by Michele Weir. Book and CD. If you’re a jazz singer or instrumentalist and don’t already have basic skills in jazz piano: now is the time! Piano skills are the gateway to understanding chords and progressions, checking lead sheets for accuracy, learning new tunes, arranging, writing your own tunes, becoming a better improviser and so on. This book outlines an easy step-by-step process for learning basic jazz piano in just six months.