Intro to Improvising Over Jazz Standards
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- Опубликовано: 2 июл 2024
- Let's face it, improvising over jazz standards will not be the easiest thing you've ever done in your life, especially if you are a beginner, or someone trying to get started with jazz. It can be overwhelming.
Maybe you've heard me say stuff like "learn jazz solos by ear", "take licks in all 12 keys" and all these other things that you are just overwhelmed and are thinking, "I just want to get started right now. What are the basics of what I need to do?"
Well, in this video, that's exactly what I'm going to tell you: 3 things you need to do to get started with your jazz improvisation.
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What do you think are helpful tips for musicians getting started improvising over jazz standards?
Great video! I would also say sing a chorus of improv over "Autumn Leaves" and then transcribe what you sang, then improvise using roughly what you sang. We have a lot of music in our heads, getting it onto the instrument seamlessly is one of the challenges!
Jeff Shirley Music agree!
Learn Jazz Standar
I'd say:
1. Learn the chord tones of all the chords.
2. Forget everything else besides that and focus on rhythm and articulation only. Make music with those chord tones only.
3. Play less notes, more pauses, not every bar needs to be played. Only play if you've got something to say. You could pause for even 8 bars if you need that kind of time to come up with something. It doesn't matter.
Thanks a ton for this little advice!
the best thing i did, and i’m still very new to jazz, is learn standards, even with very basic chords and just the melody. you can always come
back and apply new knowledge and skill as you learn them. The worst thing is to jump around tying new songs all the time and looking for the next new skill. Master them one by one then apply to the basic tunes you have learnt.
4:17 BLEW me away. All of the sudden everything clicked. I cant wait to finish my food and start playing! Thanks so much
Great video. 1) Learn how to SWING 2) Add the notes of the melody to the chord tones 3) Use chromatic notes to reach the leading notes
Solid Michael, thanks for contributing!
Adding chromatic notes is not a beginners item! First learn what you have been recommended in this video!!! I had to find this out myself after several years of not knowing how to practice! It takes time, a lot of patience with yourself (don't think, this won't work for you/you're not smart or talented enough... just do it and after many hours you will be sure that it will) and dedication!!! You have to be sure that you want to learn jazz , otherwise it won't...
1: learn to sing it. The melody, the roots, the arpeggios. (Preferably from a recording of like Chet Baker.)
2: do the same with the solo, doesn't need to be more than one chorus at first. Keep in mind the changes while singing and be aware of how the solo sounds in relation to the changes.
3. Pick up your instrument and do step 1 and 2 on the instrument.
All with aproximatly 4 tonnes of patience because you love the music!
Pro tips! That’s really the best way to learn jazz language hands down
Jone Randa yes it’s the only real method it’s the « secret » singing all
Like George Benson for example
@@simplygroove Agreed 100%. In jazz ed, there's always this information overload. Locrian #2 this, Altered scale that... The problem with all of this signification (labeling) is that we are bombarded with information in the absence of sound. I'll say it till I'm 6 feet under, when we play music--we are in the business of manipulating sound. Ergo, we should be more concerned with memorizing SOUNDS than memorizing scales.
As I've argued before (not here), in order to fully internalize sound--ya gotta get over yourself--and get those sounds out of your body--either by humming, whistling, or singing. Like I referenced on another post, many of us (I can't speak for everyone, that would be disingenuous) love Chord Scale Theory because it espouses itself as the "easy formula" to playing jazz.
Just be blunt about it, "if you can't hear it, don't play it". The simple lines that I play (that I've already audiated in my head) on my instrument sound MUCH better than trying to force scales that "theoretically" go with the chord progression. If you put some credence into your ears, and take the time to develop your relationship to sound, your ears will reveal MUCH more than rote theory ever could. The bonus to working on your ears is that you'll finally learn how to USE all that theory you learned in college/the internet/books.
