OK, please could some jazz buffs help? I thought I didn't like jazz until I really started to listen. I'm not keen on some of the improvisations I've listened to live on TV/radio, they seem atonal almost, but maybe it was me. Some jazz I've started to really listen is beautiful. Now some pupils say they want to learn. I'm quite happy with printed music, that's intrepetation as such, but what about teaching improvisation? Any pointers please? Something for a complete beginner moving to intermediates and I'd be truly grateful.

1) Start with the rhythm - in fact, before you even get that far, make sure the pupil is feeling the pulse strongly. Get them to clap the beat, then clap on different beats of the bar while you play something jazzy, then perhaps make up a rhythmic ostinato. You can't improvise unless you can feel an underlying pulse.

2) Improvise question and answer rhythms - clap or use percussion. Experiment with swing and straight (split into Latin and rock).

3) Come up with a simple groove (ones which alternate between two chords seem to be easiest to improvise to) and use this as an ostinato (this is for you to play). Again, use short (two-bar) question and answer patterns, initially with the pupil sticking to one note (usually the tonic works best). Don't forget to use 3/4 sometimes.

4) Once they get the hang of this, add another note (generally the dominant is best to add at this point). Then increase this to the first three, then five, notes of the scale or mode.

5) This should be enough to get you started, but if you want to introduce harmony start with a repeating pattern in the left hand (something like C-Bb-Ab-G or G-B-A-D in minims works well).

6) You'll need to do some work on the modes, blues scales and pentatonic scales if you want to have more freedom. Pentatonic (including minor and flattened third pentatonic) works well to start with as almost whatever you do sounds ok.

You could try the Eric Baumgartner Jazzabilities books. Nr. 1 starts with some basic rhythmn exercises and then gets progressively more complex.

Jazz is an aural tradition. The resources available to us now are phenomenal, so suggest your pupils to go to YouTube, or Spotify and find a clip that they really liked of a jazz musician playing their instrument. Get them listening and analysing. You could even tell them to find a clip that they didn't like at all - provided they can explain why!

A good sense of time and rhythm.
Getting comfy with the click being on 2 & 4
Work on acquiring an authentic swing feel and not just a 'rinky tinky' triplet feel that sounds all wrong despite what is said in many books!

I don't want to discourage you in any way but I think it would be best if you go to some jazz workshops (at the very least) yourself before you even think about teaching jazz....

The AB do some good ones, and most urban areas have jazz workshops going on somewhere or other.

I've found a link for you that might be of some use.

http://www.jazzwise.com/catalog/article_in...?articles_id=10

There's loads of information in the form of PDF files there for you to have a browse through.

Hope this helps

I thought you could smash the keyboard randomly, intersperse it with random chromatic runs and label it as "Modern Jazz" these days?

IMO this statement displays ignorance, rather than wit.

I was just having a laugh, I've been to Jazz gigs and thoroughly enjoyed them I know it takes a lot of talent to throw stuff together on the fly and make it sound good - looking at the pianists fingers though, it looks like he's doing what I said above... I doubt I would have a hope in h*ll of creating the same effect though!

I've seen "tuned" beer bottles played at jazz gigs amongst other things!

I thought I'd add that my piano teacher has started doing some Jazz Improvisation with me in my lessons... I can get a few basic ideas together, but playing them is a completely different story I'm not used to playing those sort of rhythms while maintaining a constant left hand!

Interesting and definitely worthwhile, though!