i have passed abrsm grade 5 piano and i want to learn jazz piano, but someone tells me that i should pass grade 8 first, he said grade 8 is the minimum requirement to play/learn jazz piano? is he right?

ur joking! i'm trying to think of any jazz musician who passed grade 8 and i can't.

with jazz you just play and some cds of a few jazz pianists might help.

No way. Just do it now.

I teach clarinet and saxophone at a middle school (age 9-13) and some of the kids there are learning classical piano (with another teacher!), and taking the ABRSM piano exams. Others are following the jazz piano route with the same teacher. Plenty of them have passed grades 1, 2 and 3, and the occasional child has gone further than that. Some in jazz piano, some on the standard syllabus. It doesn't make much difference - they just pick the one they like and go for it!

No. Way.
I did jazz piano, going straight into grade 3, having only done my grade 1 piano and got distinctions right through.
If you want to do jazz, you need a pretty good feel for music but you don't have to be a technical genius or anything. Playing classical music well doesn't mean you'll play jazz well and vice versa.

i studied piano for a year, and got a distinction in grd 4 i was studying for grd 5 but i switched to jazz piano for a more lighthearted instrument. It is tons of fun! serious i got lessons for a year and now i am working my ay up to grade 2 jazz piano, my teacher says you basic piano skills, all he cares about it yous ear "anyone can learn jazz as long as you cann listen nothing to do with grd 8 piano"

I want to teach myself jazz piano i play the piano up to grade 4/5 which grade should i start at?

just PLAY! it's fine! forge your own path!

wow. ok I was like grade 3 piano when i took up jazz piano. you totally don't have to take grade 8 normal first!
Iv'e taken grades 1 and 3 jazz, it's not that hard, really!

Did you, really? Wow! Do I understand you correctly, Bo, that you actually did JUST grade 1 classical piano and then plunge straight into jazz? And, you still manage it? Would be grateful if you could clarify especially since VN is a jazz fan, you know.

Her violin idol is Stefan Grapelli.

Tess

I know someone who has learned jazz paino from the outset and has never done any classical. They are working their way up the jazz piano grades quite successfully.

We have asked this same question before and I was told to do grade 1 and 2 first. *confused*

I guess it would be easier if you did that Tess, but there's no law that says you must. Given VNs aversion to classical piano, getting someone to teach her jazz from the outset might be the way forward?

Yeah, I think I got grade 1 with a v. high distinction but I was 4 at that point. Then I refused to play piano for 8 years (piano teaching mother not best pleased, but I think it was a wise move by me!) and even though my piano technique, sight-reading and bass clefs skills are in a very literal way, non-existant, I hopped straight in at age 12 to do grade 2 jazz piano after 2 terms, and grade 3 and 4 followed by age 14. Then I was told to learn technique so I quit Honestly, technique for jazz...what a joke SO while I did have a (huge) break between grade 1 classical and grade 2 jazz, it was like starting from scratch as all I could remember was which key was called what. Tess, if you think VN would benefit from and enjoy jazz piano more than classical piano, don't bother with getting her to a good classical standard. In fact, even the exams are slightly pointless. I bet Miles Davies (or Stefan Grapelli) never did jazz grades!


Good Mine too