Jazz Blog » Jazz Musician http://www.thesavagejazz.com Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:01:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Learn to Play Jazz Guitar http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar-2 http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar-2#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:56:01 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar-2

One of the reasons that people devote their time to learning the guitar is that they love the idea of making up their own songs and music. Simply by sitting down at an inspired moment, a guitarist might come up with a great song in only one session. Some guitar styles differ greatly from another, but it is by learning the jazz guitar that many musicians have experienced the liberty it brings. The deviations in styles that somehow hold to one rhythm and work together in the name of improvisation are why jazz musicians are said to be filled with “soul”.

When training your ear or your mind to learn how the jazz guitar fits into an entire ensemble of musicians, it is important to first know how jazz music works, at the root level. Much like an athlete prepares for a race, a jazz musician also prepares for a performance. The jazz musician needs to warm up, have an introduction, and be allowed to have some time to get used to the atmosphere of a place and an audience. Some musicians, however, especially those who have played a long time together will jump right into a tune without warming up, giving listeners an awakening into what’s about to take place.

A jazz guitarist in a band may or may not lead the group through a melody. Many jazz performances may not have a singer, but instead a trumpet, or some other horn instrument will take this lead. If a horn isn’t present in the ensemble, then the guitar or piano might work to lead a session. Since jazz music is made up of a band, each person in the band has a certain role to fill before they begin their improvisational role. The jazz guitar tends to hold the players together within a certain chord so that other band members can stick to what’s being played. A jazz guitarist in this role, will not necessarily strum a rhythm such as in other forms of music, but will instead move rhythmically with the rest of the players involved.

In the game of jazz music, improvisation is key. If you know how to play another instrument, learning the jazz guitar might be a little easier. And, if you love improvising on the piano, for example, then you might love it on the guitar. “Improv” as it is sometimes referred to, is one way music can be highly addictive and liberating. When that liberation happens with a group who is playing together, the soul and reaction from the audience involved can be magical. Overall, learning to play the jazz guitar will be rewarding on many levels. Learning to play the necessary chords and knowing when and how to strum to the rhythm of others in the group takes time and practice. Give yourself plenty of time and dedicate yourself to listening to and learning how jazz music works and you’ll be on your way to playing along with a jazz group in no time.

By: Rich Matthews

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar-2/feed 0 Learn to Play Jazz Guitar http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar One of the reasons that people devote their time to learning the guitar is that they love the idea of making up their own songs and music. Simply by sitting down at an inspired moment, a guitarist might come up with a great song in only one session. Some guitar styles differ greatly from another, but it is by learning the jazz guitar that many musicians have experienced the liberty it brings. The deviations in styles that somehow hold to one rhythm and work together in the name of improvisation are why jazz musicians are said to be filled with “soul”.

When training your ear or your mind to learn how the jazz guitar fits into an entire ensemble of musicians, it is important to first know how jazz music works, at the root level. Much like an athlete prepares for a race, a jazz musician also prepares for a performance. The jazz musician needs to warm up, have an introduction, and be allowed to have some time to get used to the atmosphere of a place and an audience. Some musicians, however, especially those who have played a long time together will jump right into a tune without warming up, giving listeners an awakening into what’s about to take place.

A jazz guitarist in a band may or may not lead the group through a melody. Many jazz performances may not have a singer, but instead a trumpet, or some other horn instrument will take this lead. If a horn isn’t present in the ensemble, then the guitar or piano might work to lead a session. Since jazz music is made up of a band, each person in the band has a certain role to fill before they begin their improvisational role. The jazz guitar tends to hold the players together within a certain chord so that other band members can stick to what’s being played. A jazz guitarist in this role, will not necessarily strum a rhythm such as in other forms of music, but will instead move rhythmically with the rest of the players involved.