@@pickinstone I’ve been there once... being able to play what I hear. But it needs so much training and I have the idea that for me if I stop playing very regularly for A while I immediately loose that ability. While if you learn scales and theory the ability to play stays ones learned. Although I prefer the first method.
Great video. For beginners, there is nothing wrong with just playing the melody. Making a few adjustments or ornamentations to the melody can add a nice expansion without having to do too much. Maybe taking a note above or below the melody note and returning to the melody, etc.
Great lesson. I find the bass line helpful too, with the 3rd, root and 7th target notes and adding chromatics to bridge the in- betweens. Worth trying.
You did it. You have nearly helped me connect all the dots together. Now its just my turn to practise. Thank you!
Wonderful! Thanks
I've lately begin to wonder how useful beyond a very early point that the chord-scale theory (using scales to solo over changes) is.. I haven't gotten to my studies in post-bop and modal just yet, but for bebop I think it really helps to think vertically. The scales give you some technique which is nice but I think focusing on the chords tones and their alterations when they come up, are the way to go. I've always found my playing more invigorated when I improvise the song sticking to the chord tones and the song melody.
I completely agree, somehow scales give you way too many notes to work with at first and it makes a lot on sense to start with chord tones. Chord tones give you 4 or 5 strong notes that you can then build melodies in between using chromatic approaches, enclosures, scale alterations, and arpeggios.
On that note, I think it also makes a lot of sense for a person to learn to play rhythm section (comp behind a solo) because that will teach them how to build their solos from the voicings they are using to comp. Perhaps it's just my style. But I typically don't hear Parker or Gillespie playing the scales more than I do hear them playing the chord tones as they come up. One still needs to be intimately familiar with the notes they like and don't like, which requires some 'vertical' work.
Just a novice's thoughts on the matter. I'd be happy to explain if something doesn't make sense.
I would say learn arpeggios and when you're comfortable with that add chromatic notes between those chord tones. But I whole heartedly agree with that idea of a simple phrase and morph it and play around with it. Keep it simple is always good.
Great vid by the way... Thank you
I learn melody, chord progression, chord tones, guide notes and later add scales and chromatic approach.
Brent this a GOLD mine of information for the novice/beginner of improv., not complicated with language and vocabulary that will leave musicians scratching their heads. It is clear and concise. Thank you for ALL of the content that you post to demystify and decode the intricate language of jazz. Again thank you, sir.
silver mann so happy to hear that! That’s my goal
Underrated comment
Another great video, Brent. Gonna apply this method.
Working recently on Joe Henderson's Beatrice and Miles Davis's Solar and the amount of arpeggios in the solos is evidence of how important this approach is.
TheCompleteGuitarist yes! Great example
Great advices! Thank you so much for making this motivating content! I really want to dive into jazz music and improvisation and this is exactly the kind of advices I need to get started!
Keep sharing it!
Nico Sky glad to help!
I agree with this. Very practical, and sensible approach.
Fantastic lesson! Love the way you talk about mapping and guide tones. Great stuff man!
Thanks Kenyon!
1. Listen to a favorite Jazz artist playing that standard.
2.Sing along with their solo.
3. Start to find those phrases on your own instrument after you can sing it from memory.
4. After you can play the solo, write it down and then analyze what that player was doing over the changes.
5. Now, learn those favorite phrases you liked, over a II-V or whatever progression , in different keys, until they become part of you.
( Repeat 1-5 with a different solo/artist, as often as possible)
Hint: Don't start with Coltrane or Bird. Mid 50s Miles, Mulligan, Baker, J.J. Johnson, Desmond, and others are more accessible for players new to jazz.
Sir, thank you for that comment, will do!
James Dubberly great advice!
My three things.
Space
Time
Rhythm
You have just elevated my musical aspirations ...blew my mind ... liked and subscribed
Steve Ligon Glad to help!
Fall in love with the melody (play with it. If you make a mistake and you like it work on it. The music is on the paper. Improvisation is about taking chances (in practice) and making mistakes then finding a way to make that work. I don't work on "licks". I try to play what I want to hear given my ability. If I can't play what I want to hear, I work on it until I hear it.
