I just joined jazz band, and it's embarrassing! What is the first and far most thing i need to do? I am in desperate need of help. I have been playing for 11 years of classical and pop music but absolutely no jazz. My theory has concluded to be really well to. I just joined and i don't know what to do. I was completely lost, because once he passed out the sheet music, it was blank!! it was just chords, like Bb7, Fm7, etc. I know how to build those chords and make inversions, but i just do NOT know how to make it jazz style? PLEASE HELP! asap! The most important thing is to LISTEN to jazz compositions.
And transcribe the chords out of jazz songs and try to imitate the jazz pianists style.
In case of Jazz Piano (though I'm a Guitarist) or Music, the main point to keep well in mind and fingers is to make sure that the chords don't sustain for long times.
Usually Jazz chords are for short sustains. There are modes used over these chords to spice them up.
And these are the chords you MUST KNOW as a jazz painist :
Major 7th, Min 7th, Dom 7th,
Major 9th, Min 9th, Dom 9th
MinMaj7th, m7b5,
Min 11th, 9sus4, 7sus4,
sus2, sus4, Maj 6th, Min 6th
13th chord and slash chords for the up !!!
And modes.
Keep listening and transcribing regularly.
If you do good , it would take 2 months to master the Jazz piano. You have to fully understand playing against time, which is counterintuitive to classical players.
Next you have to learn how to improvise well. Often jazz players describe their improvised lines as "telling a story" -- even if the story is very simple. Think of the song/tune and what it's about, then add your own little embellishment to it. Start simple at first, then add more courage each time. TAKE CHANCES. Even if you fail, you'll learn. And at some point in time, you'll get jazz inside you.
Listen to Louis Armstrong's singing. Listen to Art Tatum's pianism. Listen to lots of the old masters of jazz, pre-1945, when SWING was the thing. Learning to swing is a tough lesson for a classicist, but as Bill Evans and countless others proved, it is possible to go from one to the other for an imaginative player.
Good luck. 11 years a musician and you can't jazz things up, you need more than what you are going to get on here.
You can start by listening to some great jazz recordings, there are lots of them with great piano players. Get you ear accustomed to the sound and go from there. I was a classical pianist and found it difficult learn jazz and improvise after being stuck on reading music for 11 years. This is what helped me:
It is good to listen to recordings of other people playing the same jazz tunes you will be playing. Listen and try to pick apart what they are doing with their left and right hands, chord inversions, solos, "comping" (playing rhythmically along with the ensemble and other's solos). Learning Blues progressions is a good place to start, and fun.
I took some lessons from someone who taught me Bill Evans piano chord theory. It really opened up my eyes and ears to the workings of jazz progressions and voicings for piano.
Here is a list of my favorite books which I refer to again and again:
1) Basic Blues for Piano (with CD) by Ron Payne. 32 Variations around the 12 bar blues progressions. These are A BLAST to play. They get progressively more difficult as you work through the book.
2) Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series: Blues Piano - The complete guide with CD, by Mark Harrison, very similar to the Ron Payne book, above.
3) The Contemporary Keyboardist, Stylistic Etudes by John Novello (of the group Niacin). They cover not only jazz, but other keyboard styles including funk, latin, stride, blues, rock, pop, gospel and many more. They are FUN to play.
4) Lee Evans Beginning Keyboard Jazz, for the early and intermediate levels.
5) Voicings for Jazz Keyboard by Frank Mantooth, by Hal Leonard publishing. This is my VERY FAVORITE jazz voicings theory book. In the back of the book, it has a list of suggesting listening.
6) An Introduction to Jazz Chord Voicing for keyboard by Bill Boyd, by Hal Leonard publishing.
7) Creative Keyboard Presents: Jazz Piano Chords by Misha V. Stefanuk. All the chords voicings you would ever want written out.
8) Intros, Endings & Turnarounds for keyboard - essential phrases for swing, latin, jazz waltz, and blues styles, by John Valerio. By Hal Leonard publishing.
If you can afford to buy only two of them, I would recommend numbers 1) and 5), above.
These should get you "quick-started" and enough of a foundation to build upon.
If you dedide to delve further into piano jazz theory, there is also Mark Levine's classic "Jazz Piano Book".
I played in the dance band in high school. It was the most fun I've ever had. Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine.( the only one book I recommend You)
I am sorry for being rude,I apologie..(let me make it up)
think of the wall clock(12 o'clock, one o'clock,etc.)
