Jazz & Blues Piano Glossary
Anticipation
A note or chord played before the expected beat, creating a sense of forward motion and excitement.
Arrangement
The process of organizing a piece of music, including left-hand accompaniment, reharmonization, or restructuring sections of a song.
Bass Line
A single-note accompaniment, usually played legato, that outlines the harmony and drives the rhythm.
Block Chord
A four-note chord where all voices move together. Often synonymous with a seventh chord.
Blues
A genre of music based on a 12-bar progression using dominant seventh chords (I7, IV7, V7), often featuring soulful melodies and expressive phrasing.
Blues Scale
A six-note scale commonly used in blues and jazz improvisation, adding a characteristic “blue” sound.
Chord Changes
A sequence of chords in a song, also called a chord progression.
Chord Progression
A structured movement of chords that forms the harmonic foundation of a song.
Improvisation
Creating spontaneous melodies using scales, motifs, and rhythmic ideas.
Jam Session
An informal musical gathering where musicians play together without prior rehearsal.
Lead Sheet
A song notation showing only the melody and chords, leaving the arrangement to the performer.
Lick
A short, recognizable melodic phrase used in solos.
Modes
Scales derived from the major scale, each starting on a different scale degree.
Pentatonic Scale
A five-note scale commonly used in blues, rock, and jazz improvisation.
Seventh Chord
A four-note chord built by adding the seventh degree of a scale to a triad.
Solo
An improvised or composed melodic passage played over accompaniment.
Tension
Additional chord tones beyond the basic triad, such as 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths, adding harmonic complexity.
Transposition
Shifting a melody and chord progression into a new key.
Voice Leading
The smooth movement of notes from one chord to another, reducing leaps and creating cohesive harmonies.
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