Hi all,
Having just recently retired (a young pensioner 
), I finally decided to learn the piano after many years of humming and hahing and generally finding work as an excuse to delay it.
I like music of all sorts, but feel that the piano just calls out to have relaxing jazz standards played on it.
I love the sounds of the ābig voicingā chords, and look forward to achieving the same with my own 2 hands.
Hi @markgrant 
Welcome to the PianoGroove community!
As a new piano player Iād recommend to start with our āLead Sheet Fundamentalsā learning path:
This learning path covers 9 beginner jazz standards which will help to build out your repertoire of songs.
We cover these 9 tunes throughout the PianoGroove courses and so learning the basic arrangement provides strong foundations upon which we can add more advanced theory and jazz harmonisation techniques.
I also recommend the theory lessons in our Jazz Piano Foundations course:
This theory takes time to learn (scales, triads, 7th chords, 251 progressions) and so spend 50% of your practice time on the theory lessons, and 50% on the jazz standard studies highlighted above.
You mention that you love the sound of big chord voicings, so here are some late-beginner/early-intermediate jazz piano lessons which I think will be of interest to you:
In these lessons I explain when and where these voicings can be applied - and so try to apply them to the beginner jazz standard lessons that I outlined in the āLead Sheet Fundamentalsā learning path.
If you have any questions, you can post in the āCommentsā section of the lesson pages and that pings me a notification.
Click the link below for example and it will show you the Comment section which you will find on every lesson page on the website:
If you have a question specific to a lesson - thatās the best place to post it. You will also see the questions from other students and my answers which often contain useful information.
I hope that helps Mark.
Enjoy the lessons and talk soon!
Hayden
Hi!
I started my piano journey six years ago, when I retired at 60. I now play intermediate-level pieces from sheet music (ABRSM Grades 5ā6), mostly classical and some ājazzyā arrangements. I have an excellent private teacher, and I feel that I am progressing at a slow but steady pace.
I also love jazz, pop, rock, bossa nova, and other styles. My goal with PianoGroove is to learn jazz and piano accompaniment, and to be able to play more freely.
My long-term aim is to become an advanced amateur pianistāand, most importantly of all, to enjoy the journey!
Welcome to PianoGroove and thanks for sharing your background. Itās great to hear about your journey so far.
The ABRSM Grade 5ā6 repertoire will give you a solid technical and reading foundation, which Iām sure will serve you very well as you start exploring jazz and other styles of improvised music.
You mention wanting to play more freely which is exactly what we focus on here at PianoGroove. The transition from reading full sheet music to interpreting lead sheets can feel like a big shift at first, but itās all about building a few key skills:
I suggest new jazz piano students to start with the Lead Sheet Fundamentals Learning Path:
You can also find an index of songs that we teach here:
Choose the tunes/jazz standards that interest you most.
I recommend students to spend roughly half of their practice time working on jazz standards and repertoire, and the other half on theory studies and theory drills.
If there are any topics or styles that you are particularly interested in, you can use the search box in the header of the website to find relevant lessons and seminars.
If youād like any additional guidance or recommendations donāt hesitate to post your questions here in the forum, or in the āCommentsā section of the lesson pages, and that will ping me a notification.
Enjoy the lessons and talk soon!
Hayden
Hello dear community and Instructor Team, my name is JosĆ© and I registered as a Pro Member at Pianogroove on May 3rd, 2026. Iām currently trying to orient myself on the site. Now my question to you, Iām absolutely new to jazz. Am I correct that I start under āsyllabusā > Resources > Learning Paths > Leadsheets Fundamentals and then work through the courses in the given order??? Thank you for your feedback. Best wishes. Jose
Hi @Jose
Welcome to PianoGroove!
Yes indeed I recommend new jazz piano students to start with the āLead Sheet Fundamentals Learning Pathā which you can find here:
The lessons in this learning path will teach you how to read and interpret lead sheets.
This learning path contains 9 beginner jazz standards studies which are simple but beautiful arrangements. The goal is to build out your repertoire of jazz standards which is very important as you start your jazz piano journey.
