Best way to start jazz piano - complete jazz blues lesson

Starting to learn jazz piano can be very overwhelming.

🎹 As a classically trained pianist I started out by buying a bunch of books. This was the wrong approach to learn jazz vocabulary and improvising.

I believe the best way to start is to learn the 12 bar blues. You can start out very simple and add more and more as you get comfortable.

00:00 Introduction
01:52 Root position chords over the blues
03:33 Root in LH, Shell in RH
04:57 Better rhythm
06:35 Walking bass
08:06 Shell extensions in the RH
09:38 Shell only in the LH
10:56 Building a solo with blues scale
13:30 Major blues scale
16:05 Shell in LH improvise with RH
17:10 Open 5ths/4ths chord solo

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Think better. Play better.

Are you stuck?

Are you practicing but not getting better?

Not sure what to practice?

Some students practice hours a day and don't get better, others practice far less and make progress.

What is the difference?

[Pooter-ityg]

My ideal beginner diet would be as follows. Major blues (for reasons you state), minor blues (to get into the significant differences), Autumn Leaves (for simple relative major and minor II-V-Is), Rhythm changes (just the changes, no head and definitely not the original or Oleo, for the classic alternative cadence, I-V-I on the A, chains of Vs or II-Vs on the B and practice at keeping fomr), So What (for experience with static harmony) and Giant Steps (because it's never too early to lose your fear of just three II-V-Is just not laid out as you'd expect). For jazz waltz Alice in Wonderland. What Is This Thing Called Love (for Cole Porter's much copied approach to minor-major ambiguity). Add your favourite ballad (all that matters is that it's your favourite and I have to give you some choice, haven't I?)
For bossa don't start with Ipanema (the bridge is unintuitive and contentious even for better players), do Blue Bossa instead, but please listen to the original and play in a light springy way rather than slogging. For samba proper (well, baion at least) Samba de Orfeu. On the Cuban side, go with Mambo Inn (for mambo/son) and Oye Como Va (for chacha). For gospel, Amazing Grace and Mercy Mercy. For township Abdullah Ibrahim's Maraba Blue and remember it's about space and understatement. For funk, Chameleon and remember without tight time and groove you've got nothing, with them you have everything.

[PlayBetterJazz]

As classical pianist who switched to jazz 15 years ago, people, THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE and exactly where you want to start.

[matt.loupe.]

Being from down the bayou of the jazz / blues land of New Orleans, I’ve never heard a 12 bar blues played like that (with a ii V I as the turn around). It’s always V IV I V

[SinaLaJuanaLewis]

This is solid! I was heavily classically trained and I have the technique. BUT it's overwhelming. Now the way you explained I can do it little by little 🎶👌🏽

[BopCity]

Really good series of books that help me for progressing beyond this video:: "Jazz Hanon" by Leo Alfassy. He also wrote two others "Blues Hanon" and "Boogie Woogie Hanon". There's a million books but I have found the Alfassy exercises excellent for beginner/intermediate..

[yeohi]

I could play fairly difficult classical pieces at 13 and was a good sight-reader but couldn't play the simplest tunes by ear or improvise. Determined to play by ear at 16, I focused on figuring out the notes of "Land of a Thousand Dances" and playing those 5 notes over and over and over again and eventually making different melodies using those 5 notes. I didn't know until later that I had figured out by myself the basic minor blues scale that you teach in this video.

