Intro to Jazz Keyboard: Keyboard/Piano CD

Martucci builds jazz keyboard fundamentals on a foundation that respects what pianists already know. The progression from theory explanation to complete songs creates genuine ownership of improvisation rather than rule memorization, and the recorded accompaniment lets students hear themselves in context immediately.

Warm and conversational. The step-by-step approach feels like a patient musician sitting beside you, explaining why chord extensions matter and how the great players think about melody and harmony. By the time you reach the complete songs, improvisation shifts from intimidating to genuinely playable.

Pianists comfortable with traditional classical or popular keyboard instruction who want to explore jazz vocabulary and improvisation without starting from scratch. This works equally well as a supplement to ongoing lessons or as a self-directed study resource for students ready to expand their musical voice.

• Listen through each recorded example before attempting to play along. Absorb the phrasing and feel first, then match the tempo on your second pass.
• Work through the theory explanations with a pencil. Mark chord extensions and voice leading on the page so you internalize the patterns visually and kinesthetically.
• Record yourself playing the complete songs alongside the accompaniment. Playback reveals rhythmic clarity and phrase timing you might miss while focused on hand position.
• Transpose the songs to different keys as you gain confidence. This forces you to understand the underlying harmony rather than memorizing specific finger patterns.

Assign this to private piano students who've expressed curiosity about jazz but lack formal training in the idiom. It fits naturally in a spring or summer unit where students are ready to stretch beyond their core method book, or as an independent study project for students seeking to diversify their repertoire.

• Jazz chord extensions and voice leading
• Blues and jazz scale application in improvisation
• Listening to and replicating jazz phrasing from recordings
• Comping rhythms and harmonic accompaniment patterns
• Building solos over chord changes in complete songs