DEVELOPING A MORE ACTIVE LEFT HAND

The piano is an instrument that is meant to be played with both of our

hands, however, very often our right hand acquires a better facility and
technique than the left hand. This fact, narrows our possibilities with the
left hand, for creating more complex lines, comping, or grooves. Classical
composers very often would write pieces specific etudes for the
development of this hand, and also wrote complex sections in their pieces
that required both hands to have the same facility. But somehow in the jazz
standard way of playing it seems like the left hand should just comp and
support rhythmically to the right hand while this improvises.

I suggest working on your left hand, because it is a very nice tool to have
when you are improvising, or to have a more active left hand in your own
compositions. Some very modern jazz piano player have already mastered
this tool such as: Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch, Geoffrey Keezer, Taylor
Eigsti and others...

Examples of piano players using this technique masterfully:

Geoffrey Keezer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVi5Gx7zLng

Brad Mehldau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m21G0ksqtOE

The most important thing to develop your left hand is to even both hands
technically, but also in the ear-hand connection.

To strengthen our left hand technique, the first step would be to be able to
play evenly, in terms of dynamics, rhythm and fingerings, the major and
minor scales up and down and with variations (in thirds, triads,..)

Ex1.

Also I would be good to learn some of the clich devices that have been
used in the classical world, like for example playing arpeggios.
Ex2

Ex3. Another clich device used in jazz is the stride piano, which consists
of playing a bass plus a chord on the left hand, to accompany the right
hand. Select an easy standard first, like a blues, and try to use this concept
on every bar, without right hand at first and then maybe add the melody of
the tune on the right hand.

Ex4. Another good exercise would be to learn the melody of a song, or

even a solo with your left hand. Start simple.

This exercices will strength you left hand technique, but in my opinion
there is another important focus that should be done, and this is on the ear-
hand connection. This means that whatever you hear in you inner ear, you
are able to play with your left hand. A few exercices for this:

Ex4. Start playing a simple melody on the right hand and try to imitate it
with the left hand. At first you can do it rubato, but ideally it would be nice
to do it in tempo and immediately after the right hand.
Ex5. The next step would be to directly play a melody or a simple line, just
with the left hand, without playing it before on the right hand.

Ex6. The last step would be start playing a melody or line on the right
hand, and after it another with the left hand that is not the same, but that
answers or adds to the statement of the right hand.

Another very valuable exercise to develop your awareness of the left hand
is to learn 4 to 8 bars of music of J.S. Bach (Inventions) or F. Chopin
(etudes for the right hand, Op 10 n.12, op.25 n.11), and try to sing the left
hand while you play only the right hand, or also both hands at the same
time.