A phenomenally popular musical styleOver a hundred years ago musical pioneers created a phenomenally popular musical style – jazz! And the toes of children and adults have been tapping to its rhythms ever since! Because of its popularity, jazz and jazz-inspired pieces are now included in the classical piano syllabi of the major examination boards. There is no doubt that classically trained teachers do have the advantage that they can show students how to play each piece appropriately in any given compositional style, to ensure they gain the highest marks, and this approach certainly suits the structure of current piano examinations. But what about one important element of jazz which is different from the classical tradition – improvisation? | |
Improvisation is believed to be a spontaneous moment of sudden inventivenessImprovisation has been around for as long as music itself. Great composers and performers of all classical styles were very good at improvising. But, somehow, it didn’t make it into the books we use today and it seems that only jazz musicians carry on the tradition. Judging by the number of students entering piano exams each year, it’s clear that interest in learning to play the piano remains as high as ever and according to popular belief, students who are eager to focus on jazz need to learn sophisticated bass lines and intentional dissonances under the watchful eye of an expert. Disappointing news for the average beginner who only intends to explore the genre without starting to look for another teacher. Cont read > |
1. Twelve-bar blues chart and formula 2. Chord Names and Symbols 3. Creating Spatial Awareness 4. Rhythm exercises 5. Noodling 6. Noodling Exercises 7. Blues scale 7-19. Exercises on all twelve keys 20. Basslines 21. Simple Ideas for Improvisation | |
44 pages Published by EVC Music Publications Ltd ISBN 978-0-9935146-8-5 Copyrights © 2012 |
Sam –
I started using this with an adult student this week, and I am really impressed with Elena’s layered approach to improvisation. Sometimes students have trouble coordinating both hands in improvisation, but Elena takes the student one step at a time, and voila!, the student can improvise something that sounds good! Congratulations, Elena!
Sharon Dixon –
This is a truly AWESOME book!!! I’ve needed this for the last 20 years of teaching!!! Can’t believe I only ordered one – will certainly now be ordering several more Elena. Thank you so much for an unbelievably fantastic resource!!!
Ada –
This is exactly what I have been looking for. As a teacher who is new to teaching and improvising myself, this is a great exercise to work on myself as well as to teach to my students. I currently have a student who loves learning Super Duck, and is inspired to work hard on these exercises to improve her skills on improvisation!
Thank you, Elena!
Sara –
They are wonderful! We had a Jazz Workshop this Fall designed around these exercises including Super Duck. 100% studio attendance, children ages 6-11, so much fun! Some only learned 4 note blues scale, some memorized entire exercises and improvised their own blues melodies. I recommend!
Irma –
This is an AWESOME improvisation exercise. I teach this to all my students, and they love it! Few students not only improvise but compose as well using the skills learned in this exercise. To top it off, this exercise comes with the super popular one and only SUPER DUCK, my studio’s favorite! This is a must-have for any studio. Highly recommended! Thanks, Elena for writing this exercise and the catchy Super Duck. Quack!