

Learn Jazz Standards Podcast
Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur
The LJS Podcast is the podcast where you get weekly jazz tips, interviews, stories and advice for becoming a better jazz musician! Hosting the show is the jazz musician behind learnjazzstandards.com, author, and entrepreneur Brent Vaartstra, who’s one goal is to answer any question about playing jazz music you may have. Jazz can be a challenging music to learn and play, but it doesn’t have to be so hard. Each episode features a specific musical challenge that jazz students may come across, where it is discussed and answered. Special jazz guests frequent the show, sharing their expertise on an array of different musical subject matter. Listeners are invited to call in with their jazz questions to the podcast hotline, where it could get answered on a future LJS Podcast episode. Join thousands of other listeners getting free jazz education every week!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 24, 2022 • 8min
Quick Win: The Best Jazz Practice Advice
If you wanna be a good musician of any kind then you know you need to practice, especially if you want to play jazz.So, I'm gonna give you the very best practice advice I can give you to help you get set up for success.CHAPTERS:IntroTip #1: Can't find more time to practice? Stop trying.Tip #2: Practice lessTip #3: Ditch these if you don't want themTip #4: Focus on the things you're not good atTip #5: Give it some spaceTip #6: Keep a sense of accomplishment***Important Links and Resources***Get our FREE "Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way" Guide and Masterclass Join our powerful jazz learning communityListen to the Learn Jazz Standards PodcastGet our Amazon Best Selling bookSee you in the next video!Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Jun 20, 2022 • 27min
Why Are We Passionate About Playing Jazz (Story Time)?
So today, I'm gonna share with you some important points in my music life, like, the first thing I played with my first guitar when I got it, how that one, 7-note lick that my first pro jazz teacher taught me gave me a "light bulb" moment, and most importantly, the reason behind what is in music that resonates with me so much that keeps me passionate about it Before I'll end this story, I'm gonna leave you with a challenge that would help keep that spark going that lights up your passion for discovering the jazz world.In this episode, Brent shares (as he jams and plays during story time):1. what he used to play before jazz2. how he came to love jazz3. who his first pro jazz teacher was4. what keeps him passionate about playing jazz 5. his advice on how to continue your passion for playing jazz***Important links***LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Jun 18, 2022 • 13min
Quick Win: The Best Ear Training For Jazz
You've probably been told that playing jazz requires great ears. Well, how do you actually train your ears for jazz improvisation? I'm gonna give you 10 things you can do!CHAPTERS:1. Intro2. What are the Ear Training Fundamentals?3. The Best way for becoming a Jazz Improviser4. What is Applied Ear Training?5. The 10 Different Ideas For Applied Ear Training6. #1: Learn the Melodies of Jazz Standards by Ear7. #2: Learning A Solo Lick or Etude by Ear8. #3: Take A Lick Into Different Keys9. #4: Play A Piece of Music or a Lick in a Different Position10. #5: Singing and then Playing11 #6: Composing Your Own Solos12. #7: Memorizing Music13. #8: Learn Jazz Standards and Understand the Chord Progressions14. #9: Play Along with Jazz Records15. #10 Improvise "free"Important Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Listen to the Learn Jazz Standards PodcastGet our Amazon Best Selling bookSee you in the next video!Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Jun 13, 2022 • 48min
From the Vault: How to Beat the Brain Game for Musical Freedom (feat. Matt Vaartstra)
We're doing a from-the-vault episode today. We're going back in time where I had my very own brother on the show to talk about performance and how to beat the brain game that goes on when we're playing music and trying to get better. Looking forward to bringing this one back and bringing it back to life.In this episode:1. The power of mindset over musical performance.2. How to train a positive mindset with a Self-Talk Script.3. Using the “Three D’s” to cut off your negative thoughts.-Detect-Disrupt-Dispute4. Honing in on musical personal records vs. competition.5. Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets.6. How to measure your personal progress.***Important Links***LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Jun 10, 2022 • 9min
Quick Win: How to Play Changes In Your Jazz Solos
The best jazz musicians in the world can play a solo, unaccompanied and you know exactly the tune they were playing.You can do that, too.CHAPTERS:1. Intro2. The secret to playing chord changes3. A great jazz-blues solo4. Targeting Chord tones5. What are guide tones in a chord?6. What is motivic development?7. Tension and ResolutionImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Listen to the Learn Jazz Standards PodcastGet our Amazon Best Selling bookLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Jun 6, 2022 • 26min
Frameworks for Ingraining Jazz Recordings
Listening to jazz is one of the best ways that you can improve your jazz playing without even touching your instrument and actually retain material so that it becomes exponentially easier to play when you actually do pick up your instrument. So I wanna talk about some plans for listening to jazz if your intention is to retain and ingrain musical information.In this episode:1. Why listening can be a game-changer for your jazz playing2. Framework for internalizing a jazz album3. Frameworks for internalizing a jazz standard***Important Links***LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Jun 3, 2022 • 15min
Quick Win: How To Play Chord Melody On A Jazz Standard
If you're a guitar or a piano player, one important thing that you'd be able to do is chord melody - playing the chords and the melody of a jazz standard at the same time.But this presents a particular challenge, especially for jazz guitar players. So what are the basics of chord melody and how do you do it?In this episode:1. Intro2. Creating chord melody - Polka Dots and Moonbeams3. The basics of creating chord melody: 4. How to find the chords under the melody notes - Section A5. How to emphasize the melody notes6. Try adding some ornaments7. How to find the chords under the melody notes - Section B8. My own rendition of Polka Dots and MoonbeamsImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Listen to the Learn Jazz Standards PodcastGet our Amazon Best Selling bookLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

May 30, 2022 • 40min
How Long Will It Take to Play Great Jazz Solos?
Today on the podcast, I'm answering the question, "How long does it take to become a great jazz improviser?", from day 1 until that day when you're really playing solos that you're enjoying, hearing back, and feeling happy about.In This Episode: 1. Variable that will influence how long2. Defining what a "great jazz solo" is3. Conditions of practicing during timeframes of practice4. General time frames starting from a beginner level5. The secret to staying consistent***Important Links***LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

May 27, 2022 • 8min
Quick Win: Using Pentatonics for AMAZING Jazz Solos
If you know the pentatonic or the blues scale you can actually play really amazing jazz solos using just those notes. In this episode:Intro Demo: SOUL STIR BLUES - A jazz blues solo Kinds of Pentatonic Scales used in Soul Stir Blues How I put the solo together Applying rhythmic concepts SummaryImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Listen to the Learn Jazz Standards PodcastGet our Amazon Best Selling bookSee you in the next video!Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

May 23, 2022 • 35min
Is Learning Jazz Solos Worth It (And How to Get Results from Them)
If you've been studying jazz for a little while, you've probably heard from somebody, whether it would be me or somebody else, that it's a good idea to learn jazz solos or jazz etudes. And you may or may not fully understand why it's a good idea to do, and if you don't understand that, it could be not very motivating to go through the process of doing something tedious like this. So in today's episode, I'm gonna explain why this is a great practice and some insights that I think you'll find very valuable around these practices.In This Episode:1. Is learning jazz solos worth it?2. The best way to internalize a jazz solo3. Great improvisation comes when hearing ideas and muscle memory meet4. Learning solos helps make you aware of vocabulary you can use***Important Links***LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!