Use coupon code “JLV5” for $5 off an instant download of the “Modern Phrases” PDF Package at: www.jazzlessonvideos.com/pdf-packages Mouthpiece: use coupon code CHADXSYOS for $10 off the Chad LB Signature SYOS mouthpiece at www.syos.co/en/shop/products/signature-saxophone-mouthpiece/chad-lefkowitz-brown-tenor Sign up for the waitlist to study with Chad through the Text Lessons studio membership subscription: www.jazzlessonvideos.com/text-lessons
1. Find content 2. Understand the composition of the phrase 3. Play it, sing it, play it again 4. Learn a phrase through all 12 keys 5. Improvising variations of the phrase Bonus advice: - Disciplined practice is the key - The more deliberately you learn the language, the more accurately you hear it
Not gonna lie this is a VERY specific topic and even though it was apparently asked about very often, the fact that it is so specific shows how much you care about teaching us. Thank you Chad. Also, thank you because this is a very infuriating topic!!!!
the first thing chad talks about here is super important and overlooked. hal galper talks about a similar thing; if you've listened to a song a ton of times and someone asks you to sing the solo from it, i'm willing to bet you wouldn't be able to sing the fast lines slow, because you probably don't remember the actual pitches. majority of playing what you're hearing is gaining clarity on what you're hearing to begin with, and im super glad to see chad talking about this
True. When I’m at work, I think of a line or phrase and scribble it down. When I get home, I try playing the line based on my notation but it just sounds so so.
I urge my students to record their practice, and then to listen to the recording two days later. They find both good and bad in the phrases they played. The good helps keep them motivated, and the bad is useful in understanding where they need to improve. Without going back to the recording, it is easy just to repeat the same mistakes every practice session without being fully aware of what is tripping them up.
I really admire just how well these videos are made and thought out. They're too the point, fun but never distracting, and they respect the viewer's time. Chad is all about thoroughness, and not only in his own amazing playing.
Fabulous approach to ear training. I’m 48 years old and played professionally for several years and toured and got a degree in performance and with that background, I’d say this is the best approach I’ve ever seen. So many talented artists utterly fail to enlighten their students. I slogged along in my playing for years trying traditional methods and then started really taking off when I tried similar ideas. Kudos for a tremendous approach that is easy to understand AND to apply.
Chad - thank you for this clear and direct suggestion. I now realize that I am doing exactly what you said. I memorize using a combo of 1) muscle memory and 2) knowledge of the SHAPE of the phrase. That explains why I can only recall the first note of each phrase and also why I can't really sing it accurately. Your ideas should help me progress. Thank you!
Thanks so much for watching, Terry! Yes getting away from the muscle memory should definitely help. I'm glad you're enjoying the content and hope this process works for you!
Chad - This is really amazing that you describe how we can build this ability in a methodical way. There seem to be a lot areas like this that are understood as pretty vital by practicing musicians but seem to be overlooked by a lot of other instructional material and teachers. Anyway, I'm enjoying taking these concepts to another instrument and genre (guitar, blues/rock with a little jazz). Thanks, man!
Hi Chad! I just want to say a big THANK YOU for all your videos on this Chanel which has been so helpful to me since I'm unable with finance to join any courses but I try and practise my beautiful Tenor in a music studio near by me for about 5 to 6 hours a day 5 days a week and they give me 3 hours a day free of charge to help me out as I'm keen to learn, Yeah! A big shout out to The Sanctuary Studios (The Art Of The Sound) in north London, UK I have a tutor whom helps me out two to three times a year when I can afford him. By the way I did manage to save up and buy very few of your some PDF theory lessons which finance allowed me, but can't have them all at the moment and hope that I'll be in a situation to get more. I just want to say having a perfect instrument in your hands is a beautiful feeling and also inspirational. Chad LB ! I should like to THANK YOU again with Big Gratitude for all your videos which helps me to build on my passion. People like you makes this world a better place to live in! Love and Peace Kind regards Sweet Juju
Hi Chad, i'm in doubt if you are better as a musician or as a teacher, i want to thank you for your very productive lessons even if playing like you need 7 lives
Thank you Chad, you’re a great music teacher.. in my early times I learned from the great Hadley Caliman.. he told me a lot of similar things you’re saying. He said not practice makes perfect.. “perfect practice” makes perfect. That really stuck with me. Great video! 🔥
This is great stuff, thanks Chad! Keep 'em coming. Also, are you an assassin? Cause you be killin' them changes. Much love from Cape Town, South Africa.
