Beginning Jazz Piano - An Introduction to Swing, Blues, Latin and Funk

Part 1 - Everything You Need to Get Started

This book is aimed at players with some piano experience who wish to develop a grasp of the basic tools required to play and improvise in a jazz style. It includes many unique features and resources to kick start your journey:

• 19 pieces spanning a range of styles, taking you in easy steps from one chord only, to tunes with three chords
• Each piece includes a simple BASS LINE for a friend or teacher, to help you keep the flow and play with a consistent groove
• Downloadable AUDIO FILES of every piece, featuring examples of improvised solos
• BACKING tracks with bass and drums only, for when you're by yourself
• ‘REPLAY’ tracks for most pieces, featuring scrollable music and adjustable tempos
• Unique ‘SING & PLAY’ tracks to help you develop your aural skills and improvise with pentatonic scales
• Insight into basic jazz harmony and improvisation techniques, including scales, chords and left-hand shapes
• Invaluable SUGGESTED LISTENING sections in each chapter, focusing on tunes with one, two or three chords only

This is the ideal book to use with your piano teacher, but the backing and ‘Replay’ tracks make it equally accessible to those studying on their own.

Video Course
Tim Richards has also created video courses to compliment these books with our partners, MusicGurus.
Beginning Jazz Piano Part 1 - Everything you need to get started
Beginning Jazz Piano Part 2 - Harmony, Improvisation, Accompanying & Reading from Lead Sheets

About the author
Tim Richards is an experienced teacher, and the author of the critically acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano and Exploring Jazz Piano textbooks.

BEGINNING JAZZ PIANO 1 - Press Reviews

“Richards’ musical content here is as memorable and engaging as ever, and he superbly channels the playing styles of some of Jazz’s greatest piano legends along the way…This is the real deal...a full-on jazz education from scartch - Andrew Eales, Pianodao.com

“Richards expertly provides a whole range of pieces and exercises using blues scales, pentatonics, the Dorian mode, plus the eight-bar blues and minor key signatures.” - Karen Marshall, MUSIC TEACHER Magazine

“The books are nicely paced, not overloading you with too much too soon… All this for the price of an hour’s lesson represents excellent value.” - Justin Randall, The Jazz Rag