Jazz music gives musicians a great deal of freedom; everyone can play in their own style and in a way that reflects their personality, interacting with others freely and in ever-changing ways. However, the absence of strict rules presents a major obstacle for those wishing to study jazz piano, who often find themselves somewhat disoriented.
In this lesson, I will try to explain why studying jazz piano can be so difficult, and I will suggest some ideas for a structured and effective study plan. To begin with, here are a few thoughts on classical piano study, which for many people is the starting point.
The study of classical piano
Many pianists come to jazz having already had some classical training. I, too, would advise anyone who has never played the piano to practise for at least one or two years using a classical piano method before moving on to jazz piano.
To understand how to approach the study of jazz piano, I’d like to dwell for a moment on the study of classical piano, so as to highlight the complete shift in perspective when moving from one repertoire to the other.
In classical piano, the first thing you tackle is reading the score: a pianist must learn to read the treble clef and the bass clef, and above all must learn to read them simultaneously, which is no easy task, especially in the early months. Although in jazz music reading is decidedly secondary, this phase is nevertheless important for developing hand independence.
In classical piano study, one also develops instrumental technique by working through pieces of increasing difficulty. Technique improves step by step, whilst the scores also become more difficult to read. Those who approach their studies seriously and devote several hours a day to the piano will usually have a number of books on the piano, which they will study simultaneously.
For example, they might study a book on pure technique, a book of etudes, and almost certainly some pieces by J.S. Bach to develop hand independence to the fullest. Depending on their personal tastes or their teacher’s suggestions, they might play a sonata by Mozart or Beethoven, and perhaps something more recent, such as pieces from the Romantic period or later.
It is not unusual for a classical pianist to move from one book to another, sometimes studying them almost in their entirety before replacing them with more difficult ones. In this process, sight-reading, technique and musicality improve together, with the valuable aid of a virtually infinite body of teaching material, accumulated over several centuries of music history.
For jazz piano, things are decidedly different. Let us therefore examine the main difficulties involved in transitioning from classical piano to the jazz repertoire.
The challenges of switching from classical piano to jazz piano
Let’s now imagine what happens when our imaginary student turns up for their first jazz piano lesson. Will they perhaps swap their books by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy for equally substantial volumes by Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Jazz Harmony and Blues Phrases?
No, it doesn’t work like that! In reality, it is very likely that the jazz piano teacher will suggest a simple one-page piece, not even a full score with both clefs, but a simple ‘lead sheet’, that is, a melody with chord symbols.
Personally, as a first piece I often suggest ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, a song that almost everyone knows and which uses a harmonic progression that is particularly useful for a beginner. Another typical choice for a first lesson is “C Jam Blues”, a piece of just 12 bars with a melody that uses only two notes!
That single page will keep the aspiring jazz pianist company for several weeks. The sheet music will always be the same; it’s the exercises that will change.
This lack of “exercise books” might discourage or disorient those who are used to studying diligently from challenging but well-organised books, and who suddenly find themselves without learning tools. This is why it is important to know exactly how we should practise and what we want to “train” when studying jazz piano.
Studying jazz piano: the objectives
While classical piano lessons focus primarily on reading music, technique and interpretation—strictly following the score—in jazz piano we aim to learn how to play chords quickly and accurately, train our musical ear, develop a sense of rhythm, and hone the ability to make decisions on the spot.
None of these skills can be developed simply by reading a book. For example, when studying chords, I ask my students NOT to write them down, but to calculate the distance between the notes on the keyboard. It is a more laborious approach at first, but it helps them learn the chords by their shape on the keyboard and associate a specific sound with that shape.
Whereas the classical pianist delves into a score, carefully repeating each passage in exactly the same way, the jazz pianist, on the other hand, seeks to vary their playing, to change the position of the chords by exploring all the inversions, and to train their ear and instinctive knowledge more thoroughly.
As there is no pile of piano books, but just a single page with a melody and chord symbols, all the planning work is left to you. The score is always the same, and once you know the piece by heart, it would be advisable to do without even that. What changes are the exercises you apply to the piece, always seeking something different.
For example, here are some approaches I suggest to my students for studying a piece:
- Play the melody on the right and the bass on the left (without chords)
- Play the bass on the left and chords on the right (without the melody)
- Play a harmonised melody using a ‘piano solo’ technique
- Play the melody on the right and a walking bass line on the left
- Play open voicings on the left and a simple improvisation on the right
Working in this way requires a great deal of organisation and self-discipline; there is no sheet music to guide you, so you have to practise effectively and in a structured way. It’s a huge challenge and a big responsibility, but it can be great fun!
Here is a slightly more comprehensive proposal for a jazz piano study plan. Obviously, a study plan must be tailored to each individual student; this is just a general example. I hope, however, that you find it useful!
Study programme for jazz piano
Let’s take a look, then, at a possible jazz piano study plan for a beginner to intermediate level student. I propose a study plan based on three key points:
Instrumental technique (with a focus on jazz music)
Repertoire of jazz standards
Study of jazz language, using harmonic or melodic patterns in 12 keys
Let’s now examine these three elements one by one. Let’s start with instrumental technique.
