JUST THE WAY YOU ARE By Billy Joel

By Thomas Gunther

August 3, 2018

Jazz Piano, Pop Piano, Sheet Music

Piano Accompaniment Tutorial

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What you will learn as it relates to the song

How to accompany a singer or instrumentalist in pop-ballade style
How the chord progression works
A guide to how to create good sounding piano accompaniments in that style

About the song

The song Just The Way You Are is a famous pop ballad by Billy Joel. It features a beautiful chord progression that is worth analyzing. The colorful chords give the song an almost jazz like character.
The bottom line is that there is a lot we can learn from analyzing and learning this song.

About the author

PopJazzKeys.com founder Thomas Gunther is a highly versatile Chicago-based jazz pianist, keyboardist, music producer, and educator. He was born and raised in Germany, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Teaching and Performing Jazz and Popular Music from the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart.

After relocating to Chicago, Thomas quickly became the principal pianist for the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, which was directed by the esteemed music arranger and composer William Russo (arranger for the Stan Kenton Orchestra). In this role, he had the opportunity to collaborate with renowned artists such as Randy Brecker, Body DiFranco, Archie Shepp, Jon Faddis, Cassandra Wilson, and Orbert Davis.

Today, Thomas is an integral part of the Chicago music scene, performing solo and with various groups both as a sideman and as a leader. In addition to his performance career, he has produced, arranged, and recorded a substantial body of work, serving both in leadership roles and as a collaborator.

Thomas also provides music arranging and orchestration services for ensembles of all sizes, including contributions to the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. As an educator, he shares his expertise as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia College Chicago. For more information about Thomas, visit https://www.ThomasGunther.com.