Bill Evans Jazz Lick Lesson and Video
Here’s a free Bill Evans lick lesson and tutorial video.
Bill was a harmonic genius and one of the truly great jazz musicians.
This Bill Evans lick is just so beautiful sounding I had to share it with you all!
(After you check out this lick you will want to check out this additional Bill Evans chords lesson and this Bill Evans jazz chords lesson)
Make sure you scroll down for the notation of the lick and video. I added some additional tips and a lesson to help you learn.
(click to expand)
The 9 Is Beautiful
1. Bill starts his solo on the 9 of the Gmin7 chord on bar 1. Practice starting your II-V-I jazz licks starting on the 9. It’s a great sound!
II and V Are Very Good Friends
2. For the first 2 beats of the C7 chord (bar 2) Bill is thinking just C7(sus4) or Gmin7 in his soloing.
He implies another harmony on top of the chord. Some people would say he is thinking Gmin7 there but really Gm7 and C7(sus4) function in the same way.
If Bill’s sense of harmony seems interesting to you then you should also check out this Bill Evans jazz chord lesson.
Delayed Resolution Keeps The Lick Moving Forward
3. He finally resolves to regular C7 on beats 3 of the C7 chord (2nd measure).
Altered Harmony Rocks
4. On beat 4 though he plays alterations of the C7 chord (b9, #9) and starts thinking altered harmony.
This is a perfect example of how a master jazz musician uses the concept of voice leading to create flow and interest through his melodic line.
Use of Space
5. Check out how Bill Evans leaves space going into bar 2 and then starts his arpeggio on the “& of 1”.
Many jazz licks feature this rhythmic concept. We’ve discussed this before in the Charlie Parker lick lesson and the Red Garland lesson as well.
If you want to learn more about Bill Evan’s improvisation style you can check out The Jazz Masters Method DVD.
The method is an in depth study of the jazz licks of 9 different jazz piano masters (Bill Evans is just 1 of the 9 players.)
Practice Tips
1. Try throwing this lick over your favorite standard that features a 2-5-1
2. You can grab little pieces of the lick and combine them with other bits of jazz vocabulary an licks you know.
3. Work out some variations of this lick to really make the lick personal and your own.
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