Worst Advice for Learning Jazz

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  • Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
  • There's a lot of people giving you advice on how to learn jazz on the internet and elsewhere, that sometimes it's just, quite frankly, not good.
    So, in today's video, I'm going to go over some of the worst advice I've heard for learning jazz so that you can avoid it and do the right things instead.
    To get some of my best tips for learning jazz, sign up for my free mini-course: www.learnjazzstandards.com/ac...
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 91

  • @Learnjazzstandards
    @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому +4

    Agree, disagree, or have others to add? Have at it.

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому

      Hey JC, I'm not saying iReal Pro is bad. I infact have iReal Pro. I'm simply an advocate for using your ear as a primary method for learning jazz language. iReal Pro and Fakebooks can be great tools, and as long as they are just that and not a crutch, it works for me. No reason to get upset.

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому

      @JC I'm not insulting anyone, including yourself. I agree, everyone learns differently. You may just not relate to my approach, which is fine, and you'll probably find a different instructor is better for you. I only speak from what I see gives my students the best results, and solving the pain points my students express to me. All is good my friend, and no harm is intended.

  • @Jazzcaz15
    @Jazzcaz15 4 роки тому +38

    Sorry to disagree but I RealPro was the best thing I ever invested in. Instant access to thousands of jazz song chord progressions and a huge scale and chord library. A very sound basis for moving forward.

    • @synthrev848
      @synthrev848 4 роки тому +1

      Mmm maybe the negative side about IRealPro is because if even with different editions of the real book there are some problems playing a few standards, with the IRP the missing music sheet leaves you without any help to know if it really is the correct chord or.. Help You detect the chord your fellow bamdmates are playing.
      I mean, that's my perception of why He thinks is a negative advice.

    • @lukegregg5944
      @lukegregg5944 4 роки тому +6

      @@synthrev848 When your learning a standard by ear entirely, who's to say that the version you learn is going to be the right changes anyway? There are so many different versions of the same standard it's impossible to know which one unless you always find the original which isn't always possible.

    • @tedparkinson6892
      @tedparkinson6892 4 роки тому

      @JC Yes! You speak truth!

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому +2

      Hi Carole, not saying iReal Pro is bad. I have it! I just advocate using your ear as being the primary source for learning standards. iReal Pro can be a good tool, and as long as it's not a crutch, you're good to go!

    • @tedparkinson6892
      @tedparkinson6892 4 роки тому +4

      @@Learnjazzstandards The 'dirty little secret' is, what does the "learn" in "Learn Jazz Standards" really mean? For me it means, "have fun improvising at home, and occasionally play gigs where I improvise jazz, and play/sing other tunes". I suspect the vast majority of students who "study" jazz never get to play it professionally, because there are not that many gigs. Even when I studied at Berklee years ago a very good student BAND would get $50 a night for playing a club because there were so many folks available. When I played in a small dance band, we had charts and there was almost no improv anyway. So I'd say, the majority of players could use iRealPro as a "crutch" and never look back. If you want to front a jazz group that gets 6 gigs a year and plays standards, yeah sure, you have to move beyond iRealPro. But how many people actually make it to that exulted level? So if 'moving beyond' IRealPro makes you happy, go for it! But I'm happy for it to be my Alpha and Omega, and I'm sure most players are the same!

  • @martinrhodes1619
    @martinrhodes1619 4 роки тому +14

    One thing about I Real Pro. It’s a brilliant tool for learning standards in different keys and at different tempos. I’m in a jazz ensemble that meets once a week and we have multiple songs in keys set for our singer - so often not in a key in which standards have often been recorded. Using I Real Pro for comp and soloing practice is great for getting a tune down between sessions when we can play together.

  • @m.a.bushling
    @m.a.bushling 4 роки тому +20

    I've heard almost all of the those. The most frequent was don't transcribe, you won't ever develop your own voice. That's like telling a toddler don't speak like anyone else, just make up your own combinations of words and you'll learn to communicate in your own way.

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому +1

      Great analogy!

    • @Osnosis
      @Osnosis 4 роки тому

      Or just play only pentatonic scales, like Kenny G (whiz)

    • @rileygarcia1957
      @rileygarcia1957 4 роки тому

      @@Osnosis that's the advice teachers give for first time improvisers. That's why Kenny G and these other smooth jazz players sound elementary to real Jazz players because they stick to that one scale that ee were taught when we were just learning Jazz.