12 o'clock......C (chord) no flat ,no sharp
1 o'clock G one sharp
2 D 2 sharps
3 A 3 sharps
4 E 4 sharps
5 B 5 sharps
6 F# (or G flat *), ( * )=flat
7 D* 5flats
8 A* 4 flats
9 E* 3 flats
10 B* 2 flats
11 F(natural) 1 Flat
Jazz is sycopating and jumpimg the chords ii VI V
if you go clock wise You are ascending
Counterclock wise desending
in jazz the piano chords goes desending. and using the seventh omiting the fifth(when fingering)
the move from one chord to to the next one is "shelling" (inverting the "actual chord" you are playing to include the root note of the next chord to get close to the next chord , so "You" sound smooth even in staccato)
use open voicing...
spread your fingers pinky and thumb from root to minor seven
(pinky the root and the thumb the minor seven) from that point You will be able to move up or down "around the clock" following the guys playing with you. using the 3 center finger for inverting or shell,
to get close to band "realtime" chord.by "shelling"
there is only one thing......swing it!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNrbfgU6s...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peqf5ROti...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJknnXeQK...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWjvcUqkw...
let me make it simple ...
see this video and play the "when the saint goes marching" in the piano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErUrPXt31...
comping = LH
swing the treble clef=RH.
When saint goes Marching.....
treble..
4/4 C E F G(W) G(B)CEF G(W) G(B)CEF G(W)CEF G(G)E(W) C(W) E(W) D(W-SYNCP)- D(B) EED C(W) E(W)G(W) GF(W-SYNCP) FEF G(W) E(W) C(W) D(W) C(WSYNCP) C.
USE ANY CHORD PLEASE. You may start with C mayor.,if You please.
sort of CCFCGC
in the video......the corus say ...."goes marching in'
when playing the piano make a RIFF ,in it , same as the corus lyrics,CEFG,but in a higher octaves. and if you make a continuation of that riff going up is call it "A RUN"(meaning... the same CFEG one octaves ,and two octaves ,and three .going up)
this is not estrictily jazz.......is latin jazz
the principle is the same
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sKmnsuJd...
or this from John Cotrane Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6WwuxqXP...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4FAKRpUC...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pXWKwUYG...
about me.....
I am not a musician,
I am a jazz music fan,
and part-time piano BANGger.
some times I sustitute the piano man in a band that play in South Beach ,Miami Beach.(I have start doing it from one day I was drunk in that South Beach local) I'll try and make it simple 'cos this is a hard thing to get to grips with,
as a piano player in a jaz group, first you need to just 'comp', that meand just play the chords and beef out the sound, once you know the tunes you;re playing you'll get to pick out lines you may want to re-inforce,
Most of jazz is about feel, about listening to the people your playing with and supporting what they're doing, it's ok to start slow, just build confidence and work from there, have a listen to some of the Bach and Handel improvisations, they might help you from a place you're familiar with I am so sorry but there are no shorts cuts for you. You need to immediately take a private crash course... and possibly read 2 books that i recommend 1) " How to improvise" by Hal Crook and maybe 2) " jazz theory" by mark levine and also go to youtube and type in "Jazz piano lessons" and watch and learn...that are basics here
good luck...and live and breathe jazz for now... iF YOU HAVE NEVER PLAYED JAZZ BEFORE, THEN YOU MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE GETTING IN A JAZZ BAND.
You need to learn what you are doing first, and THEN get in the jazz band.
Call a bookstore in your town [not a music store] and ask if they have a book like, 'Jazz for dummies' or something like this. Do not be offended by the title.
If they do, RUN DOWN THERE AND BUY IT IMMEDIATELY!
Read it over and over. Sleep with it.
You have no choice. The jazz band has concerts coming up.
This is a good 'starter' book that will help you tremendously.
I am a piano teacher that plays jazz all the time. Trust me on this. Alot of people are making it sound like you can learn jazz in a book. That's not true. It can help you out a little bit, maybe, but you can't. Charlie Parker didn't learn jazz from a book, niether did any other great jazz musician. Jazz is a tradition, in which players learn from the music and teachings of the older cats. You need to find and teacher which learned to play jazz from this tradition and you need to listen to a lot of jazz. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, MIles Davis John Coltrane, Art Tatum, Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, are great jazz musicians to listen to. ( The Last few were Piano Players.) |
