My Lesson Plans
COURSE
Date:
David Norman’s Final Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan:
1. Solo Piano Arranging
You’ve built an impressive foundation in solo piano arranging, voicings, and expressive playing. This ongoing plan is designed to help you continue deepening those skills at your own pace, while exploring new textures, time feels, and improvisational freedom.
Step #1: RH: Use 4 & 5-note voicings with 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths where possible.
Step #2: LH: Use 1+7, 1+10, stride, or bass-only depending on register and tempo
Step #3: Harmonize melody notes under chords; break up movement for interest
Step #4: Create intros and outros (4-8 bars) that set up the vibe
Step #5: Practice floating time vs steady time (rubato vs. metronome)
*Suggested Tunes:
– Any and all ballads daily
– I Loves You Porgy
– You Go To My Head
– Nancy (With the Laughing Face)
– A Time For Love
2. Voicing Technique: Drop 2s + Shell Work
Goal: Strengthen your left/right hand coordination and voicing palette.
Step #1: Continue drop 2 voicing practice with and without bass notes through circle of 4ths
A. Major 7ths, Minor 7ths, and Diminished
Step #2: Use thumb-sharing shell technique (split shell system) for 2-5-1s
Step #3: Combine shell systems with melodies for full solo applications
Step #4: Aim for evenness, clarity, and comfort with large intervals.
3. Ballad & Slow Swing Integration
Goal: Refine ballad time feel, pedal use, and fill placement.
Step #1: Keep a steady quarter-note feel; use a metronome even in slow ballads.
Step #2: Use space, broken chords, tritone motion, sus reharms and movement fills in gaps with textures.
Step #3: Explore comping with RH during rests (high register stabs.
Step #4: Try RH-only melody phrasing like a floating soloist
Step #5: Vary RH voicings with extension combinations.
Step #6: Drill time and style changes every 2 bars for full control.
4. Improvisation Exploration
Goal: Develop lyrical, floating RH improvisation over ballad textures.
Step #1: LH: single-note or shell-based root motion
Step #2: RH: improvisation using motivic ideas and rhythmic phrasing that floats with restrictions. Only 5 notes, only a specific rhythm etc.
Step #3: Practice over ballads first, then transition to medium swing. Try every 2 bars, then every 4, then every 8.
Step #4: Use iRealPro to test lines with minimal LH comping.
Step #5: Use basic and simple tools to try to make the most killin and beautiful solos possible as a challenge. Try to be as simple and groovin as possible.
*Recommended Listening:
– Bill Evans *Alone Again* (rubato ballad voicing clarity)
– Fred Hersch *Open Book* (creative reharm + phrasing)
– Brad Mehldau *Live in Tokyo* (modern density + lyricism)
– Keith Jarrett *Paris Concert* (solo introductions)
– Erroll Garner *Concert by the Sea* (spontaneity + RH/LH contrast)
*Final Encouragement*
You’re playing with real elegance and sensitivity.. Trust the systems you’ve learned. Continue to focus on tone, voicing balance, time feel, and creative phrasing. The refinement of your sound comes from consistent, mindful exploration. Do deeper with all the elements we’ve discussed and clean up anything that you know isn’t working. Great job!