    • @Osnosis
      @Osnosis 4 роки тому +1

      Riley Garcia Worse, Kenny has stated that he has no prior influences.

    • @Anorexiaification
      @Anorexiaification 4 роки тому

      @@Osnosis pentatonic coud be great, if you master it. Pastorius used it a lot.

  • @FrancoGrimoldi
    @FrancoGrimoldi 4 роки тому +6

    iReal Pro and Real Books are great tools if you now how to make them worth it. Sometimes you might only want to have a backing track in 12 keys (or different tempos) or just train your sight-reading or your chord changes following. I truly believe that is BAD advice telling someone who is learning NOT to use a tool that could be of good use.
    (BTW: bad advice would be to use the old Band-In-A-Box, that app just can't play the right notes...)

  • @JensLarsen
    @JensLarsen 4 роки тому +6

    I agree with all of them! :)

  • @robstevens9590
    @robstevens9590 Рік тому

    I usually learn new songs by ear, but occasionally I learn by reading a chart. I have found that it takes much longer to memorize the song if I learn it by reading.

  • @april7643
    @april7643 4 роки тому

    Having only played for 7 years, starting as an adult beginner (!) I Real Pro has been a real help to me for timing alone. I use it and a metronome (at different times). My biggest current challenge is getting through chord progressions IN TIME. A fake book had been awesome for that and it feels like such an accomplishment to me to make my own arrangements from lead sheets! My ear is gradually getting better, but I probably don't have the lifetime left to play by ear alone.

  • @zecamoraes5115
    @zecamoraes5115 4 роки тому

    Brent, on the other hand do you use and/or recommend any app to slow down music to be easier learned?

  • @ollies246
    @ollies246 4 роки тому

    Once I’ve learnt some vocab, I play the lick in all 12 keys. Because of the ease of transposing on guitar, I can cycle it through the circle of 4ths in time without really practising much. Is this a useful method for assimilating language? I hear you talk a lot about playing licks in all keys. Is it ok to do this by simply playing the same shape on different parts of the fret board?

  • @Soberan
    @Soberan 4 роки тому +1

    Great advice, as always. By the way, are you releasing any new materials or courses this coming year? Best!

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому

      Yes indeed! We actually some really exciting things planned, including a membership. Keep an eye out!

  • @mikenoble9151
    @mikenoble9151 4 роки тому +1

    Agree with most of your advice. But not regarding iReal Pro. Since I got this app my ability to improvise has improved considerably and continues to do so. I do listen to versions of the songs I want to learn and if some of the changes seem “off” I change them in the app. The ability to isolate and loop certain passages to work out a motif is invaluable. Change tempo and rhythm? Easy peasey. I have also used the app to compose my own tunes! Also, I can’t read music well enough to transcribe. So I depend on my ears and knowledge of the tune. Thanks for all your efforts on our behalf!

  • @thatotherlefty4353
    @thatotherlefty4353 4 роки тому +5

    I disagree with many of these as someone who has been you and LJS as references since I started playing jazz. I don't think you are totally wrong and you make some good points but at the end of the day most of the people learning jazz are teenagers and you really need to understand their perspective. High schools don't usually have the time or resources necessary to have bands that rehearse all the time and all the time required to hear changes and then write them out. Ireal pro is absolutely necessary for any student (especially rhythm section at jams) starting out and understand the structure and layout of jazz tunes outside of big band class and more in combos. Of course it's a crutch and after a short while once students are there they should start to hear changes and react with their instruments accordingly. The second one about scales kind of made me face palm. OBVIOUSLY if anyone has ever stood up to improvise we know scales alone won't help us and jazz is a language, but dismissing them as just secondary is very hurtful and confusing to anyone's playing, it's a mix not a binary. I found number 3 the most insulting because if you don't hear it the only remedy is to listen more it doesn't matter if it takes hours, days, months, or years. The whole goal in playing jazz is to listen and grow your ears until they start to develop so you can just hear a tune and instantly react and improvise over it. I think you lack perspective and you need to investigate the processes that help students grow into great musicians.

