7 Ways to Become a Better Pop Jazz Pianist E-book

www.MyPianoRiffs.com

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Heres What & How to Practice to Become a Better Pianist

7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist

A Step-by-Step Guide to Practicing Your Way to Better Piano-Playing

Nicole Lee


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Important Notice This e-book is free and not for sale and does not come with resale rights. Although free, that does not diminish the quality of information within.

All material within this book is copyrighted and as such cannot be reproduced in any format without my prior approval.

Copyright 2009 Nicole Lee @ www.MyPianoRiffs.com.


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Introduction

7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist

This e-book is an expansion of my article of the same title, first published in Ezine@rticles November, 2009, and also available at my blog. It requires no reading of music notation and, hence, is an invaluable resource to those who play by ear as well.

Very often as piano students, we are told by our teachers to practice after every lesson. How many times have you heard this phrase: Practice makes perfect? And how many times have you actually gone home and practiced and when lesson time came, your playing or performance is still not up to mark? Is it because you didnt practice enough? Perhaps. Did you forget what you were supposed to practice? Possibly.

More often than not, I find that most people just dont really know what and how to practice. Also, some teachers seem to only work on playing songs with their students. Learning songs and working on perfecting them are fine. However, that should not be the be all and end all if you are serious in perfecting your craft, i.e. piano-playing.

In learning a song, we should not just be focusing on getting the notes right. We should really study the song inside out by breaking it down in terms of its melody, harmony, rhythm, form and style. And then we should work on understanding and perfecting every musical element that is associated with the song.

If practice makes perfect, then it is also true that imperfect practice makes imperfection! And we definitely dont want that. To become really good at our craft, it is important to know what to practice and how we should go about practicing it. Hence, to me, the saying should really be knowledgeable practice makes perfect.

In this e-book, I will elaborate and demonstrate in detail the seven important areas to cover and to diligently practice in order to become a better pop and/or jazz pianist. The seven areas are:

1. Scales


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2. Chords

3. Rhythm

4. Cycle of 5ths

5. Form

6. Styles

7. Listen

Since there are 7 areas to work on altogether, these can be put to efficient practice, one for each day of the week! And remember only knowledgeable and perfect practice makes perfect. Have fun!


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Quick Summary

Scales:

All contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocks in music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisational lines in jazz solos. Essential scales to master are: major (ionian mode), melodic and harmonic minor, modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian [natural minor], locrian), major and minor pentatonic, major and minor blues, diminished and whole-tone.

Chords:

From scales, we build chords. Its vital to memorize all the diatonic chords of the major and minor scales. Diatonic chords are chords that are built on every note of a scale and whose notes come from that very scale; there are seven altogether for each scale. Learn up its chord quality and function within the scale or key, regardless whether the chords are triads, sevenths, or 13th chords. Essential chord families to master are: major, minor and dominant.

Rhythm:

The best melody and harmony in the world will be quite boring without a hint of rhythm that goes with it. Rhythm gives life to music. Inherent with rhythm is feel, i.e. the interpretation of rhythmic units. Essential rhythmic feels to grasp are: straight and rolled 8ths, straight and rolled 16ths, swing and triplet. Additionally, it is also important to work on other rhythmic aspects such as syncopation and anticipation.

Cycle of 5ths:

Imagine the face of a clock and instead of the hourly numbers, replace these with the 12 notes in music, i.e. starting at the top at 12 with C, then moving clockwise down five steps to F, then Bb and continuing this until you end back at C. This is what you will get: C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db(C#)-Gb(F#)-Cb(B)-E-A-D-G-C. Memorize this movement because a lot of chord progressions in songs move naturally in this way, either down in perfect 5ths or up in perfect 4ths. For example, the A section of Fly Me to the Moon: Ami7-Dmi7-G7-Cma7-Fma7-


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Bmi7(b5)- E7-Ami7. The roots of the chords move perfectly around the cycle, diatonic to the key of C major!

Form:

All the elements of music -- melody, harmony and rhythm -- will be pointless or meandering if not held together or structured in specific forms. Pop songs are known for their verse and chorus structures, or AB form. It is also common to find modern pop songs these days with the following form: intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro (ending). Blues music, of course, has its 12-bar structure, and its less common 16-bar form. And the 32-bar song form in jazz with its many variations, i.e., AABA, AABC, et cetera are all important to note and remember.