[craigmetcalfe]

Kudos to you Sir! I was lucky (and this video has confirmed it once again) to grow up in a Classical/Jazz household. Mother played classical violin and Father played classical and jazz trombone. They met in an orchestra and I was their first born. I started playing piano at the age of 5 always guided by both since the piano was in their bedroom and because I was the oldest, I got to play for 30mins each day starting at 5:00am. You don't have to start early in life to play Jazz and if you had a Classical background, there is a point where you have to unlearn sight reading and move to playing by ear? I can remember tips in my youth such as 1. You have to start on the Piano as your first instrument. Why? You see and play in two staves (Treble and Bass) laid out clearly in front of you. 2. Play (your trombone...yes you can play my old trombone) in the bathroom without the light on. Why? Because you don't have any visual cues and on a fretless instrument like a trombone, you are going to rely solely by ear. The interval between piano and trombone was for me about 10 years. This is not prescriptive, just my journey. YMMV. 3. Start with scales to get the intonation happening and ONLY start playing a melody IFF you can hear it in your head then sing it. Why? When you improvise around a melody, you need to be able to hear the melody in your head so that you don't get lost improvising. 4. When you feel confident playing by yourself (I'm thinking of that Hooper line from Jaws), do what David Byrne did in the musical documentary Talking Heads and play with a backing track. 5. Following in the steps of David B invite other musicians to join you until your parents just can't take it anymore and like the Beach Boys you are asked to play in the garage. 6. Then, in the words of a famous actor/musician/composer, "...Caterpillar into chrysalis or pupa, and, from thence, into beauty.”. Quid pro quo!

[BopCity]

Excellent video for beginners/intermediate players. Thanks!

[neilingle]

Am looking around for inspiration to 'get back to the piano and learn'. Years ago I had a piano teacher and I was on the way to grades in UK, but just got fed up with it (didn't get very far - grade 2 ABRSM), because I play by ear, and wanted to write my own stuff. Since then, I have actually composed a fair amount, but always with shaky piano (thankfully I have half-speed playing, quantization etc). It's an input tool rather than instrument. I want to go back and play a bit - not regimented, but in a way that compliments my need to create. Videos like this give me good ideas.

[future]

Yes! My teacher started me here age it really opened my eyes to soloing! Great video!

[johnlorenz]

Wow, this is a great video. I am starting to learn piano, two months in, and am interested in jazz. I have watched many, many beginner piano youtube videos, and probably bits and pieces of all that are related to beginner jazz piano. Yours is the best I have found so far. Sure, many other videos are a slicker, but your approach to using stripped down versions of jazz/blues chord voicings, pentatonic no wrong note scales, systematically adding complexity each time around is very sound. Thanks for putting up this very well thought out instructional video.

[gregory]

You are 100 percent correct.
I purchased many those exact books from my local music store here in Memphis.
I couldn't really understand how to apply the knowledge and I am still a beginner after many years. Back then there were not a lot of online resources for learning jazz piano.
Now I am thinking about trying again.
Thank a lot!!!

[ffelegal]

A very good introduction! Thanks a lot!

[dammitjim]

This is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks!😊

[inpark]

This was really an eye-opener for me. Thanks so much for posting!!!

[carolraymond]

You have the kind of sophisticated sound I like. Your visuals on the keyboard are not easy to follow. I learn from you by listening over and over until I have internalized what you are doing. Takes along time but it works. Thanks for all you do for us.

[jeffjohnson]

Just tuned into your channel…would love to see more with blues and jazz…in particular slow blues with left hand chords with right hand licks and runs etc…thanks Grant🎹

[mfurman]

Thank you for this video and your advice. I read some of the comments in this thread and many other jazz related videos. What strikes me is certain type of elitism and almost the sense of superiority of those who believe in playing by ear. One has to remember that some people need structure in their learning! If the lack of spontaneity precludes playing jazz, it means that there is no hope for someone like me and my attempts to learn anything resembling jazz (including signing up for a jazz piano college course) will end up in failure (at least in the eye of “real” jazz musicians). Will I ever play jazz if I do not change my attitude towards learning methods. Thank you.
Ps I learned foreign language by studying grammar and basics of the language before speaking much. My son first learned to read English before he talked much (he was using the computer before talking fluently).

[pablors]

Best method explain like a sir, thank u sir

[drtejashmodi]

I cannot thank you enough for this lesson! 🙌🏼