The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hey guys, I started learning piano in May. It's been a really fun experience. Here's some video in 4 parts describing the process. There is some static that I couldn't figure out; after the first video, it's minimal.

    Use headphones turned up for best sound.


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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

  4. #3
    Here is 2B:


  5. #4
    Last part:



    Comments? Other experiences with piano?

  6. #5
    Not much interest in piano around here?

    I know my playing is pretty mediocre (and nervous) in these -- it's only been four months.

  7. #6

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    I didn't listen to what you were saying, just listened to the musical sounds. I dunno man, but just about any musician should be able to knock out those notes on a keyboard.

  8. #7

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    Hey good job, you're doing the right things. I'm an organist and pianist and guitar/bass is my 2nd instrument. Yeah, so you're doing the right things. Learning melodies, learning how chords can be voiced anywhere and in any way, playing stuff involving independent left and right hand parts, playing stuff in time to the drums. If you like it, keep it up.

  9. #8

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    Maybe my response was a bit hasty. A lot of the houses I went into as a kid in the UK had some kind of upright standing in the study, sitting room etc., often slightly out of tune, and one would learn to play basic "white key" triads, arps and simple melodies just because. Maybe not everyone has had access to a bashed up old piano (light bulb moment).

    Which reminds me, I must get a keyboard! Very useful for mapping stuff out.

  10. #9

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    Additional piano lessons are compulsory in every music school.
    They rely on the right positioning of the hands and playing simple tunes.
    Finally, you need to pass an exam.
    This is how it was in my time when I attended music school.

  11. #10

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    Cool, I'm learning piano also. Do you know about Jerry Coker's book Keyboard for Pianist and Non Pianists. That will take you directly to jazz voicings and I think it's a good shortcut.

    Most recently I've been going through Howard Roberts SuperChops book and have been recording the backing tracks from the keyboard. I'm probably learning as much (or more) piano from working through the book. I'm primarily using the Jerry Coker type of voicings. For guitar the SuperChops has you playing constant 8th notes or triplets for 10 minutes at a time over changes, it's quite difficult at least for me.

    Attached Images Attached Images My experience learning piano-coker-small-jpg 

  12. #11
    Thanks for all the replies (even the negative one because it generated discussion).

    I will look into that voicings book. I'm just now starting to look at 4 note chords, playing with different options (1 and 5 in LH, 3 and 7 way over here in RH, etc.). Treating the instrument as a toy, a la Martino.

    Already in reworking Crystal Silence with some 1- 3, or 5 under the 1, or arpeggiating the triad before the melody note, I can see the potential.

    Obviously I need to work on timing and coordination, as well as lessen stage fright. The point of starting with just roots in LH was to get a foothold, and build from there.

  13. #12

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    Yeah, sorry 'bout that

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by JazzinNY
    Thanks for all the replies (even the negative one because it generated discussion).

    I will look into that voicings book. I'm just now starting to look at 4 note chords, playing with different options (1 and 5 in LH, 3 and 7 way over here in RH, etc.). Treating the instrument as a toy, a la Martino.
    I suppose it's a voicings book in that it only addresses playing chord progressions, but it is more than just voicings as it has a bit of theory and some Idiomatic Keyboard Vamps etc.

    So far, and I'm about 1/2 way, it's voicings that go well together. In the first part of the book he'll notate the voicing example, then he'll have exercises that are just chord symbols (not standard notation) forcing you to really know the chords. I did an example of a snippet of an early exercise and I wrote up the voicing like Coker would (in MuseScore)...

    Regarding piano, I'm mostly interested in using the piano for songwriting and recording my own songs. It opens up so many sound possibilities with all the instrument patches/plugins.
    Attached Images Attached Images My experience learning piano-coker-musescore-jpg My experience learning piano-coker-chord-symbol-example-jpg 

  15. #14

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    You’re doing great. My recommendation, get rootless voicings under your fingers especially in the left hand. Practice slowly doing both hands simultaneously. You’ll be able to accompany yourself much easier.

