There's a ton of licks to help you through Track 1, and jamey has a whole solo that's not only demonstrated on one of the tracks, but also transcribed for each instrument. Yes, there's a lot of information in these books, so read and incorporate a little at a time. There's no talking around - he lays it out very clearly. Improvising is not playing scales, but practicing improvising does require understanding the scales that go along with the chords and finding the common and neighbor tones. BTW, if these books weren't good, they wouldn't be recommended by top educators all over the world.
Hello Donna, I've been working with the volume 24 and 1 following your tips and I have to say... It's been a great inspiration, Do you have any tips for volume 2? Thank you so much!!!
I can't stress enough how helpful are these videos (with the other one on aebersold Vol1) practical way to work with these books. I am a guitar player but you really helped me here, I was kind of lost and didn't where to start, you put me on track. Thank you so much Donna.
Great stuff !! Hey helpful hint for you if I may: At 3:25 for example when you mention your other videos, you can put a little tag up there so that we can click directly to it. This is a great way for someone like me to find the specific video that you’re talking about, as well as a great way for you to get more traffic on all of your videos. You can do this easily by going to your UA-cam studio. Hope that helps, please keep kicking out these great and helpful videos that you do !! Steve 😊❤️🎶
Great video Donna. I'm an intermediate piano player learning clarinet which I've always loved the sound. Your videos is helping me immensely with both instruments. Looking forward to your next.one. will get volume 24 at my earliest convenience. C ya.
This is a wonderful video explanation, much appreciated. I am a fan of both your work and Mr. Jamey Aebersold. Thank you so much. I have been searching the internet for a training program to enter the intermediate level of playing of both the piano and guitar. The saxophone is definitely on my radar for me to learn. I am also looking to bring my daughter to learn and will bring her to your videos. I am subscribing and recommend your videos to all of my friends.
Fantastic Donna . It’s funny how you’ve made a video on this . It is my exact situation at the moment . Making good use of the book . I have the book 24 and book 21 . Hopefully you make videos of the other books you suggested in your other video 🙏🏽🎷
I have Vol 24. It did not come with CDs instead there is a note 'includes Online Audio Tracks' and a link in the book. I can find no way to make this link work. Download to my Mac or my phone take me to sales sites. Does anyone know how to download these tracks? I have paid for them!
Hi Donna, Great Explanation of how to go about using this book l've had this Vol 1 book for many years its just over the last year l have studied a lot of theory and so now i have a solid understanding of how music works. In the Book Jamie says to do the Parallel minor after every Major key just wondering why you suggested doing all the Major keys first, l have some experience working on 2-5-1 Dorian , Mix, Ionian using 8th notes, arpeggios etc. This JA Vol1 will be fantastic to use as guide to build fluency as l am also working on Melodic Rhythms for Guitar and Mel-bay encyclopedia of chord progressions (Jonny Rector) and use the technique from the exercise's of this book. EXCELLENT
You can certainly follow what he says ( he wrote the book - LOL!). I like doing a few Major keys first so people get very familiar with those keys. Those minors are dorian mode, so they would be better approached after the student has a really good grasp of the major scale they come from
Thanks for doing a video on the Jamey Aebersold books. I’ve got a few of them but have never really got into them. I’ll pull them out and give them another try! I’ve got the vinyl so think I’ll put them on the iPad for convenience. The backing tracks are really good (some of them have got Rufus Reid on bass for example). Some of it is a bit confusing at first and they probably need to be taken with a bit of a ‘pinch of salt’. That thing about Bb Major for example having the two chords Bb and C-/F on the backing track or what he calls a bar of Major and a bar of Dominant 7th sus 4 chord/scale but then writes out the scale of C Dorian minor over the second chord doesn’t make much sense. It doesn’t really have a Dominant sound because there’s no A in it. I think he’s thinking more of Dorian minor over that second chord and it’s just there for a bit of variety. As another example he says that some of the Minor tracks are actually a II V7 progression (eg. track 20) which is true but in that case the key would be Ab Minor and not Bb Minor. Again though it’s really just Bb Minor with a bit of variety on the second chord. His ‘scale syllabus’ suggests playing a Dorian Minor scale over a Minor seventh chord (iReal Pro does that as well I think) which is fine if it’s a II chord in the key but doesn’t really work for the III or VI chord in a major key because the Dorian Minor scale on those chords would have accidentals outside of the key, other modes would be more appropriate but really all those modes are just the notes in the Major key starting on a different note. There’s a certain amount of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut but a very useful resource all the same.