Then play the chords (if you're playing a keyboard or fretboard) just the chords (inversisons when you can), same method.
Then put them together but in a performance mindset and always play in that mindset because you've gone through the steps of learning the tune and improvising it. Not learning it, then improvising on it.
You've learned the original form and can read it any time.
I know that's three, but one more because we should always do this:
Record yourself. Then listen to it at least a day removed and hear what you did, not what you think you did, and work on what you want to hear.
All fantastic advice, thanks for commenting!
Outstanding tutorial. I got a lot out of this that will help with my tenor sax improv skills.
Glad to hear it helped Patrick!
Thanks dude for the tips! Huge appreciation!
My pleasure!
Thank you. I am trying to apply this knowledge to fingerstyle jazz guitar. This is very helpful. I can arrange fingerstyle jazz standards but to improvise while in fingerstyle is so difficult!
Mohammed Bazli Azmy glad to help! I am not a fingerstyle player so I feel that!
I'm just getting back into chromatic harmonica. This is information that I wish I had years ago. Thanks!
Really good video man
I wish I had a teacher like you when I was younger!
Thakyou señor!
Very good lesson.
As a clarinet player, classical players tend to have classical articulation - so one of the first things to try to learn would be jazz articulation, up and down (da do-da do-da...etc) a scale/arpeggio/lick.
Listening to records helps this, I learned from them and from Mark Sowlakis's blog and Chad LB's videos on youtube :)
Also an introduction on approach notes and enclosures, on guide tones (1-3-5-7) and learning how to voice lead diatonically.
Great suggestion! This is one of the nuances of jazz language that is super important.
When you are doing the chord/guide tone execrcise, practice placing them on the 1 and 3 and on the 2 and 4 beats of the bar.
Play as musical as you can with back up tracks or record yourself doing some comping.
Never be ashamed to sound bad. Everyone started sounding bad.
Great advice George!
1) Listen to the greats; 2) Copy the greats; 3) Work around what the greats did. And remember: Joe Pass didn't know what a 2-5-1 is, and he did just fine ;) Actually, he said: "Well, forget about the 2, 'cos it's the same notes anyway, and focus on the 5". P.S.: Your channel is great!! Keep up the good work!!
Great video with the only secret for improvising : singing all !
Thanks for the lesson, I am a beginner and learning Autumn Leaves now so this was helpful.
I will try the chord tones, guide tones and licks.
What would be helpful to me is what all the options are for LH and RH for any of the standards, perhaps this?
LH:
1. Root notes only
2. Walking bass
3. Chords
4. Guide tones
5. Other?
RH:
1. Melody
2. Chords
3. Melody + Chords
4. Melody + added 6ths (I saw this on another video)
5. Chord tones (together or arpeggios)
6. Licks and other improv
7. Other?
Learn the minor chord one step above the chord yr using,as its a way of learning the extensions
Good beginners advice Brent. I know you have mentioned this times before but it should be part of this video too.
Listen to the intended music A LOT when you are able to give full attention to it before even picking up the instrument.
Also listen to many different artists versions of the song particularly targeting those that play a different instrument than what you play.
Really need to know the song to derive the most benefit from these excercises.
Yes, thanks for bringing it up! This is probably the best starting place
Owsome!
Find the real you by improvising with your vocal over the form, record it and learn it by ears. And use the Pat Martino system, such a great system.
The guide tone exercise was quite good
Glad you found it helpful!
Very helpful!
Glad to help!
Guide tones, enclosures, and chromatic passing tones
There’s just one tip for me and it’s learning licks and messing about with them. Absolute easiest way to start improvising and having it actually sound good right away.
