Customer Reviews

Beginning Jazz Keyboard (Book & CD)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a great investment if you are new to piano and love jazz or are stuck in major/minor boredom and want to look into more exotic chords and scales. I am a drummer/guitarist who wanted to learn more about theory, finally go beyond the "hunt-and-peck" stage on my keyboard, and understand the world beyond the pentatonic scale on my guitar. I feel very enlightened, and especially love the tables that summarize all the key info, and a CD is always a bonus. Enjoy!

Most jazz piano books I've come across have either been too advanced or too easy....or simply don't have enough good material. This one is at an ideal level for me and has plenty of good material. I got it 3 months ago, and have made a lot of progress using it--and the CD (which I picked up separately). The book is well-written and well-organized. The exercises and songs are musically-satisfying, and can have you sounding impressive (or, at least approaching that level) after a few weeks of practice. Depending on your rate of progress, there are several months worth of material here. Lots of exposure to Major and minor 7th chords, chord progressions, and various ways to solo (produce a melody line). I've actually learned quite a bit of music theory without too much of a struggle. The author seems to be a good teacher and has certainly come up with some excellent material. I don't think I've found any mistakes in the scores (which may be unusual for a music book).

The version I purchased from Amazon came with a DVD. The DVD supplements the book and is certainly worth watching a few times. As an 'extra feature', it contains the same soundtrack as the CD, but the menu makes it rather tedious for listening, especially for moving from track to track. I recommend getting the CD.

My guitar instructor began teaching me chord theory and changes, and he recommended this book as a guide. I do not play piano, so it has been very helpful for me to look at jazz progressions and theories without the safety net of guitar TABS and chord position charts. Mr. Baerman is very careful in the layout of the contents, increasing the complexity of the lesson material at a nice pace, and not losing sight of the fact that these are lessons, not show-off opportunities for the instructor. I also purchased the Mastering Book and am quite happy with them both. My only qualm is that there was no CD included with the beginner course.

Great value for money
It'a all you need to get your music basics on the run
the complete trio (Begining Jazz keyboards, Intermediate Jazz keyboards and Mastering Jazz keyboards) is all a keyboardist with Jazz aspirations need for a succsessful music carreer...

what a help easy to follow the teacher and I seen him on TV playing he's a Pro,and I'm mastering it quite well open a new door to many posibilities,if you have not gotten it yet get it!a whole new world a waits you and it's so easy!