I was trained as a classical pianist before turning to jazz. I wasn't too bad as a classical pianist. I banked a few awards. I only discovered Jazz in my late teens. I then studied jazz in College and University. Armed with my 2 degrees, I went out into the world as a gigging musician. Eventually, this evolved into tours, concerts, recordings, a record deal and so on. I'm sharing this with you not to try and impress you, but to impress upon you that it IS very possible to go from classical to jazz. And having done both, I share my personal insights on this journey. I love this music, and I hope that you deeply commit to learning it, because when you do, it's incredibly rewarding! - Musically yours, Paul Tobey
I'm beginning this transition from classical to jazz in my mid 60s. I've taught composition at the university for 30+ years along with numerous theory courses. I've listened to and admired jazz performances my entire life, and am having a blast basically starting from zero and gaining some improvization skills. There's is (perhaps not unsurprisingly) a lot of overlap between classical 18th century counterpoint (melodic writing) and improv, which is somewhat helpful. But approaching this with "beginner's mind" is in my opinion crucial. Take it slow. Have fun. (Personally I find playing along with the iReal app or with backing tracks to be highly motivating). It's never too late to start
Right on! My major was in composition. 100% agree with you on all of the above. I'm happy to hear you are diving into this. BTW, I have a FREE series for beginners (which is desiged for classical players switching to jazz). You may appreciate this one: jazzmentl.com/the-ultimate-beginners-guide-to-jazz-piano/
This is out of my pay grade, but I'm better able to comment today than I was two years ago. I only started the piano after 65 yoa, and I was relying on You Tube videos for the first year. Now I'm taking lessons twice a week, and finally making progress. I only recently started singing which helped to unlock my musicality. I'm years away from being able to take advantage and attempt jazz. That doesn't bother me since I've never learned to play well with others. I have trouble listening. That is a learned skill, and my teacher gave me some techniques to develop those skills. And I'm trying to master triads before moving on to more complex ideas. I decided early on that I wasn't going to be bothered with Jazz until I achieved at least a level 8, give or take a grading system. I was at level two, and then talked with my teachers and went back to level one...several times. Each of those simple songs was a musical phrase that I had neglected to really feel. This video gave me some inspiration, especially for the swing feel. I can start practicing that now, along with rhythm in general. I expected that you meant Beethoven Opus 132 (I think) when you talked about his music and jazz. In his last Sonata, he introduced several concepts that foreshadowed ragtime and bebop. Why hasn't this become a jazz standard?
Congrats at starting over at 65! Once you achieve your grade 8 level, let us know and I'll send you a celebratory Tshirt! I'm glad the video gave you some inspiration. A tune becoming a "jazz standard" is more of an organic process (imho) vs. a manufactured thing. I think the players were perhaps running towards something new - a "free" form in spirit, away from the constraints of classical. It probably wasn't "cool" to go backwards (so to speak). They were innovating. Making room for new voices, new composers, new expression. As I wasn't at the birth of "cool" - I'm just guessing of course. A musicologist would have a more "researched" or "historical" answer. My guess is that the players were in the process of experimentation, innovation and embracing their black roots and Beethoven was a distant memory associated with their childhood piano teachers. Likely grateful for Beethoven (notable for his contributions for his use of syncopation), he was just not "cool" at the time. However, many jazz players are reharmonizing Classical music and making it into jazz. No doubt that some can become "jazz standards" in the future. Especially with "new distribution channels" where music doesn't have to be 3 minutes long to be heard.
I was trained as a classical pianist before turning to jazz. I wasn't too bad as a classical pianist. I banked a few awards. I only discovered Jazz in my late teens. I then studied jazz in College and University. Armed with my 2 degrees, I went out into the world as a gigging musician. Eventually, this evolved into tours, concerts, recordings, a record deal and so on. I'm sharing this with you not to try and impress you, but to impress upon you that it IS very possible to go from classical to jazz. And having done both, I share my personal insights on this journey. I love this music, and I hope that you deeply commit to learning it, because when you do, it's incredibly rewarding! - Musically yours, Paul Tobey
I'm beginning this transition from classical to jazz in my mid 60s. I've taught composition at the university for 30+ years along with numerous theory courses. I've listened to and admired jazz performances my entire life, and am having a blast basically starting from zero and gaining some improvization skills. There's is (perhaps not unsurprisingly) a lot of overlap between classical 18th century counterpoint (melodic writing) and improv, which is somewhat helpful. But approaching this with "beginner's mind" is in my opinion crucial. Take it slow. Have fun. (Personally I find playing along with the iReal app or with backing tracks to be highly motivating). It's never too late to start
Right on! My major was in composition. 100% agree with you on all of the above. I'm happy to hear you are diving into this. BTW, I have a FREE series for beginners (which is desiged for classical players switching to jazz). You may appreciate this one: jazzmentl.com/the-ultimate-beginners-guide-to-jazz-piano/
This is out of my pay grade, but I'm better able to comment today than I was two years ago. I only started the piano after 65 yoa, and I was relying on You Tube videos for the first year. Now I'm taking lessons twice a week, and finally making progress. I only recently started singing which helped to unlock my musicality. I'm years away from being able to take advantage and attempt jazz. That doesn't bother me since I've never learned to play well with others. I have trouble listening. That is a learned skill, and my teacher gave me some techniques to develop those skills. And I'm trying to master triads before moving on to more complex ideas.
I decided early on that I wasn't going to be bothered with Jazz until I achieved at least a level 8, give or take a grading system. I was at level two, and then talked with my teachers and went back to level one...several times. Each of those simple songs was a musical phrase that I had neglected to really feel.
This video gave me some inspiration, especially for the swing feel. I can start practicing that now, along with rhythm in general.
I expected that you meant Beethoven Opus 132 (I think) when you talked about his music and jazz. In his last Sonata, he introduced several concepts that foreshadowed ragtime and bebop. Why hasn't this become a jazz standard?
Congrats at starting over at 65! Once you achieve your grade 8 level, let us know and I'll send you a celebratory Tshirt! I'm glad the video gave you some inspiration. A tune becoming a "jazz standard" is more of an organic process (imho) vs. a manufactured thing. I think the players were perhaps running towards something new - a "free" form in spirit, away from the constraints of classical. It probably wasn't "cool" to go backwards (so to speak). They were innovating. Making room for new voices, new composers, new expression. As I wasn't at the birth of "cool" - I'm just guessing of course. A musicologist would have a more "researched" or "historical" answer. My guess is that the players were in the process of experimentation, innovation and embracing their black roots and Beethoven was a distant memory associated with their childhood piano teachers. Likely grateful for Beethoven (notable for his contributions for his use of syncopation), he was just not "cool" at the time. However, many jazz players are reharmonizing Classical music and making it into jazz. No doubt that some can become "jazz standards" in the future. Especially with "new distribution channels" where music doesn't have to be 3 minutes long to be heard.