COFFEE & BISCUITS

There is a Chinese saying that basically says, “Walk a thousand miles to seek a maestro/good teacher.”  That is what I did yesterday, finally taking a first step to resolve my long-standing helplessness and wonderment at playing jazz piano.

And I took it from a maestro.  I first saw my current teacher perform at Greenmills.  A couple months later, I saw an Ad in the classified section of a local newspaper.  I emailed.  And there was I was yesterday, at her house, at her grand piano (which has a microphone standing by its side), playing “Stormy Weather.” 

Some moments during the session was actually embarrassing because I am such a basic player.  I mean, I have absolutely no imagination when it comes to make up a melody.  I played “Stormy Weather” as it was written on my chart.  Then I was asked to play it differently.  While murmuring some incomprensible excuses about how bad I am,  I played a chromatic scale at the first bar and was promptly stopped.  The teacher took over and played it as she thought appropriate. 

At that moment I discovered that I did not know what jazz is afterall!  She said that Jazz is about coming up with a different melody.  No, it’s not harmony.  (I thought it is about coming up with harmony!)  You got to think up a different melody.

A second surprise then ensued quickly.  I was asked to play a scale!  The last time I played any scales was 8 years ago!  And then I thought I would be done with scales forever after the certificate of merit advanced examination.  Then she asked if I can play Hanon, which is supposed to be a popular fingering excercise book.  I said no.  And I mentioned the most dreaded name in my piano repertoire ever since I started playing piano — Czerny.  I can’t even believe I remember this abominable name.  Yes, in my many years of taking classical piano lesson, I always had only given a half-assed effort to the Czerny excercise. 

But to become a jazz pianist, you got to have strong finger.

I am to play the fingering excercise in Hanon for 20 to 40 minutes per day.  To build up the strength in my fingers.  Wow.

“It’s like meditation, ” she said, on practicising the fingering excercise.  Play Bach too.  ( I can tell she likes Bach and Chopin because they are sitting on her piano)

The third thrill-causing question followed.  She asked, “Can you play with your ear?”

No I said.  I can only read.  Then she played some quick jazzy notes on the piano, and asked that I hum as I play it. 

Well, at least I can do that.  Whew, so this is what she meant by play with your ear.  (in my mind, this means, to sing while you play)  You can’t play jazz if you can’t do this, she said.

The rest of the sesson I was taught to play some basic 12-bar blues in the F key.  (at least I learned this on a DVD last year! So I have some clue).  While my teacher played some amazing stuff on the right hand, I was as boring as ever.  But my heart was aching to play like her.  She asked me to try to make up a melody on the right hand.  I couldn’t!

My homework is to:  do fingering every night, play the 12-bar blues, write down a melody (this in my mind corresponds to COMPOSING). 

This is way beyond my comfort zone.

No, my teacher has never taught anybody as basic as I am.

By the way, she told me that I should attend some “Jam Sessions” in my school, which is when random jazz musicians come together and play whatever that come to their mind. 

I am seeing things I never saw before.