Styles:

The beautiful thing about contemporary music is its many styles: pop, rock, R&B, reggae, gospel, bossa nova, swing, bebop, et cetera. Each and every style has its inherent melodic, harmonic and rhythmic characteristics. Break down every facet of a style and learn how to interpret it correctly. Master the styles and make your playing more colorful and multidimensional!

Listen:

Last but not least, because contemporary music comes in many genres, styles, shape and form, we need to develop a healthy listening habit. Every area from 1 to 6 above can be consolidated through a good listening session. As you listen to a piece of music, be it something from Coldplay, Sara Bareilles, Michael Bubl, or Keith Jarrett, look out for and analyze all the elements - the melody/scale, chord/harmony, rhythm/feel, form and style. Music is an audible art. Hence, as a musician you need to build up your analytic listening skills!


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Table of Contents Cover ...................................................................... 1

Important Notice........................................................ 2

Introduction ............................................................. 3 7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist................................3

Quick Summary ......................................................... 5

Table of Contents....................................................... 7

Way #1: Scales .......................................................... 9 What to Practice...................................................................9 How to Practice.................................................................. 11

Way #2: Chords ........................................................12 What to Practice................................................................. 12 How to Practice.................................................................. 14

Way #3: Rhythm .......................................................15 What to Practice................................................................. 15 How to Practice.................................................................. 16

Way #4: Cycles of 5ths ...............................................17 What to Practice................................................................. 17 How to Practice.................................................................. 18

Way #5: Form ..........................................................19 What to Practice................................................................. 19 How to Practice.................................................................. 20

Way #6: Styles..........................................................21 What to Practice................................................................. 22


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How to Practice.................................................................. 23

Way #7: Listen .........................................................24 What to Listen ................................................................... 24 How to Listen .................................................................... 26

Conclusion...............................................................28

Private Piano Lessons.................................................29

Notes .....................................................................30


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Way #1: Scales

All contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocks in music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisational lines in jazz solos. Also, when you are learning a song, the first thing you must determine is the key of the song. This is another way of saying, whats the scale that is being used in the song for its melody and chords?

In Western tonal music, the first and most important scale to master is the major scale. One easy way to learn scales is by memorizing its pattern of half and whole steps. The smallest interval (or the distance from one key to the next nearest) on the piano is the half step. Two half steps make one whole step.

What to Practice

The major scale is made up of seven notes with a combination pattern of half (H) and whole steps (W) as follows:

Major/Ionian Mode

Scale degree: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/1 W W H W W W H

C Major scale: C D E F G A B C

The other essential scales to master are: melodic and harmonic minor, modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian [natural minor], locrian), major and minor pentatonic, major and minor blues, diminished and whole-tone.

Below and on the next page are the patterns of half (H) and whole steps (W) for each of the abovementioned scales.

Melodic Minor: WHWWWWH C Melodic Minor: C D Eb F G A B C

Harmonic Minor: WHWWH(3H)H C Harmonic Minor: C D Eb F G Ab B C

Dorian Mode: WHWWWHW C Dorian Mode: C D Eb F G A Bb C


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Phrygian Mode: HWWWHWW C Phrygian Mode: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C

Lydian Mode: WWWHWWH C Lydian Mode: C D E F# G A B C

Mixolydian Mode: WWHWWHW C Mixolydian Mode: C D E F G A Bb C

Aeolian Mode/Natural Minor:

WHWWHWW C Aeolian Mode: C D Eb F G Ab Bb C

Locrian Mode: HWWHWWW C Locrian Mode: C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C

Major Pentatonic: WW(3H)W(3H) C Major Pentatonic: C D E G A C

Minor Pentatonic: (3H)WW(3H)W C Minor Pentatonic: C Eb F G Bb C

Major Blues: WHH(3H)W(3H) C Major Blues: C D Eb E G A C

Minor Blues: (3H)WHH(3H)W C Minor Blues: C Eb F Gb G Bb C

Half-Whole Diminished:

HWHWHWHW C H/W Dim.: C C# D# E F# G A Bb C

Whole-Half Diminished:

WHWHWHWH C W/H Dim.: C D Eb F Gb Ab A B C

Whole Tone: WWWWWW C Whole Tone: C D E F# G # Bb C


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How to Practice

Play each scale (ascending and descending) in both hands for one octave. I recommend that you practice all 12 keys following the Cycle of 5ths [Refer to Way #4 Cycle of 5ths]. I also suggest that you play the scales in flowing 8th notes, alternating between a straight and rolled feel [Refer to Way #3 Rhythm].


