I've been playing piano for 2 months. I am in lvl 2 beginning book. I know I am nowhere near close to be playing jazz on the piano. My questions are:
1) Is jazz on the piano hard?
2) Does it take a very skilled piano player to be able to play jazz? 1) Jazz on the piano is not any harder than learning any other style of piano. You first have to learn the techniques for playing and then apply those to the jazz idiom.
2) You don't have to be very skilled to play jazz, poorly, but you have to be proficient on your instrument to play well in any style. Do you have to be skilled to play classical music or pop music? yes. Jazz is the same.
Learn your scales, music theory, chord progressions and voicings and listen listen listen to jazz artists that you like - not only pianists, but all musicians.
Even the most basic beginning jazz piano books take a pretty advanced skill level. Keep after it - keep playing and learning! To be a jazz pianist, it requires tons of practice and perseverence You've got alittle ways to go before playing jazz. This music comes from the soul, from the heart. If you really dig it, it is not hard to play because, it is your sense of improvisation and the mood that you are in that helps you play jazz. | 