Introduction to Juz Jezz
Hi,
If you happened to stumble upon this page by chance, a very warm welcome to you.
And if you came here not by chance, a warmer welcome to you too!
Over at JuzzJezz, we believe in making your musical learning experience enjoyable and yet enriching at the same time.
Regardless our students are learning from us via the piano, keyboard or organ, we will patiently guide you to a respectable and competent level of playing.
No matter what level of musical competency you are currently at, learning music is a never ending journey and reaps great reward for those who actively seek to learn more.
We believe that first of all, learning music requires Passion.
(That’s why you may have come to this webpage!)
By having musical goals and aims, we believe that students will be more motivated to learn and their music lessons will be more meaningful and fruitful.
We want to encourage and help students of all ages to appreciate and love the human universal language – music.
If you have struggled for a long time or have gone to many music teachers and still have difficulties in playing music, your struggle may end soon.
Over at JuzJezz, we have a structured program for our valued students.
However, we do tweet our learning methods to cater to your needs, as no one method works for all students.
At JuzJezz, we aim to help our students to become:
– An improviser, instead of just an elementary soloist who rely heavily and solely on music sheets
– A confident player, through performances
– A good team player, by learning to play together in a band/choir
With the musical knowledge and skill acquired from us, we are confident that you will be able to apply and play on many of the ever popular genres of music of your choice:
– Western – Pop, Broadway, Classic Oldies, Blues, Jazz, Swing, R&B, New Age
– Korean – K-pop, Korean drama theme songs
– Chinese – Mandopop, Cantopop, Chinese oldies , Hokkien songs
– Japanese – J-pop, Japanese drama theme songs
– Latin – cha cha, rumba, salsa, bossa nova,
– Religious – traditional Christian/Catholic hymns
Here are some of the common problems faced by student:
1st problem: It becomes boring learning fixed and monotonous left-hand accompaniment after a while.
solution: Rhythm patterns will be taught to students to provide variety in left-hand accompaniment. These includes Bossa Nova, Samba, Ragtime, Blues, Swing etc.
2nd problem: Learning the same simple and common chords in left-hand makes the music seems uninteresting and dull.
solution: Chord progression, chord substitution and chord/bass enhancement will be taught to students. This helps to create a richer sound.
3rd problem: One style-playing with little or no variation in melody line or theme.
solution: Improvisation concepts will be taught to student. These includes:
- Harmony
- Modes, Blues and Pentatonic scales
- Rhythm fills-in
- Fingering technique for complex passage
- Freestyle right-hand soloing techniques
4th problem: Anti-climax happens when there is empty passages in between sections (theme to chorus, chorus back to theme, etc).
solution: Formation of bridges using chords and improvisation to connect sections smoothly will be taught to students.
5th problem: No proper introduction and ending leads to the song sounding incomplete.
solution: Different forms of arrangement will be taught to students to provide proper introduction and ending to the song.
6th problem: Music seems to be boring with long holding notes (ie. tie notes) in melodic line.
solution: Students will be taught how to add and create fill-ins.
7th problem: Heavy reliance on scores limits the expression on music.
solution: Students will be taught how to play by ear without the need for scores. These includes:
- Understanding chord structures
- Complete Scales (Major, Minor, Blues etc)
- Harmony and voicings