My Lesson Plans
COURSE
Date:
George Lopez’s Final Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan:
1. Rootless Voicings + LH Bass Integration
You’ve built a rich palette of comping tools, voicings, rhythmic variety, reharm textures, and listening-based responsiveness. This plan will help you continue refining your instincts while expanding your comping vocabulary across new contexts and tunes.
Goal: Continue mastering functional comping setups with full control.
Step #1: Practice comping through all voicing setups with different extension combinations:
A. Setup 1,2,3,4
Step #2: Use iRealPro or backing tracks for real-time comping
Step #3: Work in reharms in experimental ways and keep pushing the boundries of your creative voicing expression by thinking about shapes, colors and textures.
Step #4: Switch style’s and time up frequently every day to stay UNCOMFORTABLE
2. Reharm Comping & Spices
Goal: Expand your use of substitutions, resolution tricks, and comp textures.
Step #1: Apply tritone subs, diminished approach chords, and sus cadences through 2-5-1s
Step #2: Practice transitions between textures: full voicings, drop 2s, sparse shells.
Step #3: Create contrast using:
A. Short comps vs. held chords
B. Bass rolls and rhythmic stabs
C. Zone-based hand placement for texture control
3. Drop 2s + Upper Structure Control
Goal: Strengthen alternate voicing strategies and reharm instincts.
Step #1: Practice all drop 2’s with and without bass. Different extension combos
Step #2: Use LH shells with RH triads to form dominant upper structure voicings. Practice only comping with this.
Step #3: Continue to work on diminished drop 2 min7 reharm to move into chord changes
Step #4: Apply these tools in one chorus of a comping tune (see below)
4. Tune Integration & Listening Play
Goal: Apply your full toolkit inside real standards with subtlety.
Step #1: Revisit ‘tunes every so often.
Step #2: Comp with iRealPro or singer recordings and record yourself daily. Especially new tunes DAILY!
Step #3: Focus on tone, balance, and hand freedom. Avoid tension or lockup.
Step #4: Switch styles and groove mid tune. Swing to bossa. Straight 8th to double time feel back to straight 8th to swung 8th and back etc.
*New Tunes to Explore:
– If I Should Lose You
– Like Someone in Love
– I Hear a Rhapsody
– I Thought About You
– You Stepped Out of A Dream
*Recommended Listening
Here are some classic recordings that will help reinforce voicing, comping textures, and musical interaction:
– Bill Evans *Portrait in Jazz* (especially ‘What Is This Thing Called Love’)
– Wynton Kelly *Kelly at Mignight* (comping clarity and groove)
– Herbie Hancock *Maiden Voyage* (sus voicings and modern comping)
– Hank Jones * The Great Jazz Trio* (simple and elegant textures)
– Ahmad Jamal *At the Pershing* (use of space and dynamics)
*Final Encouragement*
You have the tools, now it’s about shape, fee, and restraint. Keep listening, keep varying your textures, and remember: space and interaction often say more than the voicing itself.
*Sample Weekly Practice Structure*
Weekly Rotation:
Mon: Circle of 4ths comping with rootless voicings
Tues: Reharm Drills (tritone, sus, diminished)
Wed: Drop 2 & Upper Structures
Thurs: Comp through a tune using 4 comping zones
Fri: Transcribe and imitate comping from a record
Sat: Backing track comping + recording
Sun: Creative free play & review
*Sample Daily Practice (60 minues):
-10 Minute Warm-Up
A. RH Rootless Voicings + LH bass through 2-5-1s
B. Diminished to minor reharm drills
– 25 min Focus Comping Practice:
A. Use ‘If I Should Lose You’ or ‘I Hear a Rhapsody’
B. Focus on short vs help comps, LH motion, and voicing texture.
-15 min Drop 2 + Upper Structures:
A. Minor 7 drop 2s in all inversions
B. LH Shells + RH triads over dom chords
– 10 min Listen & Reflect:
A. Record comping under a melody
B. Listen back for spacing, balance, and motion