November 13, 2024
About the Author: Reuben
Learning jazz piano is a process that takes hundreds of hours of practise. Gaining an affinity with all of the necessary chords, scales, language and tunes can have you marinating in a practise room for a long time before you start feeling like you are playing fluently in your own style.
However, there have been countless musicians who have become adept at jamming to backing tracks, or playing solo in a way that they are satisfied with, who have found themselves lost when they reach the bandstand.
In reality, no matter how many hours you put into honing your craft alone, you need to put at least as many hours into playing with other people in order to translate this into strong ensemble playing.
The perfect place to cut your teeth in an ensemble situation is at jazz jams, usually held in local pubs, where jazz musicians come together and play tunes together in a casual gig.
With this in mind, here are some tips for getting from the practise room to the local jazz jam!
Form is Essential
The most common fundamental skill that jazz musicians lack initially is form-keeping.
Your ability to play descriptive solos, comp (play chords for) other soloists, and navigate to the end of a tune, relies imperatively on your ability to keep form.
When a jazz musician has poor form-keeping, it becomes obvious quite quickly, as their solo lines will not match the harmony, and their solo may end in the middle of a chorus; very embarrassing in some cases!
For piano players, the stakes are higher, as we are often tasked with comping chords while other musicians solo.
Because of this, at all times, we need to be aware of exactly where we are in the form at all times.
Ways of building this skill include listening to records while reading/playing the chords, singing the root to each chord in the form, and using apps such as iReal Pro to test your form-keeping.
Watch and Listen First
Jazz musicians, especially piano players, can often look as if what they are doing is self-contained and effortless.
This is not the case at all however!
Each musician on stage is listening, consciously or not, to everything around them.
The ability to listen and react to everything around you, and simultaneously contribute your own elements, takes time to develop.
Before you play at your first jam, watch and listen to the piano player.
Look at how they communicate physically with the rest of the band, who they look at, how they signal different changes.
Listen to how they create musical links with the drums and bass, and how they support other soloists.
You can learn a huge amount just from doing this, and prepare much more thoroughly for doing this yourself!
Not Every Chord Needs Playing
Space is essential in jazz.
Phrasing applies to the whole band, not just the soloist, and not everything played by someone warrants an immediate response from another player.
The most easily avoided mistake made by jazz musicians is over-playing.
The best advice I’ve received on this topic is that not every chord needs playing.
When comping, it’s fine to leave a chord blank, or in many cases it’s fine to skip a chord and pre-empt the next one.
When it comes to soloing, leaving space is just as important.
Try and make the beginning and end of each phrase deliberate, and consider where you are in the form, so you can capitalise on licks and tricks you may have prepared beforehand.
Do Not Look for Perfection
No amount of preparation can make you ready for the experience of playing with other humans.
It can be disheartening having played your favourite tune a hundred times in a practise room, only to get on the bandstand and not be able to execute anything perfectly.
The first reaction to this may be to over-play, throwing the kitchen sink at the chord changes to try and force the issue, but there is no need for this.
A good solo often starts simply, so take a small idea and develop it.
Doing this also makes it very easy for the rest of the band to support you, as they can very quickly pick up on the idea that you are developing.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the people you play with are not perfect either.
They might make mistakes, over-play or interrupt your flow.
If you feel the rhythm section getting out of control, pause for a few seconds, or try and find an idea in what they are doing.
If people lose the form and you know where you are, make it clear when you reach the end of a chorus.
The more useful information you give your bandmates the easier it is for them to support you.
Conclusion
Some of the best experiences I’ve had in jazz have been at jam sessions.
They provide you with the opportunity to learn so much, and play with some brilliant musicians.
Don’t hesitate to get up and play at a jam, the important thing is to play with your ears and eyes open!
There are always people at jams who are happy to give you advice or help you through a tune, and in turn, when you are an experienced jammer, you should be prepared to do the same.
Now you are armed with these tips, head down to your local jazz jam, and let the chaos unfold!
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