In the game of jazz music, improvisation is key. If you know how to play another instrument, learning the jazz guitar might be a little easier. And, if you love improvising on the piano, for example, then you might love it on the guitar. “Improv” as it is sometimes referred to, is one way music can be highly addictive and liberating. When that liberation happens with a group who is playing together, the soul and reaction from the audience involved can be magical. Overall, learning to play the jazz guitar will be rewarding on many levels. Learning to play the necessary chords and knowing when and how to strum to the rhythm of others in the group takes time and practice. Give yourself plenty of time and dedicate yourself to listening to and learning how jazz music works and you’ll be on your way to playing along with a jazz group in no time.



By: Sam Bateman

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/learn-to-play-jazz-guitar/feed 0 Secrets To Becoming A Jazz Musician http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/secrets-to-becoming-a-jazz-musician http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/secrets-to-becoming-a-jazz-musician#comments Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/secrets-to-becoming-a-jazz-musician Jazz is a specialized form of African-American music having numerous followers around the world. This musical form was originated in the starting of the 20th century. What makes it different from other musical forms is the effective use of blue notes, syncopation, polyrhythms, swung note and improvisation. Jazz has today reached from the local coast of America to worldwide level connecting musical lovers and encouraging them to create new versions every day. Jazz is difficult to define and explain. The best way to learn about jazz is to have firm dedication towards it. Unfortunately, jazz music is tough to sell and it simple indicates that musicians don’t get what they actually deserve. But, the love of this special kind of music keeps their spirits high and keeps them going on and on.

Want to Learn Jazz music – Internet shows the way

To start with, it is important to learn the history of the music. Knowing the history of Jazz is important because it is considered as a classical form of music and many other musical forms such as rock and country are associated with its history. Having a clear understanding of the history will help in understanding its rhythms, techniques and sub-genres and a becoming musician can become a better jazz player. Secondly, it is better to find a band comprising of people who love jazz. Practice your knowledge with them and record and redo your work to gain expertise. Thirdly, you need to contact an experienced musicians having knowledge about the appropriate tools for teaching jazz music. Take some time out from your tight schedule and practice your lesions properly to perfect your timing and playing techniques. When you think you are ready for show, play your techniques at local bars, pubs or any other occasion such as weddings, birthdays and others. Try making contacts with people, musicians, music bands, music companies, other professionals and impress them with your talent.

Internet can be an excellent platform for intermediate jazz tools – helping young as well as established musicians to update on Jazz anytime and from anywhere. A website helps in rendering a professional image – easy to be permeated to others of similar interest.

Share your interest, experience and musical philosophy as well as gain from others to benefit maximum from a proper music community.



By: Akhila Choudhary

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/secrets-to-becoming-a-jazz-musician/feed 0 Jazz From Goa, India http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-from-goa-india http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-from-goa-india#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-from-goa-india HP- Tell us something about yourself.

CD- I’m a Mumbai goan looking forward to being a Goa goan very soon. I’ve reached two important milestones in my career. One is, after decades of playing everyone elses music i’ve development a style of my own and the biggest compliment I get these days is when someone recognizes my bassplaying on some tune they heard somewhere, they call up to confirm and..voila! The other milestone is probably every musicians dream, to produce music out of my own studio. A dream that will come true for me within this year when I setup my own state of the art studio in Sangolda. I’ve also setup an organisation called Jazz Goa with the help of fellow musicians and jazz enthusiasts in Goa.

HP- What drew you towards jazz?

CD- Jazz is a huge word, it should be spelt jjjaaaazzzzz! Seriously though, I think jazz is the most open, alive and evolving form of music that allows a musician to be him/herself. Most other forms of music demands a musician to follow trends and tradition or create stuff that’s currently hip. Whereas a jazz musician goes about his business listening, assimilating and finally innovating with yet another genre of jazz! We now have dixiland-jazz, swing-jazz, bebop-jazz, funk-jazz, rock-jazz, pop-jazz, fusion-jazz, latin-jazz, indo-jazz, mando-jazz… to cut a long story short, there’s a -jazz attached to every genre of music. And there will be a -jazz attached to every genre that comes along. I’m a musician who’s atracted to anything that looks, feels, smells, tastes and even sounds like music, so naturally I choose jazz as I get to play it ALL.

HP- What sets apart jazz music from other genres?

CD- Jazz is the only form of music that embraces all other forms and it is no longer American music. Today jazz can safely be called world music.

HP- What led you to become a jazz artiste?

CD- From amoung all the different genre’s of music I grew up listening to, for some reason it was always jazz that struck those extended chords within me. I could always hear the human and very often super human element in a jazz rendition.

HP- Your favourite jazz aristes/tracks.

CD- You’ll need to extend this interview by a few thousand pages to answer that. My all time favourite however was a bassplayer called Jaco Pastorius who revolutionised bassplaying taking bass right upfront, over, under and right through a song.

HP- To whom would you attribute your credentials as a jazz musician?

CD- To everyone i’ve worked with and everyone I would like to work with someday.

HP- Where and how did you train to be a jazz artiste?

CD- I have no formal training in music, I learnt music listening to other musicians, assimilating what I liked and using it consiously or subconsiously in performance until i developed a style of my own. Once I decided to play professionally though, I did study the technicalities through some great music books that are easily available these days.

HP- How do you prepare for a gig?

CD- I make sure there’s enough soda to go with the whisky…just kidding! It depends, if it is a concert where I would be performing my own compositions, I get the tunes composed, then get the band to rehearse and sound the way I heard it in my head. As it often turnsout, input from the rest of the band takes the tune to a dimension I would never have imagined. So you see, music is all about connecting and collaborating, don’t believe any of those fantastic one man bands. They’re faking it for monetary reasons, not that I have anything against it. All is fair in love, war and music.

HP- Talking about gigs, where and when did you first perform/how long have you been into jazz?

CD- Like most musicians I first got into music with school/college bands. I then graduated into fivestar hotel resident bands whose repertoire was made up mainly of jazz standards. I did that for ten years, playing music every night made me a musician.

HP- What is the jazz scene like in India, and Goa in particular?

CD- The jazz scene in India, Goa or anywhere in the world is the same. There’s a niche group of performers and listeners that grows all the time. Hopefully with jazz’s open armed evolution, it will grow into the global sound of music.

HP- What have been your highs and lows in your career thus far?

CD- The highs have always been the applause at the end of a track performed, the lows would be finding out that the applause was actually for the sixer Sachin hit on the big screen just besides the stage at Jazz by the Bay in Mumbai.

HP- How would you explain your role as a jazz musician in society?

CD- A jazz musician gives people a nicer high than some other interesting social highs.

HP- Define jazz.

CD- Jazz is improvised music. Sometimes structured, sometimes orchestrated, sometimes free of form and almost always, spontaneously created.

HP- Notable gigs/performances.

CD- The world reknowned Hennessey XO jazz tour has always been featuring jazz artistes signed by the American Blue Note label. Last year for the first time a jazz band outside the label, from far away India, was selected for this prestigious international tour. I was the bassplayer for that band. An unforgettable experience for sure. More recently my indo-jazz fusion band ‘The Brown Indian Band’ has been approached to open for Sting’s European tour this year. Fingers are crossed about that one.

HP- Collaborations with other musicians.

CD- I am contineously collaborating with musicians from all over the world thanks to the internet and my website http://www.hullocheck.com

HP- I understand you have been into different genres of music and worked with various ensembles. Tell us more.

CD- As I mentioned it before, when it comes to music I want it ALL. Name the genre and chances are, i’ve been there. You’ll find traces of just about every genre in my own music. There are very few musicians in the world today, who would match the number of bands and musicians I have worked with.

HP- Currently performing at…

CD- I currently perform on two resident contracts in Mumbai at the JW Marriott hotel in the afternoons and the Taj Lands End hotel in the nights. I also take timeoff from these two gigs to perform at concerts and corporate events in India and abroad. So that averages some sixty gigs a month!