Learn learn learn the melody, learn it so you can play it in your sleep. Then play play play and try to change it this way and that, if a phrase sounds good, keep it and play it again and again. Make as many of these ideas as you can. Then start connecting them with arpeggios and scales
I was able to go through the exercise of voice leading the arpeggios. But how do I take this info and use it to do a jazz solo? It would have been nice if there was an example of how to apply the "lick" given to this tune using this information. I was also unclear about why the minor 2-5-1 was mentioned and how that could lead to "volumes of inspriation".
solos I looked at in the omni book are 70% chord tones and the rest approach or passing notes
Something that I only learnt late on in my studies was learning how to play at fast tempo’s. starting off playing whole notes over each chord change (even guide tones) then progressing to half notes and then to quarter notes etc, while gradually increasing the tempo of the track. Seems obvious now to me to start slow first when learning a new tune, etc but like most newbies I fell into the trap of trying to play licks fast from the outset and learning to play them wrong. Had taken me a lot of time to relearn my skills to eradicate poor technique.
Love this! Great advice
It's hard to admit some riffs require a slow and comprehensive state, even for a lil while, and then you can play it faster, and way faster after training :)
Thank man that was really easy to understand, I going to pick up the courage and attempt this method, I got a real book with chord changes so I’ll try the same method. I definitely going to check out your course..I intend to play good with the next 12 months😃
Blue Kingdom glad to hear that!
"Now why didn't I say scales?"
ME: Because elephants don't have scales.
(I'll show myself out.)
Amazing info, the voice leading and guide tones combo made everything much clearer to me! Do you have any exercises that could help the beginners out here play the chords from any note comfortably? My problem is that I can play 7th chords (maj, dom, min, b5) starting from the root without issue, but if I try to start from any other note or to single out guide tones, I fumble :
That's a common problem especially for certain instruments. What instrument do you play?
Hi, so I saw my pianist in the jazz ensemble I sing in Paris using the following IRealPro exercise (it’s somewhere in the app).
It was a chart of II-V-I progressions in different keys. (Imagine an IrealPro format with three columns for the chord changes in a long list of different key signatures major and minor).
The point of the exercise as I saw him do it was 2 fold, you start by using the basic chord shape (root note at the bottom) and you play the progression. When you got that in your system fluidly you change the note order and learn those hand positions, and then you do it a third time for the third set of positions. .
When you’ve go that, you keep moving down the list.
I won’t lie to you and say it won’t take time but I think it can be really worth your time in order to play different chord voicings comfortably.
What I would add to it, joining the improv vein of this video is that you could add a lick to your practice (the same little lick for starters, change it later).
You’d play the chord in whatever configuration you’re working on, play the improv lick right after you play the chord then come back to the chord after you do the lick (to train your hand to go from one chord to the next). So you’d play the chord on Beat 1 , do your lick and play the chord again on the last beat 3 or 4, your preference.
In this way you practice your lick, your chord changes, different voicing a for your chord changes (what you were asking about) and also your tempo.
You can also practice swinging to have your chord sound on the *and of any beat instead of on the beat but one practice thing at a time is what is important.
The nice thing about the IReal Pro chart in front of you is that it also trains your eyes to see the shorthand of a chord and translate it to motor capacities. Comes with a metronome! What’s not to love ❤️
Hope this helps! Happy jamming ;)
@@Alpha-Andromeda Thanks a lot for the tip! It's been a while since I posted this question and different teachers have suggested a variation on this exercise to me. I think I'm finally moving forward and can improvise much better now :) The idea is so obvious in hindsight. And I do use iRealPro!
I play the saxophone, by the way.
I got excited seeing your “rythym practice
“ using “Someday my Prince will come.”
But I can’t find it on a You Tube.
What’s the title?
I really need that video help.
Thanks
Love your Jazz books
Bill Heuss
Thanks a lot! How about the same concept but using 8th notes? When you have one chord per bar. Thank you!
Sure you can definitely do that!
I know I am a newbie, but I is usually let loose singing & humming over the backing track in IReal Pro. Lots of beepy Bops and doobee wahs. Then I work them out on the horn. If I get an idea any time I record my little vocal riffs on my phone. I have loads.
