technically competant pop pianist

[sybre]

Hi, I have a student who is around grade 5 in standard and he's interested in playing pop piano and does not to intend to take anymore examinations. (i.e no more classical for him!)  However I would like him to be technically competant as other classical pianists and playing pop probably wouldn't help him to be one. So what would be good technical studies to keep him going? I was thinking of getting him to continue playing scales, and Czerny or hanon but I'm not sure if that would thoroughly bore him. Are there any fairly interesting 'studies' that would keep his technique going further?

[allchopin]

any studies by classical composers are most likely going to be WAY too much of a load for an 11(?) year old.  I would like to suggest chopin, but odds are against that happeneing.  hehe check out the #11 Op. 25 thats a doozie

[sybre]

Hi, thanks, well he's not in 5th grade in school,  i meant he's done the ABRSM (royal schools of music, U.K examination board) examinations and he's passed the grade 5 exam. He's 14 and loves entertaining people. He loves playing stuff like 'the entertainer'..and pop hits from movies etc. I told his mom if he didnt do classical he might not be technically competant to progess to harder pieces..

[eddie92099]

Have you considered the ABRSM's jazz syllabus?
Ed

[bobo]

Hello,

Perhaps this is too late, but....

For technique builders there isn't all that much in the
jazz/pop world.  Most material available is primarily
concerned with improv and harmonic issues.  For that
matter what is considered great technique in the jazz/pop
world only causes the eyes to roll skyward in the
"classical" set, so any progress you make in this
direction places you on moral high ground.

There is a pair of books "Joy of Improv" by Dave Frank
and John Amaral.  These have a lot of harmonic stuff but
there are also some "Jazz Hannon" sections which are
basically the familiar hannon exercises (for right hand
alone - what are they thinking?) but with "Jazz" rhythms.
Some of them are fun and swing 8ths and triplets distinguish
it from the standard Hannon.

There is "The Right Hand According to Tatum" by
Riccardo Scivales, which is
a collection of riffs for the right hand in the first
part and a collection of transcribed solos in the second
part.  Sadly but not surprising the left hand is left
to just kind of watch.   This is still a good book and
will at least motivate the need for a decent right
hand facility.

For left hand it is worthwhile to introduce stride,
walking bass, and "boogie woogie" type broken arpeggios
with a high "pedal tone".  These things can offer at least
the motivation to develop some facility in both hands.
If you're working from a fake book it is also very good
practice to demand one section be played with left hand
melody and harmonic background in the right.  A terrible
thing to do in every number, but a great technique to
use occasionally.

In a less jazz and more popular direction the book
"How to Play From a Fake Book" is very good, but primarily
for the theory aspects.

Another technique motivator is to introduce all the common
improv scales and arps and suggest learning all
of those.  This
is actually a very good idea for those wanting to play
in a Bebop style.  Common treatments start with the
8 basic modes (exemplified by playing an 8 note scale
in a given key starting on each of the 8 notes of the
major scale in the key) and then defining a few more
scales by making what could be considered passing tone
modifications to other scales (cf major harmonic, melodic,
bebop, jazz, etc) and finally suggesting an association
of a given scale to each "kind" of chord, i.e.
augmented, seventh, diminished etc.  This gives one a basis for improv over
a set of chords.  The point here however is that if you
want to do improv (which may not matter to the student
in question) it is a good starting point to know the
"scale that goes with this chord" while playing from a
lead sheet.  If this kind of music appeals then a very
good case can be made for being good at many of the
scales, nearly all of which are commonly ignored by the
traditional classical crowd.  All of this is spelled out
in several of the Jamey Aebersold books, in particular
"The II-V7-I Progression".  These are playalong books
(book and CD) and you can get a catalog of them by
calling 1 800 456 1388 assuming my copy isn't too old.

Finally, it is always proper to point out that Op 111
is the right place to go for an example of proper use of
swing 8ths, open voicing, and ragtime.


Regards,
Bobo

[eddie92099]

Thanks Bobo that is very helpful. (And also very true regarding the op.111  ),
Ed