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Jazz Piano Theory Atlas

An interactive jazz harmony reference of ten lessons whose playable examples show grand-staff notation, chord symbols, and Roman numerals above an animated keyboard, transposable to any key.

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About this project

In this experiment, I wanted to see how well I could leverage Claude Code to interactively learn about a topic I have wanted to explore further. As a pianist, I am always seeking to deepen my understanding of applicable jazz music theory. I was curious to learn more about the origin of Barry Harris-style sixth-diminished scales, and I used Claude to produce an interactive tool for learning them.

I was very pleased with how this turned out. I originally instructed Claude to make a ladder of lessons that worked up to this complicated music theory concept just in case it got stuck along the way, but it nailed every step. The piano and the interactive, adjustable lessons are very helpful for learning. Sure, there is room for some polish and improvements, but for a one-shot, it is something I would have loved to have when learning in college.

Screenshots

A lesson 5 example comparing G7 and D flat 7 in a ii V I cadence in Jazz voicing mode, with the Dm7 chord sounding and its keys lit on the keyboard. (view full size)
Tritone substitution example in Jazz voicing, mid-playback.
The upper-structure explorer from lesson 8 with buttons for four triads over an F7 foundation, a table mapping triad notes to chord functions and notation below. (view full size)
The upper-structure explorer in the diminished systems lesson.

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