Every chapter features specific exercises designed to get the sounds "under your fingers."
If you are ready to stop guessing at chord changes and start intentionally shaping your harmonic universe, picking up a full copy of Berkman's guide is one of the best investments you can make for your musical journey.
Understanding The Jazz Harmony Book by David Berkman: A Complete Guide The Jazz Harmony Book By David Berkman Full
by New York pianist David Berkman is a definitive, 206-page spiral-bound course designed to bridge the gap between basic theory and professional jazz re-harmonization. Rather than focusing on soloing, this text explores the process of adding chords to melodies, demonstrating how a single melodic line can support vast harmonic variations. Core Philosophy: The Concentric Circles of Harmony
For musicians looking to personalize jazz standards, Berkman provides a masterclass in reharmonization. Every chapter features specific exercises designed to get
Even if you are a saxophonist, guitarist, or bassist, using a piano or keyboard is essential for visualizing harmony. Play through Berkman's voicing examples slowly.
David Berkman is an award-winning jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. He has performed with jazz giants like Cecil McBee, Tom Harrell, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. As a professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in New York, Berkman has spent decades refining his method for teaching jazz theory to students of all levels. His real-world experience as a gigging New York musician heavily influences his writing style, making his books conversational, witty, and highly functional. Core Philosophy of the Book Core Philosophy: The Concentric Circles of Harmony For
Modal interchange chords, providing common practical substitutions from parallel scales.
The II-V-I progression is the engine of jazz music. Berkman deconstructs this movement extensively, showing how it can be embellished, inverted, and extended. He introduces the concept of "functional syntax," helping musicians understand how these three chords interact in standard tunes (Great American Songbook repertoire). 3. Chord Extensions and Alterations