Just found this. It's extremely helpful, Chad, something I've much needed, maybe even an "aha" moment to help me make sense of the cellular approach. Thanks so much!
Absolutely love this! Having been teaching myself jazz for a while now I feel personally attacked by alot of the out falls you point out! Really motivated me and shown me how I can continue to grow and learn this new language! Great stuff❤️
Great ideas. Going to try applying the singing when transcribing more to get the lines under your fingers quicker. Never at a loss to practice new stuff after watching you, thanks!
Great video! I really learned a lot, thanks :-) I like that you are very focused, you explain well, you don't ramble on,..great stuff, much appreciated! Probably my favorite jazz educator on YT.
I have trouble finding the b13 in my mind. Trying to sing it is h it or miss before morning coffee. The figures you're singing at the beginning are pretty sophisticated and I'm gonna go ahead and tell you that I'm impressed with what is undoubtably sheer talent. Love this channel .....thx for the content.
Okay, I've been intimidated to watch your videos, because I'm a jazz beginner and listening to awesome people makes me feel like crap, but this was awesome. You don't talk down your nose like other jazz youtubers I've tried to get into. I am inspired to go practice now 🤓
Great info Chad.... practicing using the Melodic Cell Package is really helping my playing. Usually at least one hour of my practicing session is devoted to this. Thanks man...
George Garzone is also a big proponent of melodic cells and using permutations. Also there are some clips of a Half Galper masterclass where he discusses playing what you hear in your head. Very cool but more of an overview of the idea. What's posts doesn't show a step by step method for achieving the skill the way you are, Chad.
I am a beginner (started around May) but I play other instruments and understand basic theory. I have taken the approach of only playing by ear and deliberately focusing on one key for a long time to really get it under my fingers, starting with the “hardest” keys (C#, B, F#) and their altered scales (C#m, C# Phrygian etc). Also doing lifts. I wanted to first be able to hear and play simple diatonic melodies and triads. I wonder how many people skip this first step? To me it’s so important to be able to play a simple voice-led line through chord changes. It seems to be working well except I do notice a few things: 1. Lack of new things to practice (too much repetition) 2. Tending to play the same simple melodies by default in the key I learned them (Rudolph, jingle bells, baby shark ;) I will branch out to your melodic cells method and also start transposing to 12 keys. Game on!!! Thanks Chad!!!! Here’s the rub: isn’t using a book of transcriptions with them written out in 12 keys actually the antithesis of getting them in your ear (hence my reluctance to work with any written music at the moment)?
Thanks, Craig! Memorization is the most important part of the process to internalization and improving your ear. I believe the most efficient process for memorization is best. To start, for most players, memorizing from the written material will be faster, and that will be the fastest way to improve your ears and understanding of the language. Then, as your skill improve from that process, you will be able to get away from the sheet music more and more and just do it on your own.
Chad LB thanks chad! I like how you say “for most players”. (You’re not prescriptive). I find from personal experience I memorize best when I lift something. That takes a bit more initial effort but puts it in my ear. Thanks again!!!!
@@craigiefconcert6493 Totally! For the transposition process of taking it through the keys, it may benefit you to have the phrase written in all 12 as you're getting the hang of memorizing something through the keys, even though you don't need it written to just memorize the phrase in one key.
Thank you Chad this is an amazing nugget of insight. I got a BMus in Trumpet perf. when I left high school because I loved jazz and wanted to be a jazz player. but I quit after finishing my degree because I thought I had bad ears. But now, thanks to this explanation, I now know what the problem was. I was hearing cool shapes and phrases, but not specific pitches. Man, this technique of using the horn to teach my self to sing the line is a whopper of an insight that I never would have thought of even if I knew what the problem was. Lovin' it and can't wait for this work to bear fruit. Great pedagogy, thank you.
