Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Learn the essentials of how to improvise over jazz chord progressions in this step-by-step jazz piano tutorial! To help you refine your jazz piano improvisation and improvisation techniques, Tom guides you through a practical and musical approach using three iconic jazz songs piano players love: All the Things You Are, Duke Ellington’s Satin Doll, and Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage.
In this lesson, Tom breaks down the core ideas behind improvisation on piano and demonstrates two major approaches you can apply to any tune:
🎵 1. Scale-Based ImprovisationLearn how to use scales as your foundation when navigating complex jazz piano chords. Tom shows you which scales work over which chords and how to connect them smoothly through real musical lines.
🎵 2. Descriptive Improvisation MethodGo deeper by focusing on the colour and character of each chord in the progression. This method trains your ear and fingers to outline harmony clearly.
Tom demonstrates how most jazz contexts benefit from a combined method—using scales for flow and chord-focused ideas for clarity and expression.
By the end of this tutorial, you'll have the tools to start improvising confidently over your favourite jazz standards, understand harmonic movement, and create meaningful solos over any jazz chord progression.
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VIDEO BREAKDOWN:
00:00 All The Things You Are
8:00 Descriptive Improvisation Method
17:53 All The Things You Are (Full Song)
20:03 Satin Doll
26:42 Satin Doll (Full Song)
29:46 Maiden Voyage
—————————————————————————
👇 If you would like to learn how to improvise over chord changes, watch this tutorial next:
youtube.com/watch?v=COut_jSMhGU&list=PLDqNslPG6e1J39vKtouDGW-NQCOsxfFp-&index=1
🎁 Claim your FREE gift - RESOURCES PACK - by getting in touch with us at London Contemporary School of Piano so that we can help you solve your challenges and accelerate you progress at the piano:
contemporaryschoolofpiano.com
🎓 Get Your GROOVE COURSE to access all the resources you need to master piano grooves and expand your piano groove vocabulary:
lcsp.samcart.com/products/groove-mastery-everyday
🎓 Join our Flagship Course, THE COMPLETE MUSICIAN COURSE with Tom Donald:
contemporaryschoolofpiano.com/the-complete-musician
🔔 If you enjoyed this piano improvisation tutorial on how to improvise jazz standards and would like to get more top tips on learning piano, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel right here:
youtube.com/channel/UCZWqaBf6VLuD0cSKF4cukPg?sub_confirmation=1
Credits:
Filmed by Josh Adams.
Edited by BUBI Productions & Charlie Coe.
youtu.be/rC7Sbkh3hcE
#londoncontemporaryschoolofpiano #jazzpiano #improvisation
Learn the essentials of how to improvise over jazz chord progressions in this step-by-step jazz piano tutorial! To help you refine your jazz piano improvisation and improvisation techniques, Tom guides you through a practical and musical approach using three iconic jazz songs piano players love: All the Things You Are, Duke Ellington’s Satin Doll, and Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage.
In this lesson, Tom breaks down the core ideas behind improvisation on piano and demonstrates two major approaches you can apply to any tune:
🎵 1. Scale-Based ImprovisationLearn how to use scales as your foundation when navigating complex jazz piano chords. Tom shows you which scales work over which chords and how to connect them smoothly through real musical lines.
🎵 2. Descriptive Improvisation MethodGo deeper by focusing on the colour and character of each chord in the progression. This method trains your ear and fingers to outline harmony clearly.
Tom demonstrates how most jazz contexts benefit from a combined method—using scales for flow and chord-focused ideas for clarity and expression.
By the end of this tutorial, you'll have the tools to start improvising confidently over your favourite jazz standards, understand harmonic movement, and create meaningful solos over any jazz chord progression.
—————————————————————————
VIDEO BREAKDOWN:
00:00 All The Things You Are
8:00 Descriptive Improvisation Method
17:53 All The Things You Are (Full Song)
20:03 Satin Doll
26:42 Satin Doll (Full Song)
29:46 Maiden Voyage
—————————————————————————
👇 If you would like to learn how to improvise over chord changes, watch this tutorial next:
youtube.com/watch?v=COut_jSMhGU&list=PLDqNslPG6e1J39vKtouDGW-NQCOsxfFp-&index=1
🎁 Claim your FREE gift - RESOURCES PACK - by getting in touch with us at London Contemporary School of Piano so that we can help you solve your challenges and accelerate you progress at the piano:
contemporaryschoolofpiano.com
🎓 Get Your GROOVE COURSE to access all the resources you need to master piano grooves and expand your piano groove vocabulary:
lcsp.samcart.com/products/groove-mastery-everyday
🎓 Join our Flagship Course, THE COMPLETE MUSICIAN COURSE with Tom Donald:
contemporaryschoolofpiano.com/the-complete-musician
🔔 If you enjoyed this piano improvisation tutorial on how to improvise jazz standards and would like to get more top tips on learning piano, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel right here:
youtube.com/channel/UCZWqaBf6VLuD0cSKF4cukPg?sub_confirmation=1
Credits:
Filmed by Josh Adams.
Edited by BUBI Productions & Charlie Coe.
youtu.be/rC7Sbkh3hcE
#londoncontemporaryschoolofpiano #jazzpiano #improvisation
