I was always taught ‘A’ voicings by my dear jazz teachers in the UK. I found that I need to change the position of the notes in certain keys and to create a tighter sound. It was only coming to France that I discovered that these ‘B’ voicings I had already been using were commonly taught and were particularly suitable for kids with small hands to get going with jazzy sounds at an early age. Instead of using the Aerbersold 12 key exercise method which is taught at the conservatoires, I split the ii-V-I exercises into two sections:

• F – Eb – Db – B – A – G
• C – Bb – Ab – Gb – E – D – which leads into playing Tune Up (Mile Davis) and others

Some Day My Prince Will Come

Still having fun with some very accessible Wynton Kelly improvisation over this lovely song. I have transcriptions! Message me and I’ll send them over.