Hey Chad! Been really loving digging through all of your videos on your channel (performances included too!), I previously had studied jazz in college but ended up burning out, and now I wanted to start playing again. Everything has been great to help me focus my practice and help me improve! I know this topic is kind of specific, and not necessarily saxophone related, but I was wondering how you train your ears to be responsive during playing? To explain, I mean being able to hear the voicing/alteration a pianist might play underneath you improvising, and being able to respond/play off of it. Thanks again for all the content!
Hi Chad, As always thank you for the video. Chad, if you are looking to sing precisely what's in your head dont you need relative pitch, interval ear training, etc? Thanks! EWS
It's neat how I read those jumbled sentences just fine before they were rearranged correctly. I think that points to the difference in the importance of the tonal organization and OCCURRENCE of those tones on the meaning of a musical phrase (where the tension notes and chord tones occur, etc.), vs the language analogy with respect to the hierarchy of individual notes, vs phrases etc. ( as compared to letters, words, and sentences, etc). English isn't a tonal language so any variations in pitch don't affect the overall meaning, and word order can have little effect on the overall meaning if it's a logical, and probably a commonly used, phrase/sentence. Compare this to Asian languages that are tonal, where a word spoken with two different pitches have different meanings. Now disclaimer: I don't speak any Asian languages so I'm just trying to recall things I've learned in linguistics classes. I might not be correct. I just thought it was an interesting observation about the music/language analogy.
Use coupon code “JLV5” for $5 off an instant download of the “Modern Phrases” PDF Package at: www.jazzlessonvideos.com/pdf-packages
Mouthpiece: use coupon code CHADXSYOS for $10 off the Chad LB Signature SYOS mouthpiece at www.syos.co/en/shop/products/signature-saxophone-mouthpiece/chad-lefkowitz-brown-tenor
Sign up for the waitlist to study with Chad through the Text Lessons studio membership subscription: www.jazzlessonvideos.com/text-lessons
1. Find content
2. Understand the composition of the phrase
3. Play it, sing it, play it again
4. Learn a phrase through all 12 keys
5. Improvising variations of the phrase
Bonus advice:
- Disciplined practice is the key
- The more deliberately you learn the language, the more accurately you hear it
Not gonna lie this is a VERY specific topic and even though it was apparently asked about very often, the fact that it is so specific shows how much you care about teaching us. Thank you Chad. Also, thank you because this is a very infuriating topic!!!!
Thanks for watching and happy to help!!
How is playing what you hear a specific topic?? That is litterly what it's all about!
I heard Chad singing and I knew I had to stay
I heard Chad singing and subscribed immediately
Love it thank you 🙏
Every developing saxophonist should watch your channel. This is a gold mine. Thanks for sharing your wisdom :)
Thanks so much for the kind words, Mario! Just trying to pass on what I’ve learned :)
Any instrument. This isn't sax specific stuff.
Hell yeah, any melodic instrument can benefit from this
I’ve never heard of this “Cell” concept before. It’s crazy what you can learn from Sax players as a pianist
I immediately thought Hey! maybe I can compose in spreadsheet cells?
This is great stuff as always Chad. I'm loving these latest pdfs.
Thanks for watching, Jay! Glad to hear you're enjoying the PDF content as well!!
the first thing chad talks about here is super important and overlooked. hal galper talks about a similar thing; if you've listened to a song a ton of times and someone asks you to sing the solo from it, i'm willing to bet you wouldn't be able to sing the fast lines slow, because you probably don't remember the actual pitches. majority of playing what you're hearing is gaining clarity on what you're hearing to begin with, and im super glad to see chad talking about this
yeah man
Hal Galper's the shit. If you can't hear it you can't play it.
True. When I’m at work, I think of a line or phrase and scribble it down. When I get home, I try playing the line based on my notation but it just sounds so so.
I urge my students to record their practice, and then to listen to the recording two days later. They find both good and bad in the phrases they played. The good helps keep them motivated, and the bad is useful in understanding where they need to improve. Without going back to the recording, it is easy just to repeat the same mistakes every practice session without being fully aware of what is tripping them up.
I remember a sax player in college that could tell you the hertz of any note or chord. Was so easy for him to transcribe anything in minutes.
@SinisterMinister Well I reckon it's more about the fine tuning of the guy's perfect pitch (I assume)
@SinisterMinister how would that not help? Knowing what notes you’re hearing is like 90% of transcribing something
I really admire just how well these videos are made and thought out. They're too the point, fun but never distracting, and they respect the viewer's time. Chad is all about thoroughness, and not only in his own amazing playing.
