One is considered a good pianist if he can play jazz

[RockPiano]

I have no idea if this is a misconception or is it a factual statement. In reality, it seems as though that this statement is very much a fact. Sometimes when people ask me if i can play jazz and i say i can't, they immediately ask me for my grade for piano, if i give them a low grade they would kinda keep emphasising that jazz is like the highest form of piano skill that a good pianist can aquire.I wonder is that true?Is it only when you can be able to play jazz on the piano, then you can be considered to be a relatively good pianist?

I understand that jazz really sounds and looks good when one plays it on the piano or even on the guitar for that matter. I want to know what's so 'prestigious' about knowing how to play jazz on the piano.Maybe on my part, i do not really know how to appreciate this particular genre, thus i seem to not place much interest in learning it. However, people around me seem to be really into this jazz thing, and if one can't play it, it just basically shows that one can't really play good stuff on the piano.Is this statement justifiable?

Please feel free to comment on this subject, no offence though to people who appreciate jazz, i'm just thrashing out stuff which i feel seems pretty vague to me.

 

[rockito]

i dont agree with that statement..
should replace it with "one is a good pianist if he/she can adapt/play all styles."
same goes for guitarists.
but my believe is that nobody is a perfect all-rounder. somebody might juz play something better than that all-rounder.

yes..practise makes perfect..
but we humans are just not perfect.
we can only try to be one....

 

[rottenramone]

..

although jazz requires a thourough knowledge of music theory, but its not the 'highest' form of music. what do they mean by 'highest' form?

its just musical snobbery if you ask me.

 

[repulse87]

Well, it is true that the genre doesn't exactly determine the level of proficiency to an instrument, its undeniable that jazz is one of the most profound genres in my opinion. It requires a lot more exposure to the different kinds of scales, modes and even other genres to play jazz.

 

[soft]

i tell you a real life situation, nothing to do with music but just something that i thought i should share as a learning experience.

some years back, when i first moved into my new hdb flat, we invited some visitors for the house warming. see how i try not to reveal who or whose 'visitor' i am referring to?

well, story continue with the normal small talk over food. there was this particular person who was exceptionally chatty. which is fine coz save me the trouble of finding things to talk. but the problem is, this person does not start a conversation!! she simply put a negative reply to everything, everyone says!! it is like if someone says, "This chicken wing is nice". She would say, "Please lah, you call this nice? You never try the one from XXX?"

This went on for the whole session.

That is the last time I want to be in the same room as that person.

Ok, back to If Jazz Is Better? Well, next time, just play The Baby Elephant Walk.

 

[RockPiano]

'Well, it is true that the genre doesn't exactly determine the level of proficiency to an instrument, its undeniable that jazz is one of the most profound genres in my opinion. It requires a lot more exposure to the different kinds of scales, modes and even other genres to play jazz.'

WIth regards to the above statement, jazz as the highest aquired skill in piano playing.For instance, classical music is the basis of every instrument i believe and jazz is perceived by many to be one of the most profound skill anyone can acquire from their years of training in piano.

 

[RockPiano]

haha thanks SOFT, yeap i get what you mean....
I know some people can be very negative with their comments, and all that comes out from their mouths are stuff to put one down...yeap will definitely keep that in mind.....thanks

 

[BlackMoo]

Well its like saying if you can Run fast you can swim fast too.

 

[RockPiano]

hmm.....blackmoo i guess you're right......
i guess it's just that people hear seem to put jazz skills above everything else, that's the impression certain musicians give me when i talk to them, not sure about the rest. Is it true that you aquire jazz skills at grade 8/diploma level in piano?

 

[rockito]

repulse87, i agree with u

RockPiano, jazz alone is broad..variety of jazz styles...progressive too.
can help u develop ur progressive rock music..

 

[Cheez]

I don't think jazz is the most profound piano skill. When one said that a particular skill is "the most profound" or the "highest skill" like what your friend said, it can only mean 2 things - 1. The skill is something the person does not understand enough so it looks "profound" or 2. The person knows it really well and is very proud of himself such that other "skills" are below him. Rottenramone said it well - it is snobbery. Or else it is ignorance.

A musician who knows a skill well usually don't see it as profound, but something that is achievable. Jazz is simply another skill. It is not the "highest skill" like what your friend said. There is no "highest skill" in music (or any other thing for that matter) - there's always ways to develop and create.

