LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Tim Richards- "Improvising Blues Piano"

Scot -- 11/14/2006, 13:10:03 -- #31200

I've finally finished the review for Tim's book. If you're looking for a book that puts you in the driver's seat for Blues Piano, this is it.

7 -- 11/23/2006, 23:13:03 -- #31200

clicking on the link above brings up http://www.learnjazzpiano.com/citadel/www.myspace.com/timrichards which takes you (of course) nowhere. The code needs to be fixed to take you to http://myspace.com/timrichards

YourMove -- 11/24/2006, 00:38:45 -- #31200

Thanks for the well written review. It is appreciated. A new item on my christmas wish list :)

g11ndje -- 09/15/2008, 05:04:23 -- #31200

You have to know about jazz harmony/voicings because the book start at an intermediate level. Not the book I prefer for a beginner.

DrJazz -- 10/24/2008, 05:22:18 -- #31200

Are you sure you're talking about the same book? I'm the author and I feel I must defend your claim that you need to know jazz harmony! Whilst it is true that some piano technique is required to play many of the pieces in the book, harmonically it starts right at the beginning, with the first chapter devoted to major triads - ie: root, 3rd and fifth in the LH bass lines and RH ideas.  It then takes the reader progressively through sixth chords, seventh chords, ninths etc, a chapter for each. The first three chapters focus on learning to improvise over the most basic chord sequences -  I, IV and V - often using chord tones in the RH, in single notes or thirds. There is certainly NO necessity to have previous jazz knowledge! Furthermore, because every chapter is graded, it's possible for a beginner to find easy pieces at the start of each chapter and work through the book that way before returning at a later stage to master some of the harder stuff. I've used this method many times with students who have only limited previous piano experience. Some of the later pieces do include some jazzy or rootless voicings, but these are introduced gradually with full explanations! Is it possible you could be confusing my book with the book of the same name by Martan Mann?

Copyright © 2005 by Scot Ranney. All rights reserved.

Click Here for more information about performances and clinics. Click Here to sign up for Scot's music announcements.