How do you learn to play jazz piano?

Question

I have a background in classical piano but I would like to learn some jazz techniqiues, particularly improvisation. Is there a good book which explains the jazz chords and modulations, etc?

Answer 1

I'm a piano teacher and classically trained pianist who wanted to learn to play jazz... here's what I did:

Books:
Jazz Works by Anne Collins. This is more for teenagers who are classically trained at the intermediate level, and approaches jazz studies from a classical viewpoint. VERY helpful. Comes with CDs!

Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory" book is really intense, but super good.

Debbie Denke's "The Aspiring Jazz Pianist" is great! Designed for first year university students. http://www.debbiedenke.homestead.com/

I also have a number of the Jamey Aebersold play-along books. These come with a CD and a jazz chart. http://www.aebersold.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

Get yourself a fake book of standard jazz tunes (like "The Real Book") and just start noodling around!

Also get a book of jazz transcriptions. These are pieces played by jazz pianist greats written down just as they played them.

Listen to LOTS of great jazz pianists: Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum etc etc

Find a jazz piano teacher. Look at local colleges for this. Take a few lessons!

Most of all, as a classically trained pianist, you're used to doing things a certain way. Learning to play jazz piano is like learning to play a completely different instruments. Give yourself permission to sound BAD and make mistakes. :)

I hope that helps. It has worked for me. While I don't claim to be a professional jazz pianist, I do enjoy playing jazz for my own pleasure. Maybe if I had more time to practice (hard to do when you teach 40+ students each week!), I'd be better.

Answer 2

I've been working with the course for about a week now, and it's incredible. Just the practice aids and the different scales and memory techniques in Book 9 are worth the price of the course, alone! There are two things that make this course stand out. First, all the video and audio files are embedded in the lesson. I have yet to find another piano course that makes it this easy. It's so nice not to have three files going at the same time!

The second thing is that you actually get to play in each lesson! And the songs are not "Mary had a Little Lamb" types! From the Beatles to Bethoven, it's all there. I have several piano courses that I have ordered over the internet. This is the one I use because it makes learning fun! I'm amazed! Once you get the rhythms down, you really can sound like a pro! Great fun! Thanks for making this available at such a reasonable price. Anyone who doesn't grab this up is going to go the long way home! Joy!

Now ANYONE Can Learn Piano or Keyboard?

Answer 3

You will not get good lessons on the internet, no youtube lesson or etc is really ever going to be able to even begin to communicate the beauty that is jazz. My fiance is a jazz drummer and he has some pianist friends that just blow my mind - find an instructor at a college nearby - I answered your other question about how you don't sleep much, maybe spend part of your day away from the computer learning piano (and then come home and make piano rhythms on computer programs that are designed to help do this!)

Answer 4

Ok I don't play Jazz piano, but I do play jazz guitar. Pretty much the same thing, I have to side read sheet music most of the time when I play, but I would pick up some sheet music compositions from some old jazz piano players. Some are: Jelly Roll Morton, Thomas "Fats" Waller, James P. Johnson, Teddy Wilson, Mary Lou Williams, and Art Tatum. These are the jazz Pianist I listen to. Most progression is the same as classical, but they are varied with speed. And most everything that you are improvising are within the same scale, just different variations at different speeds. I guess the best way to say it, is that most jazz is rushed with its progressions. Most Jazz pianist that I know will rush a measure to make sure they don't have to "drop" a note. More then anything jazz is interpretation of a song, and a solo of sorts. Allot of older jazz Pianist would cover a song, but it would sound completely different from the original. I would pick up some Jazz cd's and listen to the style. Listen for the chord progression and see that most of the time they will improve, but return the basic chord progression of the song.

Answer 5

I'm a self taught type, can't read a bit. But I can improvise alll day long. I recommend you start by listening to some old blues. Listen for the simplicity and the feeling, then just start by trying to follow along. It's mostly just a I-IV-V chord progression (E-A-B). Almost ALL country and most older Rock follows that pattern. Take a look at the relative minor (pentatonic I think?)for soloing

Answer 6

Donald Fagen's DVD "Concepts for Jazz/Rock Piano" has lots of interesting ideas.

Answer 7

Pamela wedgewood writes some good jazz books but they are very easy. Ask in your local music shop