Jazz piano sounds like an exciting new
adventure, until it hits you:
"Uhh... where do I start?"
What if the best starting point was much more doable than you ever thought possible?
Wouldn't it be great if there was a clear, fun way of knowing exactly where to start, that gave you all the foundational skills to learn jazz piano right away, in just a matter of days?
(Without needing a PhD in jazz, music theory, or years of experience?)
WARNING: May cause unexpected confidence, rhythmic head-bopping, and friends saying, “Wait… that was YOU playing?!"
Every Beginner's Questions:
“Where do I start with jazz piano?!”
"Why does everything I know from Classical piano feel useless when I try jazz piano?"
"Why is there no clear roadmap or process for jazz beginners?"
Well... congrats! You've officially earned your badge in Advanced Jazz Confusion.
And I'm here to tell you IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT and that you don't need to be an expert, or have an experienced background.
You just haven’t been shown the right foundation, or what actually sets you up for real success.
Here's the truth nobody tells you starting out in jazz:
Most teachers confuse teaching with showing off instead.
This one’s a real heartbreaker. They will hypnotize you with lush sounding chords and fast licks…
…then leave you with ZERO idea for how to actually do it yourself.
Some even throw you straight into tunes you have no business touching yet, and you wouldn't even know why you're not ready otherwise.
Or, they bury you under a mountain of chord/scale theory that’s basically musical tax codes...and they're not even musical!
Others skip the basics entirely — because apparently, you're supposed to "already know that stuff."
(Spoiler: you probably don’t. And that’s totally fine.)
And they all assume you will be able to figure everything else out from there.
I'm here to tell you that it is NOT your fault.
YOU HAVE BEEN LIED TO AND MISLEAD.
The system is broken, and the vast majority of teachers simply don't even have a clear path themselves.
Yes, there IS a solution!
I have some great news:
I packed DECADES of playing and teaching into one straightforward, step-by-step curriculum that takes out all of the mystery and confusion.
I’ll show you how to start playing and improvising right away, so you’re not stuck drowning in theory, or learning complex standard jazz tunes that are way over your head.
If you don’t have a rock-solid foundation, every new tune just adds to the confusion.
This is the same process I only WISH I had when I came into jazz from a long and rigid Classical background.
No fluff. No mystery. Just a realistic proven path to get started right away and feel confident, even if you have never improvised before.
Hi, I'm Justin Highland
When I first dove into jazz, I was a Classical piano performance major with over 14 years of experience, and ZERO CLUE how to improvise or play jazz.
Wanting to try jazz, I got tossed into my university's Jazz Big Band, full of players who actually knew what they were doing.
Of course, the director then called on me to solo soon after starting the very first tune...
My mind went completely blank. My entire body went into shock.
14 years of piano training VANISHED IN AN INSTANT. It was a BRUTAL wake-up call...
Fast-forward 16+ years later after becoming a working jazz musician, teaching hundreds of students worldwide from total beginners to advanced players in every style.
I can say with 100% confidence, starting with the Blues isn’t just a cliché:
It’s the best foundation possible you could ever have for jazz, and it's how all the great jazz players started. It teaches and prepares you for EVERYTHING you need to play jazz.
Here's the truth:
Beginners have no clue where to even begin.
When they ask what jazz songs they should learn, they're given tons of (completely and terribly wrong) advice to learn complex standards like Misty, All of Me, or Autumn Leaves way too soon.
And quickly find out those tunes are far more than they ever expected.
The result?
They end up being completely confused and overwhelmed.
What's worse: they end up getting stuck, frustrated, and wondering why jazz feels next to impossible.
And soon after that, it's an endless maze of Theory, books, YouTube tutorials, overwhelm, and so much conflicting advice it’s a jazz mental breakdown waiting to happen—hair-pulling is 100% guaranteed.
And that’s where this curriculum comes in.
It cuts through literally all of that confusion and overwhelm, and actually teaches you how to learn and play real jazz in a structured and focused way from day one, right away.
Here's just some of what you'll get from
this program and walk away with:
• Deep understanding of the foundations of jazz in order to play any other kind of jazz tune.
