5 Ways to Play Like Oscar Peterson

BY ELDAR DJANGIROV
March 5, 2012

Oscar Peterson was the rst pianist I ever heard. His

combination of musical ideas and condence inspired me with
its deft marriage of drive, swing, and precise execution.
Peterson's blend of bebop and blues has always carried an
uplifting message for me as a listener, even long before I ever
analyzed his playing theoretically. The harmonic colors he
developed range from lyrical to big band-like block chord
passages, so I've tried to prole a wide range of them here.

Ex. 1. Block Chords

Peterson's frequent use of block chords always reminded me of the sound of a big band sax section. He
often uses seventh, ninth, and especially sixth chords in his right hand, with the top voice doubled in the
left hand. Practice tip: Try playing block chords in every possible inversion to complement the melodic
idea at hand.

Ex. 2. Blues
This is a 12-bar blues form in the key of Eb containing left hand bass notes Peterson often used in solo
piano performances, and right-hand lines which can be used in a variety of harmonic situations in
di)erent keys. Also note the +atted fth, a key point of tension and release in Peterson's playing.
Ex. 3. The ii-V-I Progression
Peterson always has a way of presenting potent ideas over ii-V-I chord progressions. Many of his phrasings
remind me of how a comedian can deliver a powerful punch line at just the right time. Here, we illustrate
a few such ii-V-I devices.
Ex. 4. Octave Unisons
This demonstrates Peterson's trademark unison octave style over a series of dominant chords. These
phrasings can be used as single-line runs over chord changes stated in any appropriate situation. Pay
special attention to Peterson's impeccable sense of time, creating musical resolution at the right moment.

Ex. 5. Stride Piano

Here's another fervent force in Peterson's music. He uses stride devices often, playing the root on the rst
beat and the chord on the second beat, or alternating roots and fths as bass tones and chords on the
second and fourth beat, respectively. He also uses the broken tenth in his left hand (breaking up the
normally combined stride interval of a tenth) with his right hand soloing over it.

Get That Swing!

"One of the most important aspects of Oscar's playing is his use of accents to imbue his music with
swing," explains Grammy-nominated pianist Eldar Djangirov.
***Play along with original audio examples recorded by Eldar.