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Advice on organizing practice

hi all

my first post on this forum which i have read for many years and which has been very helpful.

over the last few years, i have been trying to progress my jazz piano and with this in mind have built up a huge collection of jazz piano books including: jazz keyboard harmony, jazz piano book, jazz theory book, four way keyboard system (alan swain), real book vol i and ii, classical approach to jazz piano, various jamey aebersold jazz books including ii v i and ear training.

i am now a little overwhelmed by the amount of material and would appreciate advice on how i can use all or some of these resources in a more organized way. should i for example just work through one book or use a variety?

as i currently live in brazil it is difficult to find a decent jazz teacher so i am hoping to progress for the time being through self teaching and hopefully with the advice of many of you on the forum!

i appreciate this is quite a broad question and i am available to respond to any suggestions to narrow down the scope.

look forward to hearing from you all

thanks

james

by Vicks7 on 08/01/2012, 17:43

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i sound like a broken record (pun intended) but you did not mention a collection of recordings. listening really is the key. those books can be a great resource and can perhaps jump start the learning process a bit, but listening constantly will make them relevant, and most likely answer your question.

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by Dr. Whack on 08/02/2012, 06:54

thanks. i listen to a huge amount of jazz - keith jarrett trio/quartet, charlie parker, joe pass, meldhau, petersen, rollins, evans and many others. i probably listen about 20 hours plus a week.

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by Vicks7 on 08/02/2012, 07:29

cool. are you gigging? do you have a list of tunes you can play without charts?

to me those are the three vital elements to getting better: listening, practicing and playing gigs. nothing like falling on your face on a gig to remind you what you need to practice:) and nothing like the repetition of playing tunes on gigs to make you better at the things you do well

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by Dr. Whack on 08/06/2012, 12:32

luckily for you lessons can be taken on line now. you are a clear case of someone who needs to contact dave frank for skype lessons.
https://www.davefrankjazz.com/ />

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by Mike on 08/06/2012, 21:43

thanks dr. whack. i am not gigging yet and have not yet built a solid list of tunes that i can play.

mike - many thanks. i sent an email to dave - this looks very interesting.

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by Vicks7 on 08/07/2012, 10:23

in the meantime, you might want to get a copy of jamey abersold's "blues in all keys" the book comes with a cd of a rhythm section playing changes. the piano is mixed in the right channel, so if you pan left or mute the right channel, you get bass and drums only. there are heads (melodies) written for each key, but you would do well to just play a simple tune like "c jam blues" in each key and then practice improvising

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by Dr. Whack on 08/08/2012, 06:20

dr. whack - just a note to say thank you very much for the recommendation of dave frank for jazz piano lessons. i started lessons with dave a few weeks ago by skype and it has been absolutely fantastic. i was a little skeptical about skype lessons but dave notices everything and apart from being a superb musician also makes the lessons fun. i am currently woorking through his foundation course and look forward to each lesson.
thanks again
james

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by Vicks7 on 12/10/2012, 10:34

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Advice on organizing practice

There are 7 comments, leave a comment.

by Dr. Whack on 08/02/2012, 06:54

by Vicks7 on 08/02/2012, 07:29

by Dr. Whack on 08/06/2012, 12:32

by Mike on 08/06/2012, 21:43

by Vicks7 on 08/07/2012, 10:23

by Dr. Whack on 08/08/2012, 06:20

by Vicks7 on 12/10/2012, 10:34

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Advice on organizing practice

There are 7 comments, leave a comment.

by Dr. Whack on 08/02/2012, 06:54

by Vicks7 on 08/02/2012, 07:29

by Dr. Whack on 08/06/2012, 12:32

by Mike on 08/06/2012, 21:43

by Vicks7 on 08/07/2012, 10:23

by Dr. Whack on 08/08/2012, 06:20

by Vicks7 on 12/10/2012, 10:34

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