Ron's blog on piano improv and the role of music in our lives
Once, when I was about to embark on a new, long-term project, my friend Jeff remarked, “This will be like a little garden you have, to water every day.” Jeff is a very wise man. He saw that I was so totally focused on the results of the project that I was getting tense about … Read More
In Parts 1-9 of this series on How To Learn Jazz Piano, we explored a wide range of approaches to learning jazz. All were geared toward learning jazz as one would learn a language; by immersing oneself in the sounds of jazz while practicing the musical elements of jazz on the piano and applying them … Read More
This is the 9th installment in this 10-part series, which explores various facets of getting started with jazz piano and then becoming a well-rounded player. Here’s the beginning of the series, in case you missed it: How To Play Jazz Piano (Part 1: Immersion Through Listening) Once you’ve learned the fundamentals of jazz piano, and … Read More
The first 7 installments of this series dealt with the importance of immersing oneself in the sounds of jazz, learning the basic elements of the style, and then actually playing the music with other musicians. At some point, though, it is essential to seek guidance from a good, experienced teacher; someone who’s mastered the craft … Read More
In Part 6 of this series, found HERE, we explored the importance of jamming with our fellow musicians. Now let’s look at public performances (yikes!): How to Play Jazz Piano (Part 7: Perform in front of an audience): There’s nothing like a live gig to give us that extra ‘spark’ we sometimes need! Nobody performs perfectly … Read More
So far this series of articles has covered 5 ways to help you either get started learning jazz piano, or to improve your existing skills. Here’s another way: How to Play Jazz Piano (Part 6: Jam with other musicians): Don’t wait until you feel you’re ‘worthy’ before you start to play (or ‘jam’) with other … Read More
So far I’ve explored 4 ways to help you learn to play jazz piano: immersion through listening, analytical listening, practicing from a beginning jazz piano book, and watching videos. You can find those posts here: http://keyboardimprov.com/what-time-is-it/ Now let’s add a 5th method: Transcriptions. Part 5: Transcriptions A jazz transcription is a written-down account, in musical … Read More
When people find out that I’m a piano teacher and performer, they often ask me how they can learn to play jazz piano. This is the 4th installment of my 10-part answer to that question. How To Play Jazz Piano (Part 4: Learning from Videos) I urge aspiring jazz musicians to make extensive use of … Read More
This is Part 3 of a 10-part series on How To Play Jazz Piano. If you haven’t read it already, check out Part 2: How To Play Jazz Piano (Part 2: Analytical Listening) Part 3: Gradually Work Through a Beginning Jazz Piano Method A good source of quality instruction is absolutely necessary to learn jazz … Read More
In the first part of this series on how to play jazz piano (How To Play Jazz Piano: Part 1: Immersion Through LIstening), I examined the importance of listening to jazz on a regular basis. This post explores another kind of listening: 2. Analytical Listening This is a more intellectual activity than immersion listening and … Read More