Find The Focus Area That Will Push Your Playing Abilities

When it comes to advanced piano lessons, there are two main focus areas: jazz and classical. Both styles have their own distinctiveness and require different approaches. 

Classical piano is all about technique and developing a solid foundation of advanced skills. It emphasizes proper posture, hand positioning, and finger placement. 

Jazz piano is more about creativity and self-expression. The goal is to improvise and play around with the chords and melodies. There's more room for personal interpretation and embellishment. 

If you're thinking of taking your piano playing to the next level, it's important to choose the focus area that's right for you.

Classical Piano

Anyone who has played classical piano repertoire knows that it can be challenging, but also strangely satisfying. There's something about nailing that tricky section that just feels great. And the sense of achievement that comes with playing a beautiful piece of music is hard to beat. 

Playing classical piano can actually help to spark new ideas and open up your creative side. For starters, classical music can be very complex and often requires creative problem-solving. Trying to figure out how to play a particularly tricky section can help to get your creative juices flowing.

More importantly, creative uniqueness comes from the fact that two players cannot play the same piece in the exact same way. It's physically impossible for humans. Classical musicians naturally find creative expression through differences in their technique.

Jazz Piano

When people think of jazz piano, they may conjure up images of smoky clubs and late-night jam sessions. However, the reality is that creativity is often found in the practice room, not the performance space.

For jazz pianists, the process of learning a new piece of music often begins with a careful study of the melody and harmony. By understanding the underlying structure of the tune, musicians can begin to experiment with different ways of interpreting it. 

This may involve adding or subtracting notes, altering the rhythm, or changing the order of the chords. The goal is to find a personal way to express the melody while still staying true to the original composition. 

In some cases, this may result in a completely new version of the tune. In other cases, it may simply be a small tweak that makes the piece sound fresh and new. Either way, the process of creating something new out of something familiar is at the heart of jazz piano. 

For more information, contact a local teacher that offers piano lessons.