• The two Blues scales you can use in musical ways, so your improv doesn’t sound like guesswork or running scales up and down.
• The secret weapons of jazz rhythm beginners completely ignore, that makes all the difference in your playing.
• How to actually improvise using the principles of improvisation, so you can start having fun and have endless creativity over your favorite tunes. Zero experience necessary.
• The two composition techniques to make your jazz improv make sense so your solos don't like scales, or a bunch of random notes with no direction.
• No more "hoping for the best" with practicing or when you're improvising, you'll know how to structure your practice and how to actually practice improvisation in many creative ways.
If other curriculums feel like they’re made for “late beginners,” this one is designed for the actual starting point.
So you can play real jazz right away, with a crystal clear, step-by-step path and move forward with confidence.
My testimonials say this unlocked jazz for them in ways nothing else or other programs have done before.
But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself:
"Thank you, thank you for starting at the very basics.
I have tried to do so many other online programs, and even though I'm Classically trained and I probably should know all of this stuff, I don't because you don't learn it as a Classical pianist.
So thank you for starting right at the beginning. I feel like I have a great foundation and I'm excited to see what's next!"
- Marina Gabor
"I wanted to learn jazz piano. For years I tried transcribing, memorizing fakebook tunes, but it didn't get me very far.
I'm super pleased with it, the materials are very, very clear. I've been a professor for 35 years, and this is excellent teaching."
- Charles Grogg
So that's why I created...
Here's how it will TRANSFORM
your playing and improvisation skills:
• Know EXACTLY where to start with jazz, and sound like a real jazz player in a matter of days, without learning a bunch of complex theory first.
• Learn powerful improvisation techniques you can use on ANY jazz tune, and have endless creativity without the overwhelm.
• Make learning tunes 10x easier, after learning the critical and foundational skills taught in each module.
• Discover the exact tunes you should learn first, so you don't waste time trying to play things that are over your head.
• How to make good rhythm and groove a part of you and your playing forever, using swing and jazz rhythms, instead of “Classical but…weird.”
• Learn improv techniques so powerful that they tell a captivating story, without memorizing a single copied phrase. And you can use the techniques on ANY tune you ever play.
• Walk away with all of the skills to sound like you “get” jazz, and the ability and confidence to play at any jam session, even if you have never played at a jam session or gig in your life.
What's Waiting Inside
1 hour of video lessons to guide you step-by-step, and give you 30 + years of distilled experience, expertise and insight.
4 Modules — No filler, just exactly what you need to get off the ground running with confidence from day one:
• Mod 1 — Why the Blues is the foundational key to jazz freedom.
• Mod 2 — The jazz secrets to sounding pro (they're not what you think).
• Mod 3 — Improv made simple: craft compelling ideas using time-tested Compositional techniques.
• Mod 4 — The Full Sound Formula: combining the secret weapon beginners ignore with improvisation to play with confidence, groove and a pro-level sound.
PDF Worksheets loaded with practical, effective exercises. And hacks to make practicing way more fun and productive. (Yes, they're typed and notated correctly. Your eyes will thank me.)
I demonstrate every exercise so you can see my hands and the exact notes I play on screen.
🎉 Bonuses 🎉
The Ultimate Jazz Piano Listening Guide
($15 value)
• Take a deep dive through the entire history of jazz piano, from the beginnings through the modern day.
• Explanations of each era, style and genre with direct listening links of hand-picked listening examples by yours truly.
• This guide will help get you familiar with jazz repertoire, train your ears, develop your preferences in jazz, and help you be a better jazz musician.
Listening with Purpose Guide
($15 value)
I can tell you from experience, listening is the most important thing you could do to understand, learn, and play jazz.
This guide teaches you how to listen like a jazz musician, noticing melody, harmony, individual instrument roles, and understanding how jazz tunes work.
By training your ears, you will start internalizing tunes, pick up phrasing naturally (which can’t be done with sheet music alone), and understand the language of jazz — even before you sit at the piano. In this listening guide you will learn and discover:
How to hear and understand the hidden structure in any tune: its form, chord changes, melody and much more — so you can learn to play without sheet music and skyrocket your ear training.