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому

      Hey there, not saying sheet music and iReal Pro is bad. I'm just an advocate for using your ear as a the primary method for learning jazz language. iReal pro is a great tool, and as long as its a tool, and not a crutch, go for it.

  • @fran6b
    @fran6b 4 роки тому +2

    Maybe another bad piece of advice would be to listen to advice in the first place. I mean to listen to advice without using our own judgement. At the end of the day, each one of us have different goals and it's in our responsibility to "crack the code" in a way. The code that will lead us to jazz up the music we make while getting satisfaction out of it.

  • @AceHardy
    @AceHardy 4 роки тому

    Good deeds 🙌💯

  • @GregCombs100
    @GregCombs100 4 роки тому

    Good point on scales. Learn them, memorize them forward, backward, and every possible direction, the toss the scale charts and never the chart again.

  • @michaeladamspmp
    @michaeladamspmp 4 роки тому +3

    Thanks for the video!
    I don't know that my input will be helpful, as I've only been studying Bass for just over a year, and I am thus, pretty novice.
    First, I have to agree strongly on two points: First, get into some lessons. I spent a good six months trying to extract some usable information from youtube videos and my efforts yielded very little progress. Second, do not watch videos and pick an idea out of a video once a week. I did that for most of those six months and it got me exactly no where, except frustrated. I almost gave up.
    What changed?
    About eleven months ago, I attended an all-day workshop in Albuquerque, hosted by the New Mexico Jazz Workshop. I brought my (then 13-year-old son, who plays guitar in an advanced jazz-combo). The class was taught by Bobby Shew (yes that Bobby Shew), and after seeing that it was going to be a master class, where we improvised melodically over Body and Soul (sheet music provided) I gave my seat to someone who knew how to play music (there were limited spots for participation) So I audited the course.
    ...Ok long story short, I noted that the Jazz Workshop had a weekly Jazz Jam, based on the Real Book. But Albuquerque is a loooong drive for me.
    However, every Saturday a group of musicians would meet, they'd pick some song form the Real Book and and work on them, improvising, offering feedback, etc...
    Fast forward six months and I had made virtually no progress via youtube. Because I live so far away from Albuquerque, I decided to start a local jazz jam. I purchased the Real Book, and put out announcements. It took six weeks, but a core group started arriving semi-regularly. Someone suggested that we set a date for a performance, as it would motivate practice and regular attendance. So we did...we set the date for the end of December 2019. We selected four songs from the Real Book Sixth Edition: Autumn Leaves, Blue Bossa, Blue Monk, Misty. I had only been trying to play bass for roughly seven months, and the other musicians had very limited experience playing in groups.
    At this time, I also found a bass teacher and scheduled lessons with him for every other week. He walked me through Autumn Leaves, and showed me how a bass line could be built from the modes, and he showed me how they related to the lead sheet from the Real Book. I worked on that and found a bass backing track on youtube (a good use of youtube for learning music) and I practiced. It took me six weeks to be able to play Autumn Leaves, but I got it. I still had to spend quite a bit of time figuring out what note was where on my fret board, but my fingers started to know how to play (the same bass line) to Autumn Leaves. Next, he worked on Blue Bossa with me and taught me the two feel for it. I found a bass backing track for that and went to work. Next he walked me through chromatic approaches on a walking bass line for Blue Monk, and I literally memorized a static bass line for that. Finally, I took a lead sheet and worked my way through Misty (painstakingly). I found a bass backing track for that. I practiced on my own, every day for 30 min - 60 min and once every other week with the jazz jam, and within that quarter, I got to the point where I was able to hold down those bass lines with a group of musicians for a performance. We didn't sound good, but we certainly did not sound bad. Everyone in the group, reported that they practiced almost daily.
    Now, we're into our second quarter. We've selected four Latin songs, and at our first session, we worked on Girl from Ipanema (out of the Real Book). We worked on it for almost the whole two hours, but by the end, we were able to follow the form and play the song with folks improvising...compare that to four months ago, when it took me roughly six weeks to be able to play Autumn Leaves.
    So all of that is to say, that I find the Real Book and backing tracks for Bass to be essential in order for me to progress, but they are not substitutes for playing with other musicians, which is also essential. They do facilitate us having a common understanding of what we're playing and where we're going. Also, I am able to hear the form, now, so I if I lose the form, even this past Sunday on Girl From Ipanema, I am able to find the form again, because I know what it sounds like with the other musicians.
    So while I'd agree that you can't use only the Real Book, I have to say that it is really helpful if used in a group with other musicians.
    But here's the secret in my experience, schedule a performance. That is highly motivational. Now to be fair, we didn't have a performance with our four songs and that was it. I found a local (much better) jazz band to headline. I said it was a free concert and they were happy to play. Next quarter I've already got another group to headline.
    About my son, he's amazing. He's 14 years old now, and they played New Years Eve at a local place, and they were truly great.
    Anyway, for what it's worth, those are my thoughts/experiences and I'm sure they'll change as I get more experience.

