What Nobody Tells You About Donna Lee's Hidden Chords 😳

Unlock the secrets behind Charlie Parker's legendary composition, Donna Lee*! In this jazz piano tutorial, we delve deep into the hidden chords and harmonic genius embedded within Parker's iconic bebop lines. Often celebrated for its melodic brilliance, *Donna Lee is also a masterclass in jazz harmony—if you know where to look.

In this lesson, we explore how Parker's seemingly complex phrases are rooted in bebop’s harmonic framework. By dissecting the chord progressions and revealing the underlying jazz vocabulary, you'll gain a fresh perspective on how bebop musicians thought about melody and harmony as one cohesive unit. These insights can transform the way you approach improvisation and reharmonization in your own playing.

Let’s uncover what nobody tells you about the genius of *Donna Lee*!

00:00 Short blurb of Paul playing Donna Lee
00:42 Paul plays the head to Donna Lee solo piano
01:45 A full analysis of the melody starting at bar 1
05:56 Chromatic scale usage in soloing
08:02 Second A section of this AABA structure
08:55 Analyzing the bridge
10:12 One bebop lick you need to learn
11:21 Paul solo's over the tune and plays the head out
12:48 Download sheet music and backing track link

Download the free sheet music & bass/drums backing track:
==================================================
https://jazzmentl.com/donna-lee-sheet...

SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL & PAUL TOBEY- Canadian Jazz Pianist.
==================================================
https://jazzmentl.com/donations/donat...

JOIN JAZZ PIANO MASTERCLASS
==================================================
https://jazzmentl.com/shop/jazz-piano...

Jazz pianist Paul Tobey makes a comeback after a 20-year hiatus from performing. Severe tendonitis injuries to his forearms put an end to Paul’s touring career. These injuries forced Tobey to table an 8-record deal with the New York label Arkadia Jazz just after his first release on the label garnered “Street Culture,” earning a Juno nomination (Canadian Grammy) for Best Contemporary Album.

Esteemed in the jazz community, prior to 2004, Tobey made his mark internationally, appearing on stages like the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, Yokohama Jazz Festival, and Carnegie Hall, to name but a few.

It’s been a two-decade road to recovery! And Paul chose to return with a solo album titled “It’s Time.” This album was recorded on his beloved 7-foot grand piano, a German Ibach, in a recording studio he designed in his home in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It is from this studio that Paul ‘Live Streams’ to 14,000 + subscribers on his YouTube channel “JazzMentl,” delivering masterclasses and performances every Saturday jazz fans and musicians around the globe.

Paul has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Jazz Album of the Year, Pianist of the Year, and the IAJE Award for Service to Jazz Education. He has also been awarded several cash awards for touring, composition, recording, etc., from Canadian government organizations such as Canada Council for the Arts, The Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Record, Ontario Arts Council, and Canadian Heritage.

#JazzPianoTutorial
#BebopHarmony
#CharlieParker