umm, is geoffrey the greatest living jazz pianist/arranger? he makes it seem unfathomably smooth and straightforward, while at the same time acknowledging the work necessary. the disconcerting part of this is HOW MUCH WORK it takes to get there. and it reminds me of the JS Bach anecdote where he says that anyone cqan achieve what he did if they simply work hard enough. ARE THEY REALLY OUTWORKING US ALL BY THAT MUCH??
@@mckmurkles lol many (actually most) of bach's most famous pieces had no commission and he never earned a cent from them. and if he were doing it for $ he wouldn't have elaborated his melodies and harmonies anywhere near as much as he did. his contemporaries considered his compositions too dense and needlessly complex
Bill Evans said that it took a very long time for him(practice and playing jazz from 13 to 28 years old ) to be able to improvise freely. So yeah it's possible. Of course there's someone like Keith Jarrett who has natural talent.
@@TheFir196 not sure I’d be saying Jarrett was more naturally talented than Evans. I’d argue Evan’s in almost every aspect of his playing was on a deeper level, all throughout his career... I just think he was always very upfront about having to work at it, quite self deprecating really and perhaps people view him as lesser for doing so. I’m a huge fan of KJ btw. Have all the ecm records / sideman stuff with Charles Lloyd. Love him as an artist too.
Thank you GK, thank you open studio, this is absolute gold, what I would’ve given to have even five minutes of this on a smart phone in 1992 when I was trying to understand what the heck was going on with Phineas newborn and world of piano….among others! I remember seeing GK play with the Ray Brown trio at the one step down in DC, just another gig on their tour…. Absolutely on fire, he had the entire jazz club dancing on the bar, absolutely electric and inspirational music making, thanks to all of you for doing this, so so so great:). No matter how good you get at music, it’s the gift that keeps on giving, the puzzle that never quite gets solved…. If you can do it with a good attitude and a smile on your face, what a life you will have. Thanks again
I'm left handed (35 years a pro) and it's just a fact of Piano that the LH does not do as much (dexterously that is). So, even if you are left handed, you just have to work that left hand a lot more to get it to catch up with the right. I recommend Chopin's Revolutionary Etude and Clair De Lune. And playing Jazz heads with both hands. The great thing is, I believe that since I started playing when I was 5 and developed my RH - I am no ambidextrous (have been since an early age...). 🙂
Just paraphrased/transcribed (not note for note!) some quick notes from this video lesson for future reference: Going to the recordings of the greats, such as Bud Powell/Oscar Peterson/Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock Etc.. Geoffrey Keezer explains he did lots of transcription in the mid 1980s and he learnt using regular speed, as he could not slow down in his day. Does not matter if you write down or memorise. He writes down, so that he can go back to it remember it and decipher it. Using these ideas as a jumpstart for your own ideas. Practice own practice routines Develop own practice routines. Practice accenting, syncopation, phrasing when transcribing.. Oscar Peterson’ accents, notes not always there in his later career but the accents were still there.. Build up your left hand. Practice same thing with both hands (Phineas Newborn Jr. style for example!). Slow down and look at the line. Can transcribe in 4 bars/8 bars/16 bars of phrase it does not have to be a long solo. The fingerings will be different in left hand, so may need to figure out best fingering for left hand. Practice solo in different keys, George Shearing/Dave Brubeck block chords/Drop 2 Voicings/2 keys at once/spread voicings/fourth voicings/fourth voicings with 3rds on top. This leads to arranging concepts.. Writing/Composing Turn upside down. Get as much juice out of transcribing as possible! Main points I got from this lesson! 😉
Your capacities are outstanding, how can you transpose so quickly in other keys, then with chords and finally with two keys at the same time ..? Incredible. Thanks for the lesson. 🙂
Great video Geoffrey, nice to see in action the concepts that you use when you transcribe, taking through different keys and doing weird and wonderful things with both hands. Great for hand independence/dexterity in both hands! 🎹 🎵 🙌
Can you say DEEP MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE?!! Piano players blow me away and Keezer is one of the best. Thank you for the overwhelm! :) Very humbling and inspiring.
