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recommended online source for jazz piano lessons?


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So here's the deal. I'm an intermediate level keyboardist with lots of experience playing in classic rock and pop bands. I'm fair to middlin' at reading music. I've been working with YouTube videos from various pianists who offer jazz piano lessons. I've also been going through Tim Richards great book Exploring Jazz Piano, volume 1.

 

I would really like to take face-to-face piano lessons but I live in a small town and I know of no one local who teaches anything other than classical piano with children as their primary audience.

 

I feel like there's a huge amount of material online, and in fact this is a problem for me. Too much to choose from; for example, I'll work on minor scales for a while, then I get distracted by a piece of sheet music I want to learn, then I'll find other free online lessons for jazz standards. I'm also a member at Willie Myette's website.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has recommendations for a good teacher who I can get Skype lessons from, or a website which offers an online lesson plan which is structured enough that I can follow those lessons and master new skills without getting distracted.

 

Any suggestions?

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Andy La Verne.. studied with Bill Evans and has multiple ways to transfer a music lesson

His comping - voicings, are mind blowing. Only con for me is the price is on the high side. Maybe just one lesson per month.

 

Mike Longo teaches jazz rhythm as no one does.. straight out of the co father of be bop, Dizzy Gillespie. I would immediately seek him and his rhythm based DVD's.

 

Harmony , repertoire, are not a mystery, but jazz rhythm is. It blows my mind that Mike is not an international treasure..

 

OT I am seeking online piano lessons today but for a different reason. How to teach!

I am interested in all online methods that can help.

You don't have ideas, ideas have you

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are. "One mans food is another mans poison". I defend your right to speak hate. Tolerance to a point, not agreement

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Peter Martin has a couple of online jazz piano courses available at:

 

https://www.openstudionetwork.com

 

I think the quality of his instruction is quite good. To get a feel for Peter's teaching style, you can check out a number of bite-sized instructional videos he makes available for free on YT. Search for "Peter Martin 2 Minute Jazz."

 

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I was going to suggest Peter Martin as well. I haven't done his courses, but there are samples on the link above as well as his YT 2-minute jazz clips here.

 

Also, I dig his playing, so that's another good reason if I were to take his online classes.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I have watched some of the Peter Martin lessons. Very impressed. Video player features are outstanding. Will probably take the plunge and sign up for a year.

 

Has anyone actually done his beginning Jazz Piano course? I'd love to hear from you.

 

Also, is anyone familiar with Steve Nixon's site freejazzlessons.com? He has several plans for paid memberships.

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I have watched some of the Peter Martin lessons. Has anyone actually done his beginning Jazz Piano course? I'd love to hear from you.

Like you, I'd describe myself as an intermediate player. I dipped into Peter's Beginning Jazz Piano course for a few weeks (you can subscribe on a month-to-month basis), and found that it offered some very good advice on practicing, breaking down tunes, learning solos, etc. Peter emphasizes paying attention to groove and time feel, rather than trying to play lots of notes. The music theory and jazz vocabulary aspects of the course are very basic, however, so I definitely wouldn't have wanted to sign up for longer than a month or two. PM me if you want more info.

 

Peter is also getting ready to release a new course designed for intermediate players, which I am eager to check out.

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LeesKeys - thanks for starting this thread; I've been wondering about some of these for a while. After some googling around, I stumbled upon a deal for the Peter Martin lessons - a coupon for the first month for $1 (plus $1 registration) - I'm not sure if the second month at $47 is mandatory or not (it was a bit unclear). Anyway, link/coupon here: http://tinyurl.com/jjnfb8o

 

So, I've signed up for now...

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  • 3 months later...
I have watched some of the Peter Martin lessons. Has anyone actually done his beginning Jazz Piano course? I'd love to hear from you.

... Peter is also getting ready to release a new course designed for intermediate players, which I am eager to check out.

Bumpity to let anyone who's interested know that I received an email today announcing the availability of Peter's online course for intermediate players. Here's the link:

 

https://www.openstudionetwork.com/ejp-landing-20/

 

 

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I just started with the Peter Martin courses. They are filmed well and I really like his style of teaching. A good balance between explanation and playing. They are the best ones I have found so far.

