OM in all due respect there is nothing wrong with SBmix's approach. Note there is nothing wrong with your approach either.

I have done what SBmix has done. In fact in a song I will be posting soon I took a Celtic harp RT, used Melodyne to convert it to MIDI (the chart version of said RT was not correct), then used that MIDI track to control an orchestra harp. I have also used RTs converted to MIDI to control soft synths. Note that I did the conversions in my DAW Studio One Pro.

The bottom line is that there is usually more than one way to achieve your goals in BiaB, RealBand, and/or any other DAW.

YMMV


Unclear if the pianist is a total beginner or a professional jazz player?

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware