They all laughed when I sat down at the piano...

January 4, 2005 7:25 AM

Can I (re)teach myself to play the piano? How about just one really great song? [MI]

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, I took a few years worth of piano lessons. I also played the flute for eight or nine years, but haven't picked it up in a decade or so. Long story short, I'm not starting from scratch, but I'm a rank beginner, music-wise. I've had a hankering for several years to learn one or two great "cocktail-piano" worthy jazz standards so I can whip them out at parties and make people go "ooh." Plus, I loves me some jazz. I realize that becoming a competent jazz pianist is a lifelong project, but can I teach myself what I need to know to play one or two songs? I could take lessons from local musicians, but I'd like to get a little less rusty before I beg for outside help. Recommendations for chart-reading tutorials, piano books for adults wishing to refresh their memories or brush up on technique, and suggestions for songs welcome.

posted by deliriouscool to Education (5 answers total)

You can still read music? (Or at least remember how that's done well enough to relearn quickly on your own?)

You could pick up budgetbooks "Jazz Standards"...87 classic jazz pieces, with some variety of difficulty. They're pieces people would know, suited to playing in front of friends. And they're fully laid out, not just lyrics and chord symbols, etc.

The fingering for the flute, btw, translates VERY well to saxophone, if that's ever something you'd be interested in. See if there's a local community jazz ensemble around that needs a jazz flute, or sax.
posted by stray at 7:56 AM on January 4, 2005

Here's a good site: http://www.learnjazzpiano.com/

It's got loads of info in it, for beginners as well. It seems a bit difficult to navigate, but it's worth it.

Good luck!
posted by Bearman at 9:21 AM on January 4, 2005

i asked a similar question not long ago and got some helpful responses: http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/7308
posted by elsar at 10:47 AM on January 4, 2005

Learning a specific song is probably the easiest thing to do. In my opinion, anybody can learn almost any piece by rote, given enough time. There are some exceptions -- certain pieces require the development of techniques that are possibly only learnable via careful instruction or great talent. But other than that, you're probably just fine.
posted by weston at 10:56 AM on January 4, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks, AskMetaFilter! I don't know why it never occurred to me that there must be a site out there called learnjazzpiano.com...
posted by deliriouscool at 11:36 AM on January 4, 2005