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I remember as a little kid when in my piano lesson my teacher discovered that when she demonstrated the phrase or few bars she was teaching that I picked it up and could play it. However she focused on the fact that I wasn’t reading the notes and missed an opportunity to tailor some teaching to use that talent rather than squash it. However the end result was that I got bored with the lessons and didn’t stick it out.

Later around my mid 30’s I got a piano and started from scratch on my own (this is BEFORE you-tube and there were not many dvd’s, – mostly books.) I took one lesson from a pro, but actually got stage fright just performing at the lesson - and quit. I still noodled around now and then on the piano but with no direction or goal.

Years later, I discovered the fun things on youtube and subscribed to one musician after another, but was either terribly lost in the theory or couldn’t find the tunes I wanted to learn.

When Pianogroove began I was smitten with the lovely jazz ballads and Hayden’s teaching style. It is very unique. YES >> I still skip ahead when my hands figure things out before my brain does and that later comes back to bite me. but the reason I study piano is to enrich my brain and I play piano to nurture my soul and to feed this crazy urge to learn and play jazz tunes on the piano. I have NO performance ambitions but I have found one or two friends who play guitar to jam with now and then, and that is fun. I have surprised myself with what I have learned and retained with Pianogroove.

I am a women’s health (gyn) nurse practitioner in the USA pacific northwest - that spends most free time outdoors: gardening, hiking, fishing, going to music festivals, but when home and indoors love to listen to music ( I love chet baker and bill evans) and to hang out at the piano. Hayden has made this much more fun and enriching.

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Interesting thanks for sharing Lori.

I hear many times that students play in their youth and then take a break. Myself included, I took a hiatus for a year or so when I was 16 years old.

Yes YouTube is such as a fantastic platform to discover new things, it has fundamentally changed the way people look for information, guidance, teaching etc…

I think that’s a good thing Lori.

I encourage new students to simply copy the arrangements, note-for-note using the transcription as an aid if necessary.

Whilst this is not in the true spirit of jazz, it at least gets students playing jazzy sounding songs, and the full understanding will come with time.

For some time when I was starting out with jazz, I was playing things that I didn’t understand, I just knew that I liked the sound of them :grin:

Yes I remember you shared your musical space here: Music room --- where do you thrive 🎼🎶🎵 - #4 by Hayden

It looks like a lovely place to relax and immerse yourself in music!

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Hi! – My name is Jerry. I retired down here to Costa Rica almost 7 years ago and will be 72 in September. In terms of my formal background, I was a child of the 60’s and 70’s, moving from Boston, MA to Berkeley, CA and lived in many yoga institutes – and even a tree hut or two – over my 12 years there! From an educational standpoint, I have separate Master’s Degrees in British Poetry and Comparative Religion, and taught both Biblical Greek and tutored Hebrew at the graduate level. I also did work in Syriac, Aramaic and a bit of Coptic, as well as several years each of Pali, Sanskrit and Classical Chinese.
After grad school, I became a political activist for about 7 years in the area of human rights and domestic violence, spent several of those years playing classical guitar and riding my bicycle in the early mornings on a daily basis in the Berkeley Hills, as well as running a non-profit print shop. Around 38, I finally grew up, moved to NYC and eventually became a head estimator at Toppan Printing Company of America, Ltd out of Tokyo. At that point, I began to study ballroom dancing VERY intensively at night and on the week-ends in NYC with various regional, national and world champions from both Europe and the United States. It was lots of fun, with a steady mix of weekly socials, black-tie formal events, competitions and even an occasional evening or two each year at the famous Rainbow Room in Rockerfeller Plaza on their rotating dance floor! At age 53, I qualified as 3rd in the U.S. on the NDCA points circuit as an adult amateur in Rumba, Cha Cha, Samba, Merengue, Mambo, Foxtrot, Waltz, Viennese Waltz and American Tango. After that, I switched over to the International style and studied with several former world champions in Latin and Standard.
After retiring, and breaking my collarbone in a
boogie-board mishap at Manuel Antonio several years ago, I calmed down a bit and took up digital photography, Bb-Clarinet, Alto Sax and, more recently, Jazz Piano. Even though I speak moderately decent Spanish according to the Ticos, no one down here wants to play with a 71-year old “viejito”/gringo, so my goals are somewhat modest. I simply want to play solo piano Standards from the Big Band era fairly well as a hobbyist. At this point, I play Clarinet considerably better than Sax or Jazz Piano, have a repertoire of about 50 jazz and classical pieces, but feel that the next 6 months or so could really bring a BIG breakthrough on Jazz Piano. Hayden’s explanations are incredibly super-clear, I study 6 to 8 to 10 hours a day – no exaggeration – and Pianogroove certainly looks like the right place to expend/develop my creative energy!
By the way, I have a web site on Facebook that is totally dedicated to the natural beauty and cultural customs of Costa Rica. There are over 5,000 photos of orchids, exotic plants, animals, butterflies, hummingbirds, botanical gardens, parades, sunsets, volcanoes, cataracts, street graffiti, historical hotels., etc., etc. The site is totally “public” and strictly “non-commercial”. Feel free to enter, press the button for “photos”, and you will be taken to an area with about 95 albums that you can enjoy and share with your friends and relatives! Since there is another fellow on Facebook with the name of Jerry Ahearn, take a look at my Pianogroove photo first before trying to locate the site.
Well, that’s it in a nutshell and, as we say down here in Costa Rica – Pura Vida Siempre! – Jerry Ahearn