Some people say that those topics are written in all jazz books, but the way you explain those topics is gold!
It’s weird how entertaining the melodic cells pdf is to work on for hours on end
I agree!! So glad you’re digging it :)
Chad that was epic singing sir
Connecting with the instrument. That's what it's all about. A simple but profound statement.
For guitar: Step 3.
Play it, sing it, play and sing it at the same time, then play it again.
So nice to have a set of lips free! ;)
Fabulous approach to ear training. I’m 48 years old and played professionally for several years and toured and got a degree in performance and with that background, I’d say this is the best approach I’ve ever seen. So many talented artists utterly fail to enlighten their students. I slogged along in my playing for years trying traditional methods and then started really taking off when I tried similar ideas. Kudos for a tremendous approach that is easy to understand AND to apply.
I'm learning upright bass and these videos are very helpful, thank you!
What impresses me most is how SPECIFIC you are in your instruction Chad. Oh, to have had a teacher like you 30 years ago. Thank you!
i like the words and sentences analogy
You are growing saxophone ideas all saxophone
Chad - thank you for this clear and direct suggestion. I now realize that I am doing exactly what you said. I memorize using a combo of 1) muscle memory and 2) knowledge of the SHAPE of the phrase. That explains why I can only recall the first note of each phrase and also why I can't really sing it accurately. Your ideas should help me progress. Thank you!
Thanks so much for watching, Terry! Yes getting away from the muscle memory should definitely help. I'm glad you're enjoying the content and hope this process works for you!
Chad - This is really amazing that you describe how we can build this ability in a methodical way. There seem to be a lot areas like this that are understood as pretty vital by practicing musicians but seem to be overlooked by a lot of other instructional material and teachers. Anyway, I'm enjoying taking these concepts to another instrument and genre (guitar, blues/rock with a little jazz). Thanks, man!
Thanks for watching! Glad you’re enjoying the content!
Hi Chad!
I just want to say a big THANK YOU for all your videos on this Chanel which has been so helpful to me
since I'm unable with finance to join any courses but I try and practise my beautiful Tenor in a music studio
near by me for about 5 to 6 hours a day 5 days a week and they give me 3 hours a day free of charge to help me out as
I'm keen to learn, Yeah! A big shout out to The Sanctuary Studios (The Art Of The Sound) in north London, UK
I have a tutor whom helps me out two to three times a year when I can afford him.
By the way I did manage to save up and buy very few of your some PDF theory lessons which finance allowed me, but can't have them all
at the moment and hope that I'll be in a situation to get more.
I just want to say having a perfect instrument in your hands is a beautiful feeling and also inspirational.
Chad LB ! I should like to THANK YOU again with Big Gratitude for all your videos which helps me to build on my passion.
People like you makes this world a better place to live in!
Love and Peace
Kind regards
Sweet Juju
One of the most useful video I have ever seen around. Explained so well and simply. You are awesome Chad!
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you, these videos help out so much!
Thanks for watching, Jared! So glad you’re enjoying the content!
Hi Chad, i'm in doubt if you are better as a musician or as a teacher, i want to thank you for your very productive lessons even if playing like you need 7 lives
Thank you very much. i will apply that. on samba jazz
Thank you Chad, you’re a great music teacher.. in my early times I learned from the great Hadley Caliman.. he told me a lot of similar things you’re saying. He said not practice makes perfect.. “perfect practice” makes perfect. That really stuck with me. Great video! 🔥
Thank you so much Chad! I’ve had this question for a while and this video helped me take a huge step in improvising!
So glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
Damn Chad, you're so awesome.
always nice stuff to improve our playing thanks..
Thanks for watching!
This is great stuff, thanks Chad! Keep 'em coming. Also, are you an assassin? Cause you be killin' them changes. Much love from Cape Town, South Africa.
Haha thanks man! Love Cape Town and I hope to be back there soon!
Fantastic.
Just found this. It's extremely helpful, Chad, something I've much needed, maybe even an "aha" moment to help me make sense of the cellular approach. Thanks so much!
