Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Welcome to episode 259 where today we're addressing a really common problem improvisers face, which is getting lost in the form while you are soloing. Getting lost is something that happens to everyone, but the key is reducing this occurrence and being able to get back on quickly. Here are 7 steps to consider.So you're in the middle of your solo, and you are playing all the notes. You think you are playing the changes. You're getting swept away. Then all of a sudden you realize, I don't know where I am in the song. This horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach comes up, and you feel embarrassed. You don't even know what you're doing. You just started playing random notes. You're getting disflustered. All these things are coming about, you just don't know where you are in the song anymore. Somehow, you got lost. And so the big question is, how can we avoid this from happening? How can we avoid getting lost when we are playing jazz standards when we are improvising our solos? And how do we set ourselves up for success so that this does not happen to you ever again?That's exactly what we are going to talk about in today's episode. And we're going to go over 7 questions to ask yourself if you are doing these things or not, to help you avoid this mistake.In this episode:1. How are you learning the tune? By ear or by sheet music? 2. Can you recognize the sounds of basic chord progressions? 3. Do you practice singing along with the form? 4. Do you practice with a metronome? 5. Do you have a good concept of playing subdivisions?6. Do you practice keeping track of the form while listening to recordings? 7. Do you practice improvising off of the melody? 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!

Welcome to episode 258 where today I'm having you sit in on a practice session where I explore a I-VI-ii-V chord progression, experimenting with whatever ideas come up in the moment. A lot of times we get wrapped up on playing the "right notes" that we forget that we have to experiment creatively to find the music that we really want to play. Developing a mindset of experimentation can help with that.You know a lot of us can get stuck in our jazz improv when we get over-analytical.  We think a lot about exercises. We think a lot about certain concepts we may have learned that we want to apply over a jazz standard or a chord progression, and we forget that we're actually just trying to make music. And for me, and something that I like to instill in all my students, implement into my courses and my programs, is the act of creation, of experimenting, finding the notes you like, finding the notes you don't like, trying different things to see what works and what doesn't work.So, in today's episode, I'm going to do a little bit of a practice session just for myself over a popular chord progression.I'm just going to try as many things as possible, and just work through the chord progression, try to see what ideas come up spontaneously, see what I like and see what I don't like.And I think this will help you understand how you can structure a practice session around this concept of experimentation and creation.In this episode:1. Why experimentation is important for better jazz improv 2. I practice a I-VI-ii-V progression, experimenting as much as possibleImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 257 where today I discuss 10 life skills I've learned from studying jazz. In the process of studying this music, I've found that a lot of the mindsets and skills I've learned have translated to a multitude of different areas in my life. Knowing this is extremely helpful, and I share some of the insights I've gained that you can share in as well.This episode is a little bit of a different one from what I normally would talk about on this show, going away from some of the jazz improv tips, tricks, practice strategies, and diving into a little bit more of life lessons that I've learned as a result of studying jazz. I don't know about you, obviously learning music, becoming a great jazz improviser, there's a lot of fulfillment within just that action. Music is its own reward. However, I like to think that everything I do has benefits that spread across other aspects of my life. And certainly, when I look back on my jazz education and how it has affected me now, I see a ton of benefits that have really made a huge impact and helped me grow in areas of my life I never thought I would develop so quickly or so strongly.So, in today's episode, I'm going to go over ten life lessons that I've learned from studying jazz, break down what they are, and I'm sure that you'll find some inspiration and help in understanding these as well.In this episode:1. Developing long-term thinking 2. Building acceptance of myself 3. Developing a growth mindset 4. Developing perseverance 5. Developing a deeper appreciation for professionalism 6. Learning how to maximize my productivity 7. Developing project managing skills 8. Learning how to "start ugly" 9. Learning how to teach better 10. Developing critical listening skills Important Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 256 where today I walk you through some different steps for beginning to develop a great jazz solo. A common mistake I hear is beginning a jazz solo with lots of notes and a myriad of ideas, rather than using call and response and a thematic building ideas. I show you actionable steps you can take to start bringing your solos to life.Okay, what was wrong with that solo? There is something horribly wrong with that solo and what was wrong with it was, right as soon as it was my turn to solo, I came out of the gate just playing as many notes as possible, just trying to fill up as much space as possible. And guess what, it probably sounded boring. It probably didn't spell the chord changes as well as I could have. It just didn't sound that musical. It was just a lot of notes regardless of whether they are the right notes or not.So, the big question is, how do we develop really awesome jazz solos? Well, that's exactly what we're going to do today. We're not going to do what I just did. We are going to make really awesome jazz solos that sound great. In this episode:1. Start with simple rhythms using only one note per chord 2. Slowly add more rhythmic complexity and additional notes to your idea 3. Create rhythmic and melodic phrases and practice "carbon copying" them over different chords as an exercise 4. Use direction of your lines to help manipulate your motific ideas 5. Manipulate your rhythms to create more space Important Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Learn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

