Jazz Piano Studies

Jazz Piano Studies

What they say

“Here is a composer and teacher who understands the jazz piano idiom and how to train it positively, thoroughly and progressively” “Here is a composer and teacher who understands the jazz piano idiom and how to train it positively, thoroughly and progressively, starting at about the grade 3 level. His music always feels and sounds great and the 'Plus One' volume also encourages ensemble work, improvisation and a wider experience for the pupil. All styles are covered within the books, big band, gospel, ballad, blues etc and, again, presentation is brilliant.”
John York in 'Piano', July/August 2005

“another lively collection of original pieces ” “'Jazz Piano Plus One' is another lively collection of 14 original pieces with an optional line for teacher or friend to help maintain a good rhythmic flow. Jazz styles include swing, blues and rock, and introduce the pianist to rootless chords and some improvising. For grades 3-5 and above.”
'Music Teacher' October 2005. Review by Katharine May.

“good fun and well-written” “John Kember's 'Jazz Piano Studies' are good fun and well-written. Book 1 is aimed at grades 3-4 (and above) pianists. Twenty-two varied and progressive short pieces each focus on a particular jazz idiom, notably swing rhthyms ('Bah-ba-doo-bah' and 'Window Shopping', for example) and syncopation. Here the anticipation of both melody notes and chords is explored in several lively numbers including 'Early Bird' and 'Rest Easy'. Pieces of a more relaxed nature include 'Romance', featuring right-hand melodic variations over a left-hand chord sequence, and 'Small Talk', with right-hand swung chords. Short introductory notes emphasise the importance in jazz music of good rhythm and maintaining a regular beat and the fingering suggestions are helpful.”
'Music Teacher' October 2005. Review by Katharine May.

“a great mix of new and standard numbers” “Faber Music's Jazz Piano Method by John Kember - a great mix of new and standard numbers, expertly treated by the same composer as Progressive Jazz Studies…”
John York-'Piano' Jan/Feb 1999

Other collections from John Kember

American Song Book (Self)
All-new arrangements of the classic hits of the 20th century by John Kember Easy Jazz Pieces (Music Sales)
Short pieces to make this popular genre available to relative beginners, and for those at primary and intermediate levels. Easy Piano Duets (Schott)
Designed to be played by teacher and pupil, or by two players of equal ability. Jazz masterclasses (Schott)
John has worked with Jiggs Whigham, internationally acclaimed trombone virtuoso, to produce this fine in-depth guide for aspiring jazz trombonists. Keyboards (Schott)
The Keyboards series provides simple but interesting arrangements of well-known pieces. On the Lighter Side (Schott)
Although the pieces in this collection are on the lighter side, they are by no means trivial and offer pianists of all levels something interesting and challenging. The series contains both piano solo and piano duet volumes, some with CD recordings of the pieces. Original Jazz Ballads (Music Sales)
Pieces for the solo player that evoke the atmosphere and styles of popular songs from the periods when melody, lyrics and harmonies reached their peak. Play Ballads (Faber)
'The joy of ballad playing is indulgence pure and simple: performing the smoothest and most expressive of melodies'. The melodies are similar in style and are attractive, providing opportunities for developing tonal quality, phrasing and legato playing. Play Ballads offers the Grade 4-6 (intermediate) instrumentalist the inspirations of some of the greatest exponents of the form. Play Broadway (Faber)
Each volume in the Play Broadway series features 10 of the best shows from across the decades. Available for six seperate instruments, each volume includes a CD with backing tracks and piano accompaniments. Sight Reading (Schott)
Sight-reading is a vital accomplishment for any musician. This series provides a new approach and includes introductory introductory and more advanced volumes for instrumentalists (the Sight-Reading volumes) and vocalists (the Sight-Singing volumes). Starting Out (Schott)
Short, tuneful pieces to help new players of all ages gradually widen their range of notes and rhythmic patterns. Although these pieces are broadly progressnve in range of notes and rhythmic figures used, they are intended as a source of material from which the teacher can select to suit the needs of individual pupils rather than needing to work from cover to cover. String Quartet Arrangements (Schott)
John Kember provides in this series a variety of pieces from classical, romantic, baroque and modern periods in score and parts for the string quartet. The Ensemble Collection (Schott)
These original compositions, presented in a variety of styles, offer each player an equal share of the melodic interest and are aimed at students of similar playing experience and standards. The minimum teacher assistance should be required. The Jazz Piano Player (Faber)
The books in this series are based on well-known songs from the Great American Songbook by great American songwriters such as Cole Porter, George Gerwin and Harold Arlen. The purpose of these books is to help pianists to understand chords, chord symbols and voicings. Each song is shown in two forms - firstly with melody, words, chord symbols and notation; and secondly an intermediate standard solo arrangement. The Pop Piano Player (Faber)
Designed for pianist wanting to make the transition into playing pop piano, as well as those keen to develop their own style. The Simply Series (Self)
The books in this series each take a genre of music: Latin, Jazz, Swing and provide a series of original pieces by John Kember that fir perfectly into any repertoire.