    • @jsweeney1854
      @jsweeney1854 4 роки тому +1

      michael adams - such an inspiring story! I appreciate how you set clear goals, work with a teacher, found other musicians to play with, and use iRP as a centering tool-a support for personal practice and a “common-ground” starting point for musical collaborating. Good stuff; thanks for sharing.

    • @michaeladamspmp
      @michaeladamspmp 4 роки тому

      @@jsweeney1854 sorry, this is probably an obvious question, but what is iRP?

    • @jsweeney1854
      @jsweeney1854 4 роки тому

      Thanks for asking. To be clear, I wrote “iRP” as shorthand for the iRealPro app. I’ve also used print versions Real Books in practice but usually find the app more convenient.
      That said, I agree with Brett’s observations about the limitations of iRealPro as a way to learn the language of jazz: I get more out of listening deeply and repeatedly to great jazz recordings and, whenever possible, live jazz performances. Online play-alongs are fun for practice but don’t stretch my ears the way intentional, focused listening does.
      I am a longtime “closet” musician with ambitions to take myself out of the basement to make jazz with other musicians. Your story about how you have taken the initiative to locate others with whom you now jam, learn and perform is positively inspiring to me. Thanks.

    • @michaeladamspmp
      @michaeladamspmp 4 роки тому

      @@jsweeney1854 Thanks for the explanation. I was not aware of iRealPro...that it is the Real Book in a digital format. I guess I glossed over that when reading this article and watching this video, because I tend to filter out any software beginning with "i"
      I have a PC and no Mac, and more than 90% of the time i(any software name inserted here) is something I can't use. I guess I figured it was simply backing tracks for Apple.
      That said, I have to agree. If I were simply working from online backing tracks and trying to learn from lead sheets, without playing with other living, and breathing musicians, I wouldn't have made the progress I have, in fact, I may have given up by now.
      I think that the combination of playing with others, being able to ask them how to interpret certain types of notation on the lead sheets, learning about Nashville numbering, taking lessons, and having to work out starts, stops, and timing with others, rather than simply playing against the same backing track, which never changes, etc... has maintained my interest and helped me improve.
      I really can't overstate the benefit that I've experienced from scheduling performances (even small ones), though. That provided motivation to practice like nothing else would. Our second performance is scheduled for April 10, and we're working on Girl from Ipanema, Como En Vietnam, Little Sun Flower, and Quit Nights of Quiet Stars.
      A final note...this last performance, in December, had one added benefit. My father-in-law, a semi-pro Jazz vocalist and composer from the SF Bay Area was visiting and at the end of the performance, we did two pieces with three generations: My son, my father-in-law and I all performed together (after rehearsing only twice). We did Four, by Miles Davis, and an original composition of my father-in-law called Phonekey Blues. I don't know if my son fully grasps how cool it is, but at some point, later, he'll look back and realize that he got to perform on stage with his father and his grandfather. I think we're going to do it every Holiday season, moving forward.

  • @SUFRTHRU
    @SUFRTHRU 4 роки тому

    I have spent a lot of time TRYING to learn standards by ear completely as per your advice. When I finally gave up and started using sheet music a bit I realized I am a visual learner. Maybe beware telling people this a bit.

  • @minorracket2854
    @minorracket2854 4 роки тому +1

    when i try to learn standards by ear I listen to a few recordings and everyone plays the melody different! the changes too. How do you get around this so you learn the tune correct?

    • @rob_ewing
      @rob_ewing 4 роки тому

      MINOR RACKET it can be useful to learn from vocalists who deliver the tune in a relatively straightforward manner.

    • @dhu2056
      @dhu2056 Рік тому

      Find the original recording of the tune and learn from that

  • @jccorman5848
    @jccorman5848 4 роки тому

    I bought a starter Fender Accoustic guitar because I heard that it makes no difference. In a basic way that’s true perhaps. But the tone and range is not the same as an electric guitar. And I will eventually have to buy a new electric guitar soon as I will have outgrown my acoustic. I was afraid of commitment I suppose 💍

  • @social_semiotics
    @social_semiotics 4 роки тому +2

    Learning melodies by ear is easy enough, but working out the changes by ear of any but the simplest of charts is way beyond what my ear is capable of. Easy enough, I'm sure, for those born with great ears, but unrealistic for the many of us not so well endowed aurally.

    • @rob_ewing
      @rob_ewing 4 роки тому

      P.R.R. White it takes practice but possible to learn to recognize chord qualities, then inversions, common harmonic formulas...

  • @chrisegonmusic
    @chrisegonmusic Рік тому

    Suggesting to learn by ear rather than using iReal just serves to make jazz more inaccessible than it already is.

  • @abelton20
    @abelton20 4 роки тому

    Just feel it

  • @Anorexiaification
    @Anorexiaification 4 роки тому +1

    It sounds a little bit like fighting with yourself. I think there are different ways of getting good at jazz, none of them is short, and may be 2-3% people, starting playing jazz will get anywhere. So, if Real Pro is easy enough way to start-why not? Playing any improvisation is great way forward, comparing to playing written score. Anyway, your point of view was interesting. I thought, that you'll be more like comparing visual and audial ways of studying.

  • @Spicy_Zach
    @Spicy_Zach 4 роки тому +1

    I think irealpro is an amazing tool... if you already know a plethora of jazz standards. I couldn’t imagine trying to start from scratch with it. Your biggest friend is to just listen and learn all of these songs

  • @Googliaooota
    @Googliaooota 4 роки тому

    I think the way you learn depends on your situation and goals. If you're a middle aged amateur, I would suggest it's almost a fool's errand to try and do everything the 'right' way according to the jazz police. Get the general melody down and find simple pathways to work through the changes. That alone will take you years. Spending countless upon countless hours transcribing stuff is not efficient. If you're 16 years old and are willing to dedicate your life to jazz, and want to get a gig at Jazz at Lincoln Center, well then ... different story.

  • @TonyWinston
    @TonyWinston 2 роки тому

    After disagreeing with the first 3 , I call BS and left.

  • @Applejack242
    @Applejack242 4 роки тому

    My instructor told me to get iRealPro and a Real book in C, I play alto. Hes forcing me to transpose on the spot and I like that.

  • @JRCGuitarist
    @JRCGuitarist 4 роки тому

    I don’t think everyone who is disagreeing with the iRP/fakebook approach are misunderstanding the issue regarding the iRP argument. I think people are legitimately disagreeing. It really comes down how different teachers approach it. Some teachers see it your way, other teachers will disagree and see the real book as a good way to start, but eventually the musician moves past it. And it seems that many musicians have done fine with the real book in the beginning and then moved past it. I think the point that some are making is that there is more than one way to approach the real book, to get its benefits without being hindered by the limitations. Yes, you can use it to check your ear training work, this is limited as well, for example the Autumn Leaves recording would have to be in the same key as the tune in the Real book, which is Em.
    Another way to use the real book is as an introduction to learning standards, and then dig deeper with ear training once one gets some of the chords under their fingers or they become comfortable with some jazz technique on their instrument, slowly putting the real book away would be best at that point.
    But overall, based on your argument, I haven’t heard anything that would suggest that buying a real book is a horrible idea for beginners, maybe even intermediate players. I’m not sure why advanced musicians would need one, this is assuming that being advanced means you have solid ear training. I personally, think people should get one, and then make personal corrections. That’s what I’ve been doing with mine. If I see or hear anything that isn’t right, I add it to the book. They also have a blank sheet music book modelled after the real book, where I think people make their own real books and place the corrections they need from learning the tunes by ear.