Well, you have my attention your methodical approach and clear explanation are very helpful. I have a number of Jamey Aebersold books, which I've mostly abandoned, I even attended a jazz camp, which left me pretty much unchanged. There are any number of accomplished musicians that swear by and admire Jamey Abersold's books and methods I know there is a lot of good info there. I have come to the conclusion that where I am at my music level, and the explanation that the books give is like laying Shakespeare in front of a second grader and saying, "Hey kid, there a lot of good stuff in there, just look at all those great British actors!" Anyway, I've subscribed and I will follow what you say with great hope and hard work for improvement. Wish me luck!
@@DonnaSchwartz With what you just gave me I have plenty on top of plenty to do with books from Vols 24 & 1. PS I didn't really think that you read the comments. I am encouraged and pleasantly surprised! Thanks! GB!
Having noticed and read your comments, I couldn’t agree more. I bought a few of the Aebersold books that were recommended. But I soon became frustrated with just how confusing the books were. This despite reading the text at the beginning. Like you, abandoned them and they now reside at the bottom of the heap. This gal does a good job of explaining what Mr. Aebersold should be explaining from the outset. That explanation should involve the best way to approach the books. I watched a clip of Mr. Aebersold where he was clearly disappointed that his books are not selling like they once were. It’s my opinion that despite the content that some people rave about, the majority of people have experienced the frustration that you and I have had. I may revisit these books after having watched this video. Best wishes from Toronto.
What has always confused me about his tracks is that there is no count. He just provides the scales with all notes and 9ths for example. So even if I only play the 1, 3, 5 to begin, how is that played in quarter notes?
Here's the comment I made to your similar question on the Vol 1 Aebersold. I put it here too because it is essentially the same issue: This is a common question - in many of his books, he gives ideas of patterns to play. But you can start off with just chord tones at 1 beat each (except when there are 2 chords in a measure - do 8th notes on the chord tones)
Hey Donna, Thanks a ton for laying out the Vol 24 so succinctly and critically. There is mention of demonstration tracks on page 5 bottom. Which are these tracks. This is really great help to me located in a far flung village in India. I have been following the Vol1. Then I decided to visit 24 and it adds up better now.
Thank you Donna for the video. I think I can hear the changes, but I cannot hear to what they change. For example Bb major track switches from Bb to C-/F. In the beginning it is OK to follow, but as soon as I am lost and trying to pick up again, it is very difficult fo to hear was that the Bb or was that the C-/F I jhust heard? Any tips on how training this?
Donna, Thanks, very helpful. The most difficult thing for me is hearing the chord changes. I run out of wattage thinking about appropriate notes and trying to hear the change. I’ve tried counting to find the change but that makes it worse. I’m already patting my head and rubbing my stomach and if I try to pick my nose I end up with my finger in my eye.
Well; because Mr. Abersold USUALLY played too fast ... I had an irreverent nickname 4 him based on his surname ... can u guess it? It wasn’t meant 2 b insulting, but hey we’re Aussies. We never (used to) take ourselves nor others very seriously ... alas 2day everyone’s sooooooo PC. Anyways Donna glad I stumbled onto ur channel/gr8 help/been trying off & on over the decades 2 “work thru” the Abersold “method” ... especially enjoy the sound o/t rhythm tracks ... the band ... nice-n-groovy ... I like grooooooooove ... like that hi-hat o/t back-beat & that Rufus Reid-style bass ... yum😋 Btw: I like that Cmin/F chord ... more modern, more ambiguous, less boringly ... “oh here we go again II-(literal)V-I”
I guess I'm one of the weird people who actually reads the instructions first. Also, I remember the chord changes get more and more difficult to hear in other volumes. Is that the case for this one as well?
@DonnaSchwartz I'm referring to the piano on the 8 measure examples (track 2). The first two times through, I find it easy to hear and make sure I'm on the right chord. But then the piano part becomes more active and the chords seem more extended (though I will concede that the nature of that exercise makes it more difficult to follow).
