Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Welcome to episode 229 of the LJS Podcast where today I have on special guest Brett Pontecorvo to teach us how to properly use scales to build great solos. Scales are useful tools, but if applied in an un-musical way, can be problematic. Brett walks us through some solid tips for taking vanilla scales and developing them into melodic masterpieces.Scales are a classic way to get started with improvising over a jazz standard and they can be quite useful. However, in the wrong hands and used the wrong way, they just end up sounding like scales. Very unmusical, very vanilla, and it just sort of sounds like you are playing notes overtop of jazz standards.And that's not really what we want. We want to play actual music, actual melodies. So the real big question here is how do we make scales musical? How do we take something that is a linear pattern and turn it into something that actually has great melodic value, yet still helps you identify notes and get ideas and sounds in your head that you can use in your jazz improv?Well, on today's show, I have a very special guest Brett Pontecorvo, who is my music production manager at Learn Jazz Standards, a phenomenal pianist and educator. He is going to teach us exactly how to take scales and make them musical so that you can play killer jazz solos with them.In this episode:1. How to choose which scales to play over chords 2. Mapping scales to connect them together 3. Using rhythms as a starting point 4. Intervals and leaps to begin developing melody 5. How chromaticism can help emphasize important scale tonesImportant Links:1. LJS Inner Circle Membership2. Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way3. Brett's LiveKeyboardist.com https://livekeyboardist.com/Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 228 of the LJS Podcast where today I teach you a few principles and techniques that will help you play "outside" of the changes without it sounding avante garde or playing wrong notes. I use a lick from an etude in our Inner Circle membership as an example.Have you ever listened to a jazz recording and suddenly the soloist that you're listening to starts going outside of the changes like it sounds dissonant, it doesn't sound completely stable, feels unstable, and feels a little shaky. But then all of a sudden they brilliantly resolve it back into the key center again and everything sounds like it came home and it sounds great and they end up sounding like a genius, right? You're like, wow, how do they do that? And sometimes we might want to start going outside of the "changes" so that we can create some different colors, some different sounds, and then resolve back to where we want to be in the diatonic changes.So, in today's episode, I'm going to be going over some ways to do that by looking at a particular lick that goes through this exact idea of playing outside the changes and then resolving back into the harmony again and see what lessons we can learn from that and take away from it.In this episode:1. When going out, remember that you need to come back in 2. Use repeated patterns 3. Use melodic direction toward resolutions 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 227 of the LJS Podcast where today we cover 3 practice habits for retaining musical material. It can be frustrating when you learn a jazz standard, solo, or lick, only to forget it later. In this episode, I introduce some practice habits that can be helpful for long-term retention and set you up for success.It can be tough when we are learning a new jazz language, new jazz standards, to retain all of the information that we are learning. I mean, there is so much out there that we are learning. We're learning licks. We're learning jazz standards. We're learning melodies. We're learning chord changes to multiple different things. And eventually, we could possibly forget all of those things and it would feel like a lot of hard work has been wasted. But we don't want any of that to happen. So, what are some of the best practices that we can put into place in order to retain the information that we are learning so that we can get out there and play the best music we possibly can?Well, that's exactly what we are going to talk about in today's episode. Three different practice habits that I want you to adapt in order to be able to retain information better. In this episode:1. Consistency (different from repetition) 2. Limiting Material (not overloading) 3. Breaks (to allow your subconscious to absorb information) Important Links:1. LJS Inner Circle Membership2. Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way3. LJS 181: I'm Taking a Break from JazzLearn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 226 of the LJS Podcast where today we cover the very important topic of ending jazz standards. Ever come to the end of jamming on a standard only for things to fall apart at the end? We all need some stock endings in our arsenal, and in today’s episode, I go over 7 different endings you can use to conclude jazz standards.In this episode:1. Take the A Train ending2. Count Basie ending3. Ritardando ending4.  bIImaj7 Ending 5.  Altered I Chord Ending 6.  ii-IV-iii-VI Tag Ending 7.  b5 Chromatic Descending Ending Important Links:LJS Inner Circle MembershipFree Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart WayLJS 179: Intros to Play on Jazz Standards Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 225 of the LJS Podcast where today I answer a question that I get asked quite often: when do I stop practicing something I'm working on and move on to something else?Often we get overly concerned about mastery and perfection, which can lead to getting stuck. Learn when you know something "good enough" and why you may want to move on even if things aren't perfect.There's that famous Winston Churchill quote that goes, "Perfection is the enemy of progress". And when it comes to playing jazz and becoming a better musician, this can't be more true in my opinion. When we get stuck trying to "master things", we don't move on to the next lesson that we need to learn. We get stuck in one place, we over-obsess over something. We're not allowing ourselves to learn all of the multitudes of things that could be learned and refined when we move on to other material.But at the same time, how do we know when we've learned something well enough? We don't want to move on to the next thing if we really haven't gotten any control over a particular musical concept.So, in today's episode, I'm going to dive in deep with that. I want to help us answer this question: how do we know when to move on to the next thing in our jazz playing?In this episode:1. Why moving on is sometimes the path to quicker improvement 2. Q1: On a scale of 1-10 how comfortable do I feel with the material? 3. Q2: How long have you been working on this material? 4. Q3: Does the material you are working on occur often in other jazz concepts you will work on?