Jazz Piano for the Young Pianist: Exercises, Minuets, & Pieces #1

EXERCISE

SIX AND MINUET SIX The left hand pattern now enters the form of boogie woogie. This is a very ¡mportant exercise and should be thoroughty tearned before any other l¡nes are attempted against the left hañd. lñcidentally th¡s should represent a great chatlenge from this aspect because it is fairty difficult to move the r¡ght hanct t¡ne to añy depth against á bass line that ¡s quite busy such as the one provided.

o: .a

EXERCISE

SEVEN

AND

MINUET SEVEN we now erfiploy the stop and go bass f¡gures. This gives us the ab¡lity to change from an elementary sense of rhythm¡c pattern in the left hand, introducing from time to t¡me a straight four as a form of retief. The rnetody in the jazz m¡nuet should be played in a very legato manner in order to give the listener a sense of cohesiveness between the two hanc,s.

a

7

EXERCISE

EIGHT AND MINUET EIGHT Here we employ a steady watking bass figure ir the exercise. In the minuet we emptoy fa¡rty lrusy l¡nes. The p!áyer shou¡d attempt d¡fferent types of art¡culation ;n o.der to obtain the finat tnd correct jazz feeliñg that he des¡res. In doing this he should then be able to reatize how üre jazz player (professional) changes the comdete complexion of a tune by changing his articulation. |'

a' EXERCISE

NINE AND

EXERCISE

) AND

MINUET NINE This is an exercise in double hands ¡n which once aga¡ñ the player has a choice of art¡culat¡on, However, the finger¡ng shoutd be studied carefully so that he reat¡zes that in order to art¡culate with complete ease, h¡s hands must be free Of any keyboard entanglements.

TEN

EXERCISE ELEVEN AND MINUET ELEVEN Many jazz piánists ¡ncluding yours truty at var¡ous times ehploy a double metod¡c l¡ne using two hands. Many times th¡s ¡s used to give a deeper rhythmic project¡on to the metodic tine. At other times it is used ¡n á very free-ftight manner (pr¡mar¡ly during fast tempos). Another aspect of the ability to play doubte tines is that it can be very effect¡ve when the pian¡st is doubling the same line as añother ¡nstrumental¡st. You will notice in the m¡nuet that both hands at various times get a chance to play background and lead. Th¡s is an exerc¡se that should be practiced carefully in ordea to give the pianist the abit¡ty to make th¡s change as smoothly as possible.

EXERCISE TWELVE MINUET T\¡r'ELVE

ilB AND

VVe deal now with the aspect of a rñoving lir|. and chords ¡n both hañds. The minuet bear3 a very close resemblance to the exerc¡se here, lo the transition from the exercise to the oieca shou¡d be very easy- tt ¡s important to g¡ve each uñderlying harmony ¡ts proper rhythrñic valu€ and tonal resoect.

EXERCISE THIRTEEN MINUET THIRTEEN

AND

In exerc¡se thirteen we prepare for changiñg rhythms in both hañds- Upon reaching the minuet, if any clifficulty is experienced, the ptayer shot¡ld leave the m¡nuet and retuan to the exerc¡se¡ for the secret l¡es ¡ñ first imprinting the depth of the melod¡c line in either hand. tf any other trouble is encouñtered here, the player shoulcl return to exerc¡Se and minuet nuñber eeven. A

I (o

MINUET

TEN

Exercise ten is v¡tally important for here we have the walking bass tine in eighth notes. Láter on in the m¡nuet, we add a tine of e¡ghth notes in the r¡ght hand alsó. The tr¡ck heré is to kéep the primáry sense of rhythm¡c ¡mpetus in the left hand whi¡e playing the r¡ght hand tiñes with an even legato feel.

al EXERCISE FOURTEEN MINUEÍ FOURTEEN

AND

Exerc¡se fourteeñ should be practiced until the player achieves a fleei but coñf¡rmed sense of ¡ntérpretation, Whert th¡s has been accompl¡shed, he should then appty this techn¡que to the minuet.