  • @TimLerchGuitar
    @TimLerchGuitar 4 роки тому +1

    A young person likes jazz, he/she goes to music school and pays loads of money to learn jazz, He/she is taught “teachable” things like modes and chord scale theory often by teachers with little or no real world experience playing jazz, he/she graduates with honors only to realizes there are no actual gigs where all of the stuff they learned like chord scale theory etc can be implemented. Or if there are gigs they pay $50 + beer. he/she then has the brilliant idea to teach Jazz on the internet. Sound familiar?

  • @alzahraniabdulrahman
    @alzahraniabdulrahman Рік тому

    Agree ✌️

  • @sirrjazz734
    @sirrjazz734 4 роки тому +3

    Don't you use Band-in-a-Box to make your play-along tracks??? Why can't someone use I-Real Pro for the same process???

    • @davehein1418
      @davehein1418 4 роки тому +3

      I think the point was to avoid using the charts in iReal Pro (or the Real Book) as the primary source for learning the changes ... the point was to, instead, use your ear to hear and learn the changes as that is more likely to make you a better jazz musician. You can definitely use iReal Pro or BIAB to provide backing tracks for practice. And written/pre-made charts are a good tool to help you while you are getting started (because learning to hear chords and harmony by ear is hard and will take a lot of time and a lot of persistence), but ultimately you need to train your ears to hear the changes so you can play with other musicians in an improvisational context. (Also, the charts in iRealPro and the older Real Books are not necessarily accurate ... also, given 6 different jazz combos you'll get 6 different changes over Autumn Leaves.)

    • @sirrjazz734
      @sirrjazz734 4 роки тому

      @@davehein1418 Thank you for that info.

    • @lukegregg5944
      @lukegregg5944 4 роки тому +1

      @@davehein1418 But at the same time, you can listen to different versions of the same standard and they will have different changes. This is why I don't think learning by ear purely is going to be a lot more beneficial, especially if you want to learn a big repertoire. You need to use other tools.

    • @davehein1418
      @davehein1418 4 роки тому +2

      @@lukegregg5944 I don't disagree. I didn't mean to suggest exclusively learning by ear. We need to use every tool at our disposal -- both to develop a repertoire and to be able to play well with others.

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому

      Dave Hein I endorse this message!

  • @jazzman1945ify
    @jazzman1945ify 4 роки тому

    I disagree with # 6. This is similar to the statement that a jazz pianist who wants to become a professional should not waste time studying classical music. He just has to, and this only benefits, technically and musically. Similarly, acquaintance with other styles of jazz enriches the performer in his chosen direction and creates a perspective for him. We live in 2020, not 1950! What was once correct to some extent is invalid today. But, of course, you don’t have to jump from style to style every week, this is a sure way to get confused.

  • @vegetathe4th376
    @vegetathe4th376 4 роки тому

    I learn from an ireal pro but before that learn the basics first before applying it.

  • @pickinstone
    @pickinstone 4 роки тому

    Wow, the hate in the comments is so thick you could cut it with a knife! All the pro's that I've studied with--they all have more experience and know how than most of the people leaving comments here--would agree with Brent. Yes, even about the Real Book and iReal. I still use iReal, but I feel nasty after using it--like a bad fix. Why? Because I never learn the darn standards that way. The tunes I know by rote are the one's that I either learned by ear or in person from another musician. Why is not learning tunes a problem? If you want to play in your bedroom, flipping through a book is okay. I mean, it's limiting-but it's passable. If you play with other people, the whole point is to get used to playing with other people. It's hard to truly interact with other musicians on stage if you are glued to the page or the iReal. It's lazy and it hurts the ensemble sound and your improvisation. I say this all to myself as well. The sooner I can ween myself off of the Real Book, the better. Real Book, good riddance! Even though I use play alongs as a tool, nothing beats playing along with the ACTUAL (I wish UA-cam enabled italics) recording. There's so much more you can learn from the recording than from a play along.

  • @HGQjazz
    @HGQjazz Рік тому

    I dunno, all those things have their place and purpose. Just be aware of what the big picture is at all times.

