Your parents made you take piano lessons, but you quit as soon as you could. Now, you wish that you’d stuck with it.
You feel like you just don’t have the second lifetime it would take to learn to play well enough to perform in front of an audience.
You just don’t have years to play through all the kiddie material so that, in a decade, you can sound like a pro pianist.
If you’ve had these thoughts, you’re in great company.
The truth is that playing jazz piano is not some esoteric skill that only a few incredibly gifted prodigies can master. There are certain essentials that a working pianist knows and uses constantly, and you can learn them at any age.
Jazz Piano Pro Essentials is a twelve-week online course that teaches you the essential techniques necessary to perform jazz music on the piano.
In Jazz Piano Pro Essentials:
You’ll master playing major scales with a unique method called clusters
You’ll understand and be able to play Triads and Seventh chords
You’ll learn to play Voicings – Seventh chords with two hands
You’ll learn to play Two-Five-One (II-7 V7 Imaj7) chord progressions
You’ll understand and play advanced V7 chords, plus alterations
Finally, you’ll finish by learning to read a lead sheet and play your first complete piece of jazz music on the piano.
More than I imagined…
As a singer-songwriter with very limited knowledge of scales, chords, and theory, I could not jam nor improvise, but I feared jazz piano might be too hard for me to learn as an adult. I loved that each lesson in Darrius’ course offered a small, critical piece to learning to play jazz piano and built directly on top of the previous one. Not only was I able to build my piano skills much quicker than I thought possible, but the entire world of music theory has opened up to me. This course has shown me the path to becoming the musician I’ve always dreamed of being!
– Veronica Malki, singer-songwriter
No More Overwhelm….
I came with some prior piano instruction but hadn’t touched one for nearly 10 years and I was feeling overwhelmed trying to pursue piano again on my own. I am a singer/song-writer and I started to become stuck and limited in terms of composing and expressing myself and I believed that with guidance in jazz piano I could start to make the music that I really wanted to play and listen to.
I find that learning jazz, and art in general, is an exploration and self-directed, and I appreciate that in my lessons with Darrius there is structure around learning the foundational principles of jazz piano.
Now I have the tools which help me to better approach composing music and in understanding some of the playing that I love.
– Belina Seare, singer-songwriter
Jazz Piano Pro Essentials includes:
Over 80 Video Tutorials
Video lessons and demonstrations of everything in the course. Watch on your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
Printable Ebook Manual
Containing cheatsheets and practice sheets that you can print out and take to the keyboard with you.
Course Facebook Group
Chat with me and your fellow students, get support when you need help, and share your successes!
Inside the Curriculum
Here’s what you’ll learn inside Jazz Piano Pro Essentials.
Click here to take a peek inside the actual course and view the full curriculum!
Section 1 – Keyboard basics and learning the notes
Section 2 – Major Scales and Clusters for the Right Hand
Section 3 – Major Scales for the Left Hand
Section 4 – Major Scales for Both Hands
Section 5 – Three Note Chords (Triads)
Section 6 – Four Note Chords (Sevenths)
Section 7 – Practicing with the Random Chord Sheet
Section 8 – Voicings - Playing Seventh chords with two hands
Section 9 – Chord Progression
Section 10 – Expanded Chord Progression
Section 11 – Advanced V7 Chords
Section 12 – Playing your first Jazz song
Enroll now and get started playing the piano today!
Jazz Piano Pro Essentials
PAYMENT PLAN
3 monthly payments of $199
Jazz Piano Pro Essentials
PAY IN FULL
Save $100 when you pay in full!
After you enroll, you’ll have immediate access to the entire course and all 12 modules. While the course is designed to take 12 weeks, it’s self-paced so that you can move as quickly or slowly as you like.
I had been stuck….
I had played piano a bit and had written a few songs but had been stuck for many years. I wasn't sure what would take me to the next level and I wasn't sure where to look. The internet had some things, but it was tidbits of info which did not really give me the push I needed.
