Jazz Chord Hanon: Private Lessons Series (Musicians Institute) Piano Book by Peter Deneff | Hanon-Based Jazz Chord Exercises for Comping, Voicings, Progressions in All Keys for Jazz Pianists

by Peter Deneff

Jazz Chord Hanon by Peter Deneff is a piano instructional book for jazz keyboardists that develops technical fluency and harmonic understanding through structured practice. Based on traditional Hanon studies, this volume adapts familiar technical patterns into jazz-focused applications, making it especially useful for jazz keyboardists from beginning through professional levels who want to strengthen comping and expand their chord vocabulary.

The book includes 70 progressive exercises presented in standard notation with clearly suggested fingerings and practical guidance to support effective daily practice. Across its pages, players work through major and minor progressions, chromatic and diatonic movement, altered chords, and progressively complex voicings. The material also integrates essential concepts such as the Circle of Fifths, helping pianists internalize harmonic relationships in a structured and musical way while building confidence across different musical contexts.

What sets this collection apart is its focus on real-world jazz application. Each exercise builds toward greater independence, smoother transitions between chords, and a deeper familiarity with all twelve keys. Whether used as a warm-up routine or a focused study method, it encourages consistency while reinforcing the skills needed for improvisation, accompaniment, and ensemble playing. The progression of the material helps players connect technique with practical musicianship.

Ideal for practice sessions, lesson integration, or self-guided study, Jazz Chord Hanon supports steady, measurable growth at the keyboard. It offers a clear path toward more confident playing, making it a thoughtful addition to any jazz pianist’s library or a practical gift for dedicated music students and players expanding their jazz technique.

72 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Peter Deneff grew up in Long Beach, California listening to Greek and classical music and studying classical piano with Leaine Gibson. After starting his professional life playing in a Greek wedding band at age fifteen, he became obsessed with straight-ahead and Latin jazz. He began jazz studies with renowned pianist Mike Garson, where he crafted his art through studying some of the great jazz improvisers such as Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Chick Corea. During this time he also studied many ethnic styles that eventually led to the development of his classical and jazz compositional style as well as the formation of his Middle Eastern-Latin jazz group Excursion. He also pursued undergraduate and graduate studies in classical composition and film scoring at California State University Long Beach under the direction of Dr. Martin Herman, Dr. Justus Matthews, and Perry Lamarca.

Peter has written seven best-selling books for Hal Leonard Publishing including Jazz Hanon, Stride Hanon, and Salsa Hanon. He has also composed and performed music for the Charles Sheen film, Five Aces. Deneff has performed at such varied venues as the Greek Theater, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Los Angeles Street Scene, the Orange County Street Fair, Universal Studios, the NAMM show, and the Baked Potato. His stylistic versatility has allowed him to play and/or sing with a diverse assortment of groups like Tierra, Ike Willis, the Leslie Paula/Universal Studios Salsa Band, and Ebi, a notable Persian singer.

Deneff also continues to play modern and folk Greek music for numerous events as well as an occasional Middle Eastern gig. Besides performing, Peter has also taught in many institutions such as Musician’s Institute, Orange County High School of the Arts, and Cypress College, where he continues to teach classical and jazz piano. He spends most of his time in his studio producing projects for Yamaha Corporation (Disklavier, Clavinova, PSR-3000) and Hal Leonard Corporation (PVG Play-Alongs, MI Press-Hanon Series).

Reviews

[Richard Pohl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be much more useful, if there were appropriate chord symbols/harmonic analysis figures over each particular chord... basically a pretty simple collection of chord progressions, most useful I found harmonized scales (but again, all aforementioned symbols were missing). A bit expensive for what it actually offers.