Jazz music has had a checkered history. It is widely believed that jazz was possibly born in New Orleans sometime in the 1920s. It is said that early African Americans, probably slaves, stumbled on to jazz music while trying out a fusion between their native folk music and the European form. In its early days jazz was more popular in bars. Perhaps it was this dubious association which prevented the growth of jazz music till the advent of the radio. The instruments popularly used were accordion, fiddle, flute, guitar, various percussion, wind, string and chord instruments. The most popular of them all were the guitar and the piano.
Today jazz music is popular once again. The main reasons for the popularity of jazz are two. Firstly, jazz has an individualistic style of rendition and secondly, jazz has a natural rhythm which is lilting and captivating. Amateurs and would be professionals today practice jazz piano using a variety of means. The obvious choice is of course the internet. One common method is to use websites which have a wide selection of songs using the piano as the prime instrument. You as the learner have a number of options. First of all you can select your favorite song. Secondly, you can select your choice of accompaniment and then you can practice jazz bass lines. Your options do not end here. You can also select the pitch, the song duration and its rhythm as well. Therefore, you could use a metronome as a guide for the rhythm or the beat. Since the metronome’s beat is adjustable you could increase the beat gradually while you practice jazz bass lines. You can practice to your heart’s content till you are satisfied. Once you are convinced that the result is satisfactory you could download in either the MIDI or MP3 formats.
An amateur wanting to practice jazz piano no longer faces the insurmountable task of looking for a teacher and commuting to his school during each visit. In the comfort of his home he can now learn jazz music.
By: Akhila Choudhary