Jerry Coker's Keyboard book, Interested in a Study Group

[fep]

Edit: part 2 of this study group is here: Jerry Coker's Jazz Keyboard book part 2

I'm throwing a feeler out there to see if there is any interest in a Study Group for Jerry Coker's book "Jerry Coker's Jazz Keyboard - Keyboard For Pianists and Non-Pianists".

This book gets one started on jazz chords and progressions. Maybe this is a skill all musicians should have?

If we get a group, my goal/pace would be to spend about 30 minutes five days a week on this. I'll also be making backing tracks for many of the exercises which will probably be just bass and drums.

Please chime in if you are interested.

Amazon.com

[matt.guitarteacher]

I'm throwing a feeler out there to see if there is any interest in a Study Group for Jerry Coker's book "Jerry Coker's Jazz Keyboard - Keyboard For Pianists and Non-Pianists".

This book gets one started on jazz chords and progressions. Maybe this is a skill all musicians should have?

If we get a group, my goal/pace would be to spend about 30 minutes five days a week on this. I'll also be making backing tracks for many of the exercises which will probably be just bass and drums.

Please chime in if you are interested.

Amazon.com

I might be. I’d have to get the book and probably tune a piano. Did a lot of this stuff with my college daughter locked down last year, and I’d be interested to see what legit methods look like.

[matt.guitarteacher]

BTW, Am I crazy, or has the CESH acronym been used different ways in other places? I thought it was “chromatic embellishment of static harmony”. Even had the idea that I had gotten that from Coker’s own “hearing the changes”.

Think I probably just remembered it incorrectly.

[fep]

BTW, Am I crazy, or has the CESH acronym been used different ways in other places? I thought it was “chromatic embellishment of static harmony”. Even had the idea that I had gotten that from Coker’s own “hearing the changes”.

Think I probably just remembered it incorrectly.

That is kind of funny. "Embellishment" is also what I remember. "Elaboration", haven't heard that and didn't notice until you pointed it out.

[JazzinNY]

Yes but preferably a few weeks down the road -- I'm still in "playtime" going chromatically thru all kinds of voicings. Started with A, now on C sharp.

[2bornot2bop]

I might be. I’d have to get the book and probably tune a piano. Did a lot of this stuff with my college daughter locked down last year, and I’d be interested to see what legit methods look like.

You tune your own piano?

[fep]

For anyone out there without a keyboard, if you have a computer you can get into the world of keyboards very inexpensively. I bought the M Audio Keystation MK3 for $119 and I've seen it for $99. Added a $20 sustain pedal. I really like this setup.

[2bornot2bop]

For anyone out there without a keyboard, if you have a computer you can get into the world of keyboards very inexpensively. I bought the M Audio Keystation MK3 for $119 and I've seen it for $99. Added a $20 sustain pedal. I really like this setup.

I’m impressed with the tone as well, especially at that price point. Every guitarist should have one of those. No brainer.

[matt.guitarteacher]

You tune your own piano?

Ha. No. Just moved it a few months ago. Needs it.

[fep]

Hmm, just read this from the book. I think I'm guilty of overusing the sustain pedal as a crutch to set my fingers early for the next chord.

From the book:

Don't lean on the sustaining pedal, especially in medium to fast tempos, as it tends to destroy pulse-feeling. A ballad is about the only time you might need the sustaining pedal, and it can be overused there too. Especially be careful not to sustain when moving to a new chord.

[2bornot2bop]

Hmm, just read this from the book. I think I'm guilty of overusing the sustain pedal as a crutch to set my fingers early for the next chord.

From the book:

Beginners mistake. I did that to at the beginning. Then I went to a jazz club and had great seats to see Keith Jarrett. And I saw how often he used sustain. You’ll get faster with time.

[fep]

I bit of a preview of the first bit of the book. I'm shaky on all of this so I'll still be practicing this bit over and over. I hope you can get a feel for the book from this, at least the first part of the book.

[2bornot2bop]

That’s a very decent electric sound of an acoustic piano voice.

[2bornot2bop]

I bit of a preview of the first bit of the book. I'm shaky on all of this so I'll still be practicing this bit over and over. I hope you can get a feel for the book from this, at least the first part of the book.

I wouldn’t worry about spending too much time with those voicings, because they’re not typically used in jazz. I get it’s a basic exercise. But you can do the same thing practicing actual jazz piano voicings around the Cycle. See Jamey Aebersold’s voicings for ii-V-I. It’s book 2 or 3.

