Thought it be great to learn and be inspired from other players in the community.
Curious …
What were your first 3… or 5… or 10 songs/transcriptions/scores on your list that you’ve learned/studied from PianoGroove?
Would be really awesome and interesting to find out which pieces you first tried to play when you first came? …whether you were already jazz players or just first time learners and
“Why did you choose them?”
As for me…
I’ve only started learning
My Funny Valentine
initially all bec it is/was the month of February
after listening to Hayden’s version and other versions on YT - that melody really got stuck in my head and the “feels” of it
Still on my baby steps … and this has taken me weeks of sight reading it first - still on a slow tempo - and … thinking, later on - I should also start improvising and adding some notes on the spaces provided for the learner – - that was really a brilliant arrangement from Hayden…
When I Fall in Love (whilst am taking a little break from the first piece)
started learning this today ! and I’m really happy I did since it’s a song I know well but have only learned other versions before… that didn’t really connect much to me
I’m thinking of…
3. Nearness of You (still on my “to learn” list)
4. Girl from Ipanema will take me a lot of weeks to learn haha! but I love it…
5. Maybe I can get ideas from your list …
Thanks so much in advance! Can’t wait to hear yours…!
I’m a first time learner two months into my PianoGroove experience. I’ve been spending time learning Nearness of You inspired by seeing Norah Jones perform it at the Vancouver Jazz Festival. She is an accomplished player with a truly unique raspy voice!
I understand the theory part and can play through the piece but for me the biggest challenge is trying to avoid sounding robotic - to be able to impart the emotion of the song onto the piano keys. I guess that will come to me after 10,000 hours of practice!
I’m looking forward to learning all the standards in the courses and pieces like Moon River and Blue Moon.
hi Patrick! Welcome to the community! Thank you! Really appreciate the share of thoughts - couldn’t agree more! and wow - nice to hear you got to watch Norah Jones at the Jazz festival … I only have her CDs and vids haha!
Hope you keep us posted -on your progress on “Nearness of You” (great pick!)
Love Moon River too and Blue moon! very soothing to the ears ! with practice - it will only be a matter of time till you get really comfortable with the song/s - don’t worry, we’re all on the same boat hehe excited for yah!
Btw, I liked what you said about avoiding to sound ‘robotic’ - fully agree with you on this - I was actually lookin’ at exercises here at PG - on incorporating dynamics when playing or learning a song - this of course is apart from the innate ‘feel’ that we can already add/ put into our playing
off topic -
I do have that initial feeling when I practice with the click - It’s a work in progress - as I didn’t really use the metronome much before until I started drumming in 2015 where everything is practiced with the click reason why i started using it too when learning any song on an instrument then later on (after 10,000,0000 hours of practice ) removing the click and being able to play the tune confidently - and hopefully slowly adding the proper feel/emotion to it…
Kristeta,
Mines were Autumn Leaves, Misty, Funny Valentine, Tenderly and My Foolish heart. All were fairly simple. I still play them all in a similar way but I just change the beat, tempo and and style a little. The iReal pro app has helped me with getting the feel,
Great to hear the songs that are on your list! Adam
Thanks for sharing!
I was just listening to Misty a day ago on YT and probably bec I’ve also listened to this tune in here - I’m kind of really liking it now and also wanting to add it to my list All the best!
Started with the “easy” ones, still way over my head, started learning a couple years ago next month. Joined PG 14 months ago;
Just Friends, Misty, My foolish heart, Over the Rainbow, Someone T W O Me, Tenderly, Like someone in love. The 12 month goal was to play as many songs in the first year I could, get them recorded to the best of my ability, then go back to deconstruct them and try and understand the theory, still on my to do list. During this year also started working on, Darn That Dream. It’s really hard but it’s coming along.
Nearness of You 3rd-5ths-7ths is killer, thanks Hayden! Just today recorded it to a “good enough for now” level and uploaded to my soundcloud account. Once recorded there’s a feeling of finality for me, then it’s easier to focus on something new.
If you are interested in a listen. Those songs are posted under “Where to go from here for a beginner” It’s nice to share with people who have the same interests and experiences.