You will also see that the learning path contains the Jazz Piano Foundation Course:
This course is much more theory-focused. We cover major and minor scales, triads, 7th chords, and the 251 progression. This theory takes time to learn, and so make sure that you are also working on the jazz standard lessons which is the more enjoyable side of beginner jazz piano studies.
Hereās how I recommend to split your practice time:
50% of your time on the theory lessons and drills in the Jazz Piano Foundations Course
50% of your time on the jazz standard studies in the Lead Sheet Fundamentals Path
I hope that helps Jose, if you need any further guidance donāt hesitate to get in touch.
Cheers,
Hayden
Hello everyone!
My name is Len, and Iām from the UK.
Iām a late starter to the piano, beginning my journey when I turned 60. Iām now approaching 65 and, despite spending several years learning, I still consider myself an adult beginner. My biggest lesson so far has been that consistency is far more important than constantly searching for the āperfectā course.
Over the years Iāve tried a variety of books, online platforms and teaching styles. While Iāve learned something from each of them, I also developed a habit of switching courses whenever things became difficult or I started wondering if there was a better way. Looking back, I realise that changing direction every few months was holding me back more than anything else.
Iāve joined PianoGroove because Iāve realised that I want my learning to reflect the music I genuinely enjoy. Haydenās calm, thoughtful teaching style really resonates with me, and I love the emphasis on harmony, beautiful voicings and creating music rather than simply reproducing notes on a page. Iām excited to commit to this path and see where it takes me.
My long-term goal is quite simple. I donāt want to become a concert pianist or work through grades. Iād love to be able to sit down at the piano with a cup of tea and play relaxed cocktail piano, jazz ballads and beautiful arrangements of familiar songs for my own enjoyment.
What Iām hoping to gain from PianoGroove is a deeper understanding of harmony, greater confidence at the keyboard, and the ability to play with freedom and expression. Iām also looking forward to learning alongside like-minded people, sharing progress, asking questions and encouraging others as we all develop together.
Iām excited to be here and look forward to getting to know everyone.
My musical tastes are quite broad, but these days I find myself listening mainly to classical music and jazz.
When it comes to jazz, Iām a big admirer of the entire Marsalis family. One of my all-time favourite recordings is Ruby and the Pearl by Branford Marsalis. If youāve never heard it, Iād thoroughly recommend giving it a listenāitās one of those performances that completely draws me in every time.
Iām especially fond of dinner jazz, cocktail piano, jazz ballads and beautifully melodic arrangements. I love music that creates an atmosphere rather than demanding attention.
My love of jazz began many years ago during a meal with colleagues in a French restaurant. Summertime by Miles Davis was playing in the background. I can honestly remember becoming so captivated by the music that I completely lost track of the conversation around the table. From that moment on, jazz had me hooked.
That experience probably explains why Iāve found my way to PianoGroove. My ambition isnāt to become a virtuosoāIād simply love to sit down at the piano with a cup of tea and be able to play the kind of relaxed, expressive cocktail piano and jazz ballads that first made me fall in love with the genre.
Thanks for reading!
Nothing to add to such beautiful and inspiring wordsā¦just wanted to give you a warm-hearted welcome!!
Hi Len
Thanks for taking the time to introduce yourself and welcome to PianoGroove!
I really enjoyed reading your story, and I think a lot of people here will relate to it.
It sounds like youāve found the right direction for your musical goals. If your ambition is to sit down with a cup of tea and play beautiful jazz ballads, cocktail piano and relaxed arrangements for your own enjoyment, then youāre in the right place.
I recommend to build a small repertoire of tunes that you enjoy playing. Rather than learning lots of songs, spend time revisiting the same handful of standards and gradually enrich them with new voicings, fills, and arranging styles. Thatās where youāll really start to feel your playing become more natural and expressive.
Here are 2 links to help you get started:
Thanks for the recommendation of Ruby and the Pearl. I know Branfordās playing well, but itās been a while since I listened to that recording.
Welcome again, Len. I look forward to hearing on your progress, and donāt hesitate to ask any questions as you work through the lessons.
You can post any questions here in the forum, and also in the āCommentsā section of the lesson pages, and that pings me a notification.
ā Hayden