PORTRAITS
Jazz, Rock and Blues Piano Solos
To buy this book, click here or go and order it from your local "mom & pop" music store.
There is much existing piano literature to teach young students (or, for that matter, less experienced adults) about the great figures in the world of classical music: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and so on. When it comes to jazz, rock, blues and other contemporary styles, however, most existing material is treated as a diversion from more "serious" studies. While many method books exist to help one learn these styles, I was disappointed to find so little material that paid the proper respect to the great artists in these styles while still being compatible with "traditional" piano pedagogy. The Portraits series is my way of addressing this issue.
from the back of the book:
"The Portraits series fills one of the longtime gaps in student-level piano repertoire by presenting colorful fun-to-play pieces in jazz, blues, rock and other popular styles. Portraits invites you on a guided tour through the music of various artists in these styles, exploring what gives each artist his or her own special sound, while the progressively arranged original pieces allow you to try out these styles on your own. Each piece is accompanied by a biography and photo of the artist who inspired it, listening suggestions and specially tailored preparatory exercises. While the Portraits books are recommended for students age 12 and older, younger musicians will certainly enjoy playing the pieces under the guidance of a teacher.
A CD that demonstrates all the examples and allows you to play along (with solo keyboard or full band) is also available."