Moving forward with Jazz Piano/Keyboard skills?

[EoN604]

Hi all,

I learnt piano for 11-12 years growing up. (Although the last lesson was over 10+ years ago). I'm reasonably proficient, I understand most scales, chords, theory, circle of fifths etc. I can understand sheet music (ie i can read it, but I could only play along with it very slowly), I can improvise in Blues scale in most keys etc etc.

The past few years I've been producing electronic music and am just now starting to get a keen interest in learning more Jazz Piano/Keyboard. I looked around my local area for 'jazz teachers' but there doesn't seem to be many available. Also, I'm wondering, considering I can already play pretty well, maybe a teacher isn't necessary? Is there any way anyone can recommend learning/touching up/improving on jazz techniques, styles, chord progressions, improvisation techniques etc? Any websites perhaps? or even books? Do you think it's necessary to have a teacher at this stage? Is there some sort of 'key secrets to jazz fundamentals or chord progressions' or something that might make the 'penny drop' that someone could tell me? hehe

Maybe i'd be best off just buying some sheet music for some different jazz songs and learning them on my own? Just curious on peoples thoughts on what would be the best way forward in terms of learning in this area!

Thanks,
EoN

PS. I noticed there are a couple of other similar threads nearby - but I'm specifically wondering about Jazz techniques/structures/fundamentals.

[ckatrun411]

Hi, i was a Jazz guitar player, ( still am ) before I started making electronica...

I suggest reading. " Jazz Theory and Practice "

by Richard Lawn, and Jeffrey Hellmer...


Its sitting on my lap right now. it has a massive bibliography and it is a mere 295 pages long. Its filled with the ideas of II V 7, and 11ths, 9ths, and 13ths, and gives the most comprehensive discussion on jazz of any book I have ever read.

1 thought. you must have a basic understanding of theory, and you say you do, before touching this book. as it dives right into jazz, and does not discuss intervals, or even the major scale all that much. It hints on them, and goes right to modes.

cheers

[EoN604]

ckatrun411 - thanks so much - that is pretty much exactly the sort of thing I was hoping to find! Very much appreciated. I've already given my girlfriend a subtle hint as to a good XMAS present. (Something along the lines of: "Gee, this book would be a good XMAS present!!!")

Thanks mate - look forward to reading this.

(Still keen to hear any other suggestions as well!)

[Danno]

Here's a tip... (only because it's something I need to work on)

...pick a 'jazzy' chord and run it thru the circle using NEAREST INVERSIONS.

Bb13sus4 / F13sus4 / C13sus4 / G13sus4 / etc

-then pick another one. After a while, you'll be comfortable with a whole bunch of voicings of a whole bunch of interesting chords.


(did I spell voicings wrong?... not in the firefox dictionary, I guess.)

Danno

[beboop]

Hi all,

I learnt piano for 11-12 years growing up. (Although the last lesson was over 10+ years ago). I'm reasonably proficient, I understand most scales, chords, theory, circle of fifths etc. I can understand sheet music (ie i can read it, but I could only play along with it very slowly), I can improvise in Blues scale in most keys etc etc.

depends on what you mean by "jazz". There's a tradition (broad, diverse, multifaceted) that stretches from Earl Hines (and before) to Brad Mehldau (and beyond). If that's what you're interested in, the first thing will be to listen to a lot of it, pick out some stuff you like, and learn to play it.

a central figure in that tradition is tenor Lester Young (I'm not making proclamations here, just some suggestions. There are a lot of key players, and key recordings.) Get the four disc Proper box set and see what he has to say.

the 'blues scale' is an abstraction -- it can be an incredibly useful concept, but it's not the same thing as 'playing a blues' or 'playing THE blues', both of which involve a lot more than noodling on a pitch set.

If you already know rudiments of theory I wouldn't worry too much about jazz theory for a while. Concentrate on learning tunes, hearing variations, and playing what you hear. When you need a jazz theory book, Mark Levine's is a pretty good one.