Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 21 hours ago
You are fingering jazz licks one note at a time, and that is why they never come out smooth.
Try every lesson for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
This is from my SMOOTH PIANO JAZZ course, built on "Asking You Out" by the Quinn Perry Trio.
"Always look for groups of a hand position. B, A, F sharp, D is one position. It's like a B minor 7. Now I'm going to move my thumb for the C sharp, and then A, B will be 2, 3."
DO THIS AT THE PIANO TONIGHT
- Take any lick you are working on and stop before you play it. Look at the notes and ask one question: how many hand positions is this, really?
- Circle the notes your hand can reach without moving. In this lick that is B, A, F sharp and D - four melody notes that are nothing but a B minor 7 chord sitting under your fingers.
- Name the chord out loud. Once it is "a Bm7 shape" instead of "four notes", your hand already knows where to be, and the fingering falls out of the shape instead of being memorized note by note.
- Then find the ONE move to the next group - here it is the thumb sliding over for the C sharp - and practice that move by itself.
WHY THIS CHANGES HOW FAST YOU LEARN LICKS
Most adult players read a lick the way you read a phone number: one digit at a time, all of them separate, nothing to hold onto. That is why a lick takes a week and still falls apart at tempo.
Piano players who sound fluent are not reading faster. They are reading FEWER things. A twelve-note lick is not twelve notes to them, it is three hand positions with a thumb move between them - and every one of those positions is a chord they have already played a thousand times.
That is chunking, and it is the whole difference between practicing a lick and knowing one. It works on jazz licks, blues runs, worship fills, classical passages, anything you play.
WHAT IS IN THE SMOOTH PIANO JAZZ COURSE
51 numbered jazz licks, seven eight-bar chord progressions built only from chords that occur in the tune, and the whole of "Asking You Out" by the Quinn Perry Trio. Every lick comes with a backing track that stays on one chord as long as you need, so you can take your time and improvise over it instead of racing a metronome.
Piano lessons for adult beginners and returning players - chord piano, jazz piano, smooth jazz, jazz licks, hand position, chunking, chord shapes, minor 7 chords, piano fingering, thumb under, chord voicings, improvisation for beginners, learn piano at home, online piano lessons.
👍 Try 1,000 free lessons today on webpianoteacher.com ✅ Learn to play piano with Shawn’s revolutionary method
Read Google Reviews by Shawn’s actual students google.com/search?sca_esv=5009c1303de011b0&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1008US1008&hl=en-US&q=web+piano+teacher+reviews&uds=ADvngMgvgkdrPGdvQSDLpEVP-ZodsumYvHbzDCPdZxu7y1dxdo5qqAYWcbG74nStvB1P7oPuKgMFxvRIzd_DZN3tMyxEyrPXSMvg62M7DhKnaOoXRrvMRlR2qOzpuVB5MFvbzhVxfpnLmeUii_UEMspRA9Sb2_UNlNmYcxD8gSa_9Y-ZrAhmC7PMo4dC-3yAW2NaRCTwbTkIJFF0zACFe0MmWygbXUnSyy4URj5yYn7f6Y92qL5F7C65sP-AwHchpQ_w3yruheB24nu-AvcfFQo-ckINkBqWAeio4R0dm9r8cmVn2A7RlUhPAPOZyHpYJ2DontEmnoCi9_eEmhwW9RpGrsajaR7u8_U58p0eD_M4AQtnaQce2g4_3U4ECJVG1OOQrlRFwR4byywOQYKXK-PF9b_wDOJ4wtlppDpfX1FhULjD2H_jbmF3keFLT-JjbHx5mU1wYAbm&si=ACC90nwjPmqJHrCEt6ewASzksVFQDX8zco_7MgBaIawvaF4-7tVxiqnhHYhqKwDDsP2tv6FAZ1fBoW06Zy-5I4bv_4sVUMNgTvp0JS4qCRvaokEGreiT-RV-opIxhvzKSE6856yE4kgwpddtdtU31HEpdWwEdq8gXg%3D%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik1uakreOIAxVxKkQIHU2mGhQQk8gLegQIKRAB&ictx=1&biw=390&bih=657&dpr=3
🎹 #learntoplaypiano #learnpiano #pianocover #pianolessons #pianoteacher #pianotutorial #easypiano #howtoplaypiano http:webpianoteacher.com
🎹 Testimonials from Shawn’s actual students: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bI83Iun0tmCk-4IOSVAxm6S
🔥Billy Joel Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bKGJ1HDqNoqdQ02-o579MQk
🔥Elton John Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bJV-8LhjXDcX5W4XRLhFhQZ
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You are fingering jazz licks one note at a time, and that is why they never come out smooth.