How to focus on one instrument at a time to understand how each player interacts with the rest of the band.
Be able to learn jazz tunes and improve your skills even when you’re AWAY from the piano.
The Jazz Terms Glossary
($7 value)
Decode the language of jazz terms so you can feel confident in any musical conversation with other jazz musicians, jazz piano teachers, etc.
This is your fast-track to understanding essential jazz terms and slang. No more feeling lost when someone drops a term like “blowing” “turnaround,” or “the head.”
• Decode jazz lingo instantly - over 170 terms so you stop feeling confused in lessons, jam sessions, and when talking with other musicians.
• Speed up your learning - understand what instructors and books actually mean when they use terms like "comping," "walking," or "tritone sub" instead of wasting time guessing.
• Sound like you belong - use the right terminology when discussing music with other jazz players, teachers, and in online forums without accidentally revealing you're a beginner.
Classical to Jazz eBook
($25 value)
My comprehensive eBook if you're a Classical pianist getting into jazz. Along with this course, you will learn:
• Why You Can’t Learn Jazz the Classical Way – Discover the key differences in mindsets, techniques, and approaches that Classical pianists MUST embrace to truly understand and play Jazz.
• How to practice jazz – Tackle the #1 question everyone has, develop your ear training and listening skills, and learn how to approach practicing jazz effectively.
• Unlock the 10 First Steps for transitioning, without wasting years of trial and error. Gain clarity and direction with a structured, practical roadmap, so you can start your journey with confidence and clarity.
Plus a whole lot more!
Access to my private Discord Community
($100+ value)
This is your dedicated space to get personal access to me, and connect with other like-minded jazz nerds in a great community.
Ask questions, upload videos of your progress, and connect with other like-minded jazz nerds.
Direct Support: Ask questions, upload videos of your progress, get pro insights.
Exclusive Content: Bonuses, live Q&A sessions, and access to general resources.
Motivation & Feedback: Share your recordings and get constructive feedback from peers and from me personally. Not an AI bot or intern.
My Guarantee
This is NOT “Watch the videos and good luck!"
The guarantee is simple: you’ll always know what to practice, what to practice next, and why you’re practicing it.
If you hit a wall, get confused, or don’t know how to apply something, you won’t stay stuck.
You get access to the private Discord Community where your questions get answered, concepts get clarified, and the material gets put into real-world context as you move through everything.
Yep, I anticipated these FAQs:
If you have never touched a piano before, this unfortunately isn’t for you. You will need basic piano skills; be able to play with both hands, know what a chord and scale is, and knowing your way around the keyboard a bit — the PDFs are fully notated.
However, if you're not so great at reading music, that's fine and it isn't completely necessary. I demonstrate every single PDF example on the keyboard in the videos so you get the same benefits, even if your reading skills aren't great.
You need to know what a scale and a chord is, and be able to find middle C without GPS.
Beyond that, no. I will walk you through the exact theory you need for jazz and skip the textbook overload that makes most people quit.
Yes! This is designed with Classical pianists in mind, as that was my background.
You will finally know exactly where to start, what to focus on and exactly what to practice, all without abandoning your Classical chops.
Everyone is different, but if you actually put in the work and stay consistent, you will start sounding like a jazz pianist in a matter of days to weeks, not years.
Stick with it, and these skills won’t just be a phase — they will become part of your playing and guide your jazz playing for life.
I do not offer refunds for any of my products. This isn't a “watch it once and never use it again” kind of thing. It's not even the price of one private lesson with me.
You get lifetime access, all the materials and bonuses - and a crystal clear, structured roadmap to actually start playing real jazz right away.
These skills stick with you and are the foundation of your jazz journey, for life. You will ALWAYS come back to playing the Blues and using the things you learn from it on ANY tune you ever play!
Fear not! There is really no way someone can get stuck with a course this clear and organized. It's just a matter of practice and getting used to the rhythms, swing, groove, feel and coordinating your hands together (which is the hard part of playing piano in general), which everyone learning jazz goes through.
You're not alone and can jump into the private Discord server (if you use or know about Slack, it's very similar) where you can ask questions and get direct answers from me personally, upload clips of your playing for feedback, and connect with other music nerds who get exactly what you’re going through.
