Classical Piano vs. Jazz Piano

Classical and Jazz piano share many similarities – after all, it’s all music, and it either sounds good or it doesn’t. The skills required to play each one are different, but transferable. Think about it this way – a good swimmer would likely also be a good water polo player, as much of the training is the same, but a great swimmer would focus on certain skills, while a great water polo player would favor focusing on others.

A classical pianist can play jazz piano, but it does take a bit of learning to be able to apply all the skills learned as a classical pianist to the new world of jazz piano. As a classically trained pianist myself, it took some time to learn the way music theory is applied in jazz, as well as to train myself in the ability to improvise.

Classical Piano: Overview & Skills required

Here is a link to a more in-depth blog about learning classical piano, but below is a brief overview of classical piano and the skills required to play it.

Classical piano is a style of piano reaching all the way back to the 17th century in Europe, where the beginnings of standardization of notation (meaning that there was an accepted way to write down music that all musicians could read, rather than learning new pieces by ear, which is, as you can imagine, far, far harder) as well as conducive societal conditions to create music ushered in a new tradition of teaching and playing the instrument.

The piano itself was invented in Italy around 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori (more in-depth blog about piano origins here!), and existing music that was originally for harpsichord and organ was adapted for it. The increased range and ability to play both softer and louder than previous iterations of keyboard instruments (in fact, pianoforte, the full name of the piano, just means soft-loud in Italian) allowed composers to create a more interesting and varied kind of music – music that still survives and is played today.

Though playing jazz and classical piano require the knowledge of notes, sheet music, and the basics of music theory, the study of sheet music is far more important in classical music.  This is because classical pieces are supposed to be played note-for-note, exactly like they are written, with no improvisation, with the creativity coming from the player’s choices of volume, speed, and expression. Though some music theory is of course helpful to be able to recognize patterns between pieces, it is by no means necessary to be able to play classical piano.

As you dive deeper into classical piano, the level of technique required also scales. There are entire books on classical music exercises (such as the infamous Hanon) that help a player increase the speed and dexterity of their fingers. Some composers, such as Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Liszt, wrote pieces so difficult that it takes more than a decade of learning (unless you are as much of a prodigy as they were) to be able to attempt them, and another half-decade of training to be able to play them with skill.

From the hummingbird like speed required for Chopin’s “Fantasie Impromptu”: 

To the handspan required to play Rachmaninov’s “Prelude in C#minor”:

To the almost whirlwind-like but dexterous finger accuracy required for Liszt’s “La Campanella”:

You can hear for yourself the virtuosity that is required to play this music.

Playing classical piano at a beginner to intermediate level requires only a little bit of training, which unlocks a wide world and variety of pieces to play, but getting to that advanced level requires serious, targeted study of certain techniques and skills that the advanced pieces showcase.

Jazz Piano: Overview & Skills Required

Contrary to classical piano, which is a long-standing, established tradition, Jazz is the new kid on the block – only dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, and still evolving and expanding today. Jazz and Classical piano require the same basic building blocks – the ability to play with both hands, the knowledge of notes, basic music theory, scales, etc. – but once those basics are mastered, to play jazz piano well, the focus should be more on learning music theory and training improvisation.

While reading sheet music for classical piano requires knowledge of both bass and treble clef, reading sheet music for jazz piano requires only the treble clef, and the music is written much simpler. Instead of sheet music, written jazz music is referred to as a lead sheet (example of Autumn Leaves pictured) – which has the melody of the piece, with the chords written out on top.

Sure, you could play the music exactly as written, with the right hand playing the melody, and the left hand playing the chords in root position, but it wouldn’t sound very much like jazz piano. Much of that recognizable jazz sound comes from splitting up the chord into right hand and left hand sections, and playing inversions of the chord to keep the voice leading clear and elegant, all at the same time as embellishing the written melody or even creating a whole new one.

This requires much less technical ability, though the greats of course do have it, but it does require a thorough knowledge of chords, their extensions, which scales sound good over which chords, and a musicality that ties it all together into a coherent piece of music.

You can hear some of this come into play with the elegance of Bill Evan’s “Waltz for Debby”:

In the breathtaking speed of Oscar Peterson’s “C-Jam Blues”:

In the fast-paced key changes of “Bebop Bounce” by Charlie Parker, played by Jacob Koller:

Which is harder – Jazz or Classical Piano?

Hopefully, from reading this blog, you’ve come to the conclusion that neither is harder or more difficult than the other – they just require different skills to perfect.

Classical piano, and classical music in general, requires rigorous practice of technique and the ability to play something note-for-note and yet still create something fresh out of it.

Jazz piano requires more improvisation and a knowledge of chords and scales so thorough that it can be applied in the moment without hesitation.

Should you start with Classical or Jazz Piano?

A beginner should start at the beginning – learning scales, how to hold your hands and sit properly at the piano, and a couple of super beginner songs. Here is a blog about how Loudlands Music Lab starts all of their beginner students. The fundamentals of playing the piano are the same regardless of which genre you choose to pursue – it is only once those fundamentals are mastered through regular practice that you can start to specialize. Even doctors go through the same process of medical school, internship, residency, etc., until they know the basics well enough to choose a specialty. 

Starting with beginner piano classes at Loudlands Music Lab is a great way to start.

Can a classical pianist play jazz?

As a classically trained pianist that played exclusively classical music for twelve years until beginning to branch out, the answer is yes, after some study.

The study of classical piano often ignores several essential skills and some essential knowledge for playing jazz piano, but once those are learned – more specifically, the music theory of chords and scales, and the ability to improvise – it really just takes practice, just like it took practice to learn classical piano.

So, someone trained exclusively in classical music would make a poor jazz pianist – but it doesn’t take much more training to bridge the gap and use the extensive musical knowledge gained in the study of classical piano to play jazz piano, and vice versa.