There’s this obscure PGMUSIC app that’s called the Modern Jazz Pianist. Installing it on Win10 gave me weird results with chords being spelled wrongly, but if you drag the midis in Biab, you see the chords
Anyway, the playing is off the charts. Miles Black is great, wonderful, but, truth be told, the real star is the amazing Renee Rosnes.
If people are intrested in discussing some of the harmony going on, I’d like that. I’ve been trying to figure some things out.
One of the most amazing things is this little blues called Lexicon, a deftly reharmonized 12 bar blues.
On bar 76 (first four bars of F7) she goes into this mind blowing arpeggio that reads F, Gb, B, D, that is 1, b9, #11, 6. I thought, that’s a nice diminished dominant, like F13b9, right? But in the left hand she plays F quartal voicing, reading: F, Bb, Eb, that is 1, 11, b7. The combination is no longer compatible with F13b9, the diminished dominant chord, becuse there is no natural 11 there.
So I wondered, what if she spells out locrianNat6, which is the second mode of harmonic minor? I know Renee Rosnes has played with Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter, is influenced by Herbie Hancock and Richie Beirach. Hancock and Shorter are, to me, the Parkers and Coltranes of our generation.
I have never even considered the LocrianNat6 chord as being something other than the II-chord in a minor II-V, where, truth be told, you just play harmonic minor over the whole progression. I heard Beirach talk about the harmonic minor scale a lot. I didn’t understand, cause I always associated harmonic minor with minor blues or simplified and dull-ified arabic music. It never sounded “modern” to me. Now, all of a sudden, it does.
I dig Mark Levine’s harmony and piano books and most of what I know is derived from these books. And Mark Levine largely dismisses the harmonic minor scale. Most musicians in the intermediate amateur realm are Levinites, like me. And we never play harmonic minor, since our religion forbids the use of it on weekdays, as well as on weekends,
If anyone is as mind-blown as I am over this wonderful PGMusic set and especially Renee Rosnes’ playing, please, share what you learned from it.
It’s way over my head, out of my league, above my pay check, a different ballpark altogether, but intrigues me.
Biab, Kontakt, Sampletank and lots of nice libraries, from Fluffy audio to Abbey Road drums. Check out these great contemporary Jazz Styles: www.jazzstylezz.com
This came out several years ago, as part of a series. I did buy The Latin Pianist and learned a lot from seeing what the piano played. Just recently, on Dzjang’s recommendation in another thread, I bought The Modern Jazz Pianist.
Wow.
I don’t play piano. I’ve read all the common theory books, though, including Mark Levine’s (mentioned above) and for the most part understand the theory. But this Modern Jazz Pianist is in another league. I’m still trying to understand some of what I hear and see.
Highly recommend for advanced jazz musicians. You will have your head blown, so take it in small doses.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Another interesting way to approach this question is via chord substitution. There's an F7. If you were comping, you might augment that by playing a ii-V to dress the chords up. Now it's Cm-F7.
So, instead of doing that substitution with your left hand (the harmony) do it, or imply it with the right hand (the melody line).
Look at those notes as if they go with a quartal Cm voicing (F-Bb-Eb, no root). You have F, Gb, Bb, B, D, Eb
RayL
Mac Studio M2 mid 2024 64 GB RAM MacOS Sequoia 15.7.4
Logic Pro 12.01 Studio One 7.2 PreSonus USB AudioBox 1818VSL
@Musicstudent: never saw this video, wow... how intense is that. I am not worthy, either, by the way. Much as I dig it. Amazing!
Jerry Coker, Mark Levine, the Berklee Books, Coltrane changes... don’t cut it, this stuff is way beyond all that.
What comes closest is the reharmonization book by Randy Felts. Though he sticks to the church modes, his theory on parallel voicings moving in unexpected ways (reharmonization using bass lines) sheds some light.
I saw a YT vid on “sounding like Robert Glasper”. It talked about unexpected resolutions (cm7-F7 resolving to Bmaj or A maj instead of Bb...), parallel voicing moving in whole steps, minor and major thirds, harmonizing a simple melody with parallel voicings.
Last, but not least, I read something on Wayne Shorter were it is said that Shorter changed the chords in unexpected ways: Bbmajor replaces Bb7 as the dominant to Ebmaj. And then he extends Bbmajor to Bblydian or lydian augmented.
If you consider bII7 (a tritone sub) and replace that chord with phrygian or lydian (augmented) it begins to make sense.
Biab, Kontakt, Sampletank and lots of nice libraries, from Fluffy audio to Abbey Road drums. Check out these great contemporary Jazz Styles: www.jazzstylezz.com
Wouldn’t it be like a dream come true if Renee Rosnes and Miles Black could talk us through some of the harmony of this wonderful disk? A video or a text. I’d be more than willing to pay for that. That disk is so special and so mind blowing. I know that’s the harmony of Tom Harrell and Herbie Hancock and I’d love to know more about it. And, though I really try, I don’t understand it.
Something like this:
The Modern Jazz Pianist, pt2, Renee Rosnes and Miles Black masterclass Renee and Miles talk you through the harmony used in part 1 of the Modern Jazz Pianist. In the first part of the video Renee and Miles unravel the chords and underlying harmony of some of their compositions. In the second hour they shed some light on the improvisation part: which scales, pentatonics, arpeggios they use and how they practised that material to get to the level they are at.
Hey, a man can dream, can he not?
Biab, Kontakt, Sampletank and lots of nice libraries, from Fluffy audio to Abbey Road drums. Check out these great contemporary Jazz Styles: www.jazzstylezz.com
Can anyone here recommend the Piano Master Class and Jazz Piano Master Class programs from PG Music as well as any of the other master class or master solo's programs either Piano or Guitar?
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
The Jazz Piano Masterclass is wonderful. Essential Jazz Guitar Is a real gem for guitarists: it’s only comping, but really sophisticated in the Jim Hall-Ed Bickert style.
Have fun
Biab, Kontakt, Sampletank and lots of nice libraries, from Fluffy audio to Abbey Road drums. Check out these great contemporary Jazz Styles: www.jazzstylezz.com
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PDT today!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Mac® to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PDT on May 31st, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Check out the Band-in-a-Box® for Mac packages page to find the best package for you.
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