Not Just Another Jazz Book 1-3 (Value Pack): Piano Packet

Springer's arrangements consistently deliver the feel of playing in an actual jazz ensemble, and the accompanying CDs with bass and drums make that promise real. The stylistic range across the three books means you can program concert sets that stay cohesive while exploring blues, ragtime, rock, and standard territory without sounding like a textbook.

These arrangements capture the joy of spontaneity without sacrificing structure. Whether you're sliding into a bluesy groove, racing through a driving rag, or settling into the sway of a ballad, the music breathes with the energy of a real band playing for the pleasure of it.

This pack serves pianists in the early-intermediate through late-intermediate range who are ready to explore jazz beyond classical technique. It works equally well for students building jazz vocabulary from scratch and for classically trained players discovering how rhythm section thinking changes everything.

• Balance your left-hand comping against the recorded rhythm section; the trio on the CD gives you room to breathe, so resist the urge to fill every space with notes.
• Start with the slower practice tempos on the CDs to lock the groove before performing at tempo; jazz feels different when your hands know where the pocket is.
• Pay attention to the stylistic cues in each arrangement (the swing feel in the blues pieces differs from the straight eighths in the rock tunes) and let those shape your articulation and touch.
• Record yourself playing along with the tracks and listen back; hearing your own sound in context reveals rhythmic slippage and phrasing choices you won't catch in the moment.

Scatter individual pieces throughout the year as recital repertoire, or sequence three or four titles from different books to build a jazz-focused concert set that shows stylistic breadth. The variety also makes these ideal for informal performances, competitions, or simply rotating through the year during practice time without committing to a single narrative arc.

• Reading jazz chord symbols and voicing decisions
• Playing swing rhythms and straight eighths in appropriate contexts
• Comping patterns and left-hand coordination with a rhythm section
• Phrasing and articulation within jazz idioms (blues, ragtime, rock, ballad)
• Listening and ensemble awareness while playing along with recorded tracks