Started taking jazz piano lessons.

BOTTOM LINE:

ITS All ABOUT THE JAZZ!!!

Amen Brother!!!!!

I've been studying for the past year and 1/2 and It has really opened my eyes and thumped my playing skills to a new level. I've always been a fan and listened to jazz recordings, but I've never truly heard jazz until I started studying it. What a revelation!

Al

Congratulations on entering into an exciting area...you'll be hooked for life, and every day will be an education..

Best of luck,

Russ

What music books are you using for the study?

Is it focusing on Jazz Piano, or other areas (like organ/sax styles)?

Jerry
Amsterdam

I'm using many books, but the one I use which was recommended to me for theory ; "The Jazz Piano Book" by Mark Levine. It covers everything Jazz.

For improvisation, look at "Learn to Improvise Jazz", by Jamey Aebersold. Get volume 24 and you will learn to improvise major and minor in all keys.

First met Jamey in 1966. He is from New Albany, Indiana, just down the road from me.

What a committed pro...


Russ

I had the priviledge of studying privately with Levine and highly recommend his book "The Jazz Piano Book": http://www.shermusic.com/jazzpno.htm

This book even covers rootless chord voicings.

On another note, another Synthzone Member & contributor here (yet who doesn't want me to give his name out) was the manuscript editor for this book.

Scott

You guys have given good advise about the important references for those who want to dive deep in the jazz language. Mark Levine's books are indeed very complete works about many forms of jazz. Let me add some more references that focuse on perhaps the easiest (or the most familiar) jazz idioma, based in tonal harmony (present in most of the jazz standards). These books are helping me quite a bit, and the first one is particularly original:

- The New Guide to Harmony with LEGO bricks, by Conrad Cork
- The Harmonic Language of Jazz Standards, by Marc Sabatella

They are both sold online by the authors. Conrad is a brit and his book comes with a very useful "after-sales support". You can meet Marc Sabatella in some newsgroups, like rec.music.makers.jazz .

For those specifically interested in blues, I've never found a better book than this one:

- Improvising Blues Piano, by Tim Richards [Schott Educational Publications]

-- José.

Jose,

Wow...The New Guide to Harmony with LEGO bricks, by Conrad Cork looks interesting, but I just can't bring myself to pay $63.00US for a paperback book!

Is it THAT revolutionary?

Want to sell me yours?

Al

While it is not a work about theory, I would recommend Reading Jazz edited by Robert Gottlieb. I believe it is the premier work on the history of jazz. It is facinating and sad. There are many essays by artists detailing their lives and careers. Sme of the greats has horrible lives; sadly brought on by their own personal problems.

It's worth a look...


Russ

Hi Al,

One of my problems (perhaps not only mine) when I start learning a new subject is to be able to get to the fundamental concepts/ideas quickly enough. In most non-obvious subjects, with "normal" teachers/books that follow a tradicional approach, the deep understanding of fundamental ideas comes too late for my taste, and frequently after a considerable dose of formalism and routine work. When I approach a new subject, it's essential that I first get to the crucial ideas as fast as I can, and then go deep in what I find more interesting. I'm far from saying that the formalism is avoidable or that hard work is not needed, but I still think that there can exist (or can be created) potencially better alternative approaches, with less or a different formalism, that lead you to a better understanding of the principles. In general these alternative approaches tend to come from people with a wider knowledge background than the ones with an education strictly from the tradicional music school.
What I find interesting in Conrad Cork's book is his original view about harmony and how approachable and pleasant to read it is. If you already have a solid background in jazz it probably won't be such a revelation, but it will still be interesting for the different perspective. However if you are a beginner (like I am), it can be an excellent and extremely approachable introduction.
I agree the price burns (for an american; it's reasonable in Europe)!... But don't judge the price of a book by its presentation. If you're complaining about being a paperback, I wonder what you would say if you saw the print quality... It's mediocre, nothing to do with Levine's, but it's a 320 page juicy book. Not one single music sheet, only tables of chords. I'm keeping my copy, of course.

-- José.

[This message has been edited by Route 66 (edited 10-26-2004).]

I've been through the two "Joy of Improvisation" books by Dave Frank - and there are some very nice pieces in there, but I felt that the actual theory was skipped to a large extent.

I've also tried a book co-authored by Joey Defrancesco, and found that one hard going.

Has anyone tried this book? :
http://www.organ.co.uk/Merchant2/4.13/me...egory_Code=BOOK

Actually this shop seems to have a whole bunch of similar books:
http://www.organ.co.uk/Merchant2/4.13/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=organ&Category_Code=BOOK

Anyone tried any of these?

Jerry

[This message has been edited by jeremy_norbury (edited 10-26-2004).]