LearnJazzPiano.com archives: 6 months
knotty -- 05/01/2007, 07:56:22 -- #34808
So I woke up last week end realizing next week, it'll be 6 months since my first piano lessons. I really don't know why I didn't start earlier. I've always wanted to play, and now, somehow, I can play simple stuff. I'm enjoying myself in new ways.

6 months isn't a very long time, but it's worth celebrating :)

So anyway, I posted an mp3 on my personal website (I don't think I can upload mp3 here). If you have 2 minutes to spare and feel like it, please go ahead and comment.

http://www.ludet.com/music/misty.mp3

thanks all!

Knotty-

YourMove -- 05/01/2007, 08:36:52 -- #34808
Hey, pretty good, but I wonder is it played out of your head? or from sheet music or lead sheet? With a little more tuning here and there it will become really good :) Keep us up to date...
Yours, Jan

knotty -- 05/01/2007, 08:58:17 -- #34808
Thanks Jan.

It's played from a fakebook.

- knotty

Whacky -- 05/01/2007, 09:20:43 -- #34808
Nice stuff knotty!  The one thought I had is that you played this cool dissonant G9b5 on the first turn around (bar 7) but then you went to a very straight C7 chord.  It might be cool to go for some dissonance on that C7 and also the Bb7 in bar eight...flat 9s perhaps?

You should be very proud of your accomplishments!  As a guy once told me "you're progressing very nicely"

sdm -- 05/01/2007, 12:15:43 -- #34808
I would be very proud if I had been able to do that at 6 months!  I can hardly do it at 3 years but we all progress differently.  Nice work!

knotty -- 05/01/2007, 15:22:10 -- #34808
Thanks both.

and Dr, I'm impressed :). I'll spice up the C7. I definitely messed up that last chord on bar 8, not what I intended to play.
We'll have a "recital" where I take lessons a month from today. I'll play this so any advice is well received.
I'll also play Cantaloupe Island with my teacher.

tangman06 -- 05/01/2007, 17:20:40 -- #34808
where's the swing?

shrock -- 05/01/2007, 21:20:47 -- #34808
Are you learning only jazz right now? Does your teacher focus on reading music or just playing from fake books.

charlp88 -- 05/02/2007, 05:54:07 -- #34808
Very Nice I like the continuity and sound  Charlie

knotty -- 05/02/2007, 06:48:55 -- #34808
We play mostly from fakebooks. I'm terrible at reading music. I haven't done it since I was maybe 10.
Last 2 weeks however, we've been playing a latin song (no clue where it's from) called 'Chile & Limon'.
It should help with rhythm and in this case, it involves reading a sheet. I got the written  part more or less down if anyone is interested, I'd be glad to record and post (no longer than 30 secs). Improvising on it, I really have no clue, but we'll see.  

I'm learning only jazz, but I never really know where jazz begins and ends. So to me it includes Bossa, Samba, Ballads. I want to also learn a few songs from different style, like Jerry Lee Lewis stuff, some Boogie, Gospel. Just to get a sense of it, learn some riffs ...


Part of my routine involves playing along with pre-recorded things. This is a huge challenge for me at the moment, on many levels. I'm starting with a simple boogie woogie in C. Something simple and repetitive. I'm trying to build it up to where I can be in time, not 1/2 the time ahead, 1/2 the time being and the other half just plain lost :)
I'm slowly getting there. When I do, I might try to shift it to F and see what happens.

DaNatiMaestro -- 05/02/2007, 10:40:42 -- #34808
Hey knotty..

This sounds great!  Keep up the good work.

If you don't mind me asking, what fake book are you using?  I'm trying to find a good one to purchase.

Thanks!

knotty -- 05/02/2007, 11:08:28 -- #34808
thanks!

My dad gave me a few of the popular fakebooks. If I decide to learn a tune, I pick the one I find easiest to read. In this case, it came from the new real book.

Look at this on what others think:
http://www.learnjazzpiano.com/citadel/scotcit.mvc?intro_off=1&action=forum&sub=display_thread&id=33303&bid=33724

jmkarns -- 05/02/2007, 19:50:59 -- #34808
Played with real feeling knotty.  Thanks for sharing it.  I'm curious about the acoustics.  Was this in a large room on a grand?

knotty -- 05/03/2007, 05:03:37 -- #34808
thanks!

Sorry about the acoustics -- it's in a pretty small room on an upright. But it's recorded with a voice recorder. I also put a sound absorbing panel behind the soundboard so my neighbor won't go crazy.

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