Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 1

by Martha Mier (Composer)

Alfred's Basic Piano Library

Jazz, Rags & Blues, Book 1 contains original solos for late elementary to early intermediate-level pianists that reflect the various styles of the jazz idiom. An excellent way to introduce your students to this distinctive American contribution to 20th century music.

Genres: Music

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Martha Mier is a composer, arranger, and retired piano teacher. She is known for composing the Jazz, Rags and Blues series of sheet music for Alfred music. Many of her works appear in Canada's Royal Conservatory of Music and Conservatory Canada examination syllabi. She is also renowned for her "Romantic Impressions" solo piano books.

Mier owned a piano studio in Lake City, FL for many years, and was a church musician and a professional accompanist. She continues to judge music competitions.

Reviews

[Leftbanker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books, everything from Martha Mier. In this volume I had a lot of fun learning Jelly Bean Rag and Beach Buggy Boogie. She has written a ton of great and accessible stuff for newer students to the piano. It’s important to always have cool and fun stuff to play when you are learning an instrument, just like you need good reading material when learning another language.

I actually stalked her and wrote her a fan letter telling her how much I love her music. I said she should be bigger than the Rolling Stones. She was gracious enough to write back to thank me and to tell me that she got a kick out me comparing her to those rock icons.

It is amazing to see how many people cut their teeth on the piano playing her songs. If you don’t believe me just go to YouTube and plug in her name. There are thousands of videos of pianists of all ages and skill levels playing her stuff.

Bless you, Martha Mier.

Correction: The two songs that I mention here are in Book 2, not 1, but don't let that stop yu from buying this volume. All of her stuff is fun. I use them just to practice sight reading, at least the songs that I haven't memorized already.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for students interested in exploring the more accessible styles of jazz piano music. The pieces are attractively written, and make good performance pieces. Students will need to have a good understanding of syncopation & swing rhythm.