o¡cor pelerson

t

FOR THE

JAZZ

PIANIST

Copyrshl o 1965by Toni MusicCo,and DoeMusicCo M¿dein U,S,a. a¡l Rishts ReePed lnte¡nationalCoptrighl Secured

fhis edili0nauthori?ed lor sak in theUniledSlates. Canada a¡d G¡ea1 Sritain.

notes f rom the outhor PREFACE

EXERCISE

Jazz p¡ar'o can be a very enjoyable rnusical exper¡ence from a listening standpo¡nt, to everyone, both aclult and youngster alike. Howeve¡, when a Derson. whether studied or not classically speakiñg, attempts to enter the Jazz world from a playing aspect, he often f¡ncls himself harnstrung by many variecl musical inadequacies. Very few people truly ever attribute their lack of abil¡ty to the proper cause, I feel. Many of them blame what they term their creat¡ve ¡nability to conceive jazz phrases, w¡thout stopp¡ng to realize thal a jazz technique in many ways is a completely new form of technique when comoared with the classical. lt is with this pr¡mary aspect in m¡nd that lhave conceived this set of beginner's exerc¡ses. I feel thát if the player honestly ancl sincerely learns the ¡azz bxercises one at a t¡me, and after having compteted one, then applies that learn¡ng to the little iazz m¡nuet that matches the exercise, he will Ére iñ effect condit¡oning the hands for proceed¡ng into deeper jazz play¡ng.

This exerc¡se and minuet are merely to induce in the player the ab¡lity to phrase jazz-wise in his left hand when callecl upon to do so. Here also he should strive for a completely even tonal result.

It is vitally important that all fingering g¡ven in both hands be followed completely. In the exercises where no fingering is given in one hand, I feel that the player should ¡nstinctively have no trouble f¡nding the proper digitál pos¡tion to give the greatest ease of hancl movement, thereby achieving a better tonal result on the I hope that this f¡rst book of jazz exercises and pieces opens a new world of p¡anist¡c command to the avid young p¡anist. L N

EXERCISE ONE AND PLAYING NOTES

MINUET

EXERCISE

THREE

MINUET

TWO

MINUET THREE This exercise and minuet deals primar¡ly with what I feel are the two weakest fingers of the jazz pian¡st's right hand (the fourth and f¡fth fingers). On playing this exercise ancl piece the p¡ayer should attempt to keep the l¡stener (or

AND

h¡s instructor) from knowing that he is us¡ng his fifth f¡nger on his right hand. Usually this is a pitfall in jazz playing. The stuclent will notice that the fifth f¡nger is employed ¡n the middle of the phrase rather than at the€nd which is the usual jazz custom, \ \t

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EXERCISE FOUR AND MINUET FOUR This exercise and piece are merely to give the beginner the chance to formulate in h¡s own mind the format and content of the blues from a backgrouñcl standpoint. Very elementary harmonic movement is employecl and after both exercise ancl minuet have been learnecl thoroughly. the player shoulcl attempt to ¡mprovise his own.¡ght grven here,

hand lines on the background

f)

ONE

Exercise one attempts to give the player two things. First, strength. The player moves from the middle of the right hand to the lást finger of the right hand, then moves from the thumb of the right hand to the midclle of the hand. Seconclly, if practised properly, the player shoulct be able to achieve better d¡g¡tal control on this type of phras¡ng w¡thout rocking the hancl from s¡de to side,

AND

TWO

EXERCISE

FIVE AND

MINUET

FIVE

we now approach the walking bass line. I feel ñow that w¡th the movement employed the player shoulcl gain a much f¡rmer understanding of what a bass player does for the pian¡st oñ the blues in the primary stage. Again lstate that after command is a,a¡nedof these two pieces, the player should attempt to conce¡ve lines on this given bass.

