How long does it take to learn jazz piano? This is quite a complex question. Nevertheless, we’ll try our best to answer it in the most realistic way possible. Let’s get started.   Do You Have 10,000 Hours Available? One of the most often quoted numbers in terms of mastering any skill is 10,000 hours. This is said to be the magic number to acquire in terms of practice time according to Malcolm Gladwell. However, this claim appears to be an oversimplification. While time and effort put into practice is very important and indisputable, what matters more is the quality by which we practice so ..read more

Is Jazz Piano Hard? This is the question we’ll do our best to answer today. Let’s get started. One Common Misconception About Jazz Piano Anecdotally speaking, I have encountered numerous people who say that jazz piano is hard. It’s tempting to say “Yes” to that question right off the bat. This is especially true if you’ve been exposed to the likes of Art Tatum, Mary Lou Williams, and Oscar Peterson with their mind-blowing virtuosity. It’s true that their superhuman feats on the piano appears barely reachable. However, that’s far from the truth. Let me explain further. Two Elements That Make Ja ..read more

Want to get to the nitty gritty of basic jazz piano chords? This is the best place to understand it all. Without further ado, let’s get into it. How Do We Begin Learning About Basic Jazz Piano Chords? I’m glad you asked. Start with this lesson on piano chord theory. Also go ahead and learn how to read piano sheet music. Please, please, please spend time to learn these two lessons. I know reading sheet music can be a pain, but I promise you: Once you learn it, you can unlock centuries worth of music knowledge faster. Anyway, once you have a hang of the basic piano chords, let’s get right to jaz ..read more

Have you ever wondered, what’s nu jazz? What’s so special about it? Well then, let’s discuss and learn more. What’s Nu Jazz Anyway? Have you heard some sophistically produced electronic dance music with real heavy elements of jazz? This is a simplistic explanation of Nu Jazz. End of story? Not quite. Check this out: There’s a lot going on in Nu Jazz that’s distinct from what we’ve known about other genres of jazz. Let’s look at a couple of examples as we go along to help us figure out Nu Jazz. J. Dilla Beats, Electronica, And Lo Fi Hip Hop: Important Rhythmic and Timbral Foundations For Nu Ja ..read more

How useful are diminished and augmented chords? They are very, very useful. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use diminished and augmented chords to take your playing to the next level. Let’s get started. What Are Diminished And Augmented Chords? In basic piano chord theory, diminished and augmented chords are considered dissonant triads. At its very basic, diminshed chords are said to sound “scary” while augmented chords sound “dreamy” or “unsettled”. If you listen to those chords, you’ll hear that diminished and augmented chords feel like they want to go and resolve somewhere. To keep it s ..read more

Hey you! After lots of requests, I’m very excited to announce that I’ve compiled many of the free samples from my our Premium Jazz Piano Training Program.  Today, I’m releasing them all together. Plus, to celebrate this compilation I’m giving you access to some free jazz resources below. Let’s get started! First, check out the course sample video #1 right here Now, here comes the even better part…. We’ve Done Something Amazing For This Course I’ve done thousands of live gigs over the years. So, I like to bring a celebration feel to all my courses. Music learning should be rewarding ..read more

Looking for the best jazz piano books for beginners? You’ve come to the right place. Here are some of our recommendations you can get your hands on. Let’s get started. Why You Need To Know Your ABCs Music is a language, and language starts by hearing and recognizing the most basic building blocks. In this case, we first understand the language of jazz piano with scales. Scales are the basis for how we understand how music works from a melodic and harmonic perspective. This is why one of the best jazz books is the Ultimate Jazz Scales Book. The Ultimate Jazz Scales Book is a compilation of 372 ..read more

“Ramsey Lewis performs live in the KPLU studio on October 16, 2009” by Justin Steyr/KPLU is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. In today’s lesson, we’ll celebrate the life of Ramsey Lewis. What would be more proper to honor his legacy than by learning some of his piano vocabulary? Let’s get started. Listen To Ramsey Lewis Play Love’s Serenade Before we dive deeper, let’s listen to Ramsey Lewis playing the entire tune in this studio recording: Now, the lick you’re going to learn today is from this portion of his improv in the tune. Listen to the lick starting from 02:10 to 02:23 below: Listen to i ..read more

Would you like to learn some great piano chord progression exercises? You’re in the right place. These piano chord progression exercises are useful for learning many songs fast. Let’s get started. One Chord Progression That Started It All The first chord progression we are going to talk about is the basic I-IV-V chord progression. This is probably the simplest among piano chord progression exercises. However, it forms the backbone for understanding relationships between chords. Here’s one way of practicing a 12-bar blues using 2-handed drop 2 voicings in the key of C: Work through this exerci ..read more

Would you like to learn how to play and improvise hip jazz phrases? You’re in the right place. In the video below, Steve guides an Inner Circle student how to properly play jazz phrases in his music. Learning how to play jazz phrases properly will help your melodies sound great. This will make your performances memorable and your audience will love you for it. Take 3 minutes and watch the video below. Steve will break down the right way to play jazz phrases. Jazz Phrases Tutorial Video The YouTube ID of Insert video URL or ID here is invalid. 5 Tips To Master Playing And Improvising Jazz Phras ..read more