I had always thought that the best sounds that could be made by the piano were those that stood out. However, after being introduced to jazz I began to see that the piano could be played at any level and still be crucial to a song. In my opinion, any jazz song just does not seem complete without the soft chords of the piano in the background. I never would have been able to develop these tastes however, if I had not joined my school’s jazz band. In high school, I tried to take a music class every year just to give myself a break from the rather bleak line up of math, english, and science. I tried joining the chorus, but it did not quite click with me. I then tried to join the band by playing the flute, but I really was not a fan. Finally, my senior year, my friend convinced me to join the jazz band with her as a pianist. I was not a huge fan of jazz music at the time, but I wanted to take a music class and I had a friend in the class, so I joined. I soon came to realize just how different jazz music was from another other type of music I had tried to play before. I was handed a few pieces in advance that I could practice and it was heinous.
Jazz music for the piano is filled with accidentals. These are notes like “f sharp” or “g flat” and they are the black keys on the piano. I had never played music with so many accidentials before and it was very tricky to even get my fingers to land on the right keys. Some chords I would play also sounded harsh with all the accidentals present. The next hurdle that introduced itself was the tempo of the pieces. They were extremely varied per piece. In Samba pieces, my eyes (much less my hands) could even follow along with the music; whereas Bossa Nova music almost made me fall asleep. Needless to say, when it was time for the band to play all together, I was extremely nervous.
I would soon come to find out that my fears were unwarranted. Once the brass and the rest of the rhythm section would join in, every piece seemed like the most beautiful piece I ever heard. Once everything was put together, I was able to see the full beauty of the piano in jazz music. Gone were any thoughts about how awkward the chords sounded or how fast/slow the tempo was. Everything was arranged to perfectly fit together.
Now, some of my favorite music to play on the piano is jazz music. Jazz just proved to me how versatile the piano is. It is difficult to believe that only 88 keys can produce such a variety of songs within a single genre. This was just one case where the piano was able to open my eyes to a whole new genre of music and allow me to see how it functioned.
Reading this I can only think of the new movie Soul and your passion for music reminds me of Joe Gardner, the main character in the movie. Jazz music has not been something I listen to often, but it plays in our house almost every Saturday morning and I have skated to numerous songs from the musical Chicago and understand your love for it. I look forward to learning about another genre of piano with your next blog!
Hey Maria, Jazz music, from what I’ve heard, if you can do jazz on piano, then you can basically play all other compositions without much hurdle. Personally, jazz music gives off the “studying/ambience” vibe which is pleasant to listen to. Is it true that jazz also has those ghost notes that fits well ? nevertheless, I’d never know the complexity of jazz, always in the state of wonder! Can’t wait for the next blogpost!
Jazz is pretty cool. That is a statement I would never had made a year and a half ago. In my senior year, I was able to participate in PMEA’s (pennsylvania music education association) jazz band festival for my area. That had to have been one of the most fun experiences I had throughout high school! I played baritone sax and getting to play the “bass parts” in jazz was so… groovy! As a bari sax i could jump between playing the meolody with the other saxes and joining in on the fun bass parts with the bass and trombones. I could just wail on the notes and never did I get yelled at for playing too loud. It was such a fun experience and opened my eyes to how fun jazz could be! I am very much enjoying your blog! I can’t wait to see what’s next!