EXERCISE

SIX AND MINUET SIX The left hand pattern now enters the form of boogie woogie. This is a very ¡mportant exercise and should be thoroughty tearned before any other l¡nes are attempted against the left hañd. lñcidentally th¡s should represent a great chatlenge from this aspect because it is fairty difficult to move the r¡ght hanct t¡ne to añy depth against á bass line that ¡s quite busy such as the one provided.

o: .a

EXERCISE

SEVEN

AND

MINUET SEVEN we now erfiploy the stop and go bass f¡gures. This gives us the ab¡lity to change from an elementary sense of rhythm¡c pattern in the left hand, introducing from time to t¡me a straight four as a form of retief. The rnetody in the jazz m¡nuet should be played in a very legato manner in order to give the listener a sense of cohesiveness between the two hanc,s.

a

7

EXERCISE

EIGHT AND MINUET EIGHT Here we employ a steady watking bass figure ir the exercise. In the minuet we emptoy fa¡rty lrusy l¡nes. The p!áyer shou¡d attempt d¡fferent types of art¡culation ;n o.der to obtain the finat tnd correct jazz feeliñg that he des¡res. In doing this he should then be able to reatize how üre jazz player (professional) changes the comdete complexion of a tune by changing his articulation. |'

a' EXERCISE

NINE AND

EXERCISE

) AND

MINUET NINE This is an exercise in double hands ¡n which once aga¡ñ the player has a choice of art¡culat¡on, However, the finger¡ng shoutd be studied carefully so that he reat¡zes that in order to art¡culate with complete ease, h¡s hands must be free Of any keyboard entanglements.

TEN

EXERCISE ELEVEN AND MINUET ELEVEN Many jazz piánists ¡ncluding yours truty at var¡ous times ehploy a double metod¡c l¡ne using two hands. Many times th¡s ¡s used to give a deeper rhythmic project¡on to the metodic tine. At other times it is used ¡n á very free-ftight manner (pr¡mar¡ly during fast tempos). Another aspect of the ability to play doubte tines is that it can be very effect¡ve when the pian¡st is doubling the same line as añother ¡nstrumental¡st. You will notice in the m¡nuet that both hands at various times get a chance to play background and lead. Th¡s is an exerc¡se that should be practiced carefully in ordea to give the pianist the abit¡ty to make th¡s change as smoothly as possible.

EXERCISE TWELVE MINUET T\¡r'ELVE

ilB AND

VVe deal now with the aspect of a rñoving lir|. and chords ¡n both hañds. The minuet bear3 a very close resemblance to the exerc¡se here, lo the transition from the exercise to the oieca shou¡d be very easy- tt ¡s important to g¡ve each uñderlying harmony ¡ts proper rhythrñic valu€ and tonal resoect.

EXERCISE THIRTEEN MINUET THIRTEEN

AND

In exerc¡se thirteen we prepare for changiñg rhythms in both hañds- Upon reaching the minuet, if any clifficulty is experienced, the ptayer shot¡ld leave the m¡nuet and retuan to the exerc¡se¡ for the secret l¡es ¡ñ first imprinting the depth of the melod¡c line in either hand. tf any other trouble is encouñtered here, the player shoulcl return to exerc¡Se and minuet nuñber eeven. A

I (o

MINUET

TEN

Exercise ten is v¡tally important for here we have the walking bass tine in eighth notes. Láter on in the m¡nuet, we add a tine of e¡ghth notes in the r¡ght hand alsó. The tr¡ck heré is to kéep the primáry sense of rhythm¡c ¡mpetus in the left hand whi¡e playing the r¡ght hand tiñes with an even legato feel.

al EXERCISE FOURTEEN MINUEÍ FOURTEEN

AND

Exerc¡se fourteeñ should be practiced until the player achieves a fleei but coñf¡rmed sense of ¡ntérpretation, Whert th¡s has been accompl¡shed, he should then appty this techn¡que to the minuet.

o¡cor pelerson

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