HP- Your hobbies/interests…

CD- My main hobby and interest is my profession today. Everyone else works for a living, I play for mine. Someone once told me ‘All play and no work makes…makes me tick!’ Seriously though, I am very keen on improving the plight of most goan musicians in Goa. I was one sometime ago so I should know the raw deal most of them get. My plan is to set up Jazz Goa as an umbrella organisation for not just jazz but all the other immense artistic talent in Goa. To start with my studio in Sangolda will record and produce deserving artistes. Jazz Goa will then launch the best from there at a global level. Jazz Goa has already produced four audio CD’s and a DVD that is available in Goa exclusively at Vibes Music in Margao and online at http://www.jazzgoa.com



By: Jazz Goa

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-from-goa-india/feed 0 Jazz Musicians And The Art Of Transcribing Jazz Solos http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-musicians-and-the-art-of-transcribing-jazz-solos http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-musicians-and-the-art-of-transcribing-jazz-solos#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-musicians-and-the-art-of-transcribing-jazz-solos Every great jazz musician has, at one time or another, transcribed jazz solos from recordings. Since jazz is an art from that is aural in nature, it makes complete sense that listening and copying the improvisations of earlier jazz masters helps one become a more consistent and skilled jazz improviser.

Transcribing a jazz solo involves the repetitive listening and notation of a recorded jazz solo. To get maximum benefit from the process, the person studying the solo through transcription should memorize and internalize every note and every inflection played by the improviser. “Transcribing” refers to the activity of notating on paper the exact notes and rhythms played by the improviser.

Evolving Technologies of Transcribing Jazz Solos

Charlie Parker could arguably be called the most influential jazz artist of the 20th century. His inventive jazz improvisations changed the face of jazz and ushered in one of the most exciting eras of jazz: the bebop era.

Charlie Parker was born with a huge amount of natural talent, but that does not mean Charlie never worked hard at his honing his craft. History reveals that Charlie spent almost a year early on in his music career memorizing – note by note – the jazz solos of Lester Young from 78 RPM recordings.

Before jazz became widely available on 78 RPM recordings, musicians relied on listening and learning in “real time”. The only way to learn jazz improvisation in the early days of jazz was to listen to live musicians and pick up what you could from what they played. Once played however, the music was gone forever.

During the 1920s, artists such Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong and many others began recording their music and jazz improvisations onto 78 RPM acetone discs. This leap in technology opened the door for future musicians to “study” the improvisations of their jazz predecessors.

The 1950s saw the introduction of reel to reel tape machines and ultimately cassette tape recordings. Magnetic tape made it possible for jazz musicians to forward and rewind the tape to exact locations of solos and specific passages of a solo. No longer did musicians have to “drop the needle” on worn out discs to learn a solo or tune. Some cassette tape players were made specifically for musicians, allowing them to slow down parts or all of a recording at half or quarter speed. This proved to be helpful, but slowing down analog tape created problems with pitch and fidelity that was annoying to say the least.

In recent years, computers have assisted jazz musicians transcribe recordings in ways that were once considered impossible. Inexpensive or free computer programs have made it possible to slow down fast passages without changing fidelity or pitch. Other advantages of computer assisted transcription include the ability to change key, precise looping of passages for ease in learning, and even help with notating pitches that are played.

Transcribing and studying great jazz solos can be one of the smartest and beneficial activities any jazz musician can undertake to help hone his or her craft. Even with the marvels of modern technology, the process still takes time and effort however. Don’t forget to use the knowledge and skills you acquire from transcribing jazz solos to performing with live musicians. Nothing will replace the experience of playing jazz with others!



By: James P Martin

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-musicians-and-the-art-of-transcribing-jazz-solos/feed 0 Jazz Music Midi Files- The Best Way To Listen Music http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-music-midi-files-the-best-way-to-listen-music http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-music-midi-files-the-best-way-to-listen-music#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-music-midi-files-the-best-way-to-listen-music If you happen to be a jazz musician then it is important for you to be able to present your music in a very vivid manner whereby you can have the control of the tracks with ease and with effective flexibility. But if you are hard core fan of jazz music then you must always be wondering how to listen to this great music anytime and with perfect ease and enjoyment.

Jazz Midi files are a perfect solution for this as it allows you to hold the reins of jazz music and jazz play alongs in a very effectual manner. These jazz midi files are the standardized form of music detail representation in a digital format. This helps you to gain immense knowledge of the jazz music and gain an expertise in it as you can easily learn and imitate your favorite jazz personalities in the way you desire.

