Jazz piano

How Long Does It Take To Learn Jazz Piano?

2024-03-28T08:44:49+00:00

Jazz piano is a captivating area of the musical art form, known for its versatility, as well as its affinity with deep improvisation, intricate harmonies, and rhythmic complexity. Learning jazz piano is not merely a task of mastering notes and chords but rather an immersive journey of understanding the language, history, and culture of jazz music. The question of how long it takes to learn jazz piano is multifaceted, influenced by various factors such as individual aptitude, practise regimen, and exposure to the genre. This article explores the intricate path of learning jazz piano, emphasising the dedication and perseverance required [...]

How Long Does It Take To Learn Jazz Piano?2024-03-28T08:44:49+00:00

Five Cool II-V-I Jazz Piano Licks That You Should Know!

2024-03-07T15:06:54+00:00

For most non-jazz musicians and beginners, the assumption is that jazz improvisation is conjured out of thin air, and that improvised phrases are a stream of consciousness. The truth is that jazz musicians are discerning magpies, who always have an ear open to catch a phrase played by another musician, with the intention of using it in their own improvisations. Learning to play jazz is, to me, exactly like learning to speak a foreign language fluently. When learning to speak a language we are usually given stock phrases to use that can be altered to suit different situations. In the exact [...]

Five Cool II-V-I Jazz Piano Licks That You Should Know!2024-03-07T15:06:54+00:00

Playing Piano by Ear or by Sight – Which is Best?

2023-01-27T09:49:44+00:00

Playing the piano by ear or by sight - which is best? There are often disputes between musicians as to which of these two ways of playing music is best. The ear players see their way as best, and the note-reading players say, “no, our way is best!” So what would be the best way for you to learn to play the piano or an instrument? Let's look at playing from music sheets and not playing by ear. A significant advantage of playing by sight is being able to read music pieces from the score - even if you have [...]

Playing Piano by Ear or by Sight – Which is Best?2023-01-27T09:49:44+00:00

The bridge between classical and jazz piano

2021-10-18T15:47:12+01:00

I am a classically trained pianist who was invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival and decided to move to jazz soon after this unique experience. I was 23 years old and had finished my piano studies in Paris before travelling to Switzerland to hone my skills. I was preparing for a number of international piano competitions when I realised I had reached a plateau. Finding performing chances was difficult, and I wasn't sure which door to open next. I was still rehearsing various pieces of classical repertoire on a regular basis, but I didn't have anything to look forward [...]

The bridge between classical and jazz piano2021-10-18T15:47:12+01:00

Understanding and studying the lead sheet: Autumn Leaves

2021-03-01T11:08:58+00:00

“Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners... The jazz standard repertoire has some overlap with blues and pop standards.” Jazz standard - Wikipedia Autumn Leaves “One of the most popular jazz standards of all time is “Autumn Leaves” by Joseph Kosma... Autumn Leaves is an excellent jazz standard to start with because it covers some basic chord progressions and harmonic concepts found in jazz”. 30 Nov 2017 - How to Navigate Autumn Leaves - [...]

Understanding and studying the lead sheet: Autumn Leaves2021-03-01T11:08:58+00:00

Creating jazz piano voicings for the adult beginner

2021-03-01T11:09:35+00:00

What are voicings? Voicings are created when you move the order of the basic chord tones of your jazz chord around so that an authentic jazz sound is created. Using the normal jazz chord in its root position with its stacked 3rds on top of each other sounds boring and not like real jazz. I already discussed the building of jazz chords in the article: “Fundamental jazz chords”. It is best to change the order of the chord notes by moving them around forming not only intervals of 3rds on top of each other, but also 5ths or 7ths or 4ths [...]

Creating jazz piano voicings for the adult beginner2021-03-01T11:09:35+00:00

Jazz chords and knowing your intervals – for the adult beginner

2021-03-01T11:08:01+00:00

In this article, I will be discussing the 7th chords or jazz chords which are formed on any given major scale or key using the natural notes of the given scale. We will be working from the major scale on which western music is built. This structure is called the tonal center. There are 12 possible major or minor keys any particular song can be played in. This is because of the 12 notes on the piano keyboard. This means that anyone of these twelve notes will be the tonal centre or home base. How can we determine the home key? [...]

Jazz chords and knowing your intervals – for the adult beginner2021-03-01T11:08:01+00:00

Teach yourself jazz theory: chords built on the major scale part 1

2021-03-01T11:07:03+00:00

Today we will be discussing the jazz chords built on each of the steps of the major scale and how to implement these chords into your jazz repertoire. In the article called “Jazz chords and knowing your intervals”, I discussed the basic scales, intervals and the combination of intervals and chords that form the four basic jazz chords namely the Major 7th, the Minor 7th, the Dominant 7th and the Minor 7th b5 chords. In this article, I will be discussing the different 7th chords or jazz chords formed on each step of the major scale.  When building chords, you will [...]

Teach yourself jazz theory: chords built on the major scale part 12021-03-01T11:07:03+00:00

The basics of jazz for the adult beginner

2021-03-01T11:06:49+00:00

I already discussed jazz in general and its origin in a former article. As I mentioned before, the term Jazz is used very loosely for nearly every style of music which is not classical or contemporary, like rock or rap. “Jazz is a broad and complex genre, and so it may seem difficult for those who are first getting into Jazz to know where to start. . . . But Jazz doesn’t need to be complex. You can actually get by with a minimum amount of theory and practice”Stefan Joubert In this article, I will try to capture some of [...]

The basics of jazz for the adult beginner2021-03-01T11:06:49+00:00

The basic chords used in jazz for the adult beginner

2021-03-01T10:50:02+00:00

The basic chords used in jazz for the adult beginner In this article, I will try to capture some of the basics of jazz to help you as an adult beginner. The most important ingredient in playing jazz being the chords you use. It’s like the bricks in a wall. Knowing your basic chords and scales needs to be a foundation to work from. We will look at how chords are structured or built and their extensions. Starting as an adult beginner, learning to play jazz could take quite some time just to master the basics. Moving from classical musician to [...]

The basic chords used in jazz for the adult beginner2021-03-01T10:50:02+00:00

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