Customer Reviews

Complete Jazz Keyboard Method: Intermediate Jazz Keyboard

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I bought "Mastering Jazz Keyboard" at a local music store and found that it was just a little too advanced for me, though I liked the tone and pace of the book. So I ordered "Intermediate Jazz Keyboard," and so far, I've found that it's just what I was looking for.

I'm a classically trained pianist looking to branch out into jazz improvisation. I sightread really easily, I know my major and minor scales inside and out, but I was always a little confused by chord markings like "Emin7b5" and "Csus". I knew what they meant, but I didn't really get what you'd use them for. What Baerman does is explain when - and why - to use advanced chords.

The best part of the book is the accompanying CD. After reading a few pages, you'll find yourself wanting to try things out but not quite knowing how. Every topic has at least one example track on the CD, usually more than one. And all the tracks are written out in notation, so those of us who are used to reading music won't feel too disoriented.

All in all, this book has a great balance of theory and practice, with a good sense of humor and bits of jazz history thrown in to boot. The only thing that would make it more complete would be a few worksheets or tables to fill in, just for practice constructing chords or scales.

The three books in the Jazz Keyboard series by Noah Baerman are absolutely great. Not only are they full of all the right material, but they also make you practice and use all that you have learned through the many example songs and solos. I highly recommend getting the CDs together with the books in order to hear what the pieces can sound like given sufficient practice time. If you want to learn Jazz Piano - this is a great way to go.