Jazz

[key of c]

Does anyone here teach beginning jazz?
What kind of method do you have?

[orlandopiano]

Does anyone here teach beginning jazz?
What kind of method do you have?

I can't recommend a "method", but I can recommend that you LISTEN.  Most of the great jazz pianists learned by listening to other jazz pianists. I'd recommend that to you.  Listen Listen Listen.  As much as you can.  Listen like you're never listened before.  Listen to all the great jazz pianists- Bill Evans, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson, Kenny Drew, Keith Jarrett,  Michel Petrucciani, Bud Powell, Monk, etc. Then of course there's the theory part.  Get a book that teaches about scales, modes, tensions, extensions etc).

For starters, learn how to play rhythm changes in your LH in all 12 keys and the different ways to voice them.  Do you know what rhythm changes are?

[Brian Healey]

I do teach jazz piano. The students I have all had at least some prior jazz or other improvising experience beforehand, so teaching a complete beginner isn't something I'm used to.

I usually ask my students what they want to learn, and make that the focus of the lessons. I use Mark Levine's "Jazz Piano" and "Jazz Theory" books, as well as Phil DeGreg's "Jazz Keyboard Harmony," as the basis for what I teach.  Depending on how developed the student is, I might have him/her spend time working with constructing chords and voicings, or learning tunes and improvising on them, or working on scales and patterns, or doing transcriptions. Usually all these things are sort of happening simultaneously because they are really intertwined. Advanced harmonic movement, transposition, and chord substitution are things I work on with more advanced students. 

Like I said, though, I base everything off the student's desires. I have a student right now who wants to learn how to improvise while playing walking bass in the left hand.  I've been working with him on how to construct bass lines, and I have him playing exercises with walking bass and chords in the right hand, or improvising or playing patterns in the right hand, and playing tunes with walking bass lines. So everything is getting accomplished at once: he's learning about chord theory and voicings, bass lines, improvising, and tunes all at the same time.


Peace,
Bri

[orlandopiano]

I do teach jazz piano. The students I have all had at least some prior jazz or other improvising experience beforehand, so teaching a complete beginner isn't something I'm used to.

I usually ask my students what they want to learn, and make that the focus of the lessons. I use Mark Levine's "Jazz Piano" and "Jazz Theory" books, as well as Phil DeGreg's "Jazz Keyboard Harmony," as the basis for what I teach.  Depending on how developed the student is, I might have him/her spend time working with constructing chords and voicings, or learning tunes and improvising on them, or working on scales and patterns, or doing transcriptions. Usually all these things are sort of happening simultaneously because they are really intertwined. Advanced harmonic movement, transposition, and chord substitution are things I work on with more advanced students. 

Like I said, though, I base everything off the student's desires. I have a student right now who wants to learn how to improvise while playing walking bass in the left hand.  I've been working with him on how to construct bass lines, and I have him playing exercises with walking bass and chords in the right hand, or improvising or playing patterns in the right hand, and playing tunes with walking bass lines. So everything is getting accomplished at once: he's learning about chord theory and voicings, bass lines, improvising, and tunes all at the same time.


Peace,
Bri

Brian, I see you went to Berklee.  I went there as well.  When were you there and who did you study with?

[Brian Healey]

I was there in the summer of '01. At the time, I was considering transferring schools, so I studied there over the summer to decide whether or not it was worth it. In the end, I decided not to transfer because of my girlfriend, which is kind of lame, but I have no regrets. 

My private teacher there was an absolutely wonderful pianist named Laszlo Gardony. I also had the opportunity to study improvisation with Dave Santoro and Jerry Bergonzi. It was a great summer.

How did you like Berklee?


Peace,
Bri

[orlandopiano]

I was there in the summer of '01. At the time, I was considering transferring schools, so I studied there over the summer to decide whether or not it was worth it. In the end, I decided not to transfer because of my girlfriend, which is kind of lame, but I have no regrets. 

My private teacher there was an absolutely wonderful pianist named Laszlo Gardony. I also had the opportunity to study improvisation with Dave Santoro and Jerry Bergonzi. It was a great summer.

How did you like Berklee?


Peace,
Bri

Honestly, I loved Boston but I hated Berklee. My teachers were Frank Carlberg and Josh Rosen, who came to my lessons stoned.  I was there from '97 to '99 as a film scoring major, but dropped out early (don't we all).

[orlandopiano]

delete

[ChristmasCarol]

I teach Blues first and then I like the "Jazzabilities" series.  It's written by a Berklee graduate.  There is an increasingly wonderful selection of jazz arrangments being published.

I offer all these things to all my students.  For some it's a take and some not.  The modern traditional school system has created students who want to be spoon fed a lot.   If they can't handle improvisation I just drop it and use more structured material. 

[ptmidwest]

Christmas Carol, could you elaborate more specifically on what you do with students who are new to this?