  • @vectortemple
    @vectortemple 4 роки тому

    "There's a lot of people giving you advice on how to learn jazz on the internet and elsewhere, that sometimes it's just, quite frankly, not good. "
    Agreed - like that guy who tells people to learn everything by ear instead using fake books, charts and IReal Pro.
    Why use a car to go 100 miles when I can walk and enjoy all the scenery? Should I build my own instrument too? I'll make some mistakes along the way, but I sure won't forget how to do it next time (I happen to remember BETTER when I see changes printed out properly on a good lead sheet - the visual sticks in my head.)
    Brett has some very good ideas - this isn't one of them.

  • @kupfeli
    @kupfeli Рік тому

    I also have to disagree with actually all the things you say unfortunately. You are stating things as if you have the absolute truth, but you dont, everything is just your opinion, so state it like that. Having ireal and using it to study jazz standards is very helpful imho! You can even play a standard in the app and THAT is also what the app was essentially created for! It is not a sheetmusic app, it is a backing tracks app and it is excellent for that! Learning jazz using that app is also very good in my opinion, as jazz has alot to do with chord progressions and not so much a melody/head.

  • @rik-keymusic160
    @rik-keymusic160 4 роки тому

    What confuses me and gets me frustrated is that the changes never are a real constant... like a blues is never exactly the same. Some put in dim. Chords and the endings are mostly different...

    • @mer1red
      @mer1red 4 роки тому

      That is why learning theory should not be ignored. It enables you to see the forest through the trees. Many, many times I hear or read how guys are struggling even to find the key of a song! Take Giant Steps. The craziest theories exist about this, while in fact it is has very simple structure.

    • @rik-keymusic160
      @rik-keymusic160 4 роки тому

      mer red i do study theory in depth and understand what happens but its not clear if you are on a jam session and everyone studied billies bounce for instance in a different way... how can you nail the changes if you studied I going to a V at te and of a blues instead of a I vi ii V back to one...

    • @mer1red
      @mer1red 4 роки тому +2

      @@rik-keymusic160 Yes, this is a problem. There are some tricks such as playing guide tones or reduced chords. Luckily, if chord substitutions are done in a logical way, many good solo's over the original progression still work. Replacing a I-V by a I-vi-ii-V is rather common and should not cause a disaster. But, I admit, I only go to jam sessions when the main participants (usually the singer, soloist) hand over a sheet of music with the chord layout and we have a short preparing discussion in advance. You simply cannot improvise decently if there is no agreed upon common structure, with some exceptions.

    • @cdparnis
      @cdparnis 4 роки тому

      @@rik-keymusic160 you can totally play a I vi ii V as a bar of I and a bar of V - sounds a bit reductionist but that's okay! The idea is that there's a lot of options and you try to learn a lot of the ways people do things so that you can hear what they're doing and maybe go with it

    • @rik-keymusic160
      @rik-keymusic160 4 роки тому

      ParnischYT yeah i know, it was just to give a example... some might put in more complex harmonies but you get the point... its not always straightforward and can sometimes become discouraging.

  • @rickymolina7390
    @rickymolina7390 4 роки тому

    Another one: practicing the modes is useless. I disagree, we need all the help we can get. And, this approach worked pretty well for Peter Frampton, one of the greatest modal lead guitarists of all time.

    • @tedparkinson6892
      @tedparkinson6892 4 роки тому +1

      Although if you listen to Frampton's excellent interview with Rick Beato, he claims to not know the theory behind his playing. He just chose a 'different route' than Clapton who so many people followed.

    • @rickymolina7390
      @rickymolina7390 4 роки тому

      Interesting. I also remember him saying that he listened a lot to the modal jazz playing of the 60's (Miles esp.) and that this must have rubbed off on him.

  • @tedparkinson6892
    @tedparkinson6892 4 роки тому +4

    "You need to learn jazz standards by ear". This is total B.S. There are different levels of learning jazz and for every 100 people studying, 1 or 2 might make a living at it one day, a few more might make a small income teaching it. I've been playing 'jazz standards' for over 30 years on sax, piano and guitar, mainly for enjoyment. If I were trying to be a professional then sure, I'd study them more. But many of us have jobs and a life outside of jazz standards (which, by the way, are a very small part of music in general).