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Wow you have accomplished so much! After seeing those photos, I better put Costa Rica on my bucket list.

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Jerry where in Costa Rica are you?

According to TripAdvisor this bar in San Jose runs a jazz jam every Monday:

Again according to TripAdvisor, every Tuesday night, this bar runs a jazz jam night:

You should definitely call them to ensure the jams are running before heading down.


It funny, no matter where I have been in the world, I have always found live jazz and people to play with. Last year I spent a few months in Hanoi, Vietnam whilst I was saving to rebuild the PianoGroove website.

I found nightly live jazz music where I could get on stage and play myself. Here’s the bar. - really great place with talented local musicians.

You will be surprised Jerry… I think wherever you are in the world there will be jazz events going on. The music pervades most cultures and societies in some shape or form!

If you are interested in jazz jams, be sure to check out my upcoming course on “Playing In A Jazz Band”: Upcoming Course: Playing In A Jazz Band

This will give you all of the information you need to play in an ensemble setting. At 71, you have plenty of time to get comfortable with jazz jamming. A different skill entirely to playing solo piano, but just as enjoyable.

Perhaps you could even grace the stage with your Alto Sax!

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Hi Hayden! – The Rainbow Room at Rockerfeller Plaza was THE place for Fred Astaire and Swing Bands during their heyday. Now it has been purchased by private owners and no longer offers dancing to the general public. It used to cost $600.00 to $750.00 per couple per night (PLUS tip!) – a bit steep by any standards – but the food was excellent, the view spectacular – just like your photo – the memories unforgettable and the dancing superb in black-tie only to a 20-piece live Swing Band! I live in Escazu, Costa Rica and am aware of El Sotano in San Jose. Unfortunately, the events are usually late at night until the wee hours of the morning. My former Sax teacher invited me there once, but it’s not in a safe area at night and I would only dare to play my clarinet. There are some GREAT, high energy, 10-piece salsa bands and Sax quartets in the area. Charlie Rivera and his Son de Pueblo band feature Charlie’s very hot Latin Jazz trumpet. Madera Nueva plays excellent live Mambo/Salsa. The jazz venue in Escazu is also a well-known, late-night event and I am usually fast asleep by the time the place opens! Playing solo jazz piano is really a very good option for me. I’ve learned over the years that Costa Ricans don’t like it when you can dance their style better than they do or play and dance Latin rhythms fluently. I guess Gringos just aren’t supposed to do that! The same thing goes for my Facebook site. Late in 2016, Facebook told me that my site is among one of the most popular in the world for orchid viewing, but the Ticos who claim to appreciate orchids very seldom are willing to visit the site. Not to worry! I just do whatever I feel is best for me at my age and leave it at that! You cannot please everybody. Today, I gave my hands a rest and listened to Spotify and several of your piano Standards. I also watched several of your theory videos on UST’s and cluster voicings. Last night, I slowly worked through all the UST option formulas on the piano for Major, Minor and Dominant 7th chords using your UST cheat sheets. It all makes quite a bit of sense and sounds beautiful. I also like the “So What” and Herbie Hancock voicings, but find that my hands just are NOT large enough for the Kenny Barron chords! – there goes my last chance for jazz piano fame!
As far as pieces are concerned, “Tenderly”, “Tune Up”(my voicings!), “Autumn Leaves” (ballard style) and “These Foolish Things” are coming along just fine. Your web site truly is a great inspiration for me! – Pura Vida! – Jerry.