That's because in a tune, the rhythm section does not comp (accompany) with too many syncopated rhythms during the melody or during the first and possibly 2nd chorus ( as well as when the melody is played again at the end of the song). So it's easier to follow in the beginning and at the very end
Great insight. Thanks. Just thought I'd note that, quite recently, someone put up a UA-cam of JA's VHS tape - which also adds some insight. In it he goes into stuff about putting "bad notes" on the up-beat. Which I hadn't understand before... Hard to practice, though. Anyway, thanks for the insights. Off to print page 6. ua-cam.com/video/QoyF4FKyVTk/v-deo.html
Some of Aebersold's books are so damn confusing, I don't know how any student can understand them without the assistance of an instructor. First of all, you don't know where to begin in the book. Secondly, he should have two tracks for every exercise; one where he is playing the saxophone track so the students can get an idea of how to approach the exercises and also get an idea of the "feel" of the exercises, then he should have a 2nd track minus one for the students. Also, his books are poorly labeled relative to disk number and track number. If you look at any of Greg Fishman's books/CDs, he has the entire book clearly marked, then he plays the sax on track 1, then the student plays on track 2. Furthermore, he has 2 CDs; CD #1 is the slow version and the CD #2 is the fast version. Furthermore, Aebersold's rhythm sections on all of his publications all sound alike. You would think he would have used some different musicians once in a while.
I find his books to be jumbled and confusing. Seems like he's trying to cram too much info. Not simplistic enough. Found myself turning the pages upside down and inside out trying to figure out what the heck he was talking about or trying to relay. Its a chore just trying to figure which tracks go to which scales. Just not simplistic enough for me. I don't think any of his books are for beginners, and they all assume a person is fluent in reading music. A beginner on any instrument is not. I don't quite feel his books are good for beginners. And the way some of the notes are inked, weird and hard to see at times. I'm sure the books are good for some, they could use a lot of updates and improvements. I'll try to find a method that's more simplistic. Gotta be something out there that takes a more basic approach, doesn't try to throw so much at you at once.
What questions do you have about using the Jamey Aebersold books?
I was just thinking about getting an Aebersold play along last night--and when waking up this morning--so, as usual, your timing is great lol.
There's a ton of licks to help you through Track 1, and jamey has a whole solo that's not only demonstrated on one of the tracks, but also transcribed for each instrument.
Yes, there's a lot of information in these books, so read and incorporate a little at a time. There's no talking around - he lays it out very clearly.
Improvising is not playing scales, but practicing improvising does require understanding the scales that go along with the chords and finding the common and neighbor tones.
BTW, if these books weren't good, they wouldn't be recommended by top educators all over the world.
Hello Donna, I've been working with the volume 24 and 1 following your tips and I have to say... It's been a great inspiration, Do you have any tips for volume 2? Thank you so much!!!
When does a player begin to use these books?
ua-cam.com/video/QvSw7XO4Qwk/v-deo.html
Thank you!
I can't stress enough how helpful are these videos (with the other one on aebersold Vol1) practical way to work with these books. I am a guitar player but you really helped me here, I was kind of lost and didn't where to start, you put me on track. Thank you so much Donna.
That's so awesome to hear - thank you :)
Thank you for your explanation of some cool ways to work with these books , while learning all the 12 keys .
I’m a classical flutist, playing for 45 years. My students want to learn improv, so I am learning with them. This video helped a lot!
Awesome!
Ms. Schwartz, Thanks so much for your insight!!
You're welcome 👍🏻
Great stuff !!
Hey helpful hint for you if I may:
At 3:25 for example when you mention your other videos, you can put a little tag up there so that we can click directly to it.
This is a great way for someone like me to find the specific video that you’re talking about, as well as a great way for you to get more traffic on all of your videos.
You can do this easily by going to your UA-cam studio.
Hope that helps, please keep kicking out these great and helpful videos that you do !!
Steve 😊❤️🎶
Great video Donna. I'm an intermediate piano player learning clarinet which I've always loved the sound. Your videos is helping me immensely with both instruments. Looking forward to your next.one. will get volume 24 at my earliest convenience. C ya.
This is a wonderful video explanation, much appreciated. I am a fan of both your work and Mr. Jamey Aebersold. Thank you so much. I have been searching the internet for a training program to enter the intermediate level of playing of both the piano and guitar. The saxophone is definitely on my radar for me to learn. I am also looking to bring my daughter to learn and will bring her to your videos. I am subscribing and recommend your videos to all of my friends.
Thanks so much :)
Fantastic Donna . It’s funny how you’ve made a video on this . It is my exact situation at the moment . Making good use of the book . I have the book 24 and book 21 . Hopefully you make videos of the other books you suggested in your other video 🙏🏽🎷
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I have Vol 24. It did not come with CDs instead there is a note 'includes Online Audio Tracks' and a link in the book. I can find no way to make this link work. Download to my Mac or my phone take me to sales sites. Does anyone know how to download these tracks? I have paid for them!
