My son is 13 & has just passed is grade 4.

He loves his big band jazz but his current tutor is definitely non jazzy.

We went to a jazz band & then say he needs a jazz teacher.

His current (non-jazz) teacher says he would be better sticking with the more classical basis for another year & taking his grade 5 before becoming more jazz based.

I have no clue but I do want to maintain his enthusiasm & interest so I am more inclined to go the jazz option.

Thoughts please.

Concentrating on overall technique is far more important than sepcialisation especially as he has only passed grade 4; a good musician should be able to play in any style. Having said that his teacher should be starting to expose him to different styles of music to play which will become far easier the better he gets.

Gonefishin, Grade 8 distinction, more years ago than I care to admit.

He loves his big band jazz

Follow your nose…

Got all my teachin’ from a jazz man and I never felt the worse for it, technique wise. Having suffered through the boredom of practicing dull tunes for hours on end, I’d definitely advise your son to go to a jazz teacher – the more he loves the music, the more he’ll practice and the better he’ll get.

Play too much crap music and he’ll lose his love for the horn. 😉

If your kid likes jazz then send him to a teacher who can teach him that.

Thats where he’ll get the best theory too so everything else will be childs play if he wants to revert to another style later

Thats where he’ll get the best theory too so everything else will be childs play if he wants to revert to another style later

Eh? How will the teaching of Theory be any better with a Jazz teacher than any other one?

Jazz Theory tends to go into a lot further detail than standard theory with the teachers and musicians I know.

Or to put it another way ask most musicians to play over a ii V I progression and see what you get………………..

Plumber +1

Jazz theory can be pretty advanced.

…and only of use to anyone playing Jazz music. He’s only at grade 4, which with the greatest respect isn’t that high a standard. Exposure to a wide variety of music and styles will give a far better grounding in musicallity. Specialisation in at single style at such an early stage is to my mind pointless.

i think he needs to at least go and see a jazz teacher to see what it is all about.

imo ‘classical’ music lessons are not music lessons but instrument lessons. hopefully his jazz lessons will teach him how to rip an awesome solo over this cool set of chords. in the future when he wants to join a band this will hold him in good stead – typical instruction will be – ‘stick a solo in here or something, give it some’ and there isn’t any sheet music.

most classically trained musicians i know have a look of abject horror on their faces when asked to improvise.

…and only of use to anyone playing Jazz music. He’s only at grade 4, which with the greatest respect isn’t that high a standard. Exposure to a wide variety of music and styles will give a far better grounding in musicallity. Specialisation in at single style at such an early stage is to my mind pointless.

Not so much. Jazz theory and general music theory are not that different, especially in the early years. A Jazz guy taught all my sax lessons, but I learned pretty much the same technique basics as general sax musicians.

The OP’s son leans towards Jazz (which makes him a top geezer in my book) and won’t suffer if he learns more of what inspires him. In fact, I reckon he’ll practice more and love music more if he gets the kind of teaching emphasis that suits him.

thanks for the responses all.

Just spoke to the Jazz guy at Bolton Music School.
He is going to meet him in a couple of weeks & see how it flows & then make a decision from there.

see how it flows

That phrasing is so Jazz it hurts! 😉

I see the beginnings of something special here – MadBillMcMad, updates required when your boy becomes the next Courtney Pine!

Your kid loves Jazz?
Disown him.

He needs to find the Spirit of Jazz, surely?

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vanhbElnx70[/video]

Your kid loves Jazz?
Disown him.

👿

* dons turtleneck in protest and regards iolo with a WTF?-lesser-being-can’t-handle-complex-chord-progressions? expression *