Robert Kaye
The premise of this book was born from the notes of the composer. It was written for the purpose of use. It's the aftermath & compilation of years of studies, compositions, practice, discoveries & accidental revelations. This Book is not a read, it's a Text. It's written in simple language. It's made to understand easily. Although it's for advanced musicians. Jazz musicians should have no trouble adapting or including the indigenous theory in which ragtime, bop, or stride piano came from. It's composed mainly of images and musical notes. It's also written for musicians who find it tiring to read notes. Pictorial Images on a keyboard are used. It also works for unread musicians. But the author includes that he wrote it with the classical or Jazz Pianist turned composer in mind.
The author guarantees, if followed from begining to end. It will give you the exact formulas needed to compose or improvise much the same as Chopin, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. Ect.
The author is a living composer, and composes every day. Has played on the east coast as well as the west coast of the United States. In every venue. From Jazz to Classical. Has played with members of the tonight show band starring Johnny Carson.
The Author states that he wrote this text for himself. And was eventually urged by educators to publish his studies and theoretical revelations. He created this book simply because he could not find a book like it. It certainly would have saved years of work that in turn he sacrificed.
The Author remembers playing an excerpt of a Revel piano piece at the age of 4.
He has played in Night Clubs, Concert Halls, Hotels, Restaurants, Schools, Colleges, Churches, Shopping centers, Theaters,
For Dignitaries etc. Etc.
Has played every venue from the Classical era to the Jazz era to the rock era to the disco era to the Country era. He has composed for every venue. And is a songwriter / Producer as well. He owns and operates his own studio. Today he turns down all offers, and spends his time composing string quartets, Nocturnes, Preludes, Sonatas, Orchestrations and so forth.
This Book is the product of his Compilation of notes which he accumulated in the span of 10 years of studies, Compositions and accidental revelations. post past a 20 year working carrier.
His claim of Classical Improvisation in the style of Chopin, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven Ect. Should be no different than playing cocktail piano. Common sense which he sent out to prove and his work of years of unvailing theories is the result of this work.
Understanding Theory :
Theory gives you the key to proven solvent Mathematical equations that circle eternally. Theory is Math. Using math is Harmony. Classical & Jazz has math, which allows one to circle forever. There are many forms and styles of Jazz & Classical music. BlueGrass is another form, of country music, which is not yet been incorporated. Nor taken seriously. But it has all the theoretical elements. Jazz is the art of improvisation. The art of Improvisation consists of the playing of natural & physical ability with spontaneity. Layering, using
overtones, harmonics. It’s the creative form of composing. Cocktail Piano. All in the improvisational form. Jazz is an Interactive art of other Instruments in an Improvisational form. Jazz relies on rhythm and technique with other instruments, using the song or chart format. The 12 bar Blues. There have been masterpieces written much like the classical way of writing long pieces, but all in all, the majority, and it’s safe to say. Jazz is the art of Improvisation, on the majority. Take away the recording industry, and you’ve taken Jazz away on the whole. Jazz specializes on the flattened and sharpened split wide sounds, The walking tenth’s. Which were born from Jazz. Dissonance, and improvisational overtones are only heard from good sounding instruments. Which explains where
and when Jazz was born. It’s derived from working people
who can easily use this art of Improvisation at night as a means of secondary income. There are only a few who have carried on and excelled to big band composition, which is close to Orchestration; Or the same. Chopin composed his ecossaise when he was 16 years old. Which is stride piano.
In Today’s trend; The Creative playing provisions in Jazz music is enormous. Which is usually an abstract harmony Compositions created from Improvisation. But the form that’s used today consists of Improvisations on an already composed chart or song, arranged and prepared, in a “modal” pentatonic state. Underlined with the Blues. Classical is the art of Composition. Can also follow chart form and improvisational format. Baroque can be played in a punctual counter punctual improvisational form. But it’s rarely done. So it’s safe to say; classical music is the art of composition, which is derived from Improvisation. Used with theory, it’s often not very diffi cult to achieve or play. Because it’s the raw form of creating. Once it’s created, it can be revised to a diffi cult form, to enhance for performers. Once it’s revised & nurtured to a more in depth Composition. Then it Gains priority over
works that are raw. And it’s no longer an Improvisational Composition. That’s not to say there aren’t written improvised Classical compositions. But over time, the improvisation of classical music has dissipated. Which in return classical composers have vanished. The Creative Composition in Classical Music is usually virtuous and written for interpretive performers. There is no writers’ block in Classical Music. It’s derived from well thought out eternal theories that has the factual proof of Mathematics. Classical music carries the full spectrum of sound. It cannot be compressed. It’s the only music full of its dynamic range. The swelling most likely occurs in Classical music. The swelling of innards or your
organs during classical improvisation is an evident factor. If you notice in Jazz ; It’s an ongoing mainly relaxed or paced type of Improvisational playing. The walking bass takes the brunt. Hardly any swelling of music or physical body. But it can be traitorous. Improvisation: is so fluent & Spontaneous that Jazz Musicians will have a solid, lengthy recording careers without often writing anything, but having recorded many hours or a lifetime of music. In the Jazz world, the best pianist many think is Art Tatum. Art Tatum never wrote anything.
This is the greatest Jazz virtuoso in the history of the piano. Can you Imagine Jazz existing without the recording industry. Tony Bennet & Mel Tormay recorded literally thousands of records. Jazz is a recorded medium. The same goes for The Classical composers, Bach, Mozart, Chopin. What if they didn’t write down their music, just improvised. There
wasn’t even a recording industry back then. Improvisation can take heed from Suffering, as in the Blues, melancholy, swashbuckling in a plain of creative euphoric ecstasy.
