Why is Analyzing Jazz Standards Helpful for Improvisation?

Welcome to episode 255 where today I'm sharing a short excerpt from a recent live Q&A call I had with my LJS Inner Circle members that answers the question: why is analyzing jazz standards helpful for improvisation?

I discuss two aspects that make analysis helpful for the learning process and why it's worth spending some time doing.

There are many ways to go about learning jazz standards and memorizing them and also improvising over them. And one way that people like to start learning jazz standards and figuring out improvising over them better is through analysis. Analyzing the chord changes to a jazz standard, putting certain theoretical labels on things such as relative minor, parallel minor. All these things that maybe you've heard in the jazz theory world before. But why would you do it? Why is it important to do? Is it even helpful?

Well, this was a question I was asked in my monthly jazz mastermind, which is a Q&A call that we do in my Inner Circle membership and I thought this was a great question so we are going to answer that in today's episode.

In this episode:
1. Analyzing can help you learn and memorize tunes better
2. Analyzing can help you understand the contexts of chords and chord progressions, which will influence your improv decisions

Important Links:
LJS Inner Circle Membership
Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way
Learn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual Summit

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