| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: That Left Hand | |
| Carol Feagan -- 02/10/2004, 12:12:56 -- #1076443976 | |
| left hand technique and harmony | |
| Hey Scott, your old site had an exercise called left hand technique and harmony. Where did it go? | |
| Scot -- 02/10/2004, 13:56:48 -- #1076450208 | |
| It's in the Exercises room. Click on the "Rooms" link and look for exercises, then click on the File List. | |
| mens -- 11/06/2004, 09:54:51 -- #8677 | |
| Midi maybe? | |
| Hey Scot! Great job by the way, I love your site! I'm a self-tought pianist so my prefered learning method was always listening above all else (sure I read the notes, but I was always faster at "picking it up" melodically, if I'm making myself clear well enough). That's why I only wanted to suggest (or rather plead :) that it would be perfect if you could put the midi files on this page as well in the future, you know- by the examples- like you did on basic or advances blues for instance. And some other pages are without the midi files too... :( Anyway, thanks for this site and keep up the great work!! Cheers, Mens | |
| jazzmanpiano08 -- 12/06/2004, 14:31:30 -- #9516 | |
| Hearing problem | |
| My name is travis and i am new to this site. I had piano lessons for 5 years and i still cant read music. I am a self-taught piano player that considers himslef halfway-decent. i have just started a jazz band at school because other people say i am the "best" i needed help. my jazz piano teacher told me to look up some good tutorials on the web. well i am not a pro but my band teahcer says he sees a drastic change......THANK YOU! | |
| Scot -- 12/28/2004, 00:50:15 -- #9923 | |
| Hey, that's great!!! Keep up the good work. | |
| Sweep88 -- 01/01/2005, 11:05:02 -- #10033 | |
| left hand troubles? | |
| Maybe this will help... Personally, I cant read a note, and am jealous of those who can. If you can reach a full tenth in your left hand, hold it for the whole measure or until the chord changes. There are 3 tenth inversions per chord, and your ear will tell you what is tonal and not. As the tune progresses, the tenth inversions will give some rich embellishments and eventually you can "feel" your way around the tune, usually based on fifth movements. If you cant reach a tenth, hold octaves. Tenths in "c"... c-e, e-g, g-Bb. More later | |
| The World's Greatest Fake Book (hard to find songs by McCoy and others) | |
| Search Ebay Auctions for Jazz Piano Recordings | |
| paddyallen -- 01/12/2005, 02:30:22 -- #10309 | |
| Well at last someone a bit like me. I cannot read a note of music. Nor do I know what different keys are called, although my wife can tell me but that is no use either. I have played jazz piano for at least 50 years and general piano messing about for 68 years. Of course I'm an amateur and circumstances have meant earning a living in other fields. Plus 5 children and all those distractions in life. I've never lost the pleasure of playing the piano and now I have more time at 76 can play my jazz more frequently. I watch as much jazz as possible on TV and I have a huge library of vinyl,CD and a few videos. My left hand is rather poor and I constantly try to improve it. It is more repetitive with a beat action to blend in with the harmony/ melody RH of the piece of music. I copy the styles of the historic greats like Fats Waller's compositions and styles/songs; Earl Hines' trumpet style; Erroll Garner's off beat left hand (he was left handed and played by ear)his stride left hand was awesome. See his Honeysuckle Rose.*below. And the Benny Goodman sextet with my idol Teddy Wilson, his beauty and precision are something of great inspiration. These are piano styles that have a regular beat and that is music to my ears. Off beat rambling is good for imaginative exploration of sounds and I guess is todays avantguard styles. I don't think you have to stretch a tenth although if you can it is very rewarding. Unless your hand is rather small they say with practice it will stretch. It needs to go over 10 if you use semitone notes too. I cannot stretch 10 as I have some arthritus and do not want to exascabate it. So I think you should not be too dismayed at not doing tenths, which after all calls for a lot of physical dexerity to say the least. Other two note chords can sound nearly as good like an octave as was said. The new jazz pianists have a distinct disadvantage if they cannot see/hear/read scores of the old masters in this music. In my opinion of course. Pleased to have just found this website. I have nobody else in the world to talk to about jazz. Alan * Erroll Garner is very much worth watching and a tape and DVD is available in the U.S. made over here in England in 1964 at a special BBC recording studio where the cameraman was obviously not a jazz fan! I can give you the ISBN # 0-7697-7524-1 called 'Erroll Garner in Performance'. | |