32nd note melodic cells 😎👌
My english is poor,but I see you video in recommendation and try to watch it.Ty!Very important information for me!Grats from Russia.
Yeah man. I'm working on being consistent with my approach. thanks for this Vid. It's like I can't make up my mind on which way to go.
Thanks for watching and I hope this process helps!
Nice video, it was able to help me a little
One of your best video is my only comment. Thank you ❤
Chad, have you considered looking into playing Jesus in any films? Anyways, great video!
Don't be silly. He IS Jesus
Thanks amazing
Absolutely love this! Having been teaching myself jazz for a while now I feel personally attacked by alot of the out falls you point out! Really motivated me and shown me how I can continue to grow and learn this new language! Great stuff❤️
Great ideas. Going to try applying the singing when transcribing more to get the lines under your fingers quicker. Never at a loss to practice new stuff after watching you, thanks!
You should play the channel one suite tenor solo
Awesome 👏🏽
Took me waaay too long to know what I didn’t clearly hear and understand!
Very clearly stated...Very!
Keep putting up great content!
Excellent video
Your content and methodology are simply amazing!! Thank you so much!
Great video! I really learned a lot, thanks :-)
I like that you are very focused, you explain well, you don't ramble on,..great stuff, much appreciated!
Probably my favorite jazz educator on YT.
Dude literally just flexed so hard right in the beginning
Such an amazing and very instructional video, thank you Chad !!!
Amazing explanation. You are incredibly smart. Your dedication is really admirable.
Great lesson, Thanks Chad
This content is just ridiculously good
I have trouble finding the b13 in my mind. Trying to sing it is h it or miss before morning coffee. The figures you're singing at the beginning are pretty sophisticated and I'm gonna go ahead and tell you that I'm impressed with what is undoubtably sheer talent. Love this channel .....thx for the content.
Eric Clapton said pretty much the same as your 'consecutive melodic cells'
in talking about blues riffs. They are a phrasal vocabulary.
This video is simply amazing.
Thank you!! Glad you dig it!!
Excellent insights, thank you! Not enough teachers or student focus on singing phrases and lines. I do it with transcribing too.
Okay, I've been intimidated to watch your videos, because I'm a jazz beginner and listening to awesome people makes me feel like crap, but this was awesome. You don't talk down your nose like other jazz youtubers I've tried to get into. I am inspired to go practice now 🤓
This is great educational material. Thanks Chad LB.
Great info Chad.... practicing using the Melodic Cell Package is really helping my playing. Usually at least one hour of my practicing session is devoted to this. Thanks man...
Wow! I’ve been looking for videos like this. Thanks a heap!
A great cumulous of knowledge...
Thank you dude.. !
Thank you!!
GREAT LESSON ! PLEASE DO ONE ON MODAL INTERCHANGE. THANKS !
Great as always
Thanks, Tamir!
The most epic start to a video ever.
Subbed, great video man
Thank you sir!
Thanks for watching!
Your videos are the best! Life-changing content, thanks a lot!
Thanks for sharing this! Great lesson!
Chad, I haven't found a video specifically on chord changes, it would be nice... 😬😉
Thanks!
For sure I'll make sure to do one soon! In the meantime, check out my video on The 4 Best Ways to Practice Standards!
Great video. Clear, concise, and you earned a sub.
I’m finding the melodic cells idea really useful. They kind of remind me of how a Bach fugue is put together as well.
Absolutely, and really great melodies in all genres.
Would you be open to discussing how you were able to record the Virtual Big Band album with everybody playing on their own?
Hey Lucas, thanks man you can actually check out my video editor Austin Kruczek’s behind the scenes video on RUclips for more info on that!
This is amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Love it!
George Garzone is also a big proponent of melodic cells and using permutations.
Also there are some clips of a Half Galper masterclass where he discusses playing what you hear in your head. Very cool but more of an overview of the idea. What's posts doesn't show a step by step method for achieving the skill the way you are, Chad.
Thanks Chad!!!! Great information
I am a beginner (started around May) but I play other instruments and understand basic theory. I have taken the approach of only playing by ear and deliberately focusing on one key for a long time to really get it under my fingers, starting with the “hardest” keys (C#, B, F#) and their altered scales (C#m, C# Phrygian etc). Also doing lifts.
