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Jazz Piano from Scratch by Charles Beale | Piano Sheet Music Book with Online Audio | Beginner Jazz Piano Method for Students & Teachers with Standard Notation Chords Exercises and Repertoire
(Instructional). Jazz Piano from Scratch is a complete step-by-step guide to playing jazz with confidence and style. Designed for the absolute beginner, it breaks down the process into simple yet fun activities, with many musical examples to illustrate the points made. The accompanying audio provides examples, activities and some great trio playing to use as a backdrop to the student's own work. Together with a range of other supporting materials pieces, scales, quick studies, aural tests and more this book/audio pack provides a comprehensive introduction to the world of jazz.
- GenresMusic
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1998
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March 30, 2020
Many books that are supposed to teach pianists how to play jazz start with chords or scales. They assume that the player already knows enough to dive right in.
Maybe that's true, but before anyone can try creating melodies for jazz or any other kind of music, there has to be a solid sense of rhythm that's internalized and unshakable.
This book begins with laying that foundation--creating the heartbeat of music-making, so to speak. Then, rather than just throwing all the chords and scales at the students and saying: "OK, off you go to improvise!", the book begins by cultivating rhythmic improvisation, then expands that in very small increments. By limiting the materials, the book ensures that, if followed, the result will be confident, solid, and rewarding.
Most art forms--and just about anything else at a high level--can't be expressive or excellent until the person doing the art or other activity has so thoroughly absorbed the rules and structure of what they're doing that they can make what they do look effortless. One must learn the material so completely that the creation of material within that framework becomes seemingly effortless and natural.
This book doesn't pretend that this isn't a long, difficult, and often slow process. But it is the clearest road map I've seen yet for directing the practice of players who want to explore jazz piano. It takes the guesswork and haphazardness out of teaching students to improvise. Whether you agree with music exams or not, this book is worth dipping into for anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of jazz.
The explanations of various jazz styles; the clear layout of scales, chords, and chord progressions; and the huge repertoire of activities designed to aid in practicing are terrific. This book has been available in print for over 20 years now, with the Braille edition (from Royal National Institute of Blind People) arriving several years later. I'm looking forward to using the book, in whole or in part, with the next student who comes to a lesson and announces: "I want to learn jazz."
Maybe that's true, but before anyone can try creating melodies for jazz or any other kind of music, there has to be a solid sense of rhythm that's internalized and unshakable.
This book begins with laying that foundation--creating the heartbeat of music-making, so to speak. Then, rather than just throwing all the chords and scales at the students and saying: "OK, off you go to improvise!", the book begins by cultivating rhythmic improvisation, then expands that in very small increments. By limiting the materials, the book ensures that, if followed, the result will be confident, solid, and rewarding.
Most art forms--and just about anything else at a high level--can't be expressive or excellent until the person doing the art or other activity has so thoroughly absorbed the rules and structure of what they're doing that they can make what they do look effortless. One must learn the material so completely that the creation of material within that framework becomes seemingly effortless and natural.
This book doesn't pretend that this isn't a long, difficult, and often slow process. But it is the clearest road map I've seen yet for directing the practice of players who want to explore jazz piano. It takes the guesswork and haphazardness out of teaching students to improvise. Whether you agree with music exams or not, this book is worth dipping into for anyone wanting to broaden their knowledge of jazz.
The explanations of various jazz styles; the clear layout of scales, chords, and chord progressions; and the huge repertoire of activities designed to aid in practicing are terrific. This book has been available in print for over 20 years now, with the Braille edition (from Royal National Institute of Blind People) arriving several years later. I'm looking forward to using the book, in whole or in part, with the next student who comes to a lesson and announces: "I want to learn jazz."
Displaying 1 of 1 review