| joedavy3 -- 02/18/2005, 15:35:04 -- #11319 | |
| Guitar Stuff? | |
| Hey Guys, this is a great site thanks for the time and effort in helping people expand. I've already refered it to two of my frinds since yesterday! Not only am I a piano player, but I am also a guitarist. Alot of what you say gos for the guitar as well, however, can you recomend a guitar link that i could grow by. thanks guys, joedavy3 | |
| Sue Howard -- 03/16/2005, 17:41:06 -- #11991 | |
| I want to learn to play jazz piano before I die! | |
| I am 68 years old, still going strong physically and mentally (knock on wood), but I have one big desire before I die, and that is to learn to play jazz. According to most people I've played for in my lifetime, especially in the last 30 or 35 years, they think I'm a pretty darned good piano player. I majored in music in college, earned my Bachelor of Music (in piano), taught one year, hated it, then turned to secretarial work, and playing piano on the side. I've played by myself in lounges, restaurants, etc. I've played with dance bands and combos, but I know, myself, that I do not play jazz - not the way I hear others play jazz. Is there any hope for me - what can I do? I'm not getting any younger. Is there any way I can learn from the Internet? Thanks for your response. | |
| 7 -- 03/17/2005, 12:39:05 -- #12014 | |
| First of all there are many different kinds of Jazz. It's best to focus on a specific era, ie. the era that turns you on the most. Get all the recordings of the major pianists of said era and listen to them night and day. When you've decided who and what you'd like to emulate, ask some specific questions here. There are people on these boards that are experts in any type of Jazz there is. One of them will have answers. Your sentence "I do not play jazz - not the way I hear others play jazz" is true of all Jazz musicians. We all speak with our own individual voice, even though we may be using the same vocabulary and grammar. Other Jazz musicians might be envious of the way YOU play Jazz, thinking to themselves "Where the heck does she get those great ideas from?" | |
| jecastellon -- 09/13/2005, 01:03:13 -- #18952 | |
| Help for a begginer | |
| Hi! I bought a keyboard last week (can't afford a piano right now) to learn how to play jazz and other stuff that I like, but, besides I seem to learn very fast and have some natural talent, I have a problem: my hands can't play different rythms (they tend to follow each other), even if I domine both melodies separately. Example: I try to play a bass pattern with my left hand, but when I try to play something with the right hand, my left hand behaves like my right, pressing the keys when they souldn't but my right should. I can't even play a simple rock n' roll melody. So, what can I do? Are there any basic exercises I can do? Exercises that increases their difficulty so I can practice and... get better? Thanks. Jecastellon PS: Sorry my english, I'm from Chile (Southamerica). | |
| arcadi -- 10/12/2005, 03:59:15 -- #19876 | |
| Problems with left hand | |
| I fell that always i am doing the same things with the left hand. I need some ideas, exercices, etc... like for exemple walking bass, arpeggios, ... Please , help me. Thank you | |
| The World's Greatest Fake Book (hard to find songs by McCoy and others) | |
| Search Ebay Auctions for Jazz Piano Recordings | |
| ekhnohhny -- 10/18/2005, 16:20:26 -- #20042 | |
| SHEET MUSIC | |
| Hey! If You need sheet music ( standards) I have more than 1500! | |
| WoodyHerman -- 10/23/2005, 00:53:29 -- #20186 | |
| left hand help! | |
