Jazz is primarily about rhythm and articulations, those tricky bits that are impossible to notate. Harmony is like math, fun for many and much easier to get your head around for most than rhythm and articulation. Or so beginners believe. But when the moment of truth arrives at a jam session theory goes mostly out the window and instinct kicks in. Adam Maness explores this theme in his video "Why do I still suck". 

Jorge Mabarak, on Facebook, puts it well, theory is a tool. I propose that rhythm is the key. And ear training is the secret.

Here is a practice time breakdown that may work for you:

• Fifty percent of your time is spent improving your instrumental skills. Find a teacher. Put in the work. To paraphrase Wynton, "learn to play your d#%$@# instrument".
• Twenty-five percent of your time is working on ear training, which is transcriptions and memorizing tunes. How many tunes can you play from memory? Ten tunes would be a good start and realistic goal for most jazz beginners. Can you sing the melodies of the tunes you are trying to memorize? Can you sing the chord roots, in time and in pitch, of these tunes? Can you sing the arpeggiated 7th chords found in these tunes?
• Twenty percent of your time is spent jamming with at least one other musician. This is a key component of learning jazz. Jazz is a team sport. For instance, if you are a pianist, call a jazz guitar teacher, they have students who need to jam with others too. Set up a session. Don't be shy. As Adam Maness emphasizes "time for jazz swagger".
• Five percent jazz theory

 
If I can help, please call me. 

David
Revised September 2022

All I would add to these fine words is the following: do these things long before they are teens.  

Good luck

David
Revised October 2022

🎹 Swing Rhythm: A Short Lesson & Listening GuideInspired by the phrasing of Bill Evans, Count Basie, and John Coltrane
Swing rhythm is one of jazz’s most defining characteristics—subtle, elastic, and deeply expressive. In this short lesson, we’ll explore how swing feels and sounds in the hands of three masters: Bill Evans, Count Basie, and John Coltrane.
🧭 The ExerciseStart by playing the exercise below, placing the accent exactly where it’s notated.
To internalize the feel, sing the syllables written beneath the notes. This vocalization technique was passed down to me by my colleague and mentor Mark Eisenman, and it’s a game-changer for developing rhythmic nuance. (You can hear my golden voice demonstrate this in the second video below!)
🕰️ Historical InsightDecades ago, Juilliard jazz educator John Mehegan recommended a similar approach—though he began on the downbeat. These methods aren’t just academic; they’re rooted in the lived experience of jazz musicians across generations.
🎧 How to PracticeHere’s how to get the most out of this lesson:

• Play each track at ½ speed
• Sing “Ba ooo” along with the phrasing
• Focus on how the swing feel emerges from the placement of accents and the elasticity of time

You’ll hear it. You’ll feel it. And soon, you’ll play it.
🔗 Listening ExamplesThese tracks offer rich examples of swing phrasing. Use them as your sonic playground:

• 🎹 Bill Evans – Interplay
• 🎷 Count Basie & Joe Williams – Swing Practice
• 🎺 John Coltrane – Blue Trane
• 🕰️ Jazz Metronome

💬 Final ThoughtsSwing isn’t just a rhythm—it’s a conversation, a feeling, a way of life in jazz.
If you’d like help applying this to your own playing or teaching, I’m always happy to connect.
Warmly,
David
Revised October 2025

These ten activities will simplify the process of learning a new piece of music. 
​

1. Listen to a professional recording while following the score. It is much simpler to play a score when you know what it is supposed to sound like.   “How do I get the sound in my head out of these black dots” is much easier than, “I wonder what this sounds like?” Notice the deviations from the score that the professionals present. Mark in any nuances with dynamics and phrasing you might hear. The music is not fully represented by the notation.
2. Observe the fingering suggestions in your score. I would only change the fingering in the case of obvious error or small hands.
3. Practice slowly at first.
4. If the rhythms are difficult. Clap and count aloud those passages.
5. Explore the score further by marking the form and cadences. Notice how the professionals play the cadences. You will want to do the same. If this step is new to you call me, I can help.
6. Practice with dynamics from the first reading. That way you avoid having to relearn the piece later. In my experience as a piano examiner, under stress candidates will abandon the dynamic plan and resort to their pre-dynamic performance. I know this because I often had the teachers' score in front of me. Dynamics in the scores were brightly underlined, highlighted, and punctuated coast to coast. The more frantic and emphatic the marking was, the less chance the candidate would execute them.
7. Practice in small chunks. That is phrase by phrase, or if the passage is particularly difficult, measure by measure. Consider:
   1. Fingering
   2. The required movement to realize your artistic impression: slur gestures, arm weight, rotation, and so on.
   3. Dynamics
   4. Balance
   5. Flow
8. Record yourself. Many students will find this uncomfortable. I say fight the resistance. The feedback one gets from hearing immediately of your progress or lack thereof will save you years of wasted effort. 
9. Take breaks. My attention span is short, yours is likely to be short too. So, prepare several activities when practicing.
   1. Practice the scales and chords required for your piece.
   2. Listen some more to the recordings.
   3. Jump back in.

If I can help, call me.
 
David
Revised September 2022

Playing the piano well is not easy, but it is possible with time, effort, and focus. Click on the photo to enjoy the whole story. 

​David

After the demonstration, I break it down. So....hang in there.

​David