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 224 of the LJS Podcast where today I learn a new jazz standard in real-time on the show. If you'll join with me you'll know a new jazz standard by the end as well.You'll see how I approach learning a jazz standard by ear, no filters, no edits.You know, I love a lot of things about jazz music, like I love the improv, I love the creativity, I love the challenge it provides to us as individual musicians. Just a lot of things are great about it that I enjoy playing and listening to it. But what a lot of people don't know is, my favorite part about jazz is the ballads. I just love ballads! I love playing the ballads. I think it's just some of the most beautiful music. It's all tunes! Oh man, it's so great! And so, I've been thinking to myself for a while, there's this particular ballad that I've really been wanting to learn and still don't know it.So in today's episode, I am going to learn that jazz standard for the very first time. And I think in the process, you might learn it as well just by going along this with me and maybe at least get inside of my head of what I think about when I learn a jazz standard by ear. In this episode:1. I walk through a Brad Meldau recording of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and learn it by earImportant Links:1. LJS Inner Circle Membership2. Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way3. LJS 212: Improv Hacking Jazz Standards (3 Step Process)Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

Welcome to episode 223 of the LJS Podcast where today we go over three music theory concepts in the jazz standard On the Sunny Side of the Street that can be helpful for improvising on standards in general. I discuss the three concepts as well as a few different ideas on how to approach them in your solos.I don't know about you, but whenever I work on a jazz standard or learn a new jazz standard, I'm always looking for little nuggets of wisdom, little tidbits that are going to help me in my jazz improv, not just with that song but with all other jazz standards. Because each jazz standard really is a treasure trove of new explorations, new opportunities for different kinds of improvisation and to spark new creative ideas for ourselves.So, in today's podcast episode, I'm going to look at a really awesome jazz standard called On the Sunny Side of the Street and we are going to look at 3 different jazz theory takeaways and some different ways to approach them in an improvisational standpoint.In this episode:1. Deceptive Cadence2. Diminished replacing a dominant 73. Dominant II7 chord (Secondary Dominant)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 222 of the LJS Podcast where today we have on special guest Kyle Younger on the show to discuss the history of jazz and its ties to the racial oppression of the African American community. Jazz is African American music, and we cannot understand or play this music without recognizing the oppression of those who created this music.When we play jazz music and when we practice jazz music, it's important that we remember that it is African American music and it was born out of slavery. It was born out of racism, injustice, oppression, and it developed under injustice and oppression. And music is always a reflection of the times. It's always the reflection of the people who are playing the music. And we can never untie jazz and playing jazz, or not connect the two together. They are so intertwined. And so it's important that when we play this music, we have a reverence, we have an understanding of what this music really means, just even outside of the notes and the theory and how to play it. Now, I am not the right person to deliver this message, obviously.So I've got a very special guest on the show today, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and jazz aficionado, Kyle Younger, to share what jazz music means. Not only what it means to the African American community, but what it should mean to us, and what we should think about when we play this music.In this episode:1. Jazz is a music born out of slavery, injustice, and oppression.2. When we play this music we need to understand the context of which the music was created.3. Jazz is music created by African Americans but shared with all. Jazz is love.Important Links:1. Kyle's Book Suggestions: Beneath the Underdog 2. Music is My Mistress 3. The Jazz Life4. LJS Inner Circle Membership5. Free 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 221 of the LJS Podcast where today in celebration of the launch of my new LJS Inner Circle Membership, I go over my 3 step proven process for "improv hacking" jazz standards. This is one of those episode that has so much value packed into it, I know you'll be reaching for your notepad!From time to time on this podcast, I like to come out with a super high-value episode like one that just really packs a punch. And in my opinion, when it comes to becoming a better jazz improviser, it's all about frameworks. It's all about step-by-step processes for actually getting better. Not fancy tricks, not new little licks or solos to learn. These are the things that really matter to me in our practice. So when a lot of us look at jazz standards and we're confused, we don't know where to start, we're not sure how to take our jazz improv on a jazz standard from one place to the next level, and we need frameworks. And so, in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about improv hacking jazz standards. My 3 step proven (and I mean that when I say that) process for really starting to crush it on jazz standards and start getting better at jazz improv. In this episode:1. Step 1: Learning Jazz Standards by Ear the Right Way2. Step 2: Mapping Out Jazz Standards for Improv Success3. Step 3: Creating Killer Jazz Solos in 2 PhasesImportant 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 220 of the LJS Podcast where today I talk about how working on less is oftentimes the best way to improve as a jazz musician quickly.It seems counterintuitive to many that practicing less stuff (or even for less time) will produce greater results in your playing. But in this episode I share what will make the biggest differences, and how to apply a less is more strategy.Have you ever been going through YouTube or maybe a podcast like this or blogs collecting a bunch of jazz lessons? Just learning a bunch of different concepts, working on them, going to the next thing, and to the next thing, and to the next thing, and to the next thing. And then before you know it, you're not really quite sure what you've been learning, what you've been doing, what direction you're going in. You just kind of feel overwhelmed. Or here's a different scenario. Maybe you learn a tune one week and then you learn another tune in the next week, and you learn a solo for that tune. So you keep learning a bunch of things really quickly and maybe you're reading it off a piece of sheet music so you just blow in through it and you're thinking to yourself, I'm doing all the right things. This is what everybody tells me to do but it's just a lot of stuff. Right. So you don't really get a lot out of each one. Well, I don't know about you. I've definitely felt like this before. I'm sure that you can relate to this as well. And my message in today's podcast episode is less is more. So, today we're going to learn about what we should be doing, and some different methods for applying the less is more strategy. In this episode:1. The 80/20 rule applied to jazz2. Working the 3 Pillars of Jazz Improvisation3. The Single Project Method4. The Batching Method5. The 1 Big, 1 Small MethodImportant 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!