If you’ve ever watched a guy like Harry Connick Junior play jazz piano and sing, you begin to understand just what makes him so cool. I mean, a jazz pianist who is really good is really cool. And while you might be thinking that you would have to move to New Orleans or some other jazz-centric location, that’s not necessarily the case. While you can go and learn from master jazz performers live there are also plenty of good jazz piano lessons that you can find right from your computer.
Part of learning to play good jazz has to do with your use of scales. And that is going to require that you understand some music theory, and then practice that theory by using scales. If your fingers are stiff and don’t have a lot of dexterity, you’re really going to have some work cut out for you when it comes to playing jazz scales.
One thing that can help tremendously, and should be included in any jazz piano lessons, is the circle of fifths. All songs are built around a musical element called a key. A key is the notes that make that particular key different from every other key. You know how some songs may be more difficult for you to sing than others? One song may be in a higher key, while others are in lower Keys. If you have a naturally high voice, low-key songs they be more difficult for you to manage, and the same thing in reverse if you’re not a tenor or soprano.
The circle of fifths is something that you can use to quickly and easily play through every single key on the piano. Since many jazz and blues scales rely heavily on fifths and fourths, playing your way through the scales on the circle of fifths both clockwise and counterclockwise is a magnificent way to start any practice session.