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Way #2: Chords

Once you have mastered the scales, you will find that a scale is actually the foundation upon which chords are built. The smallest chord unit called a triad is a 3-note chord which consists of three notes with each note stacked up on top of the other (skip a key each on the keyboard).

What to Practice

Diatonic Chords of Major Scale

Every note of a major scale can be stacked with two other notes in this way. That will make seven different triads to the seven notes of the scale, i.e. on the C major scale or key of C major, we will have:

1. C-E-G, 2. D-F-A, 3. E-G-B, 4. F-A-C, 5. G-B-D, 6. A-C-E, and 7. B-D-F.

These chords are called the diatonic triads of the major scale. And each of these triads have a specific quality based on their position in the scale, i.e.

1. C major, 2. D minor, 3. E minor, 4. F major, 5. G major, 6. A minor, and 7. B diminished

The proper chord symbols will read as such:

1. C, 2. Dmi, 3. Emi, 4. F, 5. G, 6. Ami, and 7. B dim.

[For more on diatonic triads of the major scale, visit my post here.]

Do the same for the next set of diatonic chords, i.e. the Diatonic 7th chords made up of 4 notes.

1. C-E-G-7 (Cmaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. E-G-B-D (Emi7), 4. F-A-C-E (Fmaj7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-E-G (Ami7), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi7b5). [For more on diatonic 7th chords of the major scale, visit my post here.]


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Diatonic Chords of Minor Scale

The next sets of important diatonic chords to master are the ones from the three important minor scales, i.e. natural, melodic and harmonic.

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Natural Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-Bb (Eb), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-Bb-D (Gmi), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. Bb-D-F (Bb).

And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Natural Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G-Bb (Cmi7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-Bb-D (Ebmaj7), 4. F-Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-Bb-D-D (Gmi7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. Bb-D-F-Ab (Bb7).

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Melodic Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-A (Dmi), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-A-C (F), 5. G-B-D (G), 6. A-C-Eb (Adim), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).

And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Melodic Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4. F-A-C-Eb (F7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-Eb-G (Ami7b5), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi75b).

Here are the diatonic triads of the C Harmonic Minor scale:

1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-B-D (G), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).

And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Harmonic Minor scale:


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1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4. F-Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. B-D-F-Ab (Bdim7).

[For more on diatonic triads and 7th chords of all three minor scales, visit my post here.]

How to Practice

Play each set of diatonic chords in the following manner:

1. Right and left hand plays the chord in solid block chord form.

2. Right hand plays the chord in broken chord style or arpeggio while the left hand still in solid block chord form.

3. Right hand plays the chord in solid block chord form while the left hand plays in broken chord style.

4. Right hand plays the chord in solid block chord form while the left hand plays the roots of each chord.

As with the scales, I recommend that you practice in all 12 keys following the Cycle of 5ths [Refer to Way #4 Cycle of 5ths].


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Way #3: Rhythm

Melody and harmony are two of the three elements in music. However, without the third element, rhythm, melody and harmony will be quite lifeless and static, because rhythm breathes life into the melodic lines and chords. Rhythm provides the movement and space in music.

What to Practice

Rhythmic Feel

In pop and jazz music, rhythmic groove and feel is so essential in defining the style. Hence, it is important to understand the following feels: straight, rolled and triplet 8th; and straight, rolled and triplet 16th.

Straight 8th and 16th refers to the conventional way we interpret a row of 8ths or 16ths, i.e. in even 8ths or 16ths. For example, in 4/4 time, there will be eight 8ths notes in a bar, with the counting of 1+2+3+4+ (one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and) or 16 16th notes, with the counting of 1-e-+-a-2-e-+-a-3-e-+-a-4-e-+-a (one-e-and-a-two-e-and-a, etc.)

Song Examples: Most classical compositions (e.g. Beethovens Fur Elise) and pop songs (e.g. John Lennons Imagine)

Rolled 8th and 16th on the other hand gives an uneven interpretation to the row of 8ths or 16ths. The first 8th or 16th note gets two-thirds of the beat or half beat. So in 4/4 time, with eight 8th notes in a bar, you will now count 1-e-a-2-e-a-3-e-a-4-e-a (one-e-a-two-e-a, etc.) but not tapping on the e. For the 16th feel, with 16 16th notes in a bar, you will count 1-e-a-+-e-a-2-e-a-+-e-a-3-e-a-+-e-a-4-e-a-+-e-a (one-e-a-and-e-a-two-e-a-and-e-a, etc.) but again tapping every note except the e.

Song Examples: Rolled 8th any Blues music; Rolled 16th Daniel Powters Bad Day and most hip hop music

In triplet 8th and 16th feels, it simply means that every beat or half beat is now subdivided into three smaller units, respectively. So in 4/4 time, there will be 12 8th note triplets in a bar counted as 1-e-a-2-e-a3-e-a-4-e-a (one-e-a-two-e-a, etc.). The, 16th note feel will have 24 16th note triplets in a bar of


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4/4 time, with the counting of 1-e-a-+-e-a-2-e-a-+-e-a-3-e-a-+-e-a-4-e-a-+-e-a (one-e-a-and-e-a-two-e-a-and-e-a, etc.).

Song Examples: Any 12/8 ballads or slow rock music (e.g. Louis Armstrongs What A Wonderful World)

[For audio examples of all these rhythmic feels, visit my post here.]

Rhythmic Anticipation

One of the most important rhythmic aspects in contemporary music styles is the anticipation. Anticipation occurs when a beat that is normally on a downbeat is played a rhythmic unit earlier - commonly, this rhythmic unit may be the 8th note or the 16th note, depending on the feel of the music. Anticipation is also enhanced in two ways - either followed by a rest or tied over to the next beat. Check out a detailed breakdown of anticipations with various audio examples at my blog here and here.

How to Practice

Rhythmic Feel

With your foot tapping on the downbeat, clap and verbalize the subdivisions of each feel. [Read my previously mentioned blog post under the subheading Getting Anticipations Right! for a more thorough practice method.] Do this over and over again, until you settle into the pocket of each beat and rhythmic subdivision. Remember and understand what each feel means and really feel how it grooves. Then tap and/or play along to the examples in my blog post here.

Rhythmic Anticipation

Go through in-depth and practice all the given examples in both my blog posts on rhythmic anticipations here and here. Make sure you always maintain a steady tempo with your foot. Using a metronome or a simple drumbeat is also highly recommended.

Way #4: Cycle of 5ths

The Cycle of 5ths (also commonly known by other names like Circle of 5ths, or Cycle or Circle of 4ths) is a circular representation of the 12 different notes in music. Within this cycle, a number of musical aspects can be inferred.

What to Practice In clockwise motion, you can see the notes moving down in perfect 5ths (7 halfsteps) or up in perfect 4th (5 halfsteps.) This can represent root movements of chord progressions or key centers, starting with the outer circle in C major (no sharps or flats), to F major (one flat), all the way to C# major (7 sharps), Cb major (7 flats), and on to G major (1 sharp). The inner circle represents the related minor keys.

In anticlockwise motion, the notes move up a perfect 5th or down in perfect 4th through the sharp side of the keys first.


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How to Practice

Play each letter of the 12 notes around the Cycle of 5ths and sing along with the roots. Listen to how smoothly and naturally one note flows into the other around this cycle. You dont necessarily have to always start with C. Start with any note and just play and sing around the cycle until you arrive back at the beginning note.

In conjunction with the practice of scales (Way #1) and chords (Way #2), this cycle will also be reinforced and strengthened.


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Way #5: Form

Form is the gel that holds all musical elements of melody, harmony and rhythm together and gives these meaning and direction. Just like writing an essay, where you need an introduction, a few paragraphs to expound on the topic and a closing, forms in music need similar structures to make the musical materials cohesive and meaningful.

Understanding how a piece of music is structured will help in your playing because it makes memorization of melody lines and chord progressions so much easier as each section will usually have a set of melody/chords and similar sections will usually have similar progressions and melody.

What to Practice

12-bar Blues

I / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

IV / / /| / / / / | I / / /| / / / /|

V / / /| IV / / /| I / / /| / / / /||

The easiest way to remember the basic 12-bar blues progression is to note where the chord changes take place. Notice that the chord changes are at bar 5, 7, 9, 10 and 11. So they are mainly at odd-numbered bars. Interestingly, after playing the blues progression a number of times, your musical ear will eventually take over and you will be able to feel the changes. It just comes naturally!

32-bar Song Form

There are many variations to this classic jazz song form. Regardless, a 32-bar song form always comprises four sections of 8 bars each. For example, a common one will be the AABA (e.g. Take the A Train, Misty), where a different letter represents a different section. The A sections generally retain the same melody and chord progression, with perhaps slight changes at phrase endings; the B section will contain a new melody and chord


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progression.