Off topic but i want to say something. I realized that when i practice scales a lot with the feet as metronome, i get really comfortable playing in high speed tempos and my fingers get so relaxed. I was transcribing Bud Powell's Cleopatra's dream and now magically I can play it at 100% speed. Its fuckingg magic
I was practicing the scales related to the song It could happen to you. The bud Powell song I learned before but I can't pass 80 % of the speed. This made me realize the importance of the warmup
@@0670917844 The course this is from is called Advanced Jazz Piano, so it's more a youtube title problem than bad advice. If you already CAN transcribe, then this is what to do with it. Bui still ....
You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
@@0670917844 You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
Vid falls into the familiar trap of being more about showcasing virtuosity than about deconstructing the challenge of transcribing. Would have far better educational value to do an actual 8 bar transcription. Demonstrating drop2 applications of the solo, for example, seems a little over the top. For very advanced students, I get it.
I'm surprised... I think that the most important is playing with the CD, in the same time. Most of my students can play the solo alone but are incapable of playing with the original, because they don't master the rythm
How does one memorize solos like this? I find that advanced jazz pianists can play songs exactly that they have learnt years ago. I really struggle to even memorize one song. I've been learning jazz for about a year. How do they memorize like this and play so fluently without much errors?
I transcribed Oscar Peterson's C Jam blues one summer and it's forever in my head now (the live version here on youtube, the first couple of minutes when he plays by himself). The way I did it was just repetition. Listening to the solo a bunch of times, singing along with it and learning how to play it measure by measure. I slowed it down during a couple of parts that was hard to hear. Then eventually when I had transcribed enough I'd play along with the recording till I got it right. Honestly there are no shortcuts around it.... just pure repetition and doing it in small steps. I think the key is to transcribe something that you really like, then you won't get bored doing it.
@@zugrath16 Thanks for the advice bro. I tend to apply repetition to various aspects of learning in other areas besides music. You're so right. Can't get beyond repetition.
Yes, but they were a little pricey! The only reason I had one was because someone gave it to me. Some cassette players had a half-speed mode, but they were cassettes, and not always in tune in general
Gonna be honest - this video was a pretty big miss for me. I think the issue is the title (How to Trascribe with Geoffrey Keezer) - was expecting going over the process of transcribing, maybe some tips if youre struggling to hear things right. Instead, he just kinda plays the section from the solo in some different ways? without actually walking us through anything, or even playing yhe original recording. Honestly, it just kinda made me feel bad about myself, since I struggle a lot with transcription, and here he just says "yeah just listen and write it down. now play it in a a bunch of keys! now use both hands! now harmonize it with drop 2 voicings!" Very not beginner friendly. i would change the title to something like "Geoffrey Keezer goes over part of a Bud Powell Solo" or something
I understand where you're coming from, and agree that the video could be titled in a less confusing way, but I'm not sure how much they can talk about the actual process of transcribing. Tbh, the only way to learn how to transcribe is just doing as much as possible and learn the language. It's painful at first but after trail and error through your first few solos it gets easier 👍
Don't feel bad. This is a clip from an advanced course by a world class jazz pianists. Work hard and allow yourself time to grow at your own pace. Definitely ask other musicians about their transcription process. Everyone figures something out that works for them and more experienced musicians might give you some helpful insight. Some people use an app or even RUclips's slow down feature to slow things down. Amazing Slow Downer lets you slow things down and even loop parts. Try to figure out things in small chunks. Even if it is just the first few notes or last few notes of a phrase. Some people learn it by ear and memorize. Others write it down as they go. For some people some music theory and conceptual knowledge (like how to construct bebop lines) can serve as complimentary tools to one's ever developing ear. I think it's one of those things where the initial learning/growth curve can be daunting but as you do more and your toolset develops (ear, music theory, conceptual knowledge) then things start to snowball and get easier. A good teacher is invaluable. Ask questions to local or visiting musicians that really know at shows and jams. I'm sure the Open Studio courses are great, too. Don't feel bad but do give yourself time to develop!
