When we’re discussing the most influential forms of art, it would be a mistake not to include jazz in that topic. Many people are not aware of the fact that practically all modern music has its roots in only a handful of genres. We’re talking about jazz, blues, soul, and funk. Yes, you heard that right.
Besides this influence, the cultural influence jazz had on numerous movements is nothing short of exceptional. Think about those black and white movies, better known as noirs. Basically, the only music you can associate with this genre is jazz. Without this aspect, they are simply not the same.
A piano is one of the key instruments in jazz. Some experts would say that it is simply not what it needs to be without it. Therefore, there are numerous jazz piano songs to learn. For more tips to help you with jazz piano songs to learn, visit https://www.pianogroove.com/.
Now, we want to provide you with tips that will help you with choosing the songs you should learn.
Learn Those You Like
Deciding on who’s your favorite jazz musician is practically impossible. There are a plethora of household names that have promoted this genre through their craft, and they are considered classic nowadays. Just think about names like Miles Davis, Donald Byrd, Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, and many more.
Even though deciding who’s your favorite, that doesn’t mean you cannot point out some of your favorite songs, right? Well, when you’re about to find jazz piano songs to learn, you should look for those who are your favorites, no matter how complex they may seem at first.
The reason is quite simple, by learning your favorite songs, you will have enough motivation to invest your best efforts. We don’t believe you will be motivated enough to learn something that you do not like enough, don’t you agree? That’s why you should start with those you do.
Using Your Hearing
For those who don’t know, we feel it is important to say that pianists rely on their hearing skills heavily. Professional musicians are competent enough to understand the composition just by listening to it. Of course, it is not possible to do that without having the right education.
By using your hearing, you can accomplish so much. However, you should be studious about this process. What does that mean? Well, pay attention to even the smallest of details. Even though developing your years to notice these details is not easy, it is certainly not impossible.
First, you should listen to these songs constantly. That way, you will understand the whole vibe, and have a proper insight into this world. We urge you to compare these songs and start noticing how the pianists acted in each of them. That way, it is possible to have a couple of perspectives, which is helpful.
Using Appropriate Software
Thankfully, we live in a digital era, where we can find software to help us with numerous activities or hobbies. So, nobody should be surprised to hear there is software that can provide quality insight into jazz tunes we are interested in learning, in greater detail.
Using one of them means you will have all the cords and notes on how to play a particular tune. Meaning, it becomes obvious that you can understand the complexity of the tune by taking a look at these details, which is definitely a helpful insight.
Another helpful feature you can use is backtracking. By doing that, it is possible to focus on a particular part of the song as many times as you want, or until you’ve perfected it, to be precise. If it proves itself to be somewhat more challenging than you believed, you can rehearse it countless times.
Consult with Jazz Musicians
We are talking about a huge genre. Therefore, it can be quite complex to decide on the songs you want to learn. If you are a complete beginner, and you don’t have the right idea about where to start, we feel the right move would be to consult with a professional musician.
That way, you can learn about songs that are the easiest to learn. Not only that, the professional can provide a couple of crucial insights that can make this process much simpler for you. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have someone who can guide you through the first couple of steps, right?
As a beginner, you do not understand the complexity of these songs. Overcoming this problem can be done through these consultations. At the same time, you can always enroll in one of many jazz piano schools, where instructors can point out the songs you should learn.
Practice, Practice, Practice
After you’ve understood all the tips on how to choose jazz piano songs to learn, then there’s nothing else you should focus on besides practicing those tunes. We cannot stress enough how important it is to invest as much time in these rehearsals. It is the only way to understand them completely.
Sure, many people are talented musicians who don’t even know it. However, all the professionals will tell you that talent is simply not enough. Constant rehearsing is key to becoming as competent as you want to be. Be prepared to invest countless hours into something like this.
Once again, we would like to point out that having the help of a professional is an absolute must. It is not possible just to start practicing without knowing what you’re doing. With the right insight, this mission will start becoming even more possible with every rehearsal, believe us.
The Bottom Line
With jazz being one of the favorite genres for many professionals, for artistic reasons, it is clear why playing piano in a jazz band is some sort of prestige. Here, we’ve provided our readers with a couple of tips on how to choose songs to learn, which is way more complicated than it might seem. We are sure that this insight will be more than helpful in your future endeavors.