    • @Learnjazzstandards
      @Learnjazzstandards  4 роки тому

      You're entitled to do whatever you like Ted! Most important is that you are enjoying yourself.

    • @cdparnis
      @cdparnis 4 роки тому

      I wouldn't say it's total bs at all. This is if you want to take it very seriously and learn in the tradition of the music. Fakebooks are good if you only wanna play with other people playing out of the same fakebooks but what happens when someone learned come rain or come shine by ear and ireal has awful changes? Or if someone calls skylark and likes the changes Kenny Barron plays or Dexter Gordon -- those are totally different than the ireal/real book changes. Or lord forbid somebody calls how deep is the ocean lol

    • @tedparkinson6892
      @tedparkinson6892 4 роки тому

      @@cdparnis There are a variety of meanings for the phrase "learning jazz". If folks want to steep themselves in the tradition, learn songs from memory and in all 12 keys, then fine. That is something I can admire. If you are playing with vocalists then you have to switch keys for a few songs anyway (they usually bring their own music, actually). But step out of the UA-cam 'worldwide' environment for a moment and consider how rarified the experience is for someone to 'call skylark' and you have to decide on the changes. You would have to be in a major city and playing with professionals in a jam situation. This is -very- rare these days.
      It is also about deciding where to invest your practice time. The language of bebop is itself pretty rarified and while the ability to play changes does contribute to your overall musicianship, I doubt it gets you many gigs. It's often not even very much fun. Probably better to practise doubles like keyboards and possibly guitar. When I was at Berklee one of my ensemble instructors said "learn to play bass, keep good time, and you'll always get a gig". We were using the Real Book in class so it probably did not occur to him to tell us not to use it (BTW, I bought my Real Book from a guy across the street from Berklee who sold them out of the trunk of his car!).
      The main thing I object to is the notion that there is one 'real' way to play jazz. I would say there are plenty of ways to -enjoy- playing jazz which is what it should be about.
      Personally, I write songs, enjoy playing covers of folk/songwriter material and do play jazz tunes on piano and guitar. I love using iReal pro (when I started out on sax we only had Jamey aebersold on the record player!). Sometimes I play over the Learn Jazz Standards backing tracks because they have more energy in them. No one listening knows if I miss a m7b5 and play a diminished chord or, shudder, just a m7 chord!

    • @cdparnis
      @cdparnis 4 роки тому +1

      @@tedparkinson6892 I think we might just have vastly different personal experience man, I get that you don't agree, but bebop is quite fun for me. Not to mention Skylark, Rain/Shine, and HDITO are all situations I've run into -- 'Round Midnight is another good one for the list. I play bass and yeah time feel is what gets you hired but at least in my experience the second you don't know what's happening or exactly what you're doing the time feel suffers. I get the resistance against the idea that there's only one "real" way to play jazz but I feel like as the people who are carrying this music onwards it's everyone's responsibility to at least be aware of as much of the history of it as we can and that includes learing the original changes to tunes and common alternates. In the end though I guess it's just nice we're all still playing this stuff :)

  • @jakemf1
    @jakemf1 4 роки тому

    Jazz good- click bait bad

  • @tedparkinson6892
    @tedparkinson6892 4 роки тому +5

    BTW, iRealPro is awesome! Tons of fun. This video is actually the "worst advice for learning jazz". :-)

  • @hrbeta
    @hrbeta 4 роки тому

    Confusing, it seems to me you contradicted yourself several time. Maybe your advice needs revision. ✌🏻

  • @mediterraneanblues6500
    @mediterraneanblues6500 4 роки тому +5

    Another bad one. Don't learn music theory for jazz, it removes the element of creativity.

  • @MrDoBo95
    @MrDoBo95 4 роки тому

    Work your real book and you will start to memorise all the ideas and changes.
    The hearing and playing will come while you do so.
    But I wouldn't recommend to do jazz completely without college education.

  • @ggauche3465
    @ggauche3465 4 роки тому +4

    There are many thousands of jazz players using iReal Pro daily, hundreds of thousands. It's a bit arrogant to think you know better than all of them. Might as well say the Aebersold play alongs are no good and BIAB. Or any lead sheets. But YOUR courses are okay? You only degrade your own work with such fatuous remarks.