Novello designed the book to cater to keyboard players of all levels—from intermediate players looking to break out of classical sheet music to advanced professionals wanting to tighten their technique and harmonic understanding. Core Philosophy: The Complete Musician

This is where the PDF version stumbles hard . The physical book originally came with CDs or online audio. Many PDFs circulating online lack these audio files entirely. You’ll find ghost references like “Play track 42,” but there is no link. For a book that emphasizes groove and timing, this omission is crippling unless you hunt down the audio separately.

However, Novello did not merely mimic these idols; he synthesized their styles into a unique voice characterized by "heavy organ" playing. Unlike traditional jazz organists who rely heavily on drawbar manipulation and the Leslie speaker for texture, Novello incorporates the aggressive attack and phrasing of a rock guitarist. This approach makes his playing distinctively rhythmic and percussive, allowing him to compete sonically with electric guitars and basses in high-energy fusion environments.

It seamlessly transitions across Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, Pop, and Fusion.

Novello’s career spans session work, film scoring, and touring. His pragmatic, "I’ve actually used this on the gig" approach filters into every chapter of his book. He understands that the modern keyboardist cannot just read dots on a page; they must comp, solo, use synth programming, and understand rhythmic feel. This real-world experience is why The Contemporary Keyboardist feels less like a textbook and more like a seasoned mentor sitting beside you.

John Novello, a highly accomplished jazz-fusion keyboardist, composer, and producer, designed this curriculum out of necessity. He recognized that traditional piano pedagogy often left musicians ill-prepared for the real-world music industry. Classical training excels at teaching technique and sight-reading but frequently neglects improvisation, chord voicing, playing by ear, and understanding electronic instruments.

The work is divided into four major areas that analyze the role of the modern musician:

Left-hand comping patterns that support a soloist without muddying the mix. 3. Improvisation and Scale Theory

Owning the PDF is not the same as mastering the material. The Contemporary Keyboardist is dense. Many musicians buy it, play the first three pages, and then shelve it. Here is a strategic roadmap:

Novello packs a massive amount of information into the book. For some, this can be overwhelming. It requires a student to pace themselves. Trying to absorb a chapter a week is impossible; this is a book to work through over months or years.

: Practical career advice for navigating the modern music industry as a competitive professional .