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Awesome thanks for sharing all of this local knowledge Jerry.

I completely appreciate that the late night aspect of jazz jams can be a challenge.

When living in NYC, I had to recalibrate my body clock as the earliest you can perform at some jazz jams is 2am!

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Hi Hyden.I, m psychoanalyst.I never had piano lessons. I learned read sheets and harmony here.When I was 6 years old my mother bought a grand piano to decorate our living room.I came back from school I sat at the piano and played. In a short time I got a good ear. I already played music with both hands. When I was 15 years old my mother sold the piano. I stayed many years without having piano and stopped playing. Last year I bought a small keyboard and I met piano groove by youtube . But I’ve always heard a lot of jazz and bossa nova.I’m from rio de janeiro and when tom jobim made it girl from ipanema I was 7 anos. So … i always listen bossa nova and samba.I have learned many with hyden. My favorite players are: Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Brad Mehldau, herbie hancock and mccoy tyner. My only pretension musical is to amuse myself when I get home from work. I love making voicings

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That’s wonderful Ana. Having good ear skills is very important… particularly for jazz piano, so it’s great that you have developed that at a young age!

I am also a big fan of your favourite players! :slight_smile:

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Hello, i am a student in china,and learned jazz for 2 years,i really like your teachings, i can’t use too much english,but i really want to thank you for your videos.i

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Welcome Randy!

and thank you for the kind words :blush:

Great that you have been learning jazz for 2 years.

2 years is a good amount of time to understand the basics, like 251s, chord extensions, perhaps some altered harmony.

Here are some Intermediate level courses that I think you will enjoy:

Altered Harmony & Upper Structure Triads: https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/altered-harmony-upper-structure-triads/ - this is a nice area to study and it will make your dominant 7 chords sound rich and colourful.

Suspended Harmony: https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/chord-substitution-reharmonisation/ - another one of my favourite courses. Sus chords are fun to play!

I hope that you continue to enjoy the videos.

If you have any questions, I’m happy to help out :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hi. My name is Scott. I’m a vocalist in Canada [Toronto]. I was lucky enough to record an album with most of the Boss Brass many – many! – years ago. I continue to sing, usually in cabaret settings with piano and maybe bass. Not much of a pianist, but I like to write my own arrangements and find this course really helpful in creating charts for real piano players. Also, I would like to gradually get to the point where I can play to accompany myself now and then. http://www.scottwalker.ca

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Hey Scott, I just checked out your site… you have a fantastic voice!

I think that’s a very realistic goal to learn to sing and play.

I’m sure you’ve already checked out Lyndol’s course on Accompanying Singers: https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/how-to-accompany-singers/ -

Much of what Lyndol plays when accompanying herself is basic triads and 7th chords. Sticking to these ‘pillars’ of the chord is the best place to start. Perhaps start by copying the way she voices and arpeggiates her chords. She uses lots of inversions.

We cover a number of useful exercises in the lesson on Triads, & the lesson on 7th Chords. You should add these exercises to your practice routine to get comfortable visualising these important chord structures.

