Schott Music Jazz Piano 1

The book ‘Jazz Piano’ Volume 1 by the successful English author Tim Richards builds on the foundations laid in ‘Blues Piano’. It introduces the principles of jazz harmony and improvisation right from the start and guides the advanced pianist through the various types of typical jazz chords, starting with major and minor triads and progressing to seventh and ninth chords, drawing on all jazz styles from the 1940s to the present day.

Tim Richards combines twenty-eight of his own compositions with special arrangements of well-known jazz standards such as “Autumn Leaves”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, “In a Sentimental Mood”, “Mannenberg”, ‘On Green Dolphin Street’, ‘Song For My Father’, ‘Straight No Chaser’ and ‘Take The A-Train’. Two transcribed pieces by Thelonious Monk and Horace Silver provide an inexhaustible supply of authentic jazz techniques that you can master by playing along.

Each chapter provides important guidance and tips on improvisation.

Topics:

• Relationships between chords and scales
• Modes
• Broken chords and scale patterns
• Pentatonic and blues scales
• Walking bass lines
• Latin rhythms and bass lines
• Horizontal and vertical improvisation
• II–V–I progressions
• Tritone substitution
• Two-handed voicings
• Technical exercises and fingering
• Accompaniment styles
• Ear training
• Listening suggestions

Recordings of all the pieces are available to download, most with bass and drum accompaniment. They can also be used as playalongs – an important tool for learning jazz without too many detours.

Contents:

• Introduction
  
• Notes on using this book
• Before you begin
• Chapter 1: Major Triads
• Chapter 2: Minor Triads
• Chapter 3: Seventh Chords
• Chapter 4: Functional harmony and modes
• Chapter 5: Ninth chords
• Appendices