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Poor stride abilities?

i have noticed many well rounded jazz musicians playing songs that are too fast but they can still play stride at that very pace! immediately after seeing these people, i knew i had to increase my stride abilities. so i had gone to the piano and tried doing the oom pah oom pah rhythym. but as i did, i sometimes missed notes that were supposed to be played. so i wondered. is it just that i have poor concentration or does my left hand need to be memorized so i don't even bother have to look at my left hand? if you could give me any other helpful tips, please do so.

by loveforJAZZ on 01/12/2007, 11:54

There are 8 comments, leave a comment.

. stride doesnt have to always be upbeat. i first learned stride piano from hearing monk's solo stuff. he played round midnight not as a ballad but as a nice slow stride. also check out his version of just a gigolo. concentrate on slow swing tunes for quite some time. eventually you'll find yourself getting faster without even trying.

i have noticed that the great stride players seldom play complex harmonies with the left hand. often they just play a triad or a 3-7. simplifing the chords will help you concentrate on hitting the right bass notes which is most critical.

have fun!

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by JHMurray on 01/12/2007, 13:52

yeah, slow down!  if you practice too fast so that you are practicing your mistakes, you'll never be a good player.  you have to practice really slow and make sure what you are practicing is 100% perfect before you'll be able to do it at speed.

once you have it slow, then go at speed.

i used to think that it was a good idea to gradually bring up the speed, but i don't think so anymore.  i think working it out really slowly, deliberately, so you know what notes you are playing and why you are playing them, is key.  after that you can play whatever you're working on at any speed, often without even trying.

If I'm not back in 24 hours, call the president.

Scot is available for skype jazz piano lessons (and google hangouts, phone call, etc...)
Use the contact link at the top of the page.

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by Scot Ranney on 01/13/2007, 09:38

what bpm is the fastest you can play stride at with your left hand?

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by loveforJAZZ on 01/13/2007, 16:11

wait i have a question. does stride piano always have to have an octave on the downbeat? or can it just be a root?

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by BlackWhiteKey on 01/17/2007, 07:35

either. sometimes it's a perfect fifth as well. or a tenth. or a tenth with a fifth in the middle. depends on hand size and how thick you want the voicing to sound.

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by ziggysane on 01/17/2007, 09:23

on beat one i prefer either a single note, or the two note interval of a root and 5th, root and 7th, octave, or root and 10th.

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by Jazz+ on 01/17/2007, 20:55

the last two examples were supposed to be separated, thusly:

c - b -  b
f - f -  e
a - ab - g

e - d -  e
a - b -  b
    ab
c - db - c

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by 7 on 01/19/2007, 23:20

thanks to all and particularly 7 for that post that i'm currently printing. i'm not a purist and i love 'thusly'. hehehe, is it 'new' in which case it is sooooooooooo appropriate, or is it a word that is 'extant'. :-)

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by Kai on 01/20/2007, 01:40

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Poor stride abilities?

There are 8 comments, leave a comment.

by JHMurray on 01/12/2007, 13:52

by Scot Ranney on 01/13/2007, 09:38

by loveforJAZZ on 01/13/2007, 16:11

by BlackWhiteKey on 01/17/2007, 07:35

by ziggysane on 01/17/2007, 09:23

by Jazz+ on 01/17/2007, 20:55

by 7 on 01/19/2007, 23:20

by Kai on 01/20/2007, 01:40

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Poor stride abilities?

There are 8 comments, leave a comment.

by JHMurray on 01/12/2007, 13:52

by Scot Ranney on 01/13/2007, 09:38

by loveforJAZZ on 01/13/2007, 16:11

by BlackWhiteKey on 01/17/2007, 07:35

by ziggysane on 01/17/2007, 09:23

by Jazz+ on 01/17/2007, 20:55

by 7 on 01/19/2007, 23:20

by Kai on 01/20/2007, 01:40

Reply to Thread

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

"Latinesque"

LJP Jazz Piano Blogs

Most Recent Discussions

Articles

Top Sheetmusic Picks

Jazz piano education is cool.

Rock on. Follow your passion.

Sign In