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 decisionsImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 254 where today we talk about how to develop a good time feel and a basic sense of rhythm. You can play all of the "right" notes, and the hippest licks, but if your time feel is off and your execution poor, you'll end up sounding amateur. In this episode, you'll learn two exercises that will get you headed in the right direction.One of the more common issues I hear in the playing of beginner to intermediate jazz improvisers is a poor time feel. Just not really being able to land their phrases in the time, maybe it's rushing, maybe it's dragging, maybe it's just the phrases are sounding a little bit off for lack of sense of rhythm in where the time is. And this is really an important thing to hone in on because we could play all the right notes and have really great lines and licks but if we're not playing them with a good time feel, it can really just sound completely immature.So, in today's episode, I'm going to go over just the very basics of developing a good time feels, that we could start getting headed on the right track, and start playing better jazz solos in better time.In this episode:1. Working on basic subdivisions with a metronome 2. Reducing the clicks while working on subdivisions 3. Practice feeling space with the metronomeImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 253 where today we talk about scales and how to know which ones to play over chords and chord progressions within jazz standards. When it comes to scales, there are so many options to choose from, and it can be a bit overwhelming. Learn how to boil it down to the essentials and choose the most common ones first.Once you learn the jazz standard, it can be helpful to understand what notes you have available to play to start improvising over that tune. While scales are not the first place I normally go to, scales can be very helpful to start identifying some notes that you can use to start navigating it.Now, there are so many different scales out there, that it is kind of hard to know what are the right ones to play over chords in chord progressions. And so in today's episode, I'm going to be cutting the fact, making things very simple and easy for you to understand, and talk about what scales to play over jazz standards in different contexts. In this episode:1. Using the modes as your primary context 2. Common scales over dominant 7th chords 3. Which scales to play over Autumn Leaves 4. Examples of more advanced chord/scale application Important Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 252 where today we have on special guest saxophonist and recording artist Mike Casey to talk about his experience with achieving effortlessness in improvisation. We all have heard our favorite musicians play and wonder how they achieve a level of "effortlessness" in their playing, and Mike helps break down the things that have worked for him.When I see some of the best jazz musicians in the world play their instruments, it almost seems like it is effortless. Like there's this stream of musical creative ideas flowing out of their consciousness into the world through their horn, through their piano, through their guitar -- whatever instrument they are playing and it's just this magical experience.And I don't know about you but I often find myself wanting more of that. Wanting to feel that freedom, that effortless that seems to be transpiring in front of me.So on today's show, I have a very special guest, Mike Casey, who is a professional saxophonist and recording artist. And when I asked him the question, how do you play what seems to be so effortlessly, I was surprised that he actually had a series of answers for me.In this episode:1. How playing by ear was the cornerstone of Mike's jazz education 2. How life education translates to jazz education 3. Becoming comfortable with your playing so you can truly express 4. Allowing creative freedom during your practice Important Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 251 where today we have on special guest guitarist and professional musician Quist. He shares with us his tips for internalizing jazz licks using jam tracks as a tool, as well as a host of other topics and insights to how he developed his musicianship to a high level.Now, for many of us sitting at home, who are trying to learn how to play this jazz thing better and become better musicians, we find that backing tracks can be really helpful to practice along with, to stay motivated, to have fun while practicing. And on today's episode, I have a special guest, Quist, who is a Danish-born jazz guitar player. He is a recording artist and he also makes quite a few backing tracks himself to help his audience practice. And he gives some great tips on how to practice along with backing tracks, the most effective ways to do that, along with a bunch of other awesome, really cool topics that we talk about, and his tips and tricks for musical improvement.In this episode:1. How Quist became interested in jazz and improvisation 2. How to use jam tracks to internalize licks 3. 3 questions to ask yourself to "get in the zone" when you are ready to improviseImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLearn Jazz Live 2021 Virtual SummitLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 250 where today I talk about what makes a great jazz New Year Resolution that you will actually see through to the end. Most of us want to become better jazz improvisers in 2021, but that's about where it ends. In this episode I break down 3 characteristics of achievable resolutions and a really good one you should commit to in 2021.In this podcast episode, I'm going to be presenting you a simple strategy that could pay dividends in your jazz playing in 2021. But first, I have to be honest with you. I hate New Years' Resolutions. And to be clear, I don't have a problem with the goal-setting aspect of it or the idea of a New Year being a new chapter. All those things actually resonate with me quite a bit. It's more the I'm-going-to-do-this-but-I-don't-have-a-plan part. You know, it's this idea that I'm going to achieve my goals whether it would be jazz music or anything else, but I don't really have anything that constitutes a good plan, a good goal, a good action plan for success.So, in today's episode, I'm going to be going over how you can start setting yourself up for 2021, your jazz playing to accelerate, to grow more than it ever has. I'm also going to share with you what I think could be a good goal for you that will really pack a huge punch in your jazz playing next year.In this episode:1. Make sure your goal is measurable and realistic 2. Make sure along with the right tools you have the right strategy 3. Make sure you have a community to help motivate you and hold you accountable when the going gets toughImportant Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayDominate a Jazz Standard in One Month (video mentioned in the episode)Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!