  Jazz Piano for the Young Beginner by Misha V. Stefanuk (Mel Bay Publications, Inc.) is certainly aimed for the young piano player who has little to no experience with the piano. The instructional book contains about 30 original compositions, all by Stefanuk, and includes a CD with recordings of all the songs that the student can use to listen to how the tunes are supposed to sound and to play along. The first section of the book is a basic introduction to the piano, starting from the very beginning – before you can play the piano, you have to know how to approach the piano. The first section is about posture, then continues to discuss hand position. It also covers recognizing the keys on the piano, reading notes and rhythms, and has a glossary of common musical terms and symbols. One thing lacking in this introductory section is a clear explanation of how the notes on the staff translate to the related keys on the piano. Rhythms are explained clearly, but the notes are merely explained using a finger-numbering system. It doesn't explain well that the number “1” is also the note “C.” If a student were trying to learn from this book without benefit of a teacher or supplemental instruction, this situation could be a problem as the student continues to take his or her knowledge beyond Jazz Piano for the Young Beginner.
A key word in the title of the book is “Jazz.” Unfortunately, the book is significantly lacking in real jazz education. Some of the tunes have a “jazzy” feel to them, but as far as someone actually learning jazz from this book... well, it is just an introductory book. There is still quite a bit for the student to learn after this book has been completed. The other key phrase in the title of the book is “Young Beginner.” There are basic fundamentals of piano playing that must be learned before the fundamentals of jazz can be applied. That is what this book really focuses on. After the instructional section, Stefanuk cracks right down to the tunes. Granted, they aren't very interesting at first, but that's because they're placed in the book in order of difficulty. They start very short and basic, and gradually become longer and more difficult. The songs progress at a reasonable rate, but the student might run into some difficulty when the music requires the student to change hand positions. For the first few tunes, a diagram is shown for where the fingers are to be placed. Later, those diagrams disappear, and they never return, even when the hand positions on the keyboard change. Another point of difficulty might be when accidentals are introduced. The first sharp shows up about halfway through the book, on the tune “Big Blues Tune.” Stefanuk reminds the student that the symbol is a sharp, but other than that, there is no instruction. The student has to rely on the explanation provided in that first introductory section of the book. A few songs later, “Bringing Down the House,” introduces the natural sign, which is never explained anywhere in the book – not on the page about sharps and flats in the first section, and not in the glossary of musical terms and symbols. This will surely confuse a student who has never played or read music before. Other than those problems, though, the songs are very well-done. They're mostly upbeat, and clearly aimed at kids. The two main jazz styles that come across in the book are boogie-woogie and ragtime, though neither are explained in words (other than a small blurb on the song “Boogie Baby”). Because the book is accompanied by a CD, it is very easy for the student to learn how the different styles should sound. The concept of swinging eighth notes is introduced early, but is explained in words – and then the student is encouraged to listen to the CD to get the idea of what it should sound like. Jazz Piano for the Young Beginner is a good book for a child who is looking for something a little more fun than the traditional beginning piano book. The CD is very helpful for teaching the student what to listen for. Even though it is more of an introduction to piano than it is to jazz, it still will plant that seed in the young student's mind. The student will learn what to listen for, and will learn to appreciate the music.
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Wednesday, 07 January 2009
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