What Classical pianists STRUGGLE with most when first learning Jazz
7 minute read
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For Classical pianists seeking to expand their horizons, venturing into the world of Jazz can be very intriguing and exciting. We would think having strong technique, sight reading abilities and years of experience would make for an easy transition, right?
The truth is, it soon becomes much more challenging, confusing and frustrating than we ever would have thought, I know it certainly was for me.
We’ll dive into the primary hurdles Classical pianists often face when venturing into Jazz piano and why it’s so important to recognize these common experiences; So you know best what to focus on, what to avoid to save as much time, pain and frustration as possible.
Here are some of the most common things Classical pianists either don’t know about in advance or will experience soon after diving into Jazz:
Complex Harmony/Theory: Fairly obvious, Classical piano often focuses on single-note melodies and more basic harmonies, while jazz relies heavily on chordal harmony and voicings using chord tone extensions and harmonies rarely encountered in Classical music. Learning to navigate and utilize various jazz chords and general jazz harmony can be completely overwhelming for how much there is to learn. Just know that you will get comfortable with it all over time and you will become a master of harmony!
Unfamiliar Rhythmic Complexity and Developing Swing Feel: Many find it challenging to internalize and execute the distinct rhythmic aspects of Jazz at first and for a while. Much of Jazz relies heavily on the swing feel, which involves a rhythmic groove and accentuation that differs from Classical piano’s more even and precise playing.
Improvisation: Perhaps the most obvious, Classical pianists are accustomed to playing music exactly as written, whereas jazz piano emphasizes improvisation and a multitude of real time skills that simply don’t occur in Classical music or training. It’s crucial to get into the mindsets of experimentation, being curious and trying things out, accepting and not being afraid to make mistakes, playing through mistakes and NOT stopping when they happen. The great composers — Bach, Beethoven, Liszt, Chopin, Debussy — were all master improvisers. The great jazz improvisers are masters at covering up their mistakes and/or working with them; You wouldn’t even notice or know it was a mistake!
Ear Training and Listening: Jazz musicians rely extensively on their ears, from recognizing chord progressions to transcribing solos. Many Classical pianists are trained to heavily rely on reading sheet music and many haven’t had nearly as much emphasis on ear training, memorizing or using their ears effectively, making for a difficult transition.
Understanding Lead Sheets, Chord Symbols and Jazz Theory: Jazz often uses lead sheets, which provides a basic melody and chord symbols rather than detailed music. Classical pianists can struggle with interpreting lead sheets, chord symbols and creating their own arrangements, how to construct voicings or play a tune with minimal elements in an effective way. We’re accustomed to adhering closely to the composer’s intent, whereas jazz pianists have much more interpretive freedom.
Collaborative Playing: Jazz is a highly interactive and collaborative music. Classical pianists being used to solo performances may struggle with interacting with other musicians in a Jazz ensemble and how their role works in an ensemble/band setting. Playing Jazz with others is an absolutely crucial and key element for improvement and growth.
Let’s now look at each bullet point in a more detail and some ways to go about addressing them:
1. Rhythmic Mastery, Swing, Groove, Feel and Good Time: This isn’t the most obvious, but it’s one of the most important aspects in Jazz and absolutely crucial for anyone starting out. Jazz incorporates intricate rhythmic patterns, syncopation and swing feel that isn’t natural to how we were trained and doesn’t occur in Classical music.
What most beginners and those coming into Jazz from a Classical background overlook most is RHYTHM.
It’s so easy to get caught up in the harmonies and theory of Jazz, but Rhythm is EVERYTHING. It’s not so much about what notes are being played, it’s more about how those notes are being played; The phrasing, articulation, swing, touch, groove and feel, the expression.
The best way to remedy this is to do a lot of listening, and try to imitate the greats. Imitate HOW they play from recordings and transcriptions. Developing swing and strong rhythm doesn’t happen overnight but rest assured, it will happen for you.
Syncopation and Swing: Jazz thrives on rhythmic intricacies, where syncopated rhythms and the elusive swing feel reign. Embracing these elements requires adjusting to the offbeat accents that create the distinct jazz groove, as opposed to Classical which is focused more on downbeats/strong beats.
