Judy Carmichael: You Can Play Authentic Stride Piano: Piano Book & CD

Carmichael demystifies stride piano with a pedagogical structure that works. Rather than assuming advanced technique, she starts with targeted drills that address the specific coordination stride demands, then situates those skills within recognizable standards. The enclosed CD recordings of exactly what's notated on the page eliminate guesswork about style and timing, making authentic stride accessible to pianists who'd otherwise feel locked out of the idiom.

Stride piano swings with propulsive energy, the left hand driving a hypnotic bass-chord-bass-chord locomotive while the right hand dances, syncopates, and ornaments the melody. Learning it feels like unlocking a whole new vocabulary for the keyboard, one that demands focus and precision but rewards you with a sound that's unmistakably alive and joyful.

Pianists with solid classical or popular technique who want to expand into jazz and are ready to commit to learning a distinct rhythmic and textural language. This is equally valuable for jazz students looking to understand stride's place in jazz history and for adult learners returning to piano who want to tackle a specific style with expert guidance.

• Work the exercises in sequence before moving to the full stride pieces. Carmichael designs them to build hand independence and left-hand independence progressively, so skipping ahead will leave gaps in your coordination.
• Listen to each CD track multiple times before attempting to play. Your ears need to internalize the rhythm, swing, and texture of stride before your hands can replicate it.
• Practice the left-hand stride pattern (bass note, chord, bass note, chord) as a separate layer until it feels automatic. Only then layer the right-hand melody.

These standards work beautifully as jazz recital repertoire or as part of a concert exploring the evolution of American popular song through a jazz lens. They also serve as effective student repertoire for a jazz history unit, where performing these pieces alongside recordings of stride's original masters deepens understanding of the idiom's character and significance.

• Left-hand independence and coordination in stride bass patterns
• Jazz articulation, swing, and rhythmic phrasing in the right hand
• Hand position and finger technique for rapid keyboard navigation across wide ranges
• Listening and transcription skills through matching performance to notation
• Stylistic interpretation of jazz standards within a specific historical tradition