Hi Ben -That is awesome to hear! I really find that sharing this process of learning has given me a lot of learning and ideas, especially that it is my first year to really be serious with jazz piano learning. LOL made me smile - am sure a lot of us can relate to your post! I am currently doing the same - at first I was a bit hesitant as to how long it will take me to learn sight reading or playing just one piece - my first two months was a horror hahha and a combination of desiring and wanting to learn more jazz no matter how hard! Now you gave me an idea to see how much I can learn to play in a year - That sounds really exciting to me! Am only on my 5th month I think - and some weeks back - it all started happening to me - my mind was slowly feeling the readiness to understand the theory of each song one by one, part by part - I think I only started looking back to one or two songs (Nearness of You and When I fall in love) - and things are really getting so much better and I am slowly understanding the depth of what Hayden is saying in his lessons hahah…
I can’t and wouldn’t want to rush it this time - I noticed by keeping on learning, sight reading Hayden’s arrangements and other teachers’ works - it’s only this time that I have started wanting to really learn about jazz progressions - and probably because by this time, I can play some of the pieces more comfortably and the theory behind is slowly getting digested in my system… one at a time Thanks so much for sharing and I love watching the members’ vids - just still getting a bit confused with my way in the forum will definitely check that thread you mentioned! Happy playing and Hope all is well !
That’s Fantastic Ariel - Very nice song pick too! Do keep us all posted with your progress and revisiting of that music piece - would be fun to learn from each other. Lol I was looking for - how to do multi-quoting? and I still can’t do it! Enjoy the practice - I myself need to revisit the songs I was recently learning “Nearness of You” and “Ipanema” tune - and this will take time hahah… Hope you are well!
Your sight reading goal is great, I don’t think I have that ability in me, keep it up.
What are you finding the most helpful with your sight reading? Besides countless hours and grinding, I’m still looking for a short cut. LOL
I finally got “Darn That Dream” recorded. Getting close to recording “When Sunny Gets Blue”, Hayden did a great job on this one, my new favorite. I’m actually enjoying it more than “The Nearness of you”, which I need to go back and improve upon with an advanced A section to insert.
I’m still in search of a second year goal after five months into it. Going from one goal to another trying to juggle a few, counterproductive maybe. I have one main goal of learning the “A” sections of several pieces, then choose one and finishing it, and so on, that has potential.
I had some additional thoughts on the recording posts we had in the " where to go from here as a beginner" thread. When I have a chance I’ll shoot you a new post there. “darn that dream” populated onto that soundcloud playlist I Posted there if you want to check it out. That tune Kicked my rear for many months but is rewarding to play now .
For me the first PianoGroove library songs I have working on in my first months of being a member were Summertime and Autumn Leaves. They were more refreshers for me to get into the PianoGroove style of learning.
I have chosen them because of the sound and reminding me to the different seasons. I am looking to find a spring and winter jazz standard now
This year I would like to focus on Brasil Jazz and working on Blue Bossa, One Note Samba, Corcovado and Garota de Ipanema for the next few months.
@ben , Thank you for the kind words and motivation! I really have enjoyed listening to your version of Darn that dream - even inspired me to watch the lesson and learn it too! You have great song choices and that’s why I love reading comments and checking on members’ favourites haha cos I am learning so much from this community! (yourself included!) Can’t wait to see what you’re up to and new songs you have been trying out! Please please do keep us posted! Happy New Year! to you and your family. Take care.
@Prisca - Wow! that is awesome! and would love to now check those songs too! The season helps a lot in motivating us - as to what mood we want to be in, isn’t it? haha
Jovino’s lessons are superb and so difficult too hahaha (for me) I am still polishing my Girl from Ipanema song - from his lesson!
Please keep us posted on your Brasil Jazz choices and winter jazz songs- Happy playing !!! Happy New Year to you and your family too! Take care.
Can’t wait to hear yours…!
excited for yah!
Thanks so much for sharing and I love watching the members’ vids - just still getting a bit confused with my way in the forum 
will definitely check that thread you mentioned! Happy playing and Hope all is well !
