Piano/Theory/Improvisation/Composition Lessons

Introduction: SCROLL TO BOTTOM REGARDING COVID-19 PROCEDURES Jim has great passion as an educator. In his 10 years as a private instructor he has taught students of all walks of life. As a musician he has very diverse experience and a broad range of taste and expertise. He has received his Masters from DePaul University in Jazz Piano Performance. What lessons entail: BEGINNER PIANO: Learn your favorite song. Learn how to play it. Understand what you play. Understand the song. Apply this understanding to help you more effectively express yourself. INTERMEDIATE PIANO: Expand on our understanding of the piece. Use lessons learned from previous experience to inform new projects. Further emphesis on theory and analysis of the musical information provided to inform how we address proper technique all to serve the emotional psychology of the work. SONGWRITING/COMPOSITION: If we are coming into writing music cold first, we need to look at music that we enjoy. We can see where scales and chords/harmony and rhythm are employed or are not employed. Looking at how broad issues like pulse, storytelling, text painting, tension and release, and arrangement inform the emotional arc of the peice. Then start writing- first with no theoretical thinking. Then we analyze what was successful and unsuccessful without negative judgement--just acceptance. Eventually we start writing with specific goals in mind. Again we examine what was effective and what was not. IMPROVISATION (Jazz or otherwise): Although theory is an integral part of studying improvisation, our primary reference is recordings of other improvisors. Here it is imperative to tie our understand with our aural training. We pick the music off of the recordings. Studying improvisation is made up of two very different areas of practice: 1.) uncreative/memorization, 2.) purely creative. In the creative realm of practice we should see the things we have internalized inform our process--but with no effort. We will learn how to become rigerous in our creativity. For Jazz piano an important thing we will cover is a system for chord voicings. About Jim: Jim grew up as the son of a musician. He started taking private lessons in middle school before earning his BA in Music at Pitt and MA in Jazz Performance at DePaul. He has two albums under the prestigious Delmark Label. His first CD, “Explosion,” features alto legend Richie Cole. His second, “Blue Skies,” features jazz icons Ira Sullivan and Roger Humphries. His influences include: Herbie Hancock, Al Haig, Mehldau, Monk, Powell, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Ives, The Beatles, The Dirty Projectors, TMBG, Stevie Wonder, and Moondog. DUE TO COVID-19 ONLINE ZOOM LESSONS ARE THE ONLY LESSONS BEING OFFERED--THIS IS TEMPORARY--AFTER THINGS SETTLE, JIM WILL CONTINUE OFFERING ONLINE LESSONS BUT WILL ALSO BE OFFERING IN PERSON LESSONS