Jazz Piano lessons
for adults

Jazz piano carries a sense of class and décor like a lounge pianist in a hotel lobby. The genre itself covers the highest levels of contemporary music, and involves sophisticated chords & rhythms. There is literally so much to learn and discover, and you can meet the music of the greats like Chick Corea, Bill Evans, and Hiromi Uehara. Our Jazz piano lessons focus more on musicianship practicability rather than passing examinations.

Jazz Piano lessons - Administrative information:

Course title: Jazz Piano Improvisation Course  (for adults)

Mode of coaching: one-on-one piano lessons (individual)

Age group: for adults (require assessment)

Lesson duration: 45/60 minutes

Lessons frequency: 1 lesson per week

Prerequisite: Strong pop piano background with or without Classical training

Available levels: P.B.E.S™ Level Jazz

Students with little to zero background can enroll to Pop Piano P.B.E.S™ Level 1. Please note as well that the entire course can also be fully customized upon request (without following the P.B.E.Syllabus™)

Upon enrolling into the Jazz Piano Improvisation course, you will receive the following, exclusive to PBE students only:

– P.B.E.S™ Student Edition Textbook (for your current P.B.E.S™ Level)

– P.B.E.S™ Song Excerpts Black Booklet

– Login ID and Password for P.B.E.I.S™ Online Student Portal

– Invitation to perform for our annual Piano recital in Shinagawa (Japan)

– Whatsapp Newsfeed & admission to PBE Club where you can enjoy the free usage of the practice studios, discounts on musical instruments & more

P.B.E.S™ Jazz Piano Improvisation

Syllabus content for Jazz (Theory)

(in conjunction with P.B.E.Syllabus™)

Subject J:1 | Basic and Diatonic 7th Chords

Subject J:2 | Chord formation and Extended Chords

Subject: J:3 | Understanding Tension & Voicings

Subject: J:4 | The ii-V-I Progression

Subject: J:5 | Circle of Fifths

Subject: J:6 | Modes, Bebop scale and Chords

Subject J:7 | Reharmonization, Tritones and Chord Progressions

Subject J:8 | Ending a song with progressions

Subject J:9 | Jazz Turnarounds

Subject J:10 | The Blues Form

Objectives for P.B.E.S™ Jazz Piano Improvisation:

  • The Jazz Piano Improvisation course exposes you to all aspects of Jazz Piano Improvisation,
  • including voicings, scale theory, rhythmic variation, chord progressions, soloing,
  • reharmonization and more. You will be trained to perform in solo, trio and band settings.

Prerequisite for P.B.E.S™ Jazz Piano Improvisation:

  • Able to improvise with 7th and 9th chords / Able to play basic tunes by ear

P.B.E.S™ Jazz Piano Improvisation

Syllabus content for Jazz (Musicianship and Styles)

(in conjunction with P.B.E.Syllabus™)

Subject J:M1 | Swing

Subject J:M2 | Left hand Walking Bass

Subject J:M3 | Ideas for Jazz Improvisation

Subject J:M4 | Popular Jazz Piano Riffs

Subject J:M5 | Melody Displacement

Subject J:M6 | Blues Left Hand Shuffle

Subject J:M7 | Blues Right Hand Ideas & Ending

Subject J:M8 | Scales for the Blues

Subject J:M9 | Blues Expressions and Grooves

Subject J:M10 | Blues-based Runs

Subject J:M11 | The Pentatonic Scale

Subject J:M12 | Latin and Bossa Nova

Subject J:M13 | Reggae

Subject J:M14 | R&B and Gospel

Subject J:M15 | Ear Training for Jazz

Duration for P.B.E.S™ Jazz Piano Improvisation:

Between 12-36 months (depending on individual's progress)

The option to change your Jazz Piano teacher as and when necessary and should you need to do so:

We have lived up to our promise that we will never be offended should you make this decision. Never. As our primary business is providing services to the public, individuals that accept these services do have different chemistry.


It can be due to any reason that may not necessarily be negative, for example the differences in characteristddics – whether animated or soft spoken, musical influences, language barriers or simply the matter of not being able to ‘click’ with another character. We know how tough it is for students to voice out their inner concerns, which is why sometimes we do repeatedly ask them and in the most causal manner to provide a sense of ease. Many may view this as an insult to the instructors or even to the school, so as team instructors, we might be more concerned than you are, if you do not allow us to substitute your instructor, should another work much better for you. There are no politics at our school, as our deep-rooted culture and belief act as reminders that it is impossible for anyone to be pleased in this world, through positive thinking. In retrospect, this really is one of the perks of joining a music school, because you are not bound by just one instructor (should things not work out).

The Jazz genre is very wide and we assure you will learn the specific Jazz songs of your choice

It cannot be further stressed how important it is, to learn and play something that you would prefer. Aside from the daunting drilling and Hanon finger exercises, which we cannot deny are beneficial to every pianist – ultimately you should be playing the songs of your choice.

 

Within Jazz, there are many sub genres including Bebop, Swing, Latin Jazz, fusion, etc. Even as a complete beginner in Jazz, we have a solution in place. Out of the thousands of Jazz standards, we have carefully filtered out the easiest songs for learning purposes. We have also used excerpts from sections which are easy for beginners. While you, as a student, have the opportunity to learn the songs of your choice, it is also our responsibility to ensure that the song is suitable for learning.

As a team of instructors together, we can testify that no attitude issues are present.

It is a peculiar way to deliver a message to say that we are a friendly team of such, but the truth is that musicians on a more general scope, are infamously known for their eccentricity, sometimes even on an accidental and negative manner (though this is some-what controversial).

 

We are Jazz musicians and we know how our brains are wired and backed by numerous scientific studies and it is proven that we think differently. However so, we want to highlight that this is no excuse for musicians to behave with such attitude. Over the past 15 years, we have grown, not just as a business but in the way that we think. There is always the saying that it is a different ‘ball-game’ when it comes to teaching and, in our opinion, that ‘ball-game’ is not just merely a casual term to use and so we have taken it to another level. As professional educators, we provide  customized Jazz piano lessons to suit every student’s needs.