Try every lesson for $1 for 7 days: webpianoteacher.com/subscription/offer
This is from my SMOOTH PIANO JAZZ course, built on "Asking You Out" by the Quinn Perry Trio.
"Always look for groups of a hand position. B, A, F sharp, D is one position. It's like a B minor 7. Now I'm going to move my thumb for the C sharp, and then A, B will be 2, 3."
DO THIS AT THE PIANO TONIGHT
- Take any lick you are working on and stop before you play it. Look at the notes and ask one question: how many hand positions is this, really?
- Circle the notes your hand can reach without moving. In this lick that is B, A, F sharp and D - four melody notes that are nothing but a B minor 7 chord sitting under your fingers.
- Name the chord out loud. Once it is "a Bm7 shape" instead of "four notes", your hand already knows where to be, and the fingering falls out of the shape instead of being memorized note by note.
- Then find the ONE move to the next group - here it is the thumb sliding over for the C sharp - and practice that move by itself.
WHY THIS CHANGES HOW FAST YOU LEARN LICKS
Most adult players read a lick the way you read a phone number: one digit at a time, all of them separate, nothing to hold onto. That is why a lick takes a week and still falls apart at tempo.
Piano players who sound fluent are not reading faster. They are reading FEWER things. A twelve-note lick is not twelve notes to them, it is three hand positions with a thumb move between them - and every one of those positions is a chord they have already played a thousand times.
That is chunking, and it is the whole difference between practicing a lick and knowing one. It works on jazz licks, blues runs, worship fills, classical passages, anything you play.
WHAT IS IN THE SMOOTH PIANO JAZZ COURSE
51 numbered jazz licks, seven eight-bar chord progressions built only from chords that occur in the tune, and the whole of "Asking You Out" by the Quinn Perry Trio. Every lick comes with a backing track that stays on one chord as long as you need, so you can take your time and improvise over it instead of racing a metronome.
Piano lessons for adult beginners and returning players - chord piano, jazz piano, smooth jazz, jazz licks, hand position, chunking, chord shapes, minor 7 chords, piano fingering, thumb under, chord voicings, improvisation for beginners, learn piano at home, online piano lessons.
👍 Try 1,000 free lessons today on webpianoteacher.com ✅ Learn to play piano with Shawn’s revolutionary method
Read Google Reviews by Shawn’s actual students google.com/search?sca_esv=5009c1303de011b0&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS1008US1008&hl=en-US&q=web+piano+teacher+reviews&uds=ADvngMgvgkdrPGdvQSDLpEVP-ZodsumYvHbzDCPdZxu7y1dxdo5qqAYWcbG74nStvB1P7oPuKgMFxvRIzd_DZN3tMyxEyrPXSMvg62M7DhKnaOoXRrvMRlR2qOzpuVB5MFvbzhVxfpnLmeUii_UEMspRA9Sb2_UNlNmYcxD8gSa_9Y-ZrAhmC7PMo4dC-3yAW2NaRCTwbTkIJFF0zACFe0MmWygbXUnSyy4URj5yYn7f6Y92qL5F7C65sP-AwHchpQ_w3yruheB24nu-AvcfFQo-ckINkBqWAeio4R0dm9r8cmVn2A7RlUhPAPOZyHpYJ2DontEmnoCi9_eEmhwW9RpGrsajaR7u8_U58p0eD_M4AQtnaQce2g4_3U4ECJVG1OOQrlRFwR4byywOQYKXK-PF9b_wDOJ4wtlppDpfX1FhULjD2H_jbmF3keFLT-JjbHx5mU1wYAbm&si=ACC90nwjPmqJHrCEt6ewASzksVFQDX8zco_7MgBaIawvaF4-7tVxiqnhHYhqKwDDsP2tv6FAZ1fBoW06Zy-5I4bv_4sVUMNgTvp0JS4qCRvaokEGreiT-RV-opIxhvzKSE6856yE4kgwpddtdtU31HEpdWwEdq8gXg%3D%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik1uakreOIAxVxKkQIHU2mGhQQk8gLegQIKRAB&ictx=1&biw=390&bih=657&dpr=3
🎹 #learntoplaypiano #learnpiano #pianocover #pianolessons #pianoteacher #pianotutorial #easypiano #howtoplaypiano http:webpianoteacher.com
🎹 Testimonials from Shawn’s actual students: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bI83Iun0tmCk-4IOSVAxm6S
🔥Billy Joel Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bKGJ1HDqNoqdQ02-o579MQk
🔥Elton John Song Lessons: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCmQmIKv8_bJV-8LhjXDcX5W4XRLhFhQZ
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instagram.com/webpianoteacher
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