Gary Snowdon sounds like a good plan to me!
play chord tones id the 3rd and 7th guide tones and play a two five one lick over the tune .
Thanks, I just subscribed to your channel. I’m a rock guitarist incorporating jazz in my solos. In my band I always have a problem soloing at the end of the Beatles song “Don’t Let Me Down”. It goes from Fm to E. I bounce scales back and forth. I listened to what you said on this video but not sure if this will help. Please help with suggestions. Thanks so much in advance! 😀
In the fine print of the Autumn Leaves Chords, It says for C Instruments, so I play trumpet, a B-flat instrument, so does every chord need to transposed up a whole step?
What instrument do you play?
Watching this cause I have homework due tomorrow with my tuba and jazz
When you say “minor II-V-I”, which chords are minor? (Beginner here, obviously).
1. Intervals
2. Phrasing the intervals
3.playing adjacent intervals
Is this for all instruments?
Please provide examples in bass clef also thanks
Lou L my suggestion when there is not notation for the many instruments that check out my content is simply to learn them by ear. You’ll be better off for it!
I’ve been playing about 50 years and really would like to improve my jazz capabilities. I see suggestions of singing the tunes, chord tones, melody line, etc. Due to a surgical mishap My Larynx is permanently paralyzed so I’m Aphonic. What can I do in place of that, or am I simply screwed?
Anono mous sing in your head
learn the melody...learn the chords...study the Complete Course in Jazz guitar books by Micky Baker..he was probably the most prolific R@B guitarist of all time..his jazz books have never been out of print and are primary sources in jazz
Just so you know, the accelerateyourjazzskills.com website is broken :)
learn to improvise using tonality rather than focusing on the changes...see the standards as a whole and play what you feel
1. Break down
2. Give up
3. Give your instrument away
;o)
Start playing, now stop playing, now balance that. You don't always have to play, but you do have to play at some point.
Great advice!
@Groove Connected Walking may be improvised, but the video goes into ideals of the soloist over the band.
Adding chromatic notes is not a beginners item! First learn what you have been recommended in this video!!! I had to find this out myself after several years of not knowing how to practice! It takes time, a lot of patience with yourself (don't think, this won't work for you/you're not smart or talented enough... just do it and after many hours you will be sure that it will) !!! You have to be sure that you want to learn jazz , otherwise it won't...it needs a lot of dedication!!
Just saw your channel. Theories sounds probably good but not once did you show them on the piano. I’m just learning so I can’t really relate if they are not shown on the piano. Thanks anyway.
Lional Frampton
?
Learn to play 100 Jazz Standards by heart...
"you can take like one idea and you can make like 10 ideas from that"
what does that even mean
Real Video starts at 1:08 ("Let's Jump right to it"... )
Sogolumbo thanks but I think the intro still holds great value. He introduces what he’s going to teach before he dives in.
I think Adrian says it best. Be patient my good friend and the gods of jazz will bless you ten fold
I would tell them less is more, it's better to play less notes than a million notes, I would tell them using space is great, if you don't use space, it's like a run on sentence. Music has to breath. lastly I would tell them , you need to listen to jazz, you can't play jazz is you don't listen to jazz. Jazz is a musical tradition with 1000's and 1000;s of great historical recordings!!!! As a student of jazz, part of your job is to absorb as much of the music as possible. Really listen , use your ears, hear what they are doing. If you have to play the cut 47 times, then that's cool. You should get to the point where you could transcribe the solo and write it down on staff paper!! or better yet, sing the solo or play along to the solo on your instrument using your ear.
Week 1: play 4 note voicings between fifth and eight fret
Week 2: play only the third on every chord on optional place
Week 3: play only the fifth on every every chord on optional place.
Week 4: play only the seventh on every chord on optional place
Week 5: start the same process again with a new tune.
Plot Twist: He's using scales..
I think learn chords
damn you're cute
you have nice lips omg