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Art Tatum – The Virtuoso of Jazz Piano

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:15:45 +0000

Being born blind never proved to go against the music in Arthur Tatum Jr’s heart. One of the most technically sound pianists, his technique and compositions manage to boggle musicians even in this advanced day and age.

Born on the 13th of October 1909, Arthur Tatum could barely see from one eye after having cataracts in one eye with the other having limited vision – a condition which he had from when he was just months old. A child prodigy, he started by learning how to play the piano rolls from recordings which his mother used to play at home. He slowly started playing duets not knowing that they were meant to be played as duets but playing both the parts himself.

Having learnt to play in this unusual manner, his playing style was very fast which he could surprisingly play with acute accuracy. While he was developing his talent, he also made sure that the piano was always tuned right and would insist that it be tuned right.

He underwent surgery to improve the condition of his eye which didn’t give him relief for too long. In around 1930 when he was around 20 years old, he was inflicted which damaged his eye again. He started his career in Ohio where he was born. He later shifted base to New York in 1932.

His music influences grew over the years and he started taking after James P Johnson and Fats Waller who were considered the best stride piano players. His claim to fame was a cutting contest. A cutting contest was a contest between stride piano players in Harlem where one player would “cut” into the piece the other player was playing and in the process try to outdo him. In a cutting contest in 1933, he beat his heroes at the keys – Fats Waller.

At these contests, the standard songs that used to be played were Harlem Strut, Carolina Shout and Handful Keys – all of which were composed between Johnson and Waller. Tatum competed against them with his own arrangement of Tiger Rag – a tune originally composed by the Original Dixie Land Jazz Band. He out beat them and all the other competition making the event one that marked the phasing out of the stride era. After that, he became known to be the authority on the stride style of playing the piano. He held the record for being the best at the instrument only to be challenged by Donald “The Lamb” Lambert who came the closest to challenging Tatum at the instrument that he had come to master.

The immediate reaction of a pianist to one of Tatum’s recording would leave him baffled at what he was doing where and how. His fingers flowed like water on the keys. He was consequently free stylist in his method of playing the piano. His mastery of being able to move his fingers fast over the keys of a piano with accuracy like as if one is listening to a sped up version of the player using the same techniques. This allowed him to fly like a breeze through a part that any other pianist would cringe to play because it was difficult.

The technique itself was not the complicated. Jimmy Rowles, an admirer and colleague, confessed that the despite slowing down the faster parts of his signature piece “Tiger Rag”, you’d find a perfectly coherent, syncopated rhythm. Taking ground from his stride piano roots, he took the same genius to playing jazz like the good usage of pentatonic scales which allowed for jazz to grow a form of music which was ideal for solos. He influenced many jazz masters of the period like Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, Billy Taylor, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea.

Another handy work of the genius that Tatum was is the introduction of swinging the beat of a jazz song. He was firm believer that melody was king which showed in his music. He never attempted going away from the original melody of the song and preferred working with the original melody of the tune innovating with the chord progressions to suit the melody.

The man was such a genius at the piano because most musicians couldn’t keep up with his speed and extensive techniques. He will go down in history as the virtuoso of jazz piano.

By: Duane Shinn

Learning Jazz Piano: Pleasure or Discombobulating?

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz piano is a built-in part of the jazz dialect because it has been originated in solo as well as group. Due to the melodious and consonant nature of jazz music, people of all ages are keenly taking interest in learning to play jazz and practice jazz piano, jazz bass line, jazz guitar etc.

Learning jazz piano is not dependent on age of a person; the music just comes from within the soul. If someone wants to practice jazz piano, he must initially learn to play chords, then he can learn to play it with swing rhythm. The chords can be learnt just as ordinary piano chords like learning main intervals and building the chords. By learning these, one can practice broad forms of jazz music. But in actual practice when, one starts learning chords , its not just few riffs and licks because when advanced chords like 9th,11th and 13th make it little confusing. No one is born with natural power and piano isn’t easy. To make it easy to learn jazz piano, there must be some fixed rationales and formulas which make it comfortable to remember.

