Classical pianists face the rigorous task of sight reading. Sight reading includes being completely fluent in the rhythm of the reading, as well as the melody. Reading sheet music is probably one of the most arduous and tedious tasks of playing classical music. Because classical music is based almost entirely on sight-reading music written by earlier master composers like Mozart, Hadyn, Bartok, Bach, and the like, there are many guidelines for how songs should be played. The advanced classical technique is also very strenuous and complex. It can take an average classical pianist several months to learn some advanced pieces.

Jazz is largely based on improvisation. Because jazz is freer and more current, many think it’s easy. Coming from a classical background, this is definitely not the case. Complex chords are often used in jazz music that are never found in classical music. Extended chords like ninths, flat thirteenths, etc. it would sound quite dissonant to a classical ear. If Beethoven or Mozart had heard jazz piano playing, they might have wrinkled their noses a bit thinking about matters of harmony before they really liked it. It definitely took me some acclimation to appreciate this style of music.

One of the most complex things in jazz is theory. Although classical music students learn a lot of theory, it’s not really used much because students don’t rely on theory to play their pieces. All they have to do is learn music from sheet music and then memorize it.

As for jazz, there are so many different chords and inversions that students will need to learn before they can improvise melodies and rhythms over them. Understanding music theory is a very integral part of playing this form of music. Jazz chord changes are also very complex and irregular compared to traditional classical piano pieces. Although both advanced classical and jazz students will know all the scales in different keys, jazz musicians will use this knowledge in a more practical way than the average classical pianist.

Finger technique for both genders can be extremely difficult. In my opinion, neither one is more difficult than the other, although many classical riffs can be a bit more complex, since jazz melodies are often created using continuous scales. Learning complex classical and jazz riffs will take a lot of dedication and practice to master, and proper finger technique will dictate how well you can play in both genres.

In conclusion, the two genders have different obstacles and challenges that students will have to overcome and face. I would say that both can be equally challenging but only in different aspects. A true master of the piano will have a complete knowledge of both.