The Complete Jazz Keyboard Method: Mastering Jazz Keyboard: Keyboard/Piano CD

This method picks up where intermediate studies end and delivers the advanced concepts that separate casual jazz players from serious musicians. Baerman structures the progression logically, moving from sophisticated chord voicings through modal soloing, reharmonization, and stride technique without overwhelming the player. The included CD examples let students hear professional application of each concept before attempting it themselves.

Moving through this method feels like watching jazz language unfold in its full complexity. The concepts build systematically, revealing how modal interchange, reharmonization, and advanced voicing create the harmonic richness you hear in professional jazz. Each new technique opens fresh possibilities for improvisation and comping.

This is designed for pianists and keyboardists who have completed intermediate jazz study and are ready to tackle the concepts that define advanced jazz playing. It suits serious students preparing for jazz performance, improvisation, or further study at the collegiate level.

• Work through the chord voicing sections methodically before attempting the play-along tracks; solid voicing control is the foundation for everything that follows, from modal soloing to reharmonization.
• Use the recorded examples to internalize the sound of each concept in context. Listen first, then play along at slower tempos before matching the recorded pace.
• Study the stride piano and walking bass sections separately from your comping work. These techniques require independent hand coordination and deserve focused practice time.
• Approach the non-diatonic progressions with the harmonic understanding you've built in earlier sections; don't view them as exceptions but as natural extensions of jazz language.

Use this as the capstone method for any student pursuing serious jazz keyboard study. It works equally well in private studio instruction or as a self-directed resource for adult learners returning to jazz after other musical training. The structured progression supports year-long independent study or can anchor jazz keyboard lessons within a broader music curriculum.

• Advanced chord voicings and substitution techniques
• Modal soloing using all modes of the minor scales
• Diminished and whole-tone scale application
• Reharmonization of standard melodies
• Stride piano technique
• Walking bass lines and chord-melody playing
• Non-diatonic progressions and harmonic navigation