Hi Donna, Great Explanation of how to go about using this book l've had this Vol 1 book for many years its just over the last year l have studied a lot of theory and so now i have a solid understanding of how music works. In the Book Jamie says to do the Parallel minor after every Major key just wondering why you suggested doing all the Major keys first, l have some experience working on 2-5-1 Dorian , Mix, Ionian using 8th notes, arpeggios etc. This JA Vol1 will be fantastic to use as guide to build fluency as l am also working on Melodic Rhythms for Guitar and Mel-bay encyclopedia of chord progressions (Jonny Rector) and use the technique from the exercise's of this book. EXCELLENT
You can certainly follow what he says ( he wrote the book - LOL!). I like doing a few Major keys first so people get very familiar with those keys. Those minors are dorian mode, so they would be better approached after the student has a really good grasp of the major scale they come from
Yeah all good l get it, once my ears are accustomed to it my solos will sound perfect..FANTASTICAL...😁
Which books do you recommend after this one (and book 1)?
Thanks for doing a video on the Jamey Aebersold books. I’ve got a few of them but have never really got into them. I’ll pull them out and give them another try! I’ve got the vinyl so think I’ll put them on the iPad for convenience. The backing tracks are really good (some of them have got Rufus Reid on bass for example). Some of it is a bit confusing at first and they probably need to be taken with a bit of a ‘pinch of salt’. That thing about Bb Major for example having the two chords Bb and C-/F on the backing track or what he calls a bar of Major and a bar of Dominant 7th sus 4 chord/scale but then writes out the scale of C Dorian minor over the second chord doesn’t make much sense. It doesn’t really have a Dominant sound because there’s no A in it. I think he’s thinking more of Dorian minor over that second chord and it’s just there for a bit of variety. As another example he says that some of the Minor tracks are actually a II V7 progression (eg. track 20) which is true but in that case the key would be Ab Minor and not Bb Minor. Again though it’s really just Bb Minor with a bit of variety on the second chord. His ‘scale syllabus’ suggests playing a Dorian Minor scale over a Minor seventh chord (iReal Pro does that as well I think) which is fine if it’s a II chord in the key but doesn’t really work for the III or VI chord in a major key because the Dorian Minor scale on those chords would have accidentals outside of the key, other modes would be more appropriate but really all those modes are just the notes in the Major key starting on a different note. There’s a certain amount of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut but a very useful resource all the same.
Well, you have my attention your methodical approach and clear explanation are very helpful. I have a number of Jamey Aebersold books, which I've mostly abandoned, I even attended a jazz camp, which left me pretty much unchanged. There are any number of accomplished musicians that swear by and admire Jamey Abersold's books and methods I know there is a lot of good info there. I have come to the conclusion that where I am at my music level, and the explanation that the books give is like laying Shakespeare in front of a second grader and saying, "Hey kid, there a lot of good stuff in there, just look at all those great British actors!" Anyway, I've subscribed and I will follow what you say with great hope and hard work for improvement. Wish me luck!
Thank you :)
@@DonnaSchwartz With what you just gave me I have plenty on top of plenty to do with books from Vols 24 & 1. PS I didn't really think that you read the comments. I am encouraged and pleasantly surprised! Thanks! GB!
Having noticed and read your comments, I couldn’t agree more. I bought a few of the Aebersold books that were recommended.
But I soon became frustrated with just how confusing the books were. This despite reading the text at the beginning.
Like you, abandoned them and they now reside at the bottom of the heap. This gal does a good job of explaining what Mr. Aebersold should be explaining from the outset. That explanation should involve the best way to approach the books.
I watched a clip of Mr. Aebersold where he was clearly disappointed that his books are not selling like they once were. It’s my opinion that despite the content that some people rave about, the majority of people have experienced the frustration that you and I have had.
I may revisit these books after having watched this video. Best wishes from Toronto.
Glad the video helped, Laurie
Very inspiring. Thank you so much!
What has always confused me about his tracks is that there is no count. He just provides the scales with all notes and 9ths for example. So even if I only play the 1, 3, 5 to begin, how is that played in quarter notes?
