Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz . The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities. For this reason it is an important tool of jazz musicians and composers for teaching and learning jazz theory and set arrangement, regardless of their main instrument. By extension the phrase 'jazz piano' can refer to similar techniques on any keyboard instrument .
22-498: Stride jazz piano , often shortened to stride , is a jazz piano style that arose from ragtime players. Prominent stride pianists include James P. Johnson , Willie "the Lion" Smith , Fats Waller , Luckey Roberts , and Mary Lou Williams . Stride employed left hand techniques from ragtime, wider use of the piano's range, and quick tempos. Compositions were written but were also intended to be improvised. The term "stride" comes from
44-493: A more flexible role. Ultimately, the skilled pianist was free both to lead and to answer the instrumental soloist, using both short and sustained, chordal and melodic, fragments—a technique known as comping . Good comping musicians were capable of many and different chord voicings, so to match the various moods the different soloists were aiming for. In the early days, not all leading pianists were concerned to provide comping. Others—notably Duke Ellington , who became famous during
66-461: A small part of stride jazz musical adventures. James P. Johnson (1894–1955), known as the "Father of Stride", created this style of jazz piano along with fellow pianists Willie "The Lion" Smith (1893–1973), Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904–1943) and Luckey Roberts (1887–1968). One of Johnson's contributions was to recast the "straight" feeling of ragtime with a more modern, swinging beat, sophisticated harmonies and dynamics. He discovered and employed
88-870: A ten-piece band in New York City in his teens. A visit to his grandparents in Antigua resulted in his staying in the Caribbean for five years. He also led a group in Bermuda . He returned to the US and led his own trio, which was noted as "a format which best suited his powerful stride piano style". He co-composed "Lullaby In Rhythm" with Edgar Sampson . He was respected in his era, but after his early death fell into obscurity. He died in New York in October 1944, at
110-467: Is left to the double bass player. Jazz pianists also make extensive use of chord "extensions", such as adding the ninth, eleventh or thirteenth scale degree to the chord. In some cases, these extensions may be "altered" i.e. sharpened or flattened, as in the case of a "sharp 11" chord. The next step is learning to improvise melodic lines using scales and chord tones. This ability is perfected after long experience, including much practice, which internalizes
132-625: The Harlem Renaissance at the Cotton Club —earned great esteem among band members as well as other musicians. Ellington comped enthusiastically in support of the soloist and did much to develop the technique. Jazz piano moved away from playing lead melody to providing foundation for song sets; soon, skilled jazz pianists were performing as soloists. In the 1940s and 1950s, a number of great piano players emerged. Pianists like Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell helped create and establish
154-640: The tenth or "broken tenth" interval. The pianist could not only substitute tenths for single bass notes but could also play broken (staggered) tenths up and down the keyboard Stride pianist Art Tatum (1909–1956) (a fan of Fats Waller and Lee Sims , who was himself a fan of the European " Impressionist " pianists such as Claude Debussy and Erik Satie , and hosted a radio program Tatum enjoyed) introduced more complex harmonies into his playing, and, like Fats Waller, would start songs with legato explorations of chordal intricacies before launching into swing. Tatum
176-516: The day in the stride style. Ragtime was composed, but many stride pianists improvised. Some stride players didn't read music. Stride used tension and release and dynamics . Stride can be played at all tempos, slow or fast depending on the underlying composition and treatment the pianist is performing. On occasion a stride jazz pianist might have the left hand shift into double time. Some pianists have transcribed display pieces note for note from early recordings. However, this practice only illustrates
198-574: The earlier ragtime ) the left hand rapidly plays alternate positions between notes in the bass register and chords in the tenor register, while the right hand plays melody and improvises, as performed in George Gershwin 's "Liza". The right hand may play melodic lines, or harmonic content, chordally or in octaves. It may also be played in lockstep with the left hand, using a double melody block chord called "locked-hand" voicing , or Shearing voicing—a technique popularized, though not invented, by
220-416: The idea of the pianist's left hand leaping, or "striding", across the piano. The left hand characteristically plays a four-beat pulse with a single bass note (or an octave , major seventh , minor seventh or major tenth interval ) on the first and third beats , and a chord on the second and fourth beats. Occasionally this pattern is reversed by placing the chord on the downbeat and bass notes on