Darrius' system met me right where I was and showed me what I didn't know was holding me back. Very systematic. Step-by-step. Gave me the tools that composers and songwriters I admired definitely knew. It was such a trip that no one else, online or otherwise, I had run into or taken a lesson from had such a step by step method for filling in the blanks to my knowledge of the relationship between major scales, chords and chord progressions. He really unlocked the door for me!
After studying with Darrius, I have recorded 3 releases of original music with more on the way! I have played in a few bands, and now have a growing command and confidence from knowing what I know now. I get to share who I am musically with the world, which is more than what I thought I wanted!
– David Aaron Johnson, aka D!Aaron
This course is perfect for you if:
You’re a complete novice at the piano and you want to start your journey by learning jazz.
You learned some piano as a kid but let your training fall by the wayside.
You’ve had some experience reading music, but never learned to improvise and create your own.
You already understand chords and scales, but you’ve never learned to voice those chords to get that jazz sound.
This course might not be a good fit if:
You already know how to read and play from a leadsheet.
You can already play jazz and just want to learn how to improvise.
You want to learn how to play “rootless voicings” so that you can play with a bass player.
You want to learn to play piano generally, but not specifically jazz music. The voicings that make up a large part of this course are designed to sound like jazz, plain and simple!
Hi, I’m Darrius Willrich.
I’m a singer-songwriter who has been playing and teaching piano for over three decades.
I hold a degree in jazz piano and I’ve taught music for Seattle Central Community College, numerous Seattle Community Centers, and even spent seven years as the jazz band instructor at Seattle Prep, my alma mater.
I’ve also released three international albums, and I’ve performed worldwide in cities like Sydney, Brisbane, and Rio de Janeiro. Currently, I’m the keyboardist for Digable Planets.
I was a featured artist on the 2014 Capital Jazz Cruise, along with artists Eric Roberson, Patti LaBelle, Lalah Hathaway, and more. I’ve opened for acts such as Macy Gray, Tyrese, Diana Krall, and Earth Wind & Fire.
Jazz Piano Pro Essentials was born from years of teaching piano lessons and writing in students’ notebooks. When I realized that I was writing the same notes over and over, I began to distill that repeat advice down into my own unique system for teaching jazz piano that takes students from zero to being able to read and play lead sheets.
I’m passionate about helping my students play the beautiful music inside them, and I can’t wait for you to join me in Jazz Piano Pro Essentials!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will the course take?
After you enroll, you’ll have immediate access to the entire course and all 12 modules so you can get started right away. While the course is designed to take 12 weeks, it’s self-paced so that you can move as quickly or slowly as you like.
What happens when I purchase?
You’ll receive your emailed receipt, and then you’ll receive a welcome email from me with important details about things like logging into the course platform and how to join the Facebook group. You’ll have immediate access to the entire curriculum so you can get started right away.
How long do I have access to the course?
You’ll have access to Jazz Piano Pro Essentials and all materials for the lifetime of the program, for as long as I continue to offer it, and for at least one year after purchase. What this means is that, while I have no plans to close it, if I ever do retire the course, I’ll make sure it remains available to you for at least one year after you purchased it.
What if I’ve never played piano before?
This course is a great place to start! We begin with the basics – learning the keyboard, flats and sharps, and how to learn scales with a method called clusters. It’s perfect for beginners.
What if I’ve played a different instrument, but not piano?
You’ll be ahead of the curve! Many of the principles you’ve learned from other instruments will help you quickly understand the concepts in this course.
Will this course teach me how to read music?
No, but you won’t need to know how to read music to engage with this course. Jazz Piano Pro Essentials teaches you the essentials of scales and chords. At the end of the course, we’ll cover how to read your first lead sheet and play your first piece of jazz music. Inside the course, I do suggest several outside resources for learning to read music more fluently.
What’s your refund policy?
I want you to be 100% invested in this process and come out the other side feeling confident at the keyboard . If you commit the time and do the practice, I’m confident that Jazz Piano Pro Essentials will work for you.
That said, if you don’t love it, just contact me within 14 days of purchase and let me know why Jazz Piano Pro Essentials didn’t work out for you. I’ll give you a full refund, simple as that.
I still have questions!
I have answers! Just shoot me an email. I’m happy to help!