Samuel
03-07-2006, 01:57 PM
Right, I recently decided to stop putting off one of my desires, and just get my **** together and put the dedication into it. That dream is to play Piano, in my favoured Jazz setting.
Now, I'm getting a start on this stuff. I'm working through Hanon's book for my technique, learning the A and B voicings for II-V-Is around the cycle, and playing some standard language on the piano.
I eventually plan on getting lessons, but I feel that there is a lot I can accomplish on my own before I need to start paying for them. I would like some extra direction though, in the way of a decent book.
I am a Guitarsist, pursuing a Bachelors in studio music and Jazz, and every book I've been able to find on Jazz piano playing would be pretty useless to me. I do not need to spend half a book learning how to construct major scales, chords, and II-V-I progressions in every key. I don't need to embellish children's melodies in order to start improvising, and I don't need to mess about learning dumbed down arrangements of reharmonized folk tunes. :lol:
I've been thinking that Mark Levine's "Jazz Piano Book" might be good for what I want. Apparently, it's relatively no nonsense, and gets to the stuff that I need to be working on. I'm also a fan of his "Jazz Theory Book", and I like his writing style. Do you guys think this would be a good choice? If so, then thanks for the input. If not, then thanks for the input, and do you have any other reccomendations for books?
Also, if it was me replying to a thread like this on guitar, my first reccomendation would be to listen to more pianists to start off with. Let me just say that the reason that I want to play Piano is because they are my favourite instrument to listen to. Jazz Piano is, by far, the grenre of music that gets played the most around here, so there's no issue with that.
Oh, and I struggled with whether to put this in the Other Instrument section, or here. In the end, I decided this would be better, since it's such a specialized genre, and because there seems to be a heavy rock influence in the OI forum. If you disagree, Zappa, then sorry, my bad, move this sucker, or close it.
Now, I'm getting a start on this stuff. I'm working through Hanon's book for my technique, learning the A and B voicings for II-V-Is around the cycle, and playing some standard language on the piano.
I eventually plan on getting lessons, but I feel that there is a lot I can accomplish on my own before I need to start paying for them. I would like some extra direction though, in the way of a decent book.
I am a Guitarsist, pursuing a Bachelors in studio music and Jazz, and every book I've been able to find on Jazz piano playing would be pretty useless to me. I do not need to spend half a book learning how to construct major scales, chords, and II-V-I progressions in every key. I don't need to embellish children's melodies in order to start improvising, and I don't need to mess about learning dumbed down arrangements of reharmonized folk tunes. :lol:
I've been thinking that Mark Levine's "Jazz Piano Book" might be good for what I want. Apparently, it's relatively no nonsense, and gets to the stuff that I need to be working on. I'm also a fan of his "Jazz Theory Book", and I like his writing style. Do you guys think this would be a good choice? If so, then thanks for the input. If not, then thanks for the input, and do you have any other reccomendations for books?
Also, if it was me replying to a thread like this on guitar, my first reccomendation would be to listen to more pianists to start off with. Let me just say that the reason that I want to play Piano is because they are my favourite instrument to listen to. Jazz Piano is, by far, the grenre of music that gets played the most around here, so there's no issue with that.
Oh, and I struggled with whether to put this in the Other Instrument section, or here. In the end, I decided this would be better, since it's such a specialized genre, and because there seems to be a heavy rock influence in the OI forum. If you disagree, Zappa, then sorry, my bad, move this sucker, or close it.