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Another option- skype piano lessons. I started the beginner Peter Martin course but still had trouble focusing my efforts and sticking with a regular practice schedule. I figured I probably needed a real-time teacher who would provide personalized feedback and review my progress weekly. Most of the skype lessons I looked at were too expensive- $50 and up an hour, which I couldn't afford.

 

I finally found a site- Piano Teachers Connect, which offers skype lesson at $30/hr. I filled out the "tell us about you" form, describing my musical goals. You pay for the first trial lesson up front, and then if you're happy with the teacher they've matched you with, you pay monthly in advance. If you know at least 5 days ahead of the next lesson that you won't be available for the scheduled date/time, you can work it out with the teacher for a different day or if the lesson will be missed, you don't have to pay. Overall, I've been pleased with the result. My teacher is very competent and very open to any songs and instructional materials I want to include. Right now I'm working on scales, 2-5-1 progressions, a couple of Real Book selections (Michelle and Autumn Leaves) and a chapter in Tim Richards book Exploring Jazz Piano Vol 1.

 

So if you think you might need a real-time teacher to help you work toward your goals and lay down weekly expectations, check it out.

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  • 2 years later...
I would really recommend all the Barry Harris videos on youtube. He's inspiring and explains things in a way that makes so much sense, with a lot of passion.

The Peter Martin short videos are good too!

 

I did not get a handle on the teaching of Barry Harris (and Carol Kaye) until I discovered two incredible apostles on ytube:

 

 

 

Once you get past the idea these guys spend no time on video production, like so many keyboard teachers do now, you see what Barry is often ranting about LOL

 

and,

 

This incredible book about playing gospel

 

By Kurt Cowling. A must have, I'm not kidding.

 

 

 

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Natal drums/congas etc & misc bowed/plucked/blown instruments. 

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Another Dave Frank Skype lessons fan here. I'm essentially a beginning keyboardist, but have fifty years of guitar playing and related background so Dave said he accept me as a student since I have deep knowledge of theory and playing guitar. I tried the typically local piano teachers with the usually books they put everyone thru and that wasn't working for me. With Dave everything is from a Jazz POV and making progress and enjoying the lessons. Dave is laid back and keeps you motivated. He has a lot of YouTubes with tons of advice and Dave himself studied with legendary teachers Lenny Tristano and Charlie Banacos. If you contact him he does a free intro lesson so you can get a feel for what he's like, his YouTubes have his contact info.

 

 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
On 1/16/2020 at 6:06 PM, Docbop said:

Dave himself studied with legendary teachers Lenny Tristano and Charlie Banacos.

 

 

I had the fortune of living near Charlie Banacos and studied with him for three years in person. His family continues Charlie's pedagogy through correspondence from one of his longest studying student, the great pianist Gary Dial. Here's a link if anyone is interested. https://www.charliebanacos.net/

 

His lessons still impact me everyday and only wish I put in the work back in the day. Some weeks he would put three notes on a page and that lesson would takes weeks to perfect and then some. Charlie would only do correspondence lessons if you lived to far to meet.

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I’ve been taking some great and very affordable online lessons the last couple years with Carey Frank (no relation to Dave Frank, I can safely assume). He’s such a great player, an excellent teacher, and makes things real easy on the virtual technology side. Can’t recommend his lessons enough!

 

https://www.careyfrank.com/

Numa X Piano 73 | Yamaha CP4 | Mojo 61 | Motion Sound KP-612s | Hammond M3

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The stuff Open Studio routinely posts for free will get you a good, long way all by itself. Almost every time I stumble on one of their videos it ends up being significantly helpful. Disclaimer: I have worked for them in the past, but I don't currently, and plugging them doesn't benefit me in any way. I just dig their stuff.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGyFxn_A5iA

 

I watch Julian Bradley sometimes, I've learned a few things from him... this is an intro... but he has a lot of more advanced vids also on YT...

He explains things theoretical, very clearly and succinctly I have found ....

 

Advanced players should check out his 'Pentatonic Chord' study .... apparently 'Pentatonic' is not what many of us thought it was, guitarists also! 

That one was particularly eye-opening ....

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