There are a few points that should be remembered while you learn to play jazz piano. While practicing jazz piano, addition of the 6th tone and harmonization of chords makes the music extremely melodious. Try to provide the swinging rhythm as clear as possible. The learners should strike weak beat with their left hand and then a beat with their right hand. Establishment of the guide tones have also proved to be excellent at the course of cord changing. To provide your jazz music a harmonic multifarious ness, the technique of circle of fifths is used which involves planning of chord in such a fashion that firstly a chord is shifted and frequently voiced, and then the scale goes upwards giving it a recurring pattern.

After following these few tips one can definitely improve his art of playing jazz piano.In conclusion, it is not required that to learn jazz piano, you must first learn how to play a regular piano or you should first have the classical training about any instrument, music comes from within.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Practice Jazz Piano With Useful Instructions

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

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

Jazz Piano – the History

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz Piano is an integral part of jazz idiom since it has been incepted in both ensemble and solo settings. Due to its harmonic and melodic nature, the instrument is quite important for understanding the jazz arranging and theory. Along with a jazz guitar, a jazz piano is also one of those instruments of jazz combo which may be played with chords as with a trumpet or saxophone.

If you are into practice jazz piano you must know about jazz practice tool where chords are the primary substance in the instrument, and the second skill you will have to learn is how to play jazz piano with swing rhythm. Then is the skill of improvisation which requires you to make something on the spot. This is a skill that requires tremendous skills and extreme knowledge of the piano.

Earlier, the jazz piano used to be heavily stride technique and it was often played solo. Historically influential promoters of early piano include Earl Hines, Jelly Roll Morton, Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. The playing style of Mary Lou Williams, Wilie Smith and James P. Johnson shaped the history of jazz piano. The 1950s and the 1960s were the golden age of the jazz which created many important and influential jazz piano players. These powerful players included Red Garland, Ahmad Jamal, Don Pullen, Bud Powell, Cecil Taylor and Horace Silver. The jazz pianists require an exclusive skills set and the piano’s extended range as a playing instrument offers the solo players an exhaustive variety of choices. One can use bass register for playing a pattern of ostinato such as that of a melodious counterline or boogie woogie emulating the playing of upright bass. Stride piano is a style of playing in which the left hand of the player changes positions rapidly while he plays notes in bass register and the chords in tenor register. This can also be done in a more syncopated variant.

Bill Evans sat at the front line of new generation players who emerged in 1960s including Chick Corea, John Taylor, Dave Brubeck and Keith Jarrett. Today, the popular figures in the field of jazz piano include Bill Charlap, Brad Mehldau, Jacky Terrasson, Danilo Perez and Geoffrey Keezer.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Tips to Learn Jazz Music

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

There would barely be any human being on earth who doesn’t like music. God has been veritably benevolent for his creations like this. One form of musical art originated in African American cultures is jazz, a lively music with ultimate rhythms. It was formed when some African slaves experimented to contrast folk music with American music. Unlike other music, jazz requires immense interpretation by those who want to learn to play jazz music. The tremendous variety comes in jazz music because of the fact that its rhythm has a forward momentum, commonly referred as “swing”. The musical assembly affiliated with jazz music is big band jazz music.

Jazz has gained so much of importance that people want to learn this music, specifically practice jazz piano, guitars and jazz bass lines. To learn jazz music one needs to follow certain things which will be beneficial for becoming a true music lover. Those who want to learn jazz music must adopt the habit of listening. Do the researches for the type of music you like i.e. old musicians such as Art Tatum, Count Basic etc or some new musicians and try to listen what you like as much as you can. Listening to the solo musicians will give the clear idea of the notes, for beginners this is the good option. For those who want learn to play jazz piano, they must get themselves familiar with all the 12 scales and when you get comfortable with them, learn pentatonic scale for the key you like the most. This will help them like wonders if they are dedicated. Have a start with playing very small notes and basic stuff.

