I have just seen a great programme on the life and journey of Oscar Peterson. I am amazed by this man and I am amzed to find that since I've been searching the web for similar jazz artists who may influence and bring my piano playing to a new level. One artist featured on the show was Benny Green.

Jazz appears to be a style that comes from improvisation and freedom at the piano, jazz arrangements sound very 'square' unless you just close the book and chill out!

I have three years of piano experience, I can read music but I get best results from memorising scores.

I think if I need to develop as a pianist I need to be able to build up a repetoire of mixed styles that are firmly fixed in my mind and transferred to my finger tips.

I don't know if jazz piano is addictive, but it can be habit forming.

My suggestion for bringing your playing to a new level, in addition to watching and being inspired by the likes of Peterson and Green, is to try to play along with them. Don't worry about getting it note for note - just try to follow and mimic their style, phrasing, speed, ideas, etc.

Then turn off the video or CD and try to keep playing like that on your favorite tunes in a fake book.

Yes.

Come join us in the Autumn Leaves thread (ABF).

It's not merely addictive, it's all consuming.

Passions and desires to learn and attempt to master an art form like jazz piano can certainly become an addiction, but it is more like an obsession in eternal action.

As pianists are working hard to emulate what they have seen and heard how other great jazz artists play and perform, the flame is lit and the the path is begun. This influence is how the "addiction" is created and the "drug" of choice is focus and obsession to learn and become the best jazz musician possible.

But we must remember one simple thing. All the great Art Tatums, Oscar Petersons, Chick Coreas, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancocks, Erroll Garner and many other jazz masters that would fill this entire forum, share a common bond. They became one and with the piano. Their whole life was consumed by a single motivation, an obsession to master the art, although truly there is always a level of study that keeps traveling forever it seems.

Another thing that the greats and best of the best pianists shared was application of good and consistent, continual practice habits. Oscar Peterson spent up to 15 hours of daily practice, especially after his father played a record of Art Tatum playing "Tiger Rag." When Oscar heard it, he thought it had to be played by 4 hands, 2 pianists. But there was no overdubbing or cut and pasting recordings or plugging in a MIDI keyboard to the computer and running GarageBand, Logic, ProTools, etc. I read Oscar P's bio and it was mentioned that he cried when he heard Art's music and couldn't believe a pianist could be at a level way beyond any other pianist at a time. He also was so depressed, he quit the piano for several months. Oscar thought he was the one greater than anyone until Tatum put the fear of God in him and lit the spark of obsession in himself to get to work.

Many pianists have natural talent in music, a good ear, the right hands and fingers made for the piano, some have perfect pitch (Keith Jarrett, Oscar P, Larry Knetchel, Mozart to list a few), but unless they sit down and work out a jazz study by doing and not dreaming about it, things just won't happen or sync. We can sit around all day singing and thinking about jazz harmony and solos, but we have to have the passion and motivation to sit at the keyboard and work it out for ourselves.

So if you have the desire and passion to learn jazz piano, you will, but be prepared to spend the rest of your life learning about how to play the best you can be.

Just MHO

katt

I believe you've got it wrong when
you say that you've "discovered jazz
piano," as though this is something new
and different from the classical
piano you've been playing for 3 yrs. now.
I see no real difference between jazz
and classical piano, since the notation
and technique is the same for both.
The only differences are in the style
of the music, and in the fact that
classical is played from the score with
no improvisation and jazz is improvised.

Furthermore, I see danger in idolizing
the jazz greats. There are forces
at work in jazz piano that are trying
to make it just like classical piano, that
is, completely fossilized, with
people playing jazz "classics"
in the style of the jazz
greats, with no other way
allowed. The advantage to jazz piano
is that you can improvise--in
contrast to the no improvisation
allowed in classical
piano--and be free from the restrictions
of the score and rules and styles.
To hell with how the jazz greats played.
You might get some ideas from their
music, but you should be developing
your own style, free from any rules
or established methods.

katt,
I am rather new to jazz, but I just had to write and tell you thanks for posting that Keith Jarrett has perfect pitch. His talent is so amazing.. and seemingly so effortless. He's such a genius, and somehow, knowing that he has perfect pitch explains everything...no wonder he's so amazing!!

