I appreciated the supportive and personalized teaching approaches Nelda used for each of her students. She helped me expand my musical vocabulary and deepen my sense of time.
I appreciate acquiring new tools for playing unaccompanied piano, but will also be able to apply these skills to playing in a combo setting. I am a better piano player and deepened my techniques because of Nelda's class.
I've always enjoyed Nelda's combos, she's very friendly and down-to-earth and gives great advice to help a combo come together and sound good. I've also liked how she manages to work themes into a quarter (e.g. this past time she kept bringing up the bebop scale) which over time helps reinforce different concepts so they're second nature.
I greatly enjoyed Nelda’s Beginning Jazz Piano Class. She handled different levels of students well. She gave different levels of voicings rooted and rootless, guide tones, 3 and 4 note voicings, and comping. I had heard of most of what she was teaching, but never had it ingrained in me and she made us play exercises over and over again in multiple class sessions, not just once and done
ONLINE Beginning Jazz Piano
Beginning Jazz Piano is taught by award-winning composer, pianist, and vocalist Nelda Swiggett. In this class, Nelda helps students learn or brush up on the core skills needed to play jazz piano with other musicians in a combo setting. In this live jazz piano class, you'll work on playing left-hand rootless voicings, improvising over chord changes, and comping rhythmically for a soloist. This class is appropriate for beginner jazz pianists.
I-Real Pro is highly recommended. Topics covered include but are not limited to:
- Introduction to basic jazz piano chord voicings
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Introduction common jazz chord progressions
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Introduction to improvising over chords -- making up your own melodies
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Practice "swing" -- playing "in the pocket"
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Explanation of how to read chord symbols on jazz lead sheets
- Introduction to jazz standards - comp chords, improvise
- Introduction to the 12-bar-blues progression - comp chords, improvisation
Homework: Recommended homework and practice schedule will vary from week to week. Instructor will provide weekly homework assignments and give feedback on student work throughout the quarter.
Students requirements: Regular attendance is critical for maximizing learning in online classes. Regular practice and study outside of class increases knowledge retention, builds skills faster, and promotes integration of skills into student performance.
This is a 10 week class, meeting online once a week for 90 minutes. Students need a free Zoom Video Conferencing account to attend. More information about live online class participation is available below.
Knowledge of keyboard and note names is required. Knowledge of all 12 major scales is helpful.
Beginning, intermediate, or advanced
Jazz Night School is a vibrant and welcoming community-based nonprofit music education program that is home to hundreds of like-minded learners. Our school offers great opportunities to meet other dedicated jazz students and artists. Whatever your skill level, we have a place for you.
Schedule a skills assessment
We strongly encourage all new students to schedule a complimentary skills assessment so we can help you figure out the best place to start.
What is it like to learn with us?
As a student at Jazz Night School, you'll be part of a friendly, supportive community that shares a love and deep appreciation for jazz music in all its various forms. Your development as a musician is our primary educational goal. Whatever your skill level, our program can help you improve your musicianship and discover your own unique musical voice. For new students, we provide a complimentary introductory session that includes a skills assessment. This session gives you a chance to share your goals and interests and helps us point you to the most appropriate offerings. Each quarter we offer a wide variety of classes and workshops on improvisation, harmony, ear-training, and specialized topics. Our online classes feature lots of discussion and opportunity for questions and answers. There are no grades at Jazz Night School; rather, instructors give each student individual feedback on an ongoing basis. Everyone's effort is valued. When public health restrictions are relaxed, we will return to offering group ensemble opportunities that culminate in a short performance at a local nightclub. This is a fun-filled evening where friends and family come to applaud student efforts and cheer them on to new heights of musical expression!
We understand that most of our students have important life commitments such as work and family. There may be days that you have to deal with a sick child or a pressing work deadline and you aren't able to put in as much practice time as you would have liked. We get it. Our goal is to support your musical aspirations at whatever pace you are able to sustain at this time in your life.
Instructors
Jazz Night School instructors are some of the finest musicians and educators in Seattle’s vibrant jazz community. Some have learned their art through old school traditions and others have studied at premier institutions such as Berklee College of Music, Eastman, Indiana University, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, and University of Miami.
All Jazz Night School policies must be adhered to for enrollment, policies can be found here.