You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
umm, is geoffrey the greatest living jazz pianist/arranger? he makes it seem unfathomably smooth and straightforward, while at the same time acknowledging the work necessary. the disconcerting part of this is HOW MUCH WORK it takes to get there. and it reminds me of the JS Bach anecdote where he says that anyone cqan achieve what he did if they simply work hard enough. ARE THEY REALLY OUTWORKING US ALL BY THAT MUCH??
Bach, I imagine, would have had to be an insanly motivated composer to feed his 20 kids.
@@mckmurkles lol many (actually most) of bach's most famous pieces had no commission and he never earned a cent from them. and if he were doing it for $ he wouldn't have elaborated his melodies and harmonies anywhere near as much as he did. his contemporaries considered his compositions too dense and needlessly complex
@@robbystafford8273 that's my theory debunked then. Maybe I shouldn't have 20 children to kick start my music career after all then!
Bill Evans said that it took a very long time for him(practice and playing jazz from 13 to 28 years old ) to be able to improvise freely. So yeah it's possible. Of course there's someone like Keith Jarrett who has natural talent.
@@TheFir196 not sure I’d be saying Jarrett was more naturally talented than Evans. I’d argue Evan’s in almost every aspect of his playing was on a deeper level, all throughout his career... I just think he was always very upfront about having to work at it, quite self deprecating really and perhaps people view him as lesser for doing so. I’m a huge fan of KJ btw. Have all the ecm records / sideman stuff with Charles Lloyd. Love him as an artist too.
Open Studio is jazz education at its finest 🙂
Thank you GK, thank you open studio, this is absolute gold, what I would’ve given to have even five minutes of this on a smart phone in 1992 when I was trying to understand what the heck was going on with Phineas newborn and world of piano….among others!
I remember seeing GK play with the Ray Brown trio at the one step down in DC, just another gig on their tour…. Absolutely on fire, he had the entire jazz club dancing on the bar, absolutely electric and inspirational music making, thanks to all of you for doing this, so so so great:). No matter how good you get at music, it’s the gift that keeps on giving, the puzzle that never quite gets solved…. If you can do it with a good attitude and a smile on your face, what a life you will have. Thanks again
I'm left handed (35 years a pro) and it's just a fact of Piano that the LH does not do as much (dexterously that is). So, even if you are left handed, you just have to work that left hand a lot more to get it to catch up with the right. I recommend Chopin's Revolutionary Etude and Clair De Lune. And playing Jazz heads with both hands. The great thing is, I believe that since I started playing when I was 5 and developed my RH - I am no ambidextrous (have been since an early age...). 🙂
Just paraphrased/transcribed (not note for note!) some quick notes from this video lesson for future reference:
Going to the recordings of the greats, such as Bud Powell/Oscar Peterson/Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock Etc..
Geoffrey Keezer explains he did lots of transcription in the mid 1980s and he learnt using regular speed, as he could not slow down in his day.
Does not matter if you write down or memorise.
He writes down, so that he can go back to it remember it and decipher it.
Using these ideas as a jumpstart for your own ideas.
Practice own practice routines
Develop own practice routines.
Practice accenting, syncopation, phrasing when transcribing..
Oscar Peterson’ accents, notes not always there in his later career but the accents were still there..
Build up your left hand. Practice same thing with both hands (Phineas Newborn Jr. style for example!). Slow down and look at the line. Can transcribe in 4 bars/8 bars/16 bars of phrase it does not have to be a long solo. The fingerings will be different in left hand, so may need to figure out best fingering for left hand.
