"I believe in using the entire piano as a single instrument capable of expressing every possible musical idea." -Oscar Peterson
From a young age, a passion for music usually leads to learning a musical instrument or many different instruments. However, when playing instruments, a person tends to forget about the trials and tribulations they are going through since they are entirely focused on the notes and the sheet music in front of them.
Since different cultures around the world appreciate unique genres of music, many musical instruments have been created to suit the musical renderings of a specific geographic location. However, on the other hand, some instruments are international and are considered appealing to millions of amateur musicians. Such as? Well, one of them is the piano.
According to many reports and studies, the piano is the world's most-played instrument, and for a good reason; it's so beautiful to listen to! However, did you know that it's possible to learn different types of the piano? First, there is classical piano, and then there is jazz piano.
Without further ado, in today's article, we'll look at the origins of jazz piano, whether it's hard to learn, and some essential steps to understanding it. Let's get playing!
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What is Jazz Piano?
While you are probably familiar with classical piano playing on a keyboard or grand piano, have you ever heard about jazz piano? If not, that's alright since you're probably a beginner in the music world and still need some education to learn how things are.
Nonetheless, jazz piano can be defined as playing the piano or keyboard while adding elements to the playing style. Jazz piano techniques may slightly differ from the more well-known classical elements; however, they are not inferior. Jazz has existed as a music genre for many decades, and the piano has been one of the critical instruments of the jazz genre since it can be played alone or with a group.
The piano creates melodic and harmonic jazz music pieces, and the instrument is made to stand out.
Jazz pianists may differ from classical pianists since they have a thorough understanding of chord theory and scales; this allows jazz piano players to react to any song they are playing and create solos relatively easily. On the other hand, classical pianists are known for their knowledge of musical terms such as crescendo and moderato.
Famous jazz pianists that you might have heard of include Art Tatum, Herbie Hancock, and Oscar Peterson, to name a few.
The bottom line is that jazz piano is called jazz piano because it incorporates musical elements of the piano when playing songs that have been characterised as jazz.
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Is Jazz Piano Hard to Learn?
Before embarking on learning something new, it's essential to ask yourself some serious questions before getting started so that you can see through learning your new hobby from beginning to end. Therefore, if you're about to consider spending some time teaching the jazz piano, you should probably ask yourself, is jazz piano hard to learn?
Alike learning all musical instruments, the jazz piano is a layered discipline that won't be honed overnight. It takes beginner pianists many months and years to become proficient at playing the jazz piano. To become any good at playing the jazz piano, you'll need to adhere to the following tips:
- Practice your skills every day,
- Start the learning process with realistic expectations,
- Ask a friend or a tutor for advice when you're feeling discouraged,
- Watch and listen to plenty of videos that feature jazz piano playing.
If you follow the previously mentioned tips, you'll find that playing the piano wasn't nearly as difficult as you previously expected it to be.
To overcome obstacles while learning jazz piano, you'll need to be motivated, resilient, and open to constructive criticism. Are there any other suggestions? Take a look at the following subheading to learn the best steps to learning jazz piano!
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What is the Best Way to Learn Jazz Piano?
Before starting to play a new instrument and learning a new musical genre such as jazz piano, it may be a daunting task to know how to begin. Nonetheless, there's no need to fret since there are plenty of informative guides that are available online that show new jazz pianists how to start their learning process.
So, let's take a look at a five-step guide that serves as a brilliant way for beginners to hone their jazz piano skills.
Listen to Jazz Music
First and foremost, before even touching the piano and playing jazz music, the most important thing to do is listen to jazz music. Try to dedicate time every day to listen to jazz piano songs from famous artists; this can be done either actively or passively.
By listening to jazz music, you will get a "feel" for the rhythm and the tunes of jazz instruments when they are playing together, and you will slowly want to start incorporating yourself into the songs. Hot tip: try not to only listen to jazz piano songs. Even though you'll be learning jazz piano, you want to taste a sample of all the instruments.
Also, while you might enjoy other types of music, if you're going to start playing jazz piano, you'll want to dedicate most of your time listening to jazz and nothing else.
Some jazz artists that you might want to listen to include Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and Ornette Coleman, to name a few.
Invest in Private Tuition
While we'll talk more about private jazz piano lessons in the following subheading, it's worth stating that the second step to success as a beginner is hiring a professional and talented jazz piano instructor. Whether you're taking lessons online or in-person, you'll do far better than the rest when you have the guidance of a professional tutor.
It's encouraging to learn that you don't need any prior experience on the piano or jazz music to start lessons with a jazz piano tutor.
Learn Jazz Cycles
What exactly are jazz cycles? First, it's important to state that everything in jazz is based on cycles. So, for example, you'll want to become accustomed to playing the I IV VII III VI II V I progression.
When you take the time to learn the jazz cycles, you'll see that playing the jazz piano can be pretty predictable, and this will help you create and play beautiful songs on your piano.
Know the Blues
Since jazz and the blues have a lot in common, you'll want to become familiar with the blues. Start with the C Blues Scale and work your way up to the top, slowly but surely!
Consult with your jazz piano instructor to see which blues songs or notes you should be practising.
Love the Standards
As you have become a better jazz piano player, it will become essential to learn the standards. It's worth mentioning that jazz standards are a compilation of famous show tunes that you'll want to know how to play.
The following are a few jazz piano standards that you should play with your piano instructor:
- How High the Moon
- Ain't Misbehavin
- My Funny Valentine
- Here's That Rainy Day
- Autumn Leaves
- Speak Low
- All the Things You Are
- The Girl From Ipanema
As a beginner, you'll greatly benefit from following the previously mentioned steps in chronological order.
Where to Find a Tutor to Learn Jazz Piano UK?
Now that we've piqued your curiosity about jazz piano, are you ready to start taking lessons? If so, we salute you and remarkably suggest it! While you could teach yourself the steps mentioned in the previous subheading, or you could attend a music academy to learn jazz piano with a group, we highly recommend hiring a one-to-one jazz piano teacher to show you the fundamentals.
By taking face-to-face or virtual lessons with a jazz piano instructor, you'll receive personalised attention and have classes that are tailormade to your skillset and learning level. Also, personal tutors offer invaluable tips and tricks to help you succeed.
But, where can you find a jazz piano tutor in the UK? The answer is simple: Superprof. With more than 17 million passionate tutors worldwide teaching 1000+ topics of interest, Superprof is a great place to start when searching for a jazz piano teacher. Your learning experience with a Supeprof will be highly successful and if you don't trust us, take a look at the following advantages of learning a new hobby on the Superprof site:
- Affordable tuition,
- An easy to use lesson booking software,
- A talented tutor/student support staff,
- Access to well-researched and relevant blog articles,
- A variety of jazz piano tutors,
- The possibility of learning online or face-to-face.
Also, if you need added motivation, the first lesson with a new tutor is 100% free of charge!
In conclusion, learning the jazz piano is a beautiful idea for passionate musicians or amateur learners to pick up a new hobby that will make them feel fulfilled and energised!
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