242-425: The instrument itself offer soloists an exhaustive number of choices. One may play the bass register in an ostinato pattern, popular in boogie-woogie style, where the left hand repeats a phrase numerous times throughout a song, as performed by Rob Agerbeek in "Boogie Woogie Stomp". The left hand can also be played as a melodic counterline that emulates the walking of an upright bass . In stride piano , (similar to
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#1732790296717264-408: The melody with ornaments and passing notes. However, during the bebop era, the rapid tempo and complicated chord progressions made it increasingly harder to play "by ear." Along with other improvisers, such as saxes and guitar players, bebop-era jazz pianists began to improvise over the chord changes using scales (whole tone scale, chromatic scale, etc.) and arpeggios. Jazz piano (the technique) and
286-427: The physical skills of playing and the technical elements of harmony, and it requires a great natural 'ear' for extemporaneous music-making. When jazz pianists improvise , they use the scales, modes, and arpeggios associated with the chords in a tune's chord progression. The approach to improvising has changed since the earliest eras of jazz piano. During the swing era, many soloists improvised "by ear" by embellishing
308-554: The pianist and set leader George Shearing . Jazz piano has played a leading role in developing the sound of jazz. Early on, Black jazz musicians created ragtime on the piano. As the genre progressed, the piano was usually featured in the rhythm section of a band, which was typically configured as one or more of piano, guitar, bass, or drums, or other instruments, such as the vibraphone. Over time, playing piano-accompaniment in ensemble sets, and then bands, changed from primarily time-keeping (consisting of repetitive left-hand figures) to
330-484: The piano is one of the instruments in a jazz combo that can play both single notes and chords rather than only single notes as does the saxophone or trumpet . A new style known as "stride" or "Harlem stride" emerged during the 1920s, predominantly in New York , United States. James P. Johnson was a prominent proponent. The left hand was used to establish rhythm while the right hand improvised melodies. Mastering
352-405: The right hand plays syncopated melody lines with harmonic and riff embellishments and fill patterns. Proper playing of stride jazz involves a subtle rhythmic tension between the left hand which is close to the established tempo, and the right hand, which is often slightly anticipatory. Unlike ragtime pianists, stride pianists were not concerned with ragtime form and played pop songs of
374-405: The sound of bebop. Bill Evans built upon the style of Powell while adding a distinct classical influence to his playing, while Oscar Peterson pushed rhythmic variations and was influenced by the style of Art Tatum , Teddy Wilson and Nat King Cole . Wynton Kelly , Red Garland , Herbie Hancock , and Keith Jarrett were also exceptional pianists who played with Miles Davis . Tommy Flanagan
396-453: The style for their own ends. Other prominent stride jazz pianists are Butch Thompson , Mike Lipskin , Bernd Lhotzky, Louis Mazetier , and Stephanie Trick , who perform internationally. Japanese pianist Hiromi Uehara 's solo concerts often include stride-based pieces. Mrs Mills used a stride technique for her many sing-along and party tunes. Jazz piano Along with the guitar , vibraphone , and other keyboard instruments,
418-407: The upbeat. Compared to the ragtime style popularized by Scott Joplin , stride players' left hands travel greater distances on the keyboard. Stride piano is highly rhythmic because of the alternating bass note and chord action of the left hand. In the left hand, the pianist usually plays a single bass note, or a bass octave or tenth, followed by a chord triad toward the center of the keyboard, while
440-514: The various chord voicings—simple to advanced—is the first building block of learning jazz piano. Jazz piano technique uses all the chords found in Western art music, such as major, minor, augmented, diminished, seventh, diminished seventh, sixth, minor seventh, major seventh, suspended fourth, and so on. A second key skill is learning to play with a swing rhythm and "feel". In jazz, the roots are usually omitted from keyboard voicings, as this task
462-411: Was featured by John Coltrane on his hit album Giant Steps . McCoy Tyner is also an influential player who played with Coltrane. Clarence Profit Clarence Profit (June 26, 1912 – October 22, 1944) was a jazz pianist and composer associated with swing . Profit was born in New York , United States. He came from a musical family and began studying piano at the age of three, and he led
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#1732790296717484-613: Was given a posthumous Grammy Award in 1974. Stride pianists used devices such as arpeggios , black note slide-offs, varying rhythmic accents, and tension and release. Stride pianists engaged in marathon cutting contests to show off their skills. Other stride jazz pianists of the 20th century included Clarence Profit , Johnny Guarnieri , Mary Lou Williams , Cliff Jackson , Hank Duncan , Pat Flowers , Don Ewell , Joe Turner , Claude Hopkins , Ralph Sutton , Dick Wellstood , Dick Hyman , and Judy Carmichael . Others such as Duke Ellington , Thelonious Monk , and Jaki Byard developed
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