What is a good way to start learning Jazz piano?

Listen to jazz and improvise along with it. There are some good instructional videos out there, but the only way is to start playing. You'll be uncomfortable at first, but the more you feel it the better you'll get. It's often difficult to transition from classical to jazz because we're not accustomed to the freedom that we have with jazz. All the best!

If you have been playing for several years you have the General

Basics and also a good ear for the sound of the Piano.

Now you need to learn the Basic Style for Jazz.

As its a Sound not Direct to (i.e. Classical) Experimentation can be used in many forms.

Listen to a good Jazz Record you like and experiment with a basic Piano Backing to it.

You can always add lead parts later as you go along.

After Christmas everyone will think you are part of the Band

My husband is a Jazz drummer. What I've gathered at the shows is the following...

You need to be able to improvise. The other musicians will give you time to solo and you won't be able to have music written out ahead of time.

Familiarize yourself with the "Fake Book". Most of the songs the band calls out will be from there. It's mostly standards when you're dealing with jazz, and audience members will be calling out songs.

Really feel the music. Get into it.

Do you play keyboards? I see more of them than pianos at jazz shows? Some jazz pianists act as the bass on their keyboards.

Hope this helps...

You can't just trivialise an art form such as jazz, by trying to learn "the basics" to play one piece that sounds "jazzy". You have to engage yourself in both the stylistic and cultural elements of the music, as well as try to gain an understanding of jazz as music. It's something that requires detailed thought and study.

Know the complete scale options on every possible scales available to the human ear. Use your reading skills and writing skills and smoke some pot while trying to mix diatonic scale with arimic and chinese, and every other tunable scale you can find and then simply play them over and over until you feel it is right.

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Phil