I wanted to first be able to hear and play simple diatonic melodies and triads. I wonder how many people skip this first step? To me it’s so important to be able to play a simple voice-led line through chord changes.
It seems to be working well except I do notice a few things:
1. Lack of new things to practice (too much repetition)
2. Tending to play the same simple melodies by default in the key I learned them (Rudolph, jingle bells, baby shark ;)
I will branch out to your melodic cells method and also start transposing to 12 keys. Game on!!! Thanks Chad!!!!
Here’s the rub: isn’t using a book of transcriptions with them written out in 12 keys actually the antithesis of getting them in your ear (hence my reluctance to work with any written music at the moment)?
Thanks, Craig! Memorization is the most important part of the process to internalization and improving your ear. I believe the most efficient process for memorization is best. To start, for most players, memorizing from the written material will be faster, and that will be the fastest way to improve your ears and understanding of the language. Then, as your skill improve from that process, you will be able to get away from the sheet music more and more and just do it on your own.
Chad LB thanks chad! I like how you say “for most players”. (You’re not prescriptive). I find from personal experience I memorize best when I lift something. That takes a bit more initial effort but puts it in my ear. Thanks again!!!!
@@craigiefconcert6493 Totally! For the transposition process of taking it through the keys, it may benefit you to have the phrase written in all 12 as you're getting the hang of memorizing something through the keys, even though you don't need it written to just memorize the phrase in one key.
Merci beaucoup l'Ami !!!
Thank you my teacher🎶
Toda Chad, once again
Cool, make a video on developing a great saxophone sound please 😇
Thanks, David! Yes I hope to do this very soon!
Thank you! 😍
Great topic
just brought the combo pack, hopefully will understand how to substitute different chords over a static C7. hahahah. thanks for the great lesson!
Gracias 🧡
Also, hearing the melody in relationship to the underling chord..ie: 3rd, 9th.
Great advice! Now I just need the discipline!
Would you say writting these lines out and shedding them that way would help the application process of learning new bebop lines
Thank you Chad this is an amazing nugget of insight. I got a BMus in Trumpet perf. when I left high school because I loved jazz and wanted to be a jazz player. but I quit after finishing my degree because I thought I had bad ears. But now, thanks to this explanation, I now know what the problem was. I was hearing cool shapes and phrases, but not specific pitches. Man, this technique of using the horn to teach my self to sing the line is a whopper of an insight that I never would have thought of even if I knew what the problem was. Lovin' it and can't wait for this work to bear fruit. Great pedagogy, thank you.
man, thank you!!
Thanks for watching!!
Hey Chad! Been really loving digging through all of your videos on your channel (performances included too!), I previously had studied jazz in college but ended up burning out, and now I wanted to start playing again. Everything has been great to help me focus my practice and help me improve! I know this topic is kind of specific, and not necessarily saxophone related, but I was wondering how you train your ears to be responsive during playing? To explain, I mean being able to hear the voicing/alteration a pianist might play underneath you improvising, and being able to respond/play off of it. Thanks again for all the content!
I started when I was 10 or 11 with simple tunes, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and the like.
God bless for this video. It really help.
Hey Chad, thanks so much for this video! What's the best way to support you?
Hi Chad,
As always thank you for the video. Chad, if you are looking to sing precisely what's in your head dont you need relative pitch, interval ear training, etc?
Thanks!
EWS
⚠️ Excellent 🙏🙏👍❤️
It's neat how I read those jumbled sentences just fine before they were rearranged correctly. I think that points to the difference in the importance of the tonal organization and OCCURRENCE of those tones on the meaning of a musical phrase (where the tension notes and chord tones occur, etc.), vs the language analogy with respect to the hierarchy of individual notes, vs phrases etc. ( as compared to letters, words, and sentences, etc). English isn't a tonal language so any variations in pitch don't affect the overall meaning, and word order can have little effect on the overall meaning if it's a logical, and probably a commonly used, phrase/sentence. Compare this to Asian languages that are tonal, where a word spoken with two different pitches have different meanings. Now disclaimer: I don't speak any Asian languages so I'm just trying to recall things I've learned in linguistics classes. I might not be correct. I just thought it was an interesting observation about the music/language analogy.
Man, great explanation! Thank you! 🎷