Rhythm as Language: In Jazz, rhythm is not just a framework; It’s a language that communicates emotion and energy. Classical pianists must shift from reading notes to conversing rhythmically and develop a strong rhythmic vocabulary: Things like 8th note swing, playing straight 8th notes but with accenting every other note (accenting occurs on off beats), 8th note triplets, quarter note triplets, 16th notes and using rhythmic displacement.
Breaking out of bad Classical habits. This was especially true for me and for a long time: Not playing in time, going back and fixing mistakes, not keeping the flow going/continuity, stopping if there’s a “mistake” made, rushing or dragging the time. Why is this? It’s because Classical is fixed time composition and we learn everything until it’s cleaned up and polished, making many mistakes until it’s more or less perfected. On the other hand, Jazz is much more challenging because it is real time composition and there is far greater room for error in the moment.
2. Harmonic Horizons: Chords, Harmony and Modes: There’s no doubt about it, Jazz piano requires becoming a master of Harmony. Classical piano often focuses on single-note melodies and basic harmony, while jazz relies heavily on chordal harmony and voicings using chord tone extensions and harmonies rarely encountered in Classical music.
Learning to navigate and utilize various jazz chords and general jazz harmony can be completely overwhelming for how much there is to learn. Just know that you will get comfortable with it all over time. In Classical the harmonies rarely go past the 7th.
In Jazz, extensions such as the 9th, 11th and 13th are frequently used. On Dominant chords, those extensions are frequently altered (flatted or sharped) to give tension and rich color.
Modes: Jazz improvisation finds its foundation in scales and modes. Classical pianists need to understand that a mode is generally what will go best with a particular chord type, for example the Dorian mode goes best with Minor 7 chords (in most cases). But here’s the kicker: The modes used in Jazz all come from Major scales and Melodic Minor scales, just starting on different notes other than the roots! Reorienting your thinking in this way takes some time but knowing that alone can save you tons of time and energy; You already know the modes, you just have to get comfortable with using them on different chords in different ways than you’re used to!
Jazz embraces harmonic adventurousness, with unexpected chord progressions and modulations in lots of different keys/key centers. Transitioning from the well-trodden Classical harmonies to the daring landscapes of Jazz requires a willingness to explore new tonal territories, using substitutions such as tritone substitution, and reharmonization among other common skills. The biggest thing you can do starting out and for a while is mastering the ii V I (2–5–1) Progression in all 12 keys, as this is by far the most common progression found in Jazz music.
3. Embracing Improvisation and Individuality: One of the biggest struggles Classical pianists go through is HOW to improvise; How do we go about creating meaningful improvisation?!
There’s certainly more to it than just figuring out the right scale to use for a given chord. The key is acquiring a vocabulary from the masters of Jazz and making it your own, combining it with your own improvisations, studying harmony and using Compositional devices in our improvisations such as Motivic Development, Repetition and Sequence.
From Scripted to Spontaneous: Classical musicians read sheet music meticulously, while Jazz thrives on spontaneous improvisation. It’s so important to train your ears, mind and fingers to create on the spot, merging technique with imagination and practiced techniques and devices to be used in real time situations.
Expressive Storytelling: Shifting from interpreting a composer’s vision to infusing personal emotion and expression requires a paradigm shift in approach. This can be done using space, not climaxing the solo when starting out, using motivic development, and a wide range of different harmonic and rhythmic devices.
Collaborative Creativity: Jazz often involves ensemble playing and collaborative creativity. Classical pianists accustomed to solo performance must adapt to the dynamic interplay and dialogue found in a Jazz ensemble. If solo piano, this requires a multitude of different approaches and techniques. This is why lots of extensive listening to recordings and the other musicians in an ensemble is so crucial.
So how do we best address all of these aspects??
If you’re a Classical pianist yearning to explore the vibrant and rewarding world of jazz piano or one who is currently struggling, don’t make the common mistakes and what I did!
Are you a Classically trained pianist or new to Jazz piano and don’t know where to start? Check out my published ebook on exactly where to start, first steps and much more in the description!
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