Jazz Piano Lessons

Like anything new, learning jazz piano does not come without its challenges and hurdles. However, it is also one of the most fun, creative, and rewarding styles of music to play. Due to the heavy emphasis on improvisation and expressivity, playing jazz music is one of the most liberating things a musician can do. There most certainly will not be any shortage of opportunities to express yourself when playing jazz.

While there are naturally many parallels and areas of overlap between jazz piano playing and piano playing in other musical styles, the demand for a strong theoretical foundation is quite high as jazz harmony can be rather complex at times. Playing jazz piano is just as mentally demanding as it is technically demanding. You will be required to make split-second decisions in improvised performances, which will require you to draw from and apply your knowledge of musical theory.

Two of the biggest keys to success when it comes to learning jazz are as follows: having a great teacher and becoming fully immersed in the genre. An experienced piano instructor that specializes in jazz will help breakdown and illustrate the complex harmony and concepts in easily understood ways. Furthermore, because jazz is such a “feel” based genre to play, getting fully immersed with the style will be incredibly helpful. Surrounding yourself with jazz music in all possible ways, such as watching jazz performances on YouTube, listening to jazz playlists on Spotify, or attending jazz clubs for live performances, will give you an intuitive understanding of what “makin’ it swing” is all about.

There are a number of ways that you can begin your journey into jazz piano playing, but lessons with an experienced jazz piano instructor is usually the best place to start. There are a number of excellent jazz piano method books, websites, and online video tutorials, but nothing can truly compare to the personalized experience of private lessons. 

A proper teacher will custom-tailor lesson plans to address your specific challenges, interests, and goals. You will be able to work closely with them to apply the techniques and knowledge you’re learning through repertoire that inspires you. Maintaining your motivation level plays a huge role in one’s success. A great teacher will help you stay motivated every step of the way.

Another important step to take is exposing yourself to as many different styles of jazz as possible. Google, YouTube, and Spotify can be amazing tools to discover jazz music and musicians that you resonate with. Not only will this exploration give you a deep well of inspiration, it will actually make you a better jazz musician. Your feel for the “swing” that is at the rhythmic core of jazz music will be enhanced and you will also have more solo and improvisation ideas from listening to the greatest jazz musicians of all time.

Yes! While some music schools and teachers may say otherwise, at Merriam Music, we believe fervently in the notion that any student is able to be taught any musical concept regardless of their age or level of experience. Needless to say, you cannot teach a complex subject like harmony the same way to a 5-year-old as you would a 25 or 50-year-old, but, if the approach is tailored to the age range appropriately, any student can begin to understand any concept.

We have refined our unique educational approach over 30 years and are very proud of the success we’ve had with teaching all areas of music to all types and age ranges of students. Jazz piano is certainly no different. If you have a strong passion and affinity for jazz music but have never played the piano, we want to utilize that inspiration and ensure that your areas of interest are reflected in each and every lesson.

Through a combination of our specialized jazz piano instructors and our unique holistic approach to music education, you will successfully be able to tackle the jazz genre from the onset of your piano journey. Sign up for lessons today to be set on the path to jazz piano mastery from a leading instructor!

This is a difficult question to answer as the time it takes a student to refine their technique or gain a strong understanding of theoretical concepts varies greatly. The age and prior piano experience of a student as well as the lesson length and hours of weekly practice all factor in ultimately. As the old saying goes: “you get back what you put in”.

A student that spends three hours a day practicing and is fully immersed in the jazz genre will undoubtedly progress faster than a student practicing 30 minutes a day that does not spend much time listening to jazz music. Furthermore, students that have piano playing experience in another style, such as classical or pop, will have an edge when it comes to learning jazz piano compared to a brand new beginner that has never touched a key.

Jazz piano is very different compared to classical piano, but the core technique and music theory is consistent. For students that already have solid playing techniques and understand scales, chords, keys, and note values, the process of becoming proficient jazz pianists should not be as difficult. 

Regardless of your prior experience though, Merriam Music’s expert jazz instructors can coach you to be jazzin’ the blues in no time!

Every child is different, but between the ages of 3-6 is typically the most ideal time to begin learning piano. The brain’s development is at an optimal stage, where new neural pathways can form quickly – it’s as though the mind learns how to learn the piano at this age, laying the mental foundations for understanding rhythm, harmony, and aural learning at a deep level of comprehension.

This is not to say that people of all ages can’t begin to learn piano…generally mature piano students can expect to learn piano at the same pace and to the same level as they have with other complex hobbies or areas of study.