[joyfulmusic]

I teach I IV V7 chords right off the bat.  I show them how to play a simple blues bass line.  Then gradually I introduce left hand.  First I have them play any "C" note with the C bass line and then I give them another simple riff and another.  I tell them to play one hand at a time and "hear" the other in their minds while playing it.  Then to try and put the hands together.  During the lesson I will play one part and have them play the other.   Last week I had a student who has been taking about four months with me start playing quarter note block chords with the left hand while playing the corresponding scale in the right hand as eighth notes.  In particular, boys and men love this.  I am very relaxed about approaching theory and sight reading.  As a result, I get great results and reduced tension in my studnents.

[jeremyjchilds]

I don't use a method,

I teach them to hand drum,

Use the faithful "chord progression through the cycle of fifths" technical excercise to practice every new concept. Often the ii7, V7, I7 progression.

Spend a lot of time in theory,

Require them to listen

Select repertiore that is challenging but attainable.

THe rythm was historically the most difficult thing to teach a classically trained student, but over the years I have perfected my "drumming" scheme to make this difficulty vanish!!

Having said that, I use a method to learn great ways to explain things to students.

The noah Baerman books are nice and simple, but the best book I have found is the levine text. (a nice introduction)

[keyofc]

Can anyone be a little more specific if they have experience teaching a begginer in jazz?
I was a little confused about teaching a bass line and then introducing the left hand gradually.
My bass line is always with the left hand....

[etcetra]

While it is important to understand basic jazz theory and chords, I think the best way to learn jazz is through transcription.  I think we are so used to doing music through our eyes (by that i mean learning through books) that we forget most music outside of western music is learned by ear.   I think Mark Levine's book is a good starting point, but i strong urge people to get into transcribing right away.

If you are a beginner you won't be able to transcribe anything difficult.. but take for example, Mile's Davis Solo on  "So What", or "All Blues" in kind of blue.. transcribe them, and try to play with the recording note by note without looking at the transcription.   By analyzing the transcription you can get a lot of idea about theory and.. by transcribing you will be able to really dig into the feel and the individual sound that the player has.

I've had the chance to talk to some of the greatest jazz musicians alive and a lot of them seem to be upset about the fact that so many young musicians are learning jazz through books.  A lot of them hate lead sheets and real books.. some of them would even go far as to say that the only thing you need to do is transcribe.. while that may be extreme, I don't think they are too far from the truth.

Transcription is a process of discovery, about all these stuff that goes into good jazz.. you can read all about what scales to use over what chords, but it will never amount to you actually transcribing and understanding what Mile or someone else is doing.   

I used to learn pop music by ear and play them on the piano, I was kind of suprised when these great musicians told me to transcribe, basically they told me to do the same, but do it with jazz solos.

[etcetra]

by the way what kind of background do you have in music? I kind of assumed that you had some background, meaning that you know all the scales and basic chords....

[keyofc]

Thanks Brian and Joyful and everyone,
I appreciate your comments - and explaining your methods.
etcera - if you were addressing me - my background is classical, worship music
and also jazz

I was thinking of the student that has never had lessons and wants to learn jazz.
I think if that's their goal - then it's counterproductive to teach a lot of classical literature, since jazz is very creative.  Of course classical is too - but mainly for the composer.

I like to get them improvising right away -

For instance in classical music - we teach (I do) not to look at the hands, but the written
music.  In jazz - there shouldn't be any written music and they need to look at their
hands so they can remember the chord structures and how to mold their hands.

[Petter]

I donīt think itīs counterproductive to learn classical pieces. Youīd incorporate it into your improvising.

[keyofc]

Well - that's just my opinion and experience - although I would agree that you can use the classical in your improvising.  But  if they have no interest in classical and a deep interest in jazz only - I prefer to take the most direct route.

I love classical - but I do not love teaching it to people who don't appreciate it.

[etcetra]

keyofc

thanks, it helps to know where you are coming from.  I had the chance to talk to Jeff Clayton, Kenny Garrett and couple of great players, and they all told me to transcribe.  |A lot of them seem to resent books..  I heard that John Clayton will ask you to bring any real book you have for his lesson.. he won't charge you for that lesson but he will rip the book apart and tell you never to use it. 

It may be a little extreme but on the other hand, I know so many university students who has all the chops but have problem playing the vocabulary and the right feel. 

I've taught begginers before and I do teach some stuff out of the book, like basic voicings and chord/scale stuff, but I try to encourage them to transcribe as soon as possible.  it may be something as simple as learning the piano part for cantalope island and playing them along with the recording, but i think its important to think about stuff like feel right from the beggining.

For me i didnt do a lot of classical piano because i started so late.. i really wish i did, and i guess if i was teahching someone young i would strongly urge them to  take classical lesson, even if he is only practicing that 30 min a day.