I say this because in 6 months from now you’ll not be using these as voicings. Why not dig in now and learn voicings you’ll actually use.

And remember, what you’re actually doing with this or any exercise is you’re programming your hands. Time is better spent actually practicing something you’ll later use. My .02.

[fep]

That’s a very decent electric sound of an acoustic piano voice.

Yes, that Mini Grand is a pretty good-sounding piano. From their site:

• 
  
  • Premium quality piano samples
  • 7 selectable piano models covering a wide range of piano sounds
  • Re-pedaling technology, recreating super realistic string resonance behavior
  • Built in room simulation
  • Equal and stretched tuning available
  
  

[matt.guitarteacher]

I bit of a preview of the first bit of the book. I'm shaky on all of this so I'll still be practicing this bit over and over. I hope you can get a feel for the book from this, at least the first part of the book.

whoa. Production value. Nice. Took me a minute to figure out it was you.

[fep]

whoa. Production value. Nice. Took me a minute to figure out it was you.

It took a bit of doing. Screen capture with a free software called OBS, Reaper audio routed to OBS with a Reaper plugin called ReaStream, webcam routed to OBS. That keyboard image is called Piano Display which you plugin to your keyboard track as an effect, Piano Display is free and was written by a Reaper user. The music notation was MuseScore and I did the note input from the Midi keyboard. Now that it is set up I should be good to go.

[fep]

Now on to playing one of the progressions in the book. I'm still finding my way as far as grabbing chords so playing to a rhythm track moves this up in difficulty to me. Speaking of the rhythm track, which is bass and drums from BIAB, I'll post a link to the track a bit later and edit this post to include it.

I pretty much stuck to the Coker voicings taught to this point of the book except in a couple of spots where I didn't like the larger leaps between chords. At those spots I did my own voicings, I also did some altered dominants in a few places which I discuss in the video.

[fep]

Some more recruiting for this study group... Here is the folder location where I will be placing backing tracks for the progressions (not the exercises just the progressions). Maybe just bass and drums like I did for the first one. Need a melody, add it with your guitar if you can figure out what tune the progression is, I'm having trouble with identifying them. So far it only has one file, the one for Tune Up on page 21. More to come.

Box

[JazzinNY]

Sweet! It's fun playing electric piano, isn't it?

"... Something I came up with on my own" -- those are the best kind I think.

I am just starting to play through the chord scales and ii V I's, clever how he minimizes movement. It'll be a while before anything is smooth enough to record.

[fep]

Sweet! It's fun playing electric piano, isn't it?

"... Something I came up with on my own" -- those are the best kind I think.

I am just starting to play through the chord scales and ii V I's, clever how he minimizes movement. It'll be a while before anything is smooth enough to record.

Right on! I'm glad you're on board. Those are smooth and common voicings on the guitar also.

[fep]

Guitar, grab a grip and slide it around.

Piano, build from the individual notes, no sliding around of grips at least not in the way you do on guitar.

Piano, more happy accidents?

Edit: The chord I accidentally grab in the video, I'm going with Abm6/Eb, and it's resolving to Ebmaj. I think that would be called a Backdoor Cadence.

[fep]

I am interested but need [or want] to upgrade my keyboard. I have a Kawai K5000W which has a real organ/synth feel to the key-bed and I have been thinking of getting the M-Audio Oxygen Pro 49 for a bit more dynamic feel to the keys. Open to advice/suggestions/well-meaning abuse on this topic before proceeding. 2B may be one who can give insight on keyboard "feel"!

Cheers

Right on!

FWIW coming from a beginner... I bought the M-Audio Keystation 49 MK3 that came with software for the sounds. I later bought a Nektar Impact GX61. I wanted two keyboards, one for my home and one for a mountain cabin. The Nektar didn't come with sounds which is fine as I can use the sounds that came with the M-Audio. As far as feel, the M-Audio has a synth feel and the Nektar has a stiffer feel, maybe halfway between a synth and a piano. I prefer the M-Audio synth feel. So, for me, I don't want a piano feel.

[JazzinNY]

It seems like, with Yamaha and Casio, as you go toward $650, you get closer to a piano feel. E.g , Yamaha P-125.

Or, you may be able to score a thrift shop upright.

[fep]

Right under our fingers all this time.