eldeni

Smartyy has some basic knowledge on scales and chromatic function, he listens to a lot of jazz since his father is a jazz artist so that is to me the main idea of how to play jazz, listening and copying so you can expand your vocabulary when improvising..

Suggestions before I give you an assignment:

1-Listen to sax players!!, they really know how to breathe and since you are going to be doing this on piano it is important for you to leave spaces in your writing as well as in your playing...

2-Learn your circle of fifths (sharps) and fourths (flats) really well... smartyy if you dont know what i am talking about let me know but i assume you do...

3-Record yourself, we will be working mainly on a notation program such as finale or sibelius, or any sequencer as long as it contains midi data, but it is also important that you record yourself while practicing or composing.. jazz is a complicated art and requires a lot of sonority...

4-If you are also interested in writing jazz tunes and pieces, for me it is very very VERY important that you listen to at least one of these composers "Franz Schubert, Liszt or Chopin" but, mainly their IMPROMPTUS... those were written for piano, and since it was the romantic period it is just the perfect example of what could have come from... we are going to write music improvising also.. that means, no AABA form or harmonic Tricks.. although we are going to cover some of them so you can learn the rules..

Smartyy i will give you an assignment.. tell me how would you like to work... Any sequencer?, finale, Sibelius?, PDF?

Im using Finale or LOGIC (midi sequencer), so I would rather work on them but if you can't its fine..