    And while learning rootless voicings do so in a jazz context. Substitute the 9th for the root. Use no roots! Practice ii-V-I in all keys. For example in the key of C it’s FACE FABE EGBD. That’s 3579 79313 3579. This is good voice leading. Observe how the 3rd converts to the 7th and then back to the 3rd again. The 9th converts to the 13th and back to the 9th again, and so on.

    I’d recommend getting The Jazz Piano Book by Mark Levine. It begins with 3 note voicings and gets you playing any tune quickly. Keep at it.

    It’s a reference guide to anyone desiring to study jazz piano.

    Any questions, simply ask.

    My experience learning piano-1fb96f72-2ebb-42e2-a1cc-c60ce7f66706-jpeg

  16. #15
    I gotta do one book at a time. Edna is a given; I can add Coker and then Levine.

    Peter: Apology sorta accepted.

    Clint 55: Do you have an actual Hammond? I would love to get my hands on one of those before they disappear! Gotta have more skill first.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by JazzinNY
    I gotta do one book at a time. Edna is a given; I can add Coker and then Levine.

    Peter: Apology sorta accepted.

    Clint 55: Do you have an actual Hammond? I would love to get my hands on one of those before they disappear! Gotta have more skill first.
    I get it. There’s thousands of books. But this is THE book for jazz piano. Give it a preview on line. You could be much further along by now if you began with Levine’s book. Just saying.

  18. #17

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  19. #18

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    While not a tutor book as such The Real Easy Book Vol 1 has a nice selection of tunes mainly Blues with some examples of piano rootless voicings. Also there's a sample bass line for each tune. I'm going to check out the Jerry Coker book I'd not heard of that before.

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by gps
    While not a tutor book as such The Real Easy Book Vol 1 has a nice selection of tunes mainly Blues with some examples of piano rootless voicings. Also there's a sample bass line for each tune. I'm going to check out the Jerry Coker book I'd not heard of that before.
    I studied from that book very briefly 30 years ago, but then migrated to the Levine book because of it's greater content. The Coker book has been around since the 80's.

  21. #20
    So I'll get both books.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by JazzinNY
    So I'll get both books.
    Me too, but I'll finish the Coker book before I buy the Levine book. The Coker book is 63 pages, the Levine book is over 300 pages. Coker is probably something I can get thru in a reasonable amount of time and the Levine book will be for the rest of my life. It seems the Coker is much more of a course-type book in that you work straight through it and is used in a lot of college music school classes.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    Me too, but I'll finish the Coker book before I buy the Levine book. The Coker book is 63 pages, the Levine book is over 300 pages. Coker is probably something I can get thru in a reasonable amount of time and the Levine book will be for the rest of my life. It seems the Coker is much more of a course-type book in that you work straight through it and is used in a lot of college music school classes.
    Levine teaches you So What chords, 4th voicings, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock voicings, etc. It's the finest jazz piano book ever created for students, imo. Before I concluded the book I was already working solo piano gigs.

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
    Levine teaches you So What chords, 4th voicings, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock voicings, etc. It's the finest jazz piano book ever created for students, imo. Before I concluded the book I was already working solo piano gigs.
    Sounds good and like I said I'll get it, and it will probably take me forever to get thru it.

    You apparently are not aware of the content in the Coker book which includes So What Chords, 4th voicings, Herbie Hancock tunes, Chick Corea, Benny Golson, MIles, Cedar Walton, Wayne Shorter. Playing solo gigs is beyond the Coker book, but you will be able to comp in a band setting, and that is pretty much all it covers.

    Have you looked at the Cooker book?

  25. #24

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    Tried classical piano about 15 years ago after being taught the rudiments in music school. Worked through a few of Schumann’s Kinderszenen, which was fun being able to access an A-level romantic composer, something not possible on guitar. However, building any technique was just impossible, part of my excuse is that all the guitar training is about coordinating both hands to hit the right note(s) at the right time, and was just too much cognitive dissonance to have eaxh hand playing different things

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by JazzinNY
    Clint 55: Do you have an actual Hammond? I would love to get my hands on one of those before they disappear! Gotta have more skill first.
    Yes, I have an actual Hammond. It's the rig in my avatar. No, it is not the vintage tonewheel kind. It's the new version which is digital.
    Last edited by Clint 55; 09-30-2021 at 01:52 AM.