This community and I have your back to help you keep moving forward, and enjoy the ride.
It consists of 4 videos, equaling 1 hour in total length.
This is a mini-course, not a comprehensive deep dive. It is intentionally focused and specific — designed to give you exactly what you need to get started. While the videos total 1 hour - integrating, practicing, and applying the material to your playing takes significantly longer than the viewing time itself.
The length of any course is irrelevant — what matters is the outcome it delivers, and every minute of this course is designed with that in mind.
$67
STANDARD
3 Bonuses ($37 value, Discord not included)
• Ultimate Jazz Piano Listening Guide
• Listening with Purpose Guide
• Jazz Terms Glossary
Step-by-step curriculum: 4 modules/videos, 1 hour of lesson videos
PDF Exercises and worksheets for each module
Lifetime access
$97
PRO
5 Bonuses ($100+ value)
• Classical to Jazz eBook
• Private Discord community access
• Ultimate Jazz Piano Listening Guide
• Listening with Purpose Guide
• Jazz Terms Glossary
Step-by-step curriculum: 4 modules/videos, 1 hour of lesson videos
PDF Exercises and worksheets for each module
Lifetime access
$227
ELITE
6 Bonuses ($190+ value)
**Two 30-minute Private Lessons with me
• Classical to Jazz eBook
• Private Discord community access
• Ultimate Jazz Piano Listening Guide
• Listening with Purpose Guide
• Jazz Terms Glossary
Step-by-step curriculum: 4 modules/videos, 1 hour of lesson videos
PDF Exercises and worksheets for each module
Lifetime access
Let's put all of this into perspective...
Private mentoring or coaching with me? Easily $6,000 a year or more. Top jazz schools like Berklee or The New School charge $10,000 + per semester, and you still won’t get this level of clarity and focus.
I really don't want you to have to do that, or miss out on this opportunity.
So here it is: The Beginner Jazz Piano Bluesprint, your complete foundation for jazz piano, in one hour of lesson content.
All for a one-time payment of $67. That's less than the rate of a 1-hour private lesson with me and most pros.
I want you to ask yourself: what would it do for you right now if you had all of the tools, techniques, and know-how to know exactly where to start, and have the skills you learn translate to every aspect of your jazz and improvisation journey, for life?
What would it do for you if you could have the tools, techniques, and the know-how to have the most rock-solid foundation possible, and improvise with total confidence — cutting out YEARS of wasted time, frustration and confusion?
Wouldn't that be worth it?
Let’s finally handle this part of your playing, FOR GOOD, and make you sound GREAT.
You're in the right place if:
✅ Jazz feels like a foreign language and you have no idea where to start.
✅ You’re coming from Classical and are struggling with where to start with jazz piano.
✅ You want a clear, step-by-step, structured process to start playing jazz.
✅ Feel overwhelmed with too many options and don’t know what will actually move you forward.
✅ Want to start improvising and playing jazz with confidence, not just playing aimlessly.
$67
STANDARD
3 Bonuses ($37 value, Discord not included)
• Ultimate Jazz Piano Listening Guide
• Listening with Purpose Guide
• Jazz Terms Glossary
Step-by-step curriculum: 4 modules/videos, 1 hour of lesson videos
PDF Exercises and worksheets for each module
Lifetime access
$97
PRO
5 Bonuses ($100+ value)
• Classical to Jazz eBook
• Private Discord community access
• Ultimate Jazz Piano Listening Guide
• Listening with Purpose Guide
• Jazz Terms Glossary
Step-by-step curriculum: 4 modules/videos, 1 hour of lesson videos
PDF Exercises and worksheets for each module
Lifetime access
$227
ELITE
6 Bonuses ($190+ value)
**Two 30-minute Private Lessons with me
• Classical to Jazz eBook
• Private Discord community access
• Ultimate Jazz Piano Listening Guide
• Listening with Purpose Guide
• Jazz Terms Glossary
Step-by-step curriculum: 4 modules/videos, 1 hour of lesson videos
PDF Exercises and worksheets for each module
Lifetime access