Classical vs Jazz

[greyrune]

It seems that on this board most of you play classical piano, with the odd bit of pop thrown in here and there.  I was wondering for one whether any of you play Jazz and also what the advantages are of playing classical and jazz.  I've heard that classical is good for fingering, but that jazz is good for rhythmical awareness.  I'm learning jazz at the moment instead of classical, and loving it i might add, but i was wondering if its worth learning classical for a while.

[Greg_Fodrea]

In my (never-to-be-humble) opinion, the true study of jazz is one of the best ways to understand the structure of music.  Although it will help with rhythmic awareness, there are many styles that do (ragtime, boogie, etc...).  More important to me is the understanding of chords and progressions I've gained from studying and playing jazz.  I've become a better songwriter, a better improviser, and an all-around better musician.

Having said all of that, I still study classical as well.  It's the best way to master technique, theory, and dynamics.  Stay well-rounded in your studies!

[Daevren]

I try to play jazz on guitar sometimes.

Advantages? An advantage in what?

In jazz you are a creator while in classical you are a resurrector. Thats the main difference. The others are cultural and technical. Classical music dealts with very smooth harmony while jazz has very rough harmony. The best way to make your jazz solos interesting is rhythm. Its the most important thing to learn, perfect time.

Jazz is harder. Jazz is as hard as writing a classical piece.