1. Technique for playing jazz piano
The term ‘technique’ refers to the work involved in acquiring and consolidating specific movements. In particular, piano technique focuses on scales, arpeggios, repeated notes, octaves, thirds, and so on. We have already mentioned that this is also standard practice in classical piano.
However, in jazz piano we need to employ a little trick: always transposing into 12 keys, so as to work the hand across all areas of the keyboard, and above all to train the ear to recognise the same pattern in different keys.
For example, a famous book on piano technique is ‘Hanon, the Virtuoso Pianist’, which offers a great many exercises but often limits itself to the white keys alone. For a jazz pianist, it would be better to limit oneself to the first 20 or 30 exercises, but to play them every day in a different key.
Here are some suggestions for the ‘technique’ section of your jazz study plan:
- Major scale (over 4 octaves, in thirds, in sixths, ascending and descending)
- The same work on the harmonic and melodic minor scales
- Moving on to other scales: Mixolydian, Dominant Lydian, altered scale, diminished scale
- Parallel third scales
- Pentatonic scale, various exercises
- Arpeggios of various types
Let’s be clear: this could easily be a study programme for a whole year. Don’t try to tackle all these things at once, otherwise you won’t have time for anything else. Choose one topic at a time and don’t spend more than 25% of your total daily practice time on technique. If you practise for an hour a day, spend 15 minutes on technique and no more. Technique is important, but we have plenty of other things to play, which also develop your ear and musicality, and are even more exciting.
So let’s move on to the second point: the repertoire.
Studying jazz piano: the importance of the repertoire
One of the first articles on my blog, written over ten years ago, was ‘How to Learn 100 Standards’. My obsession with the repertoire, however, goes back much further. For me, the repertoire is a source of inspiration and an inexhaustible source of fundamental elements for studying the language of jazz.
In the post I’ve just mentioned, you’ll find a guide to learning the repertoire by heart. I’d like to clarify here that the term “memory” only partly explains what happens when we learn to play a jazz standard without a score. Memory certainly concerns the melody, but remembering the harmonic part is the result of a harmonic and formal understanding of the piece.
Studying the repertoire also serves to learn an endless series of stylistic elements. Every composer has their own distinctive traits and helps us to grasp the deeper meaning of the repertoire. For example, from George Gershwin we learn the use of diminished passing chords; from Cole Porter we take the typical II–V minor cadence that resolves on major chords. Harold Arlen wrote many pieces with wonderful blues-flavoured turnarounds, and so on.
Learning the harmonic progressions used in these pieces is not merely a theoretical exercise, but also an opportunity to learn the craft directly from the greatest composers of the 20th century. If you treat each piece as a source of information and deeper understanding, this study can be exciting and never become tedious. As a general rule, I would dedicate at least half of your practice time to the repertoire. If you play for an hour a day, spend half an hour on the repertoire.
Let’s now move on to the third point of our jazz piano study programme.
Transpose a melodic or harmonic element taken from the piece into 12 different keys
As you learn various jazz pieces from the vast repertoire of standards by heart, I suggest you choose specific melodic or harmonic elements and practise them across 12 keys.
Choose the harmonic patterns or phrases you like best and that you can fully understand and master. Start with simple cadences of three or four chords, or melodic phrases of one or two bars. Gradually, you will become increasingly able to memorise and transpose longer phrases or harmonic patterns.
Here are some concrete examples; these are all patterns that have been part of my study plan and that I have suggested, and continue to propose, to my students.
- From Billy Strayhorn/Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train”, we take the V/V secondary dominant cadence, namely C6 D7 G7 C6. In its simplicity, it is a fundamental element of the jazz repertoire and it is useful to know how to play it in twelve keys.
- From Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”, we can take the chromatic descent from the IV degree: F#m7(b5) Fm7 Em7 Ebdim7 Dm7.
- From a Charlie Parker piece such as “Anthropology”, we can choose a bebop phrase, therefore a melodic element.
The important thing is to choose something that is well within your capabilities. If playing a piece in 12 keys seems like an overwhelming task, choose something simpler. This part of your practice is perhaps the most difficult and should not take up more than 25% of your daily practice time – for example, 15 minutes out of a one-hour session.
Conclusioni. Studiare piano jazz: variazione vs ripetizione
A brief summary of this study guide for aspiring jazz pianists. In the approach I propose, practice should be aimed at improving your musical ear and deepening your knowledge of the jazz repertoire.
In classical piano study, we focus heavily on refinement, repeating a piece many times to achieve precision and control. In jazz, however, we aim to constantly shift our perspective and avoid mechanical repetition, instead deepening our understanding of chords, voicings, and harmonic and melodic patterns.
In particular, I have suggested dividing the study into three parts:
- Part 1: Technique adapted for jazz piano (15 minutes)
- Part 2: Study of the repertoire, preferably from memory (30 minutes)
- Part 3: Transposing a harmonic or melodic element into 12 keys (15 minutes)
This routine, however basic, can be a good starting point for overcoming the stress and loneliness often faced by aspiring jazz pianists, and for answering the question, “What shall I practise today?”.
I’d be delighted if you’d like to share your experiences of learning jazz piano by telling me in the comments section what you find easiest and what you find most difficult. I look forward to your thoughts, thank you!