Tips to Learn Jazz Music

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 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

Warm up and stretch. Bill Evans used to put his arms under a hot-air dryer (you know the ones in the bathroom?) to help warm up his arms. Warm ups and stretching are very important. You can run your arms under warm (hot-as-you-can-take-it) water and rub them. You’ll be surprised how this helps a lot! Try running through 5-finger scales, Major scales and arpeggios.

Practice in “Chunks”. When you are learning a piece of music, break it into chunks. A good chunk is 2-4 measures for a difficult piece or 8 measures for an easier piece.

Vocalize Rhythms. I cover vocalization of rhythms on my DVDs. Basically, you assign a non-sense syllable to each rhythm and “sing” the rhythm. This helps you to really feel the rhythm rather than over intellectualizing it.

Practice slowly, then build up speed. Think about this: Every time you play something wrong, you are getting better at playing it wrong! Basically, you want to play slow so that you can play accurately.

I see so many students play fast and make the same mistake over-and-over again. Go slow, then build up speed. You’ll see a big difference!

Use a metronome. Digital metronomes are more accurate than the “wind up” kind. Set the metronome to a slow tempo to start, like 80 or 90. If you are playing jazz, try setting the metronome on 60 and think of this as beats 2 and 4. Beats 1 and 3 do not click. You think of them in your head.

Keep your eyes on the music. You do not need to look at the keys in order to play. If this were the case, how would people with impaired vision play? We look at the keys as a “crutch”. Try your best to look more at the music and less at the keys.

15 minutes a day is better than 2 hours on Sunday! There are several reasons why practicing throughout the week (even for 15 minutes, but try for 30) is better than the “big” practice session once-a-week.

First of all, most of us (me included) can only really concentrate for about 30-45 minutes on one task. So, I’d rather see you practice for a concentrated 15 minutes rather than a “What’s for dinner tonight? How much homework do I have? I need to call Jill after this….” 45 minutes.

Second, 15 minutes spread out over 7 days will help you to remember concepts. Imagine studying math for only one day a week, then taking a test? Practicing every day helps to “lock in” what you are learning.

Comfort. If you are uncomfortable, you will not want to practice. Remember:

Sit on a comfortable bench that is not too high or low. Practice in a well-lit room. You do not want to strain your eyes to read the music. Avoid a room with a T.V. in it. Too much temptation! Try to practice at a set time every day. This helps you get on a schedule. Sit up tall, but not stiff!

Patience. This should go without saying, but you need to remain patient with yourself. Learning to play the piano (or any instrument) can be frustrating. Some days you’ll amaze yourself at your progress. While other days you’ll feel like you have stepped backwards.

Learning is cyclical. It’s like the rising and falling of waves in the ocean. Some days you’re up, some you’re down. Once you realize this, and accept it, you’ll be able to step back and look at your musical journey in “perspective”.

This is a great way of looking at practicing. Remember the old saying that “It is not the destination but the journey?” Think about where you started and where you are now. You’ll probably be amazed at your progress.

If you are just starting the piano, I’d like to suggest that you record yourself on CD or video tape playing your first piece. Reason: when you feel down about where you are, pop in the video and look at where you were.

There are many other tips that can be added to this list, but this is a great start.

If you have not subscribed to the free JazzPianoLessons.com E-Lessons, I’d like to encourage you to do so. I have created 20 video lessons that are absolutely free. The E-Lessons are for students of all levels.

Have Fun Practicing!

By: Willie Myette