As the jazz midi files happen to be just data, sound modules and professional midi-keyboards can also be used for the purpose of recreating sounds. Being unrecorded, it enables you to make the desired changes as well so that you can have the best experience of listing to jazz music with complete satisfaction. You can easily buy the jazz midi files online from the various web sites that offer them. You may either download the jazz midi files for free from the reputed and selected web sites or purchase them from these web sites at affordable costs. Another way to obtain these midi files is to become a member of these web sites that is either absolutely free of cost or comes at discounted prices.

In fact, as the very essence of the jazz music makes you feel like grooving you can get various jazz play alongs to add that extra effect on the entire experience of jazz music enjoyment. These days amazing jazz play alongs such as books, piano sheet-music, guitar sheet-music, guitar scales, tablature, CDs with great live bands, songs by famous artist and the karaoke CDs are easily available in the market and online. These jazz play alongs are incredible in enhancing the very experience and the appeal of the jazz music you are listening to. So, get going and have the best of your time listening to your favorite grooving music genre.



By: Akhila Choudhary

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-music-midi-files-the-best-way-to-listen-music/feed 0 Practice Jazz Using Space Age Online Tools http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/practice-jazz-using-space-age-online-tools http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/practice-jazz-using-space-age-online-tools#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/practice-jazz-using-space-age-online-tools  

It is not unusual for young men and women who are full of God given talent and music enthusiasm to want to dive right in and begin sitting in with musicians who have been around for many years and know how to capture an audience with their playing. To the young “want-to-bees” they just can’t wait for their chance to show what they can do. But for many of these young musicians, their first sit-in with experienced musicians did not yield a happy ending.

One of the problems young musicians have with trying to break into the jazz scene, accord to many seasoned jazz musicians, is they don’t know the tunes. It just stands to reason, “How can young musicians play with seasoned jazz musicians if they don’t know the tunes?” The only way for up and coming musicians to learn and memorize a large number of jazz tunes are through hard work and many hours of practice. Practice, practice, and more practice is the key to becoming an exceptional jazz musician who will eventually be able to play with the best, anywhere at anytime. Getting to that point is not an impossible feat, but it takes a level head and strong determination to achieve. But first, above all you must learn the correct changes for every song you play. This is key!!

In the old days, there was no internet, nor sophisticate music software applications, nor notation software that could bring the music to you in a laid out form. Musicians of old had to spend the time necessary to figure out chord changes, melodic patterns and solo arrangements. Many musicians put an album on the turntable and turned the speed back in order to “cop” the runs and solo changes played by Oscar Peterson and many other great jazz pioneers.

Today it’s a different story. If you want to learn the tunes- which basically mean the jazz Standards- and play them well, there are a number of internet based sites available to get you there. An internet site that is very visual and jazz education based is the site sponsored by Doug McKenzie at http://www.bushgrafts.com/jazz/home.htm. Doug McKenzie also has great educational videos on YouTube for jazz pianists. It’s a great online tool for all jazz instrumentalists.

A great new online jazz practice tool is provided at www.studiobypass.com. StudioBypass allows you to select from over 400 jazz and Latin tunes, listen to and manipulate the song of your choice, edit the final output, then download it onto your computer for future practice sessions. It is a fantastic practice tool for new up-and-coming jazz musicians, and also for seasoned jazz professionals. It’s a new day for jazz musicians, and space age tools are available to help you to become better-than-average jazz musicians.



By: Akhila Choudhary

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/practice-jazz-using-space-age-online-tools/feed 0 Indie Marketing on Jazz Websites http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/indie-marketing-on-jazz-websites http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/indie-marketing-on-jazz-websites#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/indie-marketing-on-jazz-websites Jazz websites have become a hot asset to new Jazz artist as well as established Jazz artist.  As the manager for a new independent Jazz guitarist, Dave Percell, it has become essential to hang out and become familiar with some of the best Jazz websites on the internet.  Two of my favorite Jazz sites are The Jazz Network and AllaboutJazz.com.  These two sites have been incredible resources for me.