Your friend probably belong to the first category - he doesn't really understand jazz. So I wouldn't blame him. If he plays jazz and said that, I would feel sorry for him. When one is proficient in one style/ skill be it classical, jazz or rock etc, he or she needs to remember that he/she was once learning it from ground zero. Never say it is "profound" - it just discourages others who wants to pick it up. You want to help them develop their skills because you know you were once like them. Then you'll really be a mature musician.

 

[rockito]

I don't think jazz is the most profound piano skill.

dude. who said its the most profound. its one of the most profound. see any difference?

 

[BlackMoo]

As quoted earlier, I still believe mastery of various playing styles (Jazz included) is the highest attainable skill of a musician. Rather than using a single genre to judge, a musician should be able to play varios styles, if possible, even fuse some together.

 

[RockPiano]

hmm, perhaps cheez meant it that way I personally feel yeap that jazz is definitely one of the most profound skills. HOwever, i feel too much emphasis has been placed on it to the point that other skills have been neglected. FOr instance, classical,rock,epic-symphonic skills.....that's from my perspective..

 

[DoubleBlade]

and if one can't play it, it just basically shows that one can't really play good stuff on the piano.Is this statement justifiable?

Like the saying goes , If you can play Jazz , you can play ANYTHING (Satch I know u're guilty of it :twisted: :roll: )

BUT BUT BUT

Sorry I can't help it but I have to put my Piano Idol Maksim inside.Look at Maksim , he has been a classical pianist all his life and take a look at how he excels in the classical field.I believe that although Jazz is truly a higher form of music which requires a certain level of understanding of theory and practical , it is NOT impossible....

Maksim can't play Jazz as he confessed that he learnt nothing else except classical theory all the way.

Does that mean that he can't play the Piano for nuts just because he can't play Jazz?

It all boils down to this :

If you choose to excel in a certain genre of music being Classical , Jazz , Pop then we jollywell better make sure we excel in that particular genre and Jazz so happens to be one of them.We may choose to excel in Rock music , Classical music or Jazz music on our instrument of choice but get this straight , in any genre of music , nothing is easy....you just have to work hard for it...

 

[Cheez]

dude. who said its the most profound. its one of the most profound. see any difference?

Sorry it seemed the wrong way. I wasn't quoting you - therefore didn't include a quote. I was just making a statement. Nothing personal.

 

[rockito]

its ok. i am aware u were not quoting me coz i did not make such statement. i dont take it personal at all.
its juz that nobody said it is the most profound here in this thread.

 

[turbochicken]

"if you can play jazz, you can play anything" is an absurd saying, if it is a saying to begin with.

don't know much about keys or guitars, but for drums, jazz is just another form of drumming; a rather obscure one, so different from the rest that it's hard to adapt to if you're groove oriented(which most drummers are).

believe it or not, most jazz drummers can't manage straight grooves very well, the same as how the "unskilled" drummers can't handle the "most high jazz".

so there you have it.

 

[thor666]

Sorry I can't help it but I have to put my Piano Idol Maksim inside.

heh... my pianist friends all hate Maksim.

don't ask me why.. i don't play piano or have any idea. i think it's got to do with the fact that his concerts are exaggerated to "convey" his feelings and mood. but yea, i have no idea whatsoever. :roll:

 

[thor666]

Sometimes when people ask me if i can play jazz

imo, the reason why jazz is often viewed as a highest form of music is simply because it's usually accompanied by an emphasis on rhythm.

just read off one of the guitar books - all rhythm need not always have melody, but all melody must have rhythm.

jazz is difficult to approach because it emphasizes on being able to catch and play odd rhythms. This is something that one would rarely hear in modern pop music nowadays.

there's another aspect of jazz which is the theory part. on this aspect, i disagree that jazz is more difficult than classical music or neo-classical rock influenced music; it tends to be that classical music and neo-classical rock music cannot use the various theories on many occasions (some of these are music which emphasize on not having certain notes rather than having the notes inside).

so yeah, i don't agree that you have to play jazz to be a good pianist. however, as it is now, most of the other genres do not emphasize on the rhythm and the theory aspect of music as much as jazz covers, so most people still have to play jazz to practice on these skills.

my 2 cents. hope this helps.