5 New Year’s Resolutions For Jazz Pianists

1. Practice everyday. This one sounds simple, but isn’t. We don’t play the piccolo, so we can’t have our instrument on us at all times. It sometimes takes a comittment just to get in front of a piano, so plan your day accordingly and commit to practicing daily. It’s the single most important thing you can do to improve your playing.
2. Practice scales and arpeggios everyday. These are the building blocks of an effective jazz piano technique, so keep them in your fingers at all times. Cycle through them all: major, minor, augmented, dominant, diminished, and learn some new ones like the “jazz” arpeggios up to the 9th.
3. Listen. This seems simple enough, but we need to really listen to great jazz recordings everday. That means active listening without distractions, actually paying attention to the music, not just having it on in the background. And we need to listen to recordings over and over until we can sing along with everyone’s part. So pick stuff you like and are passionate about, because you’re gonna be listening to it a lot!
4. Learn solos. Pick a favorite solo (it can be on any instrument) and learn it. Pick one that you already know and love and you’ll be way ahead of the game. You should be able to sing along with the entire solo before you even try to learn the first phrase, that’s how you know you “know” it. Then learn it phrase by phrase, all the way through. You don’t have to transcribe it (but you can.)
5. Play. Get out there to a gig or jam session and play as much as possible. This is an improvised music that is created in the moment communally, so doing it live is key to honing your craft.