Jazz Piano Studies 2: Piano Book

Kember refuses to separate technique from style here. Rather than abstract finger exercises, these studies embed chord shapes and rhythmic sophistication within recognizable jazz contexts, so students build chops while absorbing the sonic logic of blues, ballads, and swing. The progression from Book 1 to Book 2 feels earned, with ornaments and chromatics arriving at the moment students are ready to deploy them expressively.

You're inside the engine of jazz itself here. These studies pulse with the rhythmic displacement and harmonic sophistication that make jazz compelling, whether you're navigating the grit of a blues progression or the nuance of a ballad voicing. The writing respects the player's intelligence while keeping the focus on sounds that actually matter.

Intermediate jazz pianists ready to move beyond basic voicings and straight-ahead time feel. This book suits students in formal jazz programs, self-taught players committed to deepening their vocabulary, and pianists looking to strengthen their improvisation foundation through disciplined study.

• Approach the chord shapes as vocabulary to internalize, not patterns to memorize. Play them across different registers and inversions to understand how they function in context rather than as isolated positions.
• Lean into the blue notes deliberately. Hear them as emotional choices, not mistakes. Record yourself and listen back to how they shift the color of a phrase.
• When navigating complex rhythms, tap the underlying pulse first, then layer the study's rhythmic figure on top. This prevents rushing and keeps the jazz pocket intact.
• Use the ornaments and chromatics as opportunities to practice jazz articulation and phrasing. A fast chromatic run loses its purpose if it lands metronomically instead of with intention.

Deploy these as core material for intermediate jazz piano students over a full semester or year, working through one study weekly alongside improvisation and ensemble rehearsal. They also serve as a bridge between classical technique and jazz fluency for crossover pianists, and can ground a piano student's contribution to a jazz combo when selected pieces are programmed as solo features in concert.

• Recognizing and voicing complex chord extensions (9ths, 11ths, 13ths) across the keyboard
• Reading and executing syncopated rhythms specific to jazz idioms (swing, shuffle, backbeat variations)
• Incorporating blue notes and chromatic approaches into melody and harmony
• Executing ornamental figures and grace notes with jazz inflection
• Transferring theoretical knowledge of chord function into physical, musical execution
• Developing aural discrimination between jazz styles (blues, ballad, big band, gospel)