Practice solo in different keys, George Shearing/Dave Brubeck block chords/Drop 2 Voicings/2 keys at once/spread voicings/fourth voicings/fourth voicings with 3rds on top. This leads to arranging concepts.. Writing/Composing
Turn upside down.
Get as much juice out of transcribing as possible!
Main points I got from this lesson! 😉
Your capacities are outstanding, how can you transpose so quickly in other keys, then with chords and finally with two keys at the same time ..? Incredible. Thanks for the lesson. 🙂
All I can say is practice the keys you're not as familiar with, then practice a lick you want to learn in those same keys.
@2:39 best understatement before playing haha
what a pianist!
Great advice! Bach inventions are also always nice for left hand practice
Yes! I think all pianists should learn the Bach inventions.
This guy is one of the big jazz hitters on the site! Wow!
These are great ways to practice! Thanks for you insight and sharing with the rest of us!
This guy is absolutely terrific 👏!!!
I was already impressed with his playing, and then he started playing in block chords 🙃
Open Studio. The best!
so cool to hear Keezer play a Bud Powell solo in Erroll Garner and McCoy Tyner style.
Outstanding lesson!
now that's how you start a video - just straight into it! "hey how you doing" then bam no intro or anything, appreciate that :)
Brilliant! Such fluency.
Thanks !! This great.. taking a phrase and getting everything out of it !!
Great video Geoffrey, nice to see in action the concepts that you use when you transcribe, taking through different keys and doing weird and wonderful things with both hands. Great for hand independence/dexterity in both hands! 🎹 🎵 🙌
Can you say DEEP MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE?!! Piano players blow me away and Keezer is one of the best. Thank you for the overwhelm! :) Very humbling and inspiring.
Thanks for this super insightful video. Great transcription practice tips!
Bro, “when I was in high school in the eighties”? I’m 37 and you look like you’re my age!
Dude's a Monster! My goodness!😮
That's fantastic!!
thank you
Off topic but i want to say something. I realized that when i practice scales a lot with the feet as metronome, i get really comfortable playing in high speed tempos and my fingers get so relaxed. I was transcribing Bud Powell's Cleopatra's dream and now magically I can play it at 100% speed. Its fuckingg magic
I was practicing the scales related to the song It could happen to you. The bud Powell song I learned before but I can't pass 80 % of the speed. This made me realize the importance of the warmup
King!!!!
DAMN you make this jazz thing look easy!
Better title: What to do with a transcritpion after you've done it.
fucking srsly. this has nothing to do with how to transcribe lol
@@0670917844 The course this is from is called Advanced Jazz Piano, so it's more a youtube title problem than bad advice. If you already CAN transcribe, then this is what to do with it. Bui still ....
@@JonFrumTheFirst RUclips doesn't title these.
You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
@@0670917844 You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
last time i saw keezer i wanted to fill my piano with cement :)
Saw him play with Christian Mcbride!
Vid falls into the familiar trap of being more about showcasing virtuosity than about deconstructing the challenge of transcribing. Would have far better educational value to do an actual 8 bar transcription. Demonstrating drop2 applications of the solo, for example, seems a little over the top. For very advanced students, I get it.
If you look very closely, you can see that Geoffrey’s hands are in fact connected to a 4th dimension of coolness!
Wow this is so insightful! I wondered if anybody can point me in the right direction of a video about block chord technique? Thanks!
Thanks!
great ideas! thank you so much, name of the Song and album? 🤓
Beginning of Bud Powel song sounds like an Xmas carol.
how does one begin to practice playing block chords/chords in general to single note solos?
...And now transcribe Geoffrey Keezer!
I'm surprised... I think that the most important is playing with the CD, in the same time. Most of my students can play the solo alone but are incapable of playing with the original, because they don't master the rythm
That seems like 90 percent of normal students
@@petefeltman Lmao!
