Learn the Berklee approach to keyboard in this 12-week course. Master the basics of technique and chord voicings, and gain an understanding of more advanced concepts including interpretation of lead sheets and improvisation.
Strengthen your command of the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms that make up the rich art form of jazz on the piano or keyboard.
In this beginner level course, you'll build skills that will help you write, produce, and perform electronic music using keyboards ranging from acoustic piano to modern controllers with virtual instruments.
Learn twelve of the most popular jazz standards, arranged for solo piano! These arrangements are musically suitable for performance and support the Berklee piano curriculum and other activities, such as auditions and proficiency reviews. Each one is like an improvisation frozen in time, fully notated, including chord symbols. In studying them, you will see how you might interpret the harmony to create your own similar solos.
They begin with a short lesson about the tune, including a brief history, analysis, and discussion of some of the techniques or concepts being featured. The arrangements map to Berklee’s four proficiency levels (described in the foreword), and will support any intermediate to advanced level curriculum in jazz piano. An audio performance of each piece is included, played by its arranger.
This collection was created by four of Berklee’s esteemed piano faculty: Professor Robert Christopherson, Assistant Professor Hey Rim Jeon, Associate Professor Ross Ramsay, and Associate Professor Tim Ray. It is introduced with a foreword by former Piano Department Chair Stephany Tiernan, who discusses how arrangements like these can support a wider curriculum of jazz piano study.
“What an innovative way to introduce a variety of realistic and captivating jazz essentials! The selected songs cover a wide range of styles. They both inspire and enable pianists who are seeking ways to develop their playing melodically, harmonically, or rhythmically in a clear, concise manner. And best of all, they are fun to play! I highly recommend it.”
— Joanne Brackeen, Professor of Piano at Berklee College of Music
“An extremely useful collection of piano arrangements for any aspiring jazz pianist! Not only do they show techniques for Berklee pianists in levels 1–4, but they also reveal different aspects, styles, and textures for anyone interested in solo jazz piano.”
—Bob Winter, Professor of Piano at Berklee College of Music; Pianist at the Boston Pops Orchestra
“This wonderful collection of standards and jazz standards are not only fun to play, but also are great for showing left-hand chord voicings, and how to harmonize the melody with the right and both hands with great sounding voicings. An additional benefit is the exposure to the forms and chord progressions of the ‘Great American Songbook,’ along with interesting rhythms and rhythmic interplay between hands. Bravo to the Berklee piano faculty!”
—Paul Schmeling, Piano Department Chair Emeritus, Berklee College of Music
Robert Christopherson is a professor of piano at Berklee College of Music and the co-author of Berklee’s Online Jazz Piano…
Tim Ray’s wide-ranging skills as a soloist and accompanist have afforded him the opportunity to perform with legendary performers from…
Ross Ramsay is an active pianist, composer, arranger, and educator who has taught and performed internationally and also served as…
Born in Seoul, Korea, Hey Rim Jeon is an active pianist and clinician, who performs internationally as a soloist and…