A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

B: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|

A: / / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /|/ / / /| / / / /| / / / /| / / / /||

ABAB: e.g. Blue Bossa, Ladybird

ABAC: e.g. I Could Write A Book, My Romance

AABC: e.g. Autumn Leaves

Pop Song forms

These are more varied in terms of sections and number of bars within each section. However, the common ones usually contain sections like verse, chorus and bridge and each of these sections may vary from eight to 16 bars. For most pop songs, the chorus is also usually where you will find the song title and the most catchy melody, so this makes the chorus the most important part of the song - the most memorable, (e.g. The Beatles Let It Be, Michael Jacksons We Are the World, The Frays You Found Me, etc.).

How to Practice

Every time you play a piece of music, remember to identify the form first. See whether it fits nicely into any of the common forms, e.g. 12-bar blues, verse/chorus, AABC, etc. Then learn the melody and chord progression section by section. Remember, similar sections will contain similar melody and chord progression. Not only does this give a proper structure to the song and creates cohesiveness, it also makes memorization of the piece so much easier.


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Way #6: Styles Playing contemporary music is exciting due to the many styles. The stylistic characteristics of each genre of music are unique and these are usually focused on the main elements of music, i.e. melody, rhythm, harmony and form. For every song or composition that you listen to, use the following style analysis to determine which genre it falls into.

What to Practice

Style Analysis

A style analysis helps you break down each facet of a style by examining the following: a) Melody b) Rhythm c) Harmony d) Form e) Instrumentation

Ask yourself the following questions when confronted with a piece of music:

a) Melody:

What scale does the melody come from? Is it major, minor, pentatonic, blues, Phrygian mode, etc.?

Is the melody mostly diatonic to the scale or does it have chromatic notes?

What is the overall intensity of the melody? Is it light or heavy, driven or mellow?

How are the notes articulated - smoothly or detached or punctuated?

b) Rhythm:

What is the common time signature? What is the tempo of the song? What feel does the song utilize? Does it employ a lot of anticipations, or none at all?


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c) Harmony:

What types of chords are being featured? How big are the chords - triads, 4-part, slash chords, etc.? Does it use common chord progressions -- I-IV-V-I; I-VImi-IImi-

V-I, Imi-bVI-bVII-Vmi, etc.?

d) Form:

Does it have an intro? How long? What is the structure of the song? Does it have an ending, or just a fadeout?

e) Instrumentation:

What are the instruments being used? How big is the sound - orchestral, small band, 4-piece band,

etc.?

As an example, a Simple Pop Ballad style analysis arranged for the piano will look like this:

f) Melody:

Generally, the melody comes from major, natural minor or pentatonic scales.

The melody is mostly diatonic to the scale, with occasional chromatic notes.

The touch and intensity level is generally medium, dependent on different sections of the form

Articulation of the melody is generally legato, with occasional staccato and marcato notes.

g) Rhythm:

The common time signature is 4/4, although some ballads, especially of the 60s and 70s do feature 3/4 time


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The tempo ranges from slow to moderate (between 60-80 bpm)

Mostly in straight 8th feel with occasional 16th notes May or may not have anticipations

h) Harmony:

Diatonic chords are mainly used Triads and 4-part chords are very common, V7s are prominent

as well

Use common phrase-ending chords like V7-I or IV-I. i) Form:

Intro is usually four to eight bars in length. Usual structure is one or two verses, then a chorus followed

by another verse and repeat of the chorus again. Some songs may include a bridge.

The ending is usually two to four bars long. j) Instrumentation:

Since we are arranging for the piano, we will only focus on the piano itself. Pop ballads of the early 60s usually feature acoustic piano sounds, while those in the late 60s and early 70s use both the acoustic and electric pianos quite a lot.

How to Practice From now on, each time you approach a piece of music, ask yourself the series of questions as laid out in the styles analysis. That will help you determine the appropriate characteristic of each style, necessary to be reflected in your playing. Always aim to play stylistically, not meandering between a little bit of this and a little bit of that e.g. the consistent left-hand arpeggiated pattern of so many piano pieces being represented as the pop ballad style. There are so many other ways the pop ballad style can be performed and presented pianistically. Explore and listen (check out Way #7).


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Way #7: Listen The internet and the advancement of digital technology have made listening to music (even downloading of music - legally or illegally) so easy and widely available. Even recordings of music long thought to be forgotten and rare collection of albums are now available if we only take the time to find them. So there is no longer room for the excuse of not being able to get hold of the appropriate music to listen to. Short of going down to the music store and picking up the actual CDs, there are videos and music clips from websites like YouTube, CD Baby, Amazon.com, etc.