| hey guys, im new here on this site but definitly not new to the piano. I'm having a little trouble with my left hand and improvisation. I can improv my way through chord changes fairly easy with my right hand. I also play sax so I'm used to making up just rythms and notes when I improv. However, I'm fairly new to jazz piano and I was wondering; what do I do with my left hand while improving? I took a comping class this last sumemr at a music camp but I didnt feel like I got a lot out of it. I just would like to know what inversions most jazzers play and also if I should play the 7th, 9th, 11th, etc when indicated and anything else that would help me. I would like to get a combo group going soon at my High School so it is kinda neccessary that I learn this information (I am currently taking private lessons but unfortunatly, my teacher is NOT a jazzer and frankly knows nothing about comping or even jazz chords). Thanks in advanced! | |
| Gillie -- 10/23/2005, 10:31:00 -- #20196 | |
| Lots of articles on walking bass, stride etc at http://www.creativekeyboard.com/articles.html and stuff like pad comping and static comping and attack comping etc at http://www.creativekeyboard.com/apr04/comping.html Good luck | |
| gthedon -- 11/22/2005, 17:47:17 -- #21346 | |
| midi | |
| can you show those on a midi? cuz i really have the left hand problem! if i do understand we need to be able to play the song only with the LH without using the RH? G" | |
| R1Duncan -- 12/05/2005, 02:26:49 -- #21776 | |
| Ole Christmastree | |
| What is the base line cords in Ole Christmastree by Vince Girralti? I really want to know. What is the Base line cords in Groovin High by Dave Bruback. Sheet is OK too. | |
| pinkdiamond -- 03/23/2006, 05:36:47 -- #25494 | |
| like to try tritones | |
| I do understand that a tritone is the 3rd and 7th of a scale Ok, but how do you use them? How can I incorporate them in the music that I already know to modernize the sound? Are tritones used in all music? I have an interest in Jazz/hip-hop and urban music, are tritones useful for these mixed styles? | |
| Search Ebay Auctions for Jazz Piano Recordings | |
| tune -- 11/28/2006, 09:38:30 -- #31458 | |
| moving left hand solo playing | |
| Since my left hand can only span about a M9th or maybe Min10th. I hate the fact I'm destined to mostly broken 13ths. I'd like to get more away from using the sustain pedal when possible for a cleaner sound. Is there any standard or interesting combinations anyone has to get that moving left hand sound in solo playing. I hear it in some playing with a combination of 10th and sixths. I'm going to have to sit down and write what my hand can 'handle' I guess. But me thinks there must be some slick tricks out there. | |
| jpbrva -- 12/04/2006, 17:16:53 -- #31543 | |
| Hands independence | |
| Hi, I guess that this topic comes back on regular basis ... left independence ... being a blues fan for a while and a beginner piano player ... I've struggling with hands independence trying to play different rythm on the left and right hand, and I'm still tyring to figure out the bext way to come up with a complete hand independence. Would anybody have techniques/books to recommend on that particular topic ? MANY thanks ! | |
| patience -- 01/25/2007, 10:42:51 -- #32688 | |
| practicing left hand chords | |
| I have been classically trained in piano but feel I would like to branch off into popular music. I have bought a book "How to play from a fake book" and enjoying all the chords. I can play them all in root position but using an inversion gets my brain working. I am trying to play each chord progressing to the nearest notes contained in the next chord so I have a smooth transition. One chord I do no know is the e flat 7-5. Is this the regular 7th chord with a lowered 5th? How am I doing, is this a good start. I think after being more proficient on the above I will have to apply different rhythms using the chord notes. Wow, lots of hard work but I am throughly enjoying the break away from playing classical music by reading notes. I find I am listening much more. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. | |
| 7 -- 03/04/2007, 14:19:35 -- #33502 | |
| Yes, a 7b5 is a regular 7th chord with a flatted fifth. Ex: C7b5 = C E Gb Bb Something interesting (and useful to know) is that any 7b5 chord is the enharmonic spelling of its tritone substitute: Ex: F#7b5 = F# A# C E | |
| mgschiet -- 03/10/2007, 15:36:57 -- #33715 | |
| A 7b5 is another way of saying half-diminished. | |
| agam -- 11/22/2007, 10:17:12 -- #38506 | |
| plz | |
| plz send lessons to agamex4christ@yahoo.com tanx i'm 4rm Nigeria | |
| Search Ebay Auctions for Jazz Piano Recordings | |
| kalman -- 11/29/2007, 22:21:29 -- #38639 | |
| 7b5 is NOT a half-diminshed (as stated in #33715) | |
| As post 33502 says: C7b5 = C E Gb Bb; C half-dim = C Eb Gb Bb. | |
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