The more you will practice; more you will sound like the things written in front of you while practicing, without knowing them. At last, improvisation is the key for learning the music, after learning one instrument it will be easy a lot to learn another. You should know what you want. Finding out how to play necessary chords at what time and how to sound the strings of the rhythm will make you master of the art.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Jazz Piano and Style

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The piano or keyboard is an instrument that can be played in a solo performance or it can be part of a band. Jazz bands make heavy use of pianos since jazz began. The reason for this is that pianos along with guitars are some of the few instruments in a jazz band that can play chords in addition to a melody or counter melody.

In the past, a jazz pianists main role was to keep tempo with a combination of repetitive chords, but in recent years this has changed. Jazz pianists now days are able to select from a multitude of styles and techniques that they will use to accompany a band or singer. Short and sustained chordal or melodic fragments are used.

Experienced jazz pianists are not only great at sight-reading, but can also improvise chord symbols and adapt to the various playing styles of jazz bands. A jazz pianist must balance this improvisation and interpretation with the music style of the band.

The extended range that the piano provides also helps a jazz pianist with creating unique sounds that other instruments in the jazz band can not create.

Jazz pianists have 3 goals that they aim to achieve while they are playing. The first is to provide a clear rhythm and swing. The second is to play a melody or improvised solo with the right hand. Jazz pianists are also expected to help guide the band into chord changes with the help of notes leading up to the chord change.

It is quite a challenge for pianists to meet these 3 demands at the same time. Most jazz pianists are quite skilled in this art and are able to maintain this while planning unique improvisations.

If the intend to be great at playing the piano in a jazz band, you need to master these styles and techniques.

By: Mary Nicole Hicks

Play Jazz Piano In Style

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The piano is an important musical instrument for jazz bands since the origin of jazz music and it can be played in the style of a solo performance or as part of a band. Like the guitar, the piano is one of the few musical instruments in a jazz band which can play chords as well as notes instead just single notes only instruments such as the saxophone, trombone, trumpet or even the vibraphone (1 or 2 notes together).

Gone were the days when a jazz pianist’s role is just to keep tempo with repetitive chord combinations. Nowadays, the pianist is free to choose any technique or style to accompany a band or a singer using both short and sustained chordal and melodic fragments called comping.

An accomplshed jazz pianist must not only be good at sight-reading as well as good at improvising chord symbols but also must be able to adapt to the different playing styles of various bands he jams with. Jazz pianists must balance this interpretation and improvisation to the musical style the bands are playing.

The jazz pianist is indeed a happy musician because of the extended range of the piano. The piano offers the pianist with a much greater number of choices and techniques for improvisation, much more so than any other instruments in a jazz band.

In a jazz musical style known as “striding”, the left hand of the pianist alternates positions very quickly playing notes in the bass register and chords in the tenor register. The right hand will usually play the melody, but might also play harmonic content, chordally or even in octaves.

Jazz pianists play the solo with 3 basic objectives to fulfill simultaneously. The techniques are as follows :-

a) To provide a clear and swinging rhythm. This style is usually done by striking a beat with the right hand just after a weaker beat with the left hand. The objective of this technique is to mimic the combination of a cymbal ride as well as the walking bass. This technique can also be executed deftly with the left hand alone, by imitating the weaker beat preparatory swing note that is played by a bassist just before he strikes some of the notes of the bass phrasing.

b) Play the melody or solo improvisation with the right hand.

c) Establish the guide tones for chord changes.

One method commonly used by jazz pianists for tackling this triple situation simultaneously is to hold the hands together in a fork-like shape with the index and the third finger joining the thumbs to form a central group, whilst the fourth and fifth fingers are spread outwards.

This is done so that the pianist can use the left branch fingers to play bass notes, the middle fingers to moderate the guide tones and the right branch fingers to play the upper lines of the melody.

It is indeed challenging for the pianist to meet all these demands at the simultaneously. However these skills are inherent in most competent jazz pianists.

