic and do it all completely by ear.

[@Toxin08]

Also where can I learn about the patrolo ban?

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

Here's a link to a Wikipedia page about it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1942%E2%80%9344_musicians%27_strike

[@demsi2004]

Which scales did You used for each chord?

[@rondrotoskeyboardimprov9453]

I wasn't really thinking about scales when I was playing it, but I guess if I had to pick a scale to use, it would be a Lydianb7 scale for each dominant 7th chord. But this isn't really a scale-based tune. For me, it's more about hearing a melodic line that weaves in and out of the rapidly changing chromatic harmonies.