It’s true that “Who You Know” can make or break an artist, and that is why I love The Jazz Network.  We have connected with not only other Jazz artist/musicians, but the variety of producers, Radio stations, podcasters, and publicist  that are literally at our finger tips has been a huge blessing.  We have connected with Radio stations broadcasting both in the US, Australia, and the UK in which some of them fish for fresh Indie artist from this website to assemble their playlist and broadcast on air and online.  The Indie Showcase is just one radio station that has aired Dave Percell recently and of course is a contact that we met through The Jazz Network. As with other profile sites you can take advantage of meeting new friends, sending invites to upcoming events to your friends, play your tracks and music on your profile site through the use of their online MP3 player, post bulletins, join groups, and so much more.  The connections on this site is amazing.

Allaboutjazz.com is one the most Jazz artist/musician friendly sites around. Where do I start with this site? Their is just so much you can do. They aren’t their just to make money, they are their to help artist promote their Jazz music, and it’s evident with the amount of free resources and exposure they give to Jazz musicians.  Every day this site features a daily MP3 download that gives an awesome amount of exposure to the artist.  It is featured on their home page, and picked up by other article sites, bloggers, and online news websites. It was honor to be able to have Dave Percell’s song “Eternal Traveler” featured on this site as it drove an enormous amount of traffic to our CD Baby Site as well as Dave Percell’s Myspace and official website.

Article writing is a great key to internet marketing, which is yet another reason to fall in love with this website. All About Jazz allows you to submit articles on Jazz artist, upcoming events, festival, general news etc. and feature it; which is again picked up by multiple websites thus sending traffic to your other websites.  In case your wondering this is all 100% FREE EXPOSURE! Yes people FREE EXPOSURE! The industry resources include music bloggers, publicist, Production companies, and many more …. and yes again its free……AND it includes the contact information to who you need to contact within these companies.

There are many more reasons to love these two Jazz websites, but hopefully what I wrote so far will cause you to go there and start exploring these sites for yourself because they will be a great asset to your musical career.



By: Joi H.

]]> http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/indie-marketing-on-jazz-websites/feed 0 Jazz Piano http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-piano http://www.thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-piano#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:36:00 +0000 admin http://thesavagejazz.com/jazz-blog/jazz-piano Jazz piano is one of the most vibrant, energetic, specialized types of music. Famous jazz artists you may want to listen to are Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarret, Bill Evans, to name but a few. To learn jazz piano you need to take some time to listen to jazz CD’s and maybe watch DVD’s as well. To learn jazz piano, one needs to be very patient and dedicated to practicing the genre.

Jazz piano is characterized by a lot of improvisation. A jazz musician can be given a fake music sheet or chord chart and he can improvise on the spot over those chord progressions. It is recommended that a jazz musician know or have standard songs in their repertoire. Standard songs include songs like “Willow Weep for Me,” “Summertime,” and “Georgia on My Mind” to name but a few. Standard songs are songs that have been covered by many recording artists in the past, usually every year. For example one may consider the gospel song “Amazing Grace” a standard gospel song because a lot of artists have covered the song throughout the years.

Knowledge of scales and chords are essential tools needed to be a good jazz musician, let alone the technique needed to play this genre. As a jazz musician you will need to practice different types of scales, chords, arpeggios, staccato playing, legato playing, playing chords on the left hand while playing scales in the right hand at the same time.

To learn jazz you need to start with the basics: minor and major scales and minor and major chords. Once you master these then you can go forth to learning advanced chords(jazz chords) and scales. These chords include diminished, dominant, major nine, tritone chords, etc. Advanced scales will entail learning lydian, diminished, chromatic, melodic minor scales, for example.

You must remember that when it comes to playing the piano, it is not how you play but how you play is very essential as well. This is the reason why you need technique: how hard or soft do you play the notes, how you sit at the piano, breathing, how you position your hands and fingers on the piano, playing chords and scales, etc.

You will definitely need resources to play the piano, someone to hold you by the hand. The key to mastering jazz piano is to learn (get as much information as possible), patience and practice!practice!practice!

By: Jay Mtimkulu

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