Sitting In: Jazz Piano: Keyboard/Piano Book & Online Audio/Software

This book recognizes that transcription and theory exercises alone don't build the intuition that playing with other musicians develops. By pairing written guidance from an experienced educator with high-quality band recordings that repeat changes, students can finally practice comping and soloing in a setting that mimics the energy and spontaneity of actual ensemble work.

Playing along with Sitting In is like finally having bandmates who can wait for you. The recorded band swings with real groove and responds to the music with the timing and phrasing of experienced players, creating an urgency and creative energy that lifts your playing out of the practice room.

Jazz pianists and keyboardists who want to move beyond isolated practice and experience the spontaneity of ensemble playing without needing a full band available. This works equally well for students preparing for jazz combos and working musicians looking to expand their harmonic vocabulary across different styles.

• Listen to the sample solos on each track first to understand the style and harmonic vocabulary expected for that tune; then use the repeated progressions to build your own lines without the pressure of perfection.
• Focus on comping patterns during the repeated vamp sections rather than waiting passively for your solo turn; developing responsive voicings is just as important as single-note improvisation.
• Adjust your volume and tone to match the recorded band by playing along with headphones; this trains your ear for balance and blend in ways that practicing alone cannot.
• Return to tunes where you struggled rather than moving forward; each style (ballads, Latin, bebop) requires different vocabularies, and repeated exposure to the same changes builds deeper musical memory.

Assign specific tunes as weekly homework aligned to styles you're covering in your jazz ensemble or combo class; students can work through the comping section for context before their solo turn comes around. The breadth of styles (standards, bebop, Latin, ballads, modern jazz) also makes this a resource for independent study throughout the year.

• Comping in multiple jazz styles (standards, bebop, Latin jazz, ballads, modern jazz)
• Soloing over jazz changes with appropriate scales and modes for each tune
• Listening and responding to a rhythm section in real time
• Developing jazz vocabulary through guided listening and imitation
• Playing with ensemble balance and interactive phrasing
• Reading chord progressions and recognizing harmonic patterns across different contexts