What is commonly called the ‘circle of fifths’ is also an important element in playing jazz piano because it provides harmonic diversity through a well guided harmonic phrase. Playing the circle of fifths technique is very much related to chord “planing” techniques which shift a chord, often voiced in fourths, up the scale, while implying a repeated harmonic pattern of tonic-dominant-tonic-dominant.

If you intend to be a good at playing jazz piano, then mastering these styles and techniques is a required skill.

By: Chris Chew

How To Play Jazz Piano With Style

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

By: Chris Chew

Practice Jazz Bass Lines by Making a Play List

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Jazz falls in the spontaneous forms of music. Nobody is a Jazz expert from birth; rather it is rigorous practice and love for Jazz music that extracts an expert from a common Jazz lover. Take the example of any Jazz expert, you will find that continuous improvisation and repeated practice have made them the master of the art. First they learn all genres of Jazz and then they tried to specialize and have expertise in one form.

On the path of specialization, your interest plays a significant role. Once you know the basics, step forward to have mastery in one. The logic behind it is very simple. One lifetime is perhaps not the enough tenure to excel in all forms of jazz and having expertise in left hand Jazz piano playing like Art Tatum, thundering blues lines like Oscar Peterson and the harmonic complexity of Bill Evans. Hence, specialization leads to excellence. This article comprises of beneficial tips that make your Jazz piano practice easier.

1- Expose yourself to a variety of Tempos

When you practice jazz piano, Practice at a variety of tempos like slow, medium and fast. From quarter note = 40 to 360- never be scared of any tempo.

2- Be creative

While using the metronome, let the creative part of your Jazz-love perform its best. Click on the upbeats (beat two and four) instead of downbeats (one and three). Set the metronome in your comfort zone and practice Jazz piano for all patterns in both hands. It helps you to be more creative and develop a greater level of dexterity.

3- Apply the golden “Five Time” rule.

While practicing Jazz piano or baselines, play the scale, chord, lick, pattern, phrase or song five times in a row without committing any errors. If you commit any mistake (whatever negligible it might be), you are lacking in concentration. Practice this rule until you have not attained mastery.

By: Akhila Choudhary

How Big Band Jazz Music Became Popular

admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Big Band Jazz Music became popular around 1930s, also called as swing era, when it was played in the music concerts held at hot spots, such as New York and Chicago. Radio stations throughout the world begun to play this music thereby becoming the top choice of youngsters and adults who craved for intermediate jazz tools so as to learn and practice jazz piano.

Historical facts suggest that jazz grew popular when the touring musicians started singing songs based on themes of big band jazz music among the natives of America especially on the streets of New Orleans from where the touring musicians started their jazz tour in America. The modern style, steady rhythm and bluesy feel of jazz music got shape in New York and Chicago. Gradually jazz became so popular that the era of 1920s is still called as “jazz age” when people attended coaching so as to know how to play and practice jazz piano. By 1930, jazz emerged as the strongest and most popular mainstream music, and standard jazz songs got composed by the popular jazz musicians of that era.

One of the most common reasons for popularity of Big Band Jazz Music is that the musicians play all intermediate jazz tools in it thereby giving audience more time to dance. Another reason which led to the popularity of jazz is that the Lindy Hop dance introduced in 1930s by Charleston promoted solo dance thereby allowing jazz musicians to play for a long time.

Gradually Big Band Jazz Music became the popular choice of almost all the premier dance clubs throughout the America. The syncopated rhythms and blue notes of jazz emerged through usual waltzes and foxtrots.

Radio was one of the most popular sources by which Big Band Jazz Music became extremely popular. The era of 1930s and 1940s witnessed sky high popularity and huge demand of Big Band Jazz Music. Some of the common Big Band legends of that era include Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie.

Till date, the Big Band jazz music is considered as a favorite of many youngsters and that is why modern bands like Squirrel Nut Zippers and The Brian Setzer Orchestra performs new and standard songs from Big Band Jazz Music. Youngsters who are passionate about jazz music opt for intermediate jazz tools so as to practice jazz piano.

By: Akhila Choudhary