Learn the three-key map, build the essential chords, and work through the complete form one manageable layer at a time.

“Giant Steps” can feel like an endless chain of fast-moving chords in difficult keys.

The problem is that most players try to solve everything at once:

The scales.

The chords.

The form.

The voice leading.

The rhythm.

The improvisation.

That is usually where the trouble begins.

In this two-part guided course, I separate those skills and give you a practical system for building them one layer at a time.

First, you’ll learn where the harmony is going.

Then, you’ll learn how to outline the chords, connect them, and move through the complete form without constantly feeling lost.

You do not need to begin at Coltrane’s tempo.

You need a clear map and a practice process you can repeat.

Giant Steps Is Not One Giant Problem

The progression becomes more manageable when you stop treating every chord as an unrelated event.

Underneath the rapid chord changes are three primary key centers:

  • B major
  • G major
  • E-flat major

In Part 1, you’ll learn to recognize and navigate those three larger harmonic areas.

In Part 2, you’ll go deeper into the individual chords, voicings, arpeggios, and voice leading inside the progression.

Instead of trying to improvise over the entire tune immediately, you’ll build the skills in a logical sequence.

Start with the key centers.

Add the roots.

Build the chords.

Connect the voices.

Then work through the complete form.

Part 1: Major Scales and the Three-Key Map

In the first class, we simplify “Giant Steps” into its three primary key centers: B major, G major, and E-flat major.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Map each key across your instrument
  • Identify useful fingerings, accidentals, and key signatures
  • Strengthen difficult keys through patterns, rhythms, bowings, and guided improvisation
  • Recognize when dominant chords point toward a new key
  • Follow the progression using the three major-scale areas
  • Move between the key centers without trying to solve every individual chord at once
  • Hear the larger structure underneath the fast-moving harmony

The goal of Part 1 is to help you understand where you are in the progression and where the harmony is going next.

Part 2: Chord Voicings, Voice Leading, and the Complete Form

In the second class, we build on the three-key map and go deeper into the individual chords.

You’ll work with:

  • Minor 7, dominant 7, and major 7 chords
  • Chord stacks and inversions
  • II–V–I progressions in B, E-flat, and G
  • Chord tones and arpeggios
  • Third-and-seventh shell voicings
  • Root–third–seventh shapes
  • Voice leading between chords
  • Bass notes and roots through the form
  • Major-scale choices across the progression
  • Guided practice through the complete tune

You’ll learn several ways to navigate the same progression so you can choose an approach that fits your current level.

Start Where You Are

You do not have to play every chord, voicing, scale, and arpeggio immediately.

You can begin by following the roots.

Then add the three major-scale areas.

From there, you can gradually include arpeggios, chord tones, shell voicings, inversions, and more complete voice leading.

The course is designed to give you multiple entry points rather than one all-or-nothing challenge.

Beginning jazz improvisers can use the course to understand the form and harmony more clearly.

More experienced players can use it to strengthen difficult keys, voicings, voice leading, and improvisational choices.

What You’ll Get

  • Two full-length guided classes
  • Nearly three hours of instruction and play-along practice
  • Extended-range major-scale worksheets
  • “Giant Steps” chord charts
  • Chord-stack and inversion exercises
  • Third-and-seventh studies
  • Root–third–seventh voicings
  • Voice-leading exercises
  • Guided backing tracks and slow practice loops
  • Multiple ways to practice the progression at different levels
  • A repeatable system you can apply to other jazz standards
  • Lifetime access to the complete course and practice materials

This Course Is for You If:

  • “Giant Steps” feels impossible to organize
  • You know scales but lose track when the harmony changes
  • B major or other less familiar keys slow you down
  • You want a practical introduction to II–V–I harmony
  • You want to improve your chord tones, inversions, and voice leading
  • You learn best by playing along rather than only studying theory
  • You want to understand the harmony before attempting a complete solo
  • You want a clear way to practice the tune one layer at a time
  • You want a system you can apply to other jazz standards

This course was designed with violinists in mind, but the process can also work well for violists, cellists, and other instrumentalists.

Build Skills That Go Beyond One Tune

“Giant Steps” is the vehicle, but the practice system applies to much more than this one composition.

You’ll develop a clearer understanding of:

  • Key centers
  • Harmonic movement
  • II–V–I progressions
  • Chord construction
  • Voice leading
  • Scale-to-chord relationships
  • Form
  • Layered improvisation practice

These skills can help you approach other jazz standards with more organization, understanding, and confidence.

The Goal

This course does not promise that you will instantly improvise through “Giant Steps” at full tempo.

It gives you something more useful:

A clear understanding of the harmony, several practical ways to navigate the progression, and a step-by-step method for continuing to improve.

Learn the three key centers.

Build the chords inside each one.

Connect them through the complete form.

Turn Giant Steps Into a Practice Process You Can Understand

Get instant access to both guided classes, nearly three hours of instruction, downloadable worksheets, chord studies, voice-leading exercises, slow loops, and backing tracks.

Click below to buy and get instant access. Practice one layer at a time.