The Improv Games

Unlock your melodic potential in jazz piano with this new simple course from Adam Maness: The Improv Games!

Unlock your improvisational potential in jazz piano with The Improv Games! This course, created in response to overwhelming demand, demystifies the “little things”—those subtle harmonic and melodic moves that make a performance truly captivating. Over the past year and a half, we’ve broken down these concepts and distilled them into a unique, game-based learning experience.

In The Improv Games, you’ll:

  • Master Harmonic Fills – Learn what to play between chords to add color and personality to your music.
  • Develop Melodic Concepts – Understand how to weave in tasteful melodic ideas that enhance your solos.
  • Build Confidence in Improvisation – Explore each concept through structured games that make learning fun and interactive.
  • Apply Techniques Across Contexts – Gain skills that translate to various musical settings, helping you stay creative and spontaneous.

These aren’t just lessons—it’s a call to play, experiment, and find your unique voice in jazz piano. Let the games begin!

  • LEVEL 2
  • 16 Videos
  • 2 hourS
  • Guided Practice sessions
  • PDF WORKBOOK
  • Subtitles: English

Meet Your Instructor

As Open Studio’s Creative Director, Adam Maness develops the curriculum of all of the courses, in addition to teaching his own popular course like Magic Voicing SystemPiano Fingering Independence and more.

Adam is a versatile pianist, arranger, composer, and producer whose performances, original compositions, and arrangements have been featured on numerous recordings and on national and international radio and television broadcasts. He is best known as co-founder and composer for the genre-bending chamber ensemble, The 442s.

Course Contents

Course content

  • Welcome from Adam
  • The Legendary Scale
  • The Legendary Scale GPS
  • The Minor Melody Shape
  • The Minor Melody Shape GPS
  • Emotion of the Hand
  • Emotion of the Hand GPS
  • Bluesy Double Stops
  • Bluesy Double Stops GPS
  • Vince, Chick and the Amazing Dyads
  • Vince, Chick and the Amazing Dyads GPS
  • Two Triads are Better Than One
  • Two Triads are Better Than One GPS
  • Take it Through All 12 keys
  • Take it Through All 12 Keys GPS Pt 1
  • Take it Through All 12 Keys GPS Pt 2