Both of those lessons are in the Foundations Course: https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/jazz-piano-foundations/

I think you will feel a lot of freedom to accompany yourself once you can invert and arpeggiate triads and 7th chords in all 12 keys.

Thanks for introducing yourself and if I can help with anything you’re working on, just let me know :sunglasses:

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HI, Hayden:

Thank you for the quick response; and the compliment. ALWAYS appreciated.

I have checked out Lyndol’s course. But your site is kind of like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I want a bit of everything. I just went through your Herbie Hancock m11 video. Love that sound! Want to do it.

Also loved the chart on MIsty. The 13th voicings are superb. Love to do that.

I know inversions and can play them pretty well. It’s adding movement to the playing – arpeggiating, I guess, so I’m not just plunking out the chords – that I find a challenge.

I want to become a better player by taking advantage of all the things your site offers. But how to start? Where to begin? What path to follow? Those are the things I find challenging.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Scott

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My pleasure Scott… I’m happy to help out.

haha that’s a nice analogy :grin:

Understood.

Firstly, most of the material is geared towards solo piano performance, and so whilst this is great for playing on your own, much of it will not be transferable to accompanying yourself. This shouldn’t dishearten you, just understand that much of the techniques are suited to this setting… playing solo.

You also have a lot more freedom in this setting to change the harmony, add in lots of the rich voicings and substitutions I teach. Whereas, when accompanying yourself, you should focus on the core pillars of the chord - just as Lyndol advocates in her brilliant lessons.

What I’m going to do Scott…

Give me a day or so and I will create some separate threads in the forum that give students a ‘road map’ to work through the material.

I do often send this out to new students, but it would be nice to have it all in one place so it can be accessed and referenced at any time.

I’ll notify you when it’s done. Cheers!

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Thanks again, Hayden. A road map would be great.
Scott

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@scott32627 - I’ve published a Beginner Syllabus / Roadmap here: Beginner Jazz Courses: Roadmap & Syllabus

I will do the same for Intermediate, Advanced, Improv & Blues… we have more Improv & Blues courses in the pipeline.

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Wow. Great singer, you!!

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Thank you though Lori! :smiley:

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Thanks for your reply Hayden and encouragement! :smiley:

I honestly cannot state enough how much I have both learned from this over the past year, but also how much I have enjoyed it. It feels weird at first to be so ‘clinically’ breaking music down, but once it clicks it is so awesome - especially when you just hear a song somewhere and instinctively know what scale degrees the notes are and what chord progression it is using. However, it really does take time and practice (at first I would get 90% of the exercises wrong, then gradually - over months - get to the point of getting them all - or most of them - right). If I can do this, anyone can…!

I do have a couple of recommendations for sources I’ve used, and would be happy to share, but I’m not sure how appropriate this might be, especially as you are also going to be covering transcription.

I need to investigate this, it looks good at first glance. I tend to use iOS-friendly apps so I can practice on the go. I actually like Capo which, as the name suggests, is a guitar based transcriber - with much of the same functionality as Transcribe, by the looks of things. You can section off a song, slow it down, isolate parts for closer listening, transpose etc. It does have a chord ‘guesser’ but as you can imagine, is often very inaccurate. A plus point is you can add corrected chords on the time line of the song’s sections. Another useful tool is Anytune Pro, similar to Capo but without the ability to add chords so you can see them on the timeline - although it has some advantages otherwise compared to Capo - swings and roundabouts. I also - if I get really stuck - load the file into Ableton Live and covert the relevant part into Midi and pick things out there. So all in all it sounds like I’m using the constituent parts of Transcribe!

The main drawback doing this on the go is not having a keyboard with you to explore the harmony as you go along. It’s not quite the same having to switch from whichever app to Garageband to use its keyboard - by which time even a few seconds can make your memory trick you!

I think an interesting part of transcribing is when you see there can be more than one interpretation or option within the harmony, and ultimately you can choose to follow the one that works best for your voice leading and style - which I guess is where reharmonisation comes in.

Anyhow, definitely, definitely recommend ear training and transcribing.