What to Listen Obviously, you will only listen to the music that you like or are inspired by. That is fine. But also try to expand your listening horizons. If you have never given jazz music a listen, maybe give it a try today. Or if you have never been a fan of classical music, its not too late to get to know the works of Beethoven or Mozart! Maybe because youre a pianist, you have been listening only to piano music. Its time to listen to other instrumentalists as well.

Below, I list a few artistes by genres that you should check out (its not exhaustive but is a good start):

Pop, Rock, Country

The Beatles Billy Joel Chicago The Eagles Elton John Floyd Kramer Jerry Lee Lewis Little Richard Michael Jackson


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The Police and Sting Queen Tori Amos U2

R&B, Blues, Gospel, Soul, Funk

Alicia Keys BB King Earth, Wind & Fire James Brown Jamie Cullum Jamiroquai John Legend Norah Jones Michael Buble Ramsey Lewis Ray Charles Santana

Jazz, Latin-Jazz, Salsa

Bill Evans Chick Corea Duke Ellington (big band) George Shearing Oscar Peterson


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Herbie Hancock Hiromi Keith Jarrett Michel Camilo McCoy Tyner Stan Getz Stanley Clarke Tito Puente

Fusion, Smooth Jazz, New Age

Casiopea Dave Grusin David Benoit Eric Marienthal Keiko Matsui Kitaro Spyro Gyra T-Square The Rippingtons Yanni Yellow Jackets

Note: Use the search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. to help you find these artistes and their definitive albums or signature tunes.

How to Listen The most important thing to remember is to start devoting some time to do


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active listening, i.e. do not put the music as background. Once upon a time, one could only listen to music in a concert hall or at a rich mans music courtyard. Nowadays, music has become so disposable, its everywhere -- from the car radio to piped in music in the washroom!

Active listening means really paying attention to and concentrating on the music being played. If it is vocal music, obviously, you will focus on the words being sung, the emotions in the singers expressive voice. When listening to musical instruments, try to discern the different timbres of the various instruments, the lines that are being performed, the chords and voicings that are being played by chordal instruments like the guitar and piano, the groove and rhythms of the drums, the beautiful tone and solo of the saxophonist, etc.

When listening to piano music or pieces that contain piano parts, pay attention to the following:

How the player articulate the notes -- long phrases, rhythmically punctuated, light or heavy touch, etc.

How are chords played? Solid block chords, broken chords (or arpeggios), with rhythmic patterns, held down in long duration, etc.

As an accompaniment, how are chords executed? Sparse, held-down chords; steady quarter note comping; pattern-based arpeggios; light fills, etc.

In jazz, what chord voicings are being used? Clusters, A & B, quartal, etc.

With jazz solos, what scales or improvisational techniques are being employed? Pentatonic, blues, modes, out-of-chord tones, thematic improv, intervallic approach, etc.

Conclusion There is no shortcut to mastering the piano. Knowledgeable practice and a consistent practice routine are essential.

Passion + Hard Work = Beautiful Music!

I strongly believe that if each day you put aside the time to work on the seven ways to practice, you will see results -- slowly but surely.

To your musical success!

nicole


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Private Piano Lessons If this e-book has inspired you to want to play better piano, you can contact me here. All lessons are customized to each students requirements and/or playing ability.

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Important NoticeIntroduction7 Ways to Become a Better Pop/Jazz Pianist