BevP

Perfect pitch is not a necessary requirement to be able to play jazz piano.
Listening and imitating (a good teacher can also help) is the key.
Get an Abersold play-a-long cd, purchase band-in-a-box . . and play.

I know that perfect pitch isn't necessary. But I would think that having perfect pitch makes the improvisation process easier. I hear pitches in my head all the time, and not knowing where they are in an instant makes the soloing process slower for me than I would think it would be for someone with perfect pitch.

just mho

BevP

Thanks BSP. Glad you enjoyed my brief "Treatise" about passion and motivation to learn jazz piano. Having the gift of perfect pitch especially for a jazz pianist is certainly a plus and I have had several students who had it and developed their improvisational skills on a steady upper level.

Of course many fine jazz and classical pianists don't have perfect pitch but have developed accurate relative pitch through ear training study. I had 2 jazz teachers who had perfect pitch but each one had issues and concerns that it had its disadvantages as well. One being the perfect or imperfect tunings of the piano. An out of tune piano drives a musician nuts who has perfect pitch. And also musicians with perfect pitch have difficulties with playing tunes and pieces in transposed keys because if they are reading it or learning the tune by ear, they are still hearing the tune in that original key. But putting that issue aside, as musicians we are all a bit envious of our peers who have the gift of perfect or absolute pitch.

Although personally I do not have perfect pitch. I have developed a good ear by transcribing records, rock and jazz and hear notes on the piano before playing them of the proper tone. There are controversial debates on whether one can develop perfect pitch by purchasing several pitch courses and doing the daily exercises. But then again, anything is possible. I personally have worked with many fine musicians through the years who had great ears and could read well and didn't have perfect pitch.

Possessing the gift of absolute/perfect pitch is a plus for a musician or singer, but even with the gift, there is no other way to becoming the best musician possible without putting in the endless hours of practice and study to reach the goals set.

katt

Chrisbell, I purchased Band-in-aBox some time ago and never had much time to explore it. Can you give me a quick overview on what benefits it would have for anyone wanting to play a bit of jazz piano, please.

Here's a thread in the Adult Beginners Forum in which Riddler used band-in-a-box. He's done several of these:

Riddler's Joy Spring



Cathy

Cathy, can you please forward your PM again as requested earlier.

No.

It went to the screen name that you "borrowed" from a long-time poster here who had been quite helpful to you, even when you were conversing with him under two different screen names at once. The jist of it was: I'm sure I wasn't the only person who recognized "your" screen name. I found it deceptive, given your history with multiple screen names.

And given that you were still using (at least) two different screen names until one of *those* was banned, I don't have much faith that you've decided to be straight forward.

Cathy

Cathy, lets not beat about the bush here. What is the screen-name because I have asked FrankB to ban all names associated with me. This I believe he has done. Now if there are other active names please be at least up-front and send me a PM.

I think until you clear up what you mean, you are the one I feel who is being deceptive.
I want to get my membership in order - lets get yours in order too!

I believe that you can no longer log in under any of the 4 names you have previously publicly owned up to. If, besides ILoveJazz, those were the only other names associated with you then you have nothing to worry about. You already know the contents of the one pm I had made to you there.

Only you can "get your membership in order" because only you know for sure how many log in names you have had.

I don't have a problem with you posting as ILoveJazz.

Cathy

Perfect pitch is really a drag if you are a pianist, unless you can afford to have your piano tuned monthly.

I don't have perfect pitch, but I have a very sensitive ear to pitch...I can't play any of the pianos at the junior college, even the Steinway upright grands...they are so horribly out of tune.

That is one BIG advantage of the DP.

I agree Nik. I don't have perfect pitch and unless the piano is in almost perfect tune, I cannot bear to sit down and play. Honestly this is one reason I prefer digital pianos and my 2 Casio Privias. There are many options and customizations that can be tweaked with the tuning settings, +-cents.

Another point, if we go out and hear live jazz in a club and a real high level piano player is playing on an out of tune piano, I'm ready to split, the sound drives me nuts.

But realistically, maintaining and keeping a decent acoustic piano voiced and tuned correctly is an ongoing financial investment. Just imagine if guitar players played out of tune instruments, despite the fact it is quite simple to tune a guitar with and without an electronic tuner. Many night clubs don't keep their pianos tuned consistently.

katt