Jazz Piano

Tim Richards returns to Benslow Music with this hands-on Jazz Piano course which is suitable for anyone with previous jazz-playing experience wanting to improve their improvisation skills, brush up on their jazz harmony and increase their repertoire. Tim has been a presence on the British and international jazz scene since the early 1980s. He currently teaches jazz piano at Morley College in London, and is the author of the acclaimed books ‘Improvising Blues Piano’ and ‘Exploring Jazz Piano’, published by Schott Music.

The course will cover:

• A selection of jazz standards in a range of styles (swing, bebop, blues, modal, Latin, etc).
• Improvisation techniques, chord voicings, accompaniment styles.
• Advanced jazz harmony, including pentatonic scales, modes, diminished and altered scales.

By the end of this course, you will:

• Interpret lead sheets more effectively.
• Improvise solos over standard chord sequences.
• Play more professional chord voicings.

• Appreciate different jazz pianists’ individual styles.

   

You will play a range of jazz standards with other students, each on your own piano. Tim, your tutor, will give demonstrations, tips, suggestions and feedback throughout the course in a friendly and supportive environment.

Critical listening will also be an important part of the course, as you listen to recorded examples of performances from renowned jazz pianists. 

This is a course for confident pianists with some previous experience of jazz and improvisation. Recommended precursors for you to this course are Tim’s ‘Beginning Jazz Piano’ or ‘Blues Piano Basics’ courses at Benslow, but you are welcome to come along if your experience is from elsewhere. You should be familiar with chord symbols and know your major scales in most keys, along with major and minor triads, seventh chords and their inversions.

Yes, you will be sent a selection of PDFs before the course which you are recommended to print out. You will also need to bring: - Manuscript book/music paper. - Fake book/Real Book (if you have one). Copies of any of Tim’s books if you have them (these will also be available to buy at discount prices). - Recording device (audio or video) optional (a mobile phone will do the trick).

Before the course you may wish to watch some of the tutor’s jazz piano tuition videos on YouTube at https://goo.gl/DY7S9v and at https://goo.gl/2ztwU4.