Exploring Jazz Piano - Volume 2: Book/CD

Exploring Jazz Piano Volume 2 is worthy of 5 stars. It is well thought-out, laid-out and thorough. It contains detailed theory lessons, practice songs, play along CD recordings with corresponding transcriptions, modes, scales, arppegios, fingerings, voicings, styles, practice suggestions and routines, progressings, form, improvisation, comping, suggested listening, full-page photos of famous jazz pianists... I'm gasping for breath. It is a beautiful book that can be played at the piano or read on the sofa. It is an inspiring and enjoyable aid to learning jazz piano. Though part of a three-volume series, it can be used alone by jazz pianists with previous experience and training. Of the dozen jazz piano books I own, this one ranks at the top of the list. The only thing I don't like, is that the print is too small for my 61-year-old eyes to read at the piano without reading glasses.

This volume and volume 1 follow "Improvising Blues Piano," which you might look at first if you're just starting to search for ways to go beyond sightreading music. Definitely go through volume 1 of "Exploring Jazz Piano" before going on to this volume 2. This volume assumes you have that volume, and that you've learned what's in it. This volume seems like--after providing a foundation in volume 1 for how to play jazz (as opposed to just sightreading sheet music of jazz standards)--Tim Richards had a list of things he thinks you should also know, and he tossed them all in here: playing in modes, quartal harmony, bebop scales, various exotic chords, etc. There's a kitchen sink full of things to choose from. There are also jazz standards, with explanations of how they're made and how to improvise over them, and there's the CD that not only plays the exercises but also provides a drum and bass accompaniment to play along with. If you get this book and the other two, and put in the practice time to learn what's here, I'm thinking you'll be amazed.

I use this book for teaching jazz piano, and I wish I had the free time to go through it carefully and do all the exercises myself. The layout and format are very easy on the eyes, a top quality product in content and form.

This book is comprehensive, detailed, and - at last - the examples actually sound like music! I have owned it for less than a year and have gotten quite a bit from it. The accompanying CD is very useful and well done. I thought I was up on the basics of jazz, but I just ordered Volume 1 to make sure I haven't missed anything. If you find a piano jazz instruction book that you believe is better than this one, please comment here to let the rest of us know.

You can play very well written arrangements of the main jazz standards and the theory together allows you to continue the job playing your own solos and ideas.Very good book!

Another good reference....

I just got this today, and I'm already enjoying the challenging but doable exercises in this book. I was delighted to see that it came with a CD, which was something that I missed in the description of this book. Sometimes, it's hard to work out the notation rhythmically so it helps to hear what it should sound like. I'm pretty much new to playing the blues and jazz, and skimming through the pages, I already feel that I can get a whole lot out of this book. I bought this book because of all the positive reviews it got, and I think this book delivers.

Sequel of exploring Jazz piano vol 1. Brilliant education with deconstruction of excerpts out of the great Jazz literature. A must have for every intermediate piano player with a solid knowledge of music theory.