If you’re a jazz singer or instrumentalist and don’t already have basic skills in jazz piano: now is the time! Piano skills are the gateway to understanding chords and progressions, checking lead sheets for accuracy, learning new tunes, arranging, writing your own tunes, becoming a better improviser and so on. This book outlines an easy step-by-step process for learning basic jazz piano in just six months.
The Jazz Piano Handbook is:
- user-friendly—easy to understand and non-threatening
- logical—information is presented in a highly organized, linear way
- practical—involves and challenges with jazz standards
- useful for teachers—methods can be applied to students
Topics included in the Jazz Piano Handbook:
- Before You Begin: Piano Review
Jazz Piano 101
- Circle of fifths
- Chord types
- lntro to voicings
Position #1 (P1)
- Voicing P1 (major, dominant and minor seventh chords)
- II-V-I progression
- Pattern P1 major
- Voicing P1 (minor seventh, flat five chords)
- Pattern P1 minor
Position #2 (P2)
- Voicing P2 (major, dominant and minor seventh chords)
- Pattern P2 major
- Voicing P2 (minor seventh, flat five chords)
- Pattern P2 minor
Expanding Your Palette
- Color notes
- Five-note voicings
Positions #3 (P3) and #4 (P4)
- Voicings and pattern P3
- Voicings and pattern P4
- Mixing and matching patterns (P1, P2, P3 and P4)
Open Voicings
- Drop 2
- Non-formulaic open voicings
Pianistic Texture
- Broken chords
- Passing notes
Playing the Tune!
- Harmonizing the melody
- Fills
- Melodic troublemakers
Appendix I: Etudes
Appendis II: Catalog of chord symbols and color notes.
Michele Wier is an internationally respected jazz educator, arranger and vocalist and a faculty member at UCLA. Michele's arrangements are widely published and have been performed by groups including New York Voices, MPact, chanticleer, the Boston Pops, the Pacific Symphony and many others. Michele served as music supervisor for the foreign language dubs of the Dreamworks film, Prince of Egypt.