Can I Teach Myself Jazz Piano?

You'll learn much faster with the guidance of a teacher, and a qualified teacher will also ensure that there are no gaps in your learning that prevent you from continuing in the future, but if you can't take classes for one reason or another, you can follow a published method or teach yourself the progressions and cycles.

The jazz piano

is not easy to master, it requires a lot of practice and self-discipline. In my Zero To Jazz Piano Hero course we have a lot of scores to help with the learning process. But the real magic doesn't come from sheet music, but from watching and listening to fun videos and exercises.

When you're having fun with a jazz class for beginners, you're much more likely to continue studying with an exciting motivation. After teaching hundreds of students privately in the Jazz Inner Circle program, we know that the motivation is enormous for beginning jazz musicians and we want you to succeed as easily as possible. Many students think that it takes years and years to learn jazz piano, but the truth is that you can learn a lot in 60 days with the right teacher and the right methods. Not just today's musicians, but let's go back to the basics and start listening to how

the jazz piano

evolved: Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Red Garland, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington (his way of playing the piano itself), Monk, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, there are hundreds of names.

Be able to identify them by listening to them and why they sound the way they do. Learn to identify the third and seventh of any chord you see. Those are the notes of juice, many early chord voices are nothing more than those two notes of each chord. For both harmony and solo, those are the most important notes in any chord.

Okay, this isn't going to be the most creative jazz performance in the world, but it's a really good way to start playing what is, without a doubt, a jazz song. In fact, the reason I can play

jazz piano arrangements

quickly and instantly is because I see everything as patterns. The jazz standards are comprised of a compilation of famous melodies from shows (and other melodies) that have become “standards” of the jazz repertoire over decades. As a professional jazz musician friend of mine said, if you study that book 8 hours a day, you will be a professional jazz musician in 3 years.

Whether it's listening to classic recordings, watching my jazz piano tutorials (Autumn Leaves), or studying with a teacher, you have to involve your ears in the process right from the start. Jazz musicians, on the other hand, hardly ever use sheet music and instead rely on learning by ear or improvisation, which requires a deep understanding of jazz theory. When playing a jazz piano for beginners, you don't want to have to “think too much about left-hand chords” when improvising a jazz solo for beginners. Now I understand that it's not always easy for people to create their own

jazz piano arrangements

.

Alternatively, you can also explore online jazz piano lessons via Skype from anywhere in the world with us. I play with a Juno Award-winning jazz bassist who divides his time between jazz and the classical world. We've also created an exciting course that teaches you how to play a professional-level jazz piano no matter what level you play at. So it will definitely help to think about learning jazz piano in terms of an exciting journey rather than a destination.

Whether you really want to learn how to play

the jazz piano

or simply want to experience the benefits of a creative hobby, it's never too late to learn something new.