This e-book is an expansion of my article of the same title, first published in Ezine@rticles November, 2009, and also available at my blog. It requires no reading of music notation and, hence, is an invaluable resource to those who play by ear as well. Very often as piano students, we are told by our teachers to practice after every lesson. How many times have you heard this phrase: Practice makes perfect? And how many times have you actually gone home and practiced and when lesson time came, your playing or performance is still not up to mark? Is it because you didnt practice enough? Perhaps. Did you forget what you were supposed to practice? Possibly. More often than not, I find that most people just dont really know what and how to practice. Also, some teachers seem to only work on playing songs with their students. Learning songs and working on perfecting them are fine. However, that should not be the be all and end all if you are serious in perfecting your craft, i.e. piano-playing. In learning a song, we should not just be focusing on getting the notes right. We should really study the song inside out by breaking it down in terms of its melody, harmony, rhythm, form and style. And then we should work on understanding and perfecting every musical element that is associated with the song. If practice makes perfect, then it is also true that imperfect practice makes imperfection! And we definitely dont want that. To become really good at our craft, it is important to know what to practice and how we should go about practicing it. Hence, to me, the saying should really be knowledgeable practice makes perfect. In this e-book, I will elaborate and demonstrate in detail the seven important areas to cover and to diligently practice in order to become a better pop and/or jazz pianist. The seven areas are:1. Scales2. Chords3. Rhythm4. Cycle of 5ths 5. Form6. Styles7. Listen Quick SummaryScales:All contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocks in music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisational lines in jazz solos. Essential scales to master are: major (ionian mode), melodic and harmonic minor, modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian [natural minor], locrian), major and minor pentatonic, major and minor blues, diminished and whole-tone. Chords:From scales, we build chords. Its vital to memorize all the diatonic chords of the major and minor scales. Diatonic chords are chords that are built on every note of a scale and whose notes come from that very scale; there are seven altogether for each scale. Learn up its chord quality and function within the scale or key, regardless whether the chords are triads, sevenths, or 13th chords. Essential chord families to master are: major, minor and dominant. Rhythm:The best melody and harmony in the world will be quite boring without a hint of rhythm that goes with it. Rhythm gives life to music. Inherent with rhythm is feel, i.e. the interpretation of rhythmic units. Essential rhythmic feels to grasp are: straight and rolled 8ths, straight and rolled 16ths, swing and triplet. Additionally, it is also important to work on other rhythmic aspects such as syncopation and anticipation.Cycle of 5ths:

Imagine the face of a clock and instead of the hourly numbers, replace these with the 12 notes in music, i.e. starting at the top at 12 with C, then moving clockwise down five steps to F, then Bb and continuing this until you end back at C. This is what you will get: C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db(C#)-Gb(F#)-Cb(B)-E-A-D-G-C. Memorize this movement because a lot of chord progressions in songs move naturally in this way, either down in perfect 5ths or up in perfect 4ths. For example, the A section of Fly Me to the Moon: Ami7-Dmi7-G7-Cma7-Fma7-Bmi7(b5)- E7-Ami7. The roots of the chords move perfectly around the cycle, diatonic to the key of C major!Form:

All the elements of music -- melody, harmony and rhythm -- will be pointless or meandering if not held together or structured in specific forms. Pop songs are known for their verse and chorus structures, or AB form. It is also common to find modern pop songs these days with the following form: intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro (ending). Blues music, of course, has its 12-bar structure, and its less common 16-bar form. And the 32-bar song form in jazz with its many variations, i.e., AABA, AABC, et cetera are all important to note and remember.Styles:

The beautiful thing about contemporary music is its many styles: pop, rock, R&B, reggae, gospel, bossa nova, swing, bebop, et cetera. Each and every style has its inherent melodic, harmonic and rhythmic characteristics. Break down every facet of a style and learn how to interpret it correctly. Master the styles and make your playing more colorful and multidimensional!Listen:

Last but not least, because contemporary music comes in many genres, styles, shape and form, we need to develop a healthy listening habit. Every area from 1 to 6 above can be consolidated through a good listening session. As you listen to a piece of music, be it something from Coldplay, Sara Bareilles, Michael Bubl, or Keith Jarrett, look out for and analyze all the elements - the melody/scale, chord/harmony, rhythm/feel, form and style. Music is an audible art. Hence, as a musician you need to build up your analytic listening skills! Way #1: ScalesAll contemporary piano players know that scales are the basic building blocks in music. The notes of a melody come from a scale, as are improvisational lines in jazz solos. Also, when you are learning a song, the first thing you must determine is the key of the song. This is another way of saying, whats the scale that is being used in the song for its melody and chords?In Western tonal music, the first and most important scale to master is the major scale. One easy way to learn scales is by memorizing its pattern of half and whole steps. The smallest interval (or the distance from one key to the next nearest) on the piano is the half step. Two half steps make one whole step. What to PracticeThe major scale is made up of seven notes with a combination pattern of half (H) and whole steps (W) as follows: The other essential scales to master are: melodic and harmonic minor, modes (dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, aeolian [natural minor], locrian), major and minor pentatonic, major and minor blues, diminished and whole-tone.Below and on the next page are the patterns of half (H) and whole steps (W) for each of the abovementioned scales.Harmonic Minor: WHWWH(3H)H C Harmonic Minor: C D Eb F G Ab B CDorian Mode: WHWWWHW C Dorian Mode: C D Eb F G A Bb CPhrygian Mode: HWWWHWW C Phrygian Mode: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb CLydian Mode: WWWHWWH C Lydian Mode: C D E F# G A B CMixolydian Mode: WWHWWHW C Mixolydian Mode: C D E F G A Bb CAeolian Mode/Natural Minor: WHWWHWW C Aeolian Mode: C D Eb F G Ab Bb CLocrian Mode: HWWHWWW C Locrian Mode: C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb CMajor Pentatonic: WW(3H)W(3H) C Major Pentatonic: C D E G A CMinor Pentatonic: (3H)WW(3H)W C Minor Pentatonic: C Eb F G Bb CMajor Blues: WHH(3H)W(3H) C Major Blues: C D Eb E G A CMinor Blues: (3H)WHH(3H)W C Minor Blues: C Eb F Gb G Bb CHalf-Whole Diminished: HWHWHWHW C H/W Dim.: C C# D# E F# G A Bb CWhole-Half Diminished: WHWHWHWH C W/H Dim.: C D Eb F Gb Ab A B CWhole Tone: WWWWWW C Whole Tone: C D E F# G # Bb CHow to PracticeOnce you have mastered the scales, you will find that a scale is actually the foundation upon which chords are built. The smallest chord unit called a triad is a 3-note chord which consists of three notes with each note stacked up on top of the other (skip a key each on the keyboard).What to PracticeDiatonic Chords of Major ScaleEvery note of a major scale can be stacked with two other notes in this way. That will make seven different triads to the seven notes of the scale, i.e. on the C major scale or key of C major, we will have: 1. C-E-G, 2. D-F-A, 3. E-G-B, 4. F-A-C, 5. G-B-D, 6. A-C-E, and 7. B-D-F.These chords are called the diatonic triads of the major scale. And each of these triads have a specific quality based on their position in the scale, i.e. Do the same for the next set of diatonic chords, i.e. the Diatonic 7th chords made up of 4 notes.1. C-E-G-7 (Cmaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. E-G-B-D (Emi7), 4. F-A-C-E (Fmaj7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-E-G (Ami7), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi7b5).Diatonic Chords of Minor ScaleThe next sets of important diatonic chords to master are the ones from the three important minor scales, i.e. natural, melodic and harmonic.1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-Bb (Eb), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-Bb-D (Gmi), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. Bb-D-F (Bb).And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Natural Minor scale:1. C-Eb-G-Bb (Cmi7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-Bb-D (Ebmaj7), 4. F-Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-Bb-D-D (Gmi7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. Bb-D-F-Ab (Bb7).1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-A (Dmi), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-A-C (F), 5. G-B-D (G), 6. A-C-Eb (Adim), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Melodic Minor scale:1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-A-C (Dmi7), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4. F-A-C-Eb (F7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. A-C-Eb-G (Ami7b5), and 7. B-D-F-A (Bmi75b).1. C-Eb-G (Cmi), 2. D-F-Ab (Ddim), 3. Eb-G-B (Eb+), 4. F-Ab-C (Fmi), 5. G-B-D (G), 6. Ab-C-Eb (Ab), and 7. B-D-F (Bdim).And these are the diatonic 7ths the C Harmonic Minor scale:1. C-Eb-G-B (CmiMaj7), 2. D-F-Ab-C (Dmi7b5), 3. Eb-G-B-D (Ebmaj7+5), 4. F-Ab-C-Eb (Fmi7), 5. G-B-D-F (G7), 6. Ab-C-Eb-G (Abmaj7), and 7. B-D-F-Ab (Bdim7).How to PracticeMelody and harmony are two of the three elements in music. However, without the third element, rhythm, melody and harmony will be quite lifeless and static, because rhythm breathes life into the melodic lines and chords. Rhythm provides the movement and space in music. What to PracticeRhythmic FeelIn pop and jazz music, rhythmic groove and feel is so essential in defining the style. Hence, it is important to understand the following feels: straight, rolled and triplet 8th; and straight, rolled and triplet 16th.Rhythmic AnticipationHow to PracticeRhythmic FeelRhythmic AnticipationWhat to PracticePlay each letter of the 12 notes around the Cycle of 5ths and sing along with the roots. Listen to how smoothly and naturally one note flows into the other around this cycle. You dont necessarily have to always start with C. Start with any note and just play and sing around the cycle until you arrive back at the beginning note.In conjunction with the practice of scales (Way #1) and chords (Way #2), this cycle will also be reinforced and strengthened.Form is the gel that holds all musical elements of melody, harmony and rhythm together and gives these meaning and direction. Just like writing an essay, where you need an introduction, a few paragraphs to expound on the topic and a closing, forms in music need similar structures to make the musical materials cohesive and meaningful. What to PracticeWhat to PracticeHow to PracticeWhat to ListenHow to Listen

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