Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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This is the second in a series of tutorials in which I take a simple song leadsheet and work it up into a cocktail piano-style solo. In this tutorial we look at how to play the melody and chords of the song’s B section, how to develop a more sophisticated left hand in the form of a stride pattern, and how to start using decoration — a fundamental aspect of the cocktail piano style.

You can find the FIRST tutorial in the series HERE: youtu.be/lMxl3ymiVq0

PDF of “From Scratch” leadsheet: drive.google.com/file/d/1otxgx8jsaWFwxFCyJPjLTrwji1I7OyV6/view?usp=sharing

Series playlist link: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpOuhygfD7QkH5t7Ye797ohL2SRbDApUu

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
02:09 The concept of the B section
03:29 B section playthrough
04:39 B section melody
07:27 B section chords
10:15 Simple left hand for the B section
12:44 Review of what we’ve learned so far
14:25 Adding a left hand stride pattern
20:59 Adding decoration
23:25 Some ideas for basic chordal decorations
26:50 What next?