How does one memorize solos like this? I find that advanced jazz pianists can play songs exactly that they have learnt years ago. I really struggle to even memorize one song. I've been learning jazz for about a year. How do they memorize like this and play so fluently without much errors?
I transcribed Oscar Peterson's C Jam blues one summer and it's forever in my head now (the live version here on youtube, the first couple of minutes when he plays by himself).
The way I did it was just repetition. Listening to the solo a bunch of times, singing along with it and learning how to play it measure by measure. I slowed it down during a couple of parts that was hard to hear. Then eventually when I had transcribed enough I'd play along with the recording till I got it right.
Honestly there are no shortcuts around it.... just pure repetition and doing it in small steps. I think the key is to transcribe something that you really like, then you won't get bored doing it.
@@zugrath16 Thanks for the advice bro. I tend to apply repetition to various aspects of learning in other areas besides music. You're so right. Can't get beyond repetition.
Weren't there 3-speed reel tape recorders?
Yes, but they were a little pricey! The only reason I had one was because someone gave it to me. Some cassette players had a half-speed mode, but they were cassettes, and not always in tune in general
I had a marantz cassette slow downer...they made them, but not everyone had them
(0.57) until the cassette snapped?
The title of this video should be "Look ma, both hands!" or " Don't you find me really clever?!"
Gonna be honest - this video was a pretty big miss for me. I think the issue is the title (How to Trascribe with Geoffrey Keezer) - was expecting going over the process of transcribing, maybe some tips if youre struggling to hear things right. Instead, he just kinda plays the section from the solo in some different ways? without actually walking us through anything, or even playing yhe original recording. Honestly, it just kinda made me feel bad about myself, since I struggle a lot with transcription, and here he just says "yeah just listen and write it down. now play it in a a bunch of keys! now use both hands! now harmonize it with drop 2 voicings!" Very not beginner friendly. i would change the title to something like "Geoffrey Keezer goes over part of a Bud Powell Solo" or something
I understand where you're coming from, and agree that the video could be titled in a less confusing way, but I'm not sure how much they can talk about the actual process of transcribing. Tbh, the only way to learn how to transcribe is just doing as much as possible and learn the language. It's painful at first but after trail and error through your first few solos it gets easier 👍
Don't feel bad. This is a clip from an advanced course by a world class jazz pianists.
Work hard and allow yourself time to grow at your own pace. Definitely ask other musicians about their transcription process. Everyone figures something out that works for them and more experienced musicians might give you some helpful insight. Some people use an app or even RUclips's slow down feature to slow things down. Amazing Slow Downer lets you slow things down and even loop parts.
Try to figure out things in small chunks. Even if it is just the first few notes or last few notes of a phrase. Some people learn it by ear and memorize. Others write it down as they go. For some people some music theory and conceptual knowledge (like how to construct bebop lines) can serve as complimentary tools to one's ever developing ear.
I think it's one of those things where the initial learning/growth curve can be daunting but as you do more and your toolset develops (ear, music theory, conceptual knowledge) then things start to snowball and get easier.
A good teacher is invaluable. Ask questions to local or visiting musicians that really know at shows and jams. I'm sure the Open Studio courses are great, too.
Don't feel bad but do give yourself time to develop!
You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
Showcasing Impressive ear skills. Watched to the end but didn't match title of transcribing. Developing your ear would best suite.
You are correct. The original title of this lesson, from my Keez to Jazz Piano series, was "How to Practice What You've Transcribed", which is really what this is about. My apologies for the mix-up on the title.
How to Trascribe with Geoffrey Keezer? wait for another video i guess
👍
I'm a civil engineer and it has some impact on my RUclips recommendations, so this thumbnail was highly disorienting 😂
You can OBSERVE by just LOOKING....yogi berra
Dito @Ben Henderson what clock bait !!
It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it.
this is nuts. i will sure as shit not being doing any of that. nor advising anyone to do so
Geoff Keezer gives the best advice
Thanks!