Here's the comment I made to your similar question on the Vol 1 Aebersold. I put it here too because it is essentially the same issue:
This is a common question - in many of his books, he gives ideas of patterns to play. But you can start off with just chord tones at 1 beat each (except when there are 2 chords in a measure - do 8th notes on the chord tones)
Hey Donna, Thanks a ton for laying out the Vol 24 so succinctly and critically. There is mention of demonstration tracks on page 5 bottom. Which are these tracks. This is really great help to me located in a far flung village in India. I have been following the Vol1. Then I decided to visit 24 and it adds up better now.
Which are the demo tracks?
Jamey has demos of him playing through the C Major track on alto - should be at the end of Disc 2
@@DonnaSchwartz Thanks. I will check.
What is your opinion of starting with volume 2, nothing but the blues for a new person? (trumpet player here)
It depends on how many major and minor scales you know. If you just start out learning Blues scales you are limiting yourself
Thank you Donna for the video. I think I can hear the changes, but I cannot hear to what they change. For example Bb major track switches from Bb to C-/F. In the beginning it is OK to follow, but as soon as I am lost and trying to pick up again, it is very difficult fo to hear was that the Bb or was that the C-/F I jhust heard? Any tips on how training this?
Simple suggestion - just listen to the track without playing. Also, search for my other videos on hearing the changes.
Donna,
Thanks, very helpful. The most difficult thing for me is hearing the chord changes. I run out of wattage thinking about appropriate notes and trying to hear the change. I’ve tried counting to find the change but that makes it worse. I’m already patting my head and rubbing my stomach and if I try to pick my nose I end up with my finger in my eye.
The ONLY other person Ive ever heard talk about this! The more I “think”, the worse my solos get! Very well said by you!
E' STATO UN GRANDE DIDATTA ... PECCATO ABBIA SMESSO
Well; because Mr. Abersold USUALLY played too fast ... I had an irreverent nickname 4 him based on his surname ... can u guess it? It wasn’t meant 2 b insulting, but hey we’re Aussies. We never (used to) take ourselves nor others very seriously ... alas 2day everyone’s sooooooo PC. Anyways Donna glad I stumbled onto ur channel/gr8 help/been trying off & on over the decades 2 “work thru” the Abersold “method” ... especially enjoy the sound o/t rhythm tracks ... the band ... nice-n-groovy ... I like grooooooooove ... like that hi-hat o/t back-beat & that Rufus Reid-style bass ... yum😋 Btw: I like that Cmin/F chord ... more modern, more ambiguous, less boringly ... “oh here we go again II-(literal)V-I”
In the round notes which ones to play. When I touch them, I don't get tired of the time, but I didn't understand when I was in the last exercise.
Can you elaborate? Not understanding "get tired of the time"
I guess I'm one of the weird people who actually reads the instructions first.
Also, I remember the chord changes get more and more difficult to hear in other volumes. Is that the case for this one as well?
Not sure what you mean about difficult to hear...depends on how you are working on each song or track
@DonnaSchwartz I'm referring to the piano on the 8 measure examples (track 2). The first two times through, I find it easy to hear and make sure I'm on the right chord. But then the piano part becomes more active and the chords seem more extended (though I will concede that the nature of that exercise makes it more difficult to follow).
That's because in a tune, the rhythm section does not comp (accompany) with too many syncopated rhythms during the melody or during the first and possibly 2nd chorus ( as well as when the melody is played again at the end of the song). So it's easier to follow in the beginning and at the very end
Are you planing to make a video about Jamey s ear training book?
What do you need to know about that resource?
Great insight. Thanks.
Just thought I'd note that, quite recently, someone put up a UA-cam of JA's VHS tape - which also adds some insight.
In it he goes into stuff about putting "bad notes" on the up-beat. Which I hadn't understand before... Hard to practice, though.
Anyway, thanks for the insights. Off to print page 6.
ua-cam.com/video/QoyF4FKyVTk/v-deo.html
Thanks for sharing that resource :)
Some of Aebersold's books are so damn confusing, I don't know how any student can understand them without the assistance of an instructor. First of all, you don't know where to begin in the book. Secondly, he should have two tracks for every exercise; one where he is playing the saxophone track so the students can get an idea of how to approach the exercises and also get an idea of the "feel" of the exercises, then he should have a 2nd track minus one for the students. Also, his books are poorly labeled relative to disk number and track number. If you look at any of Greg Fishman's books/CDs, he has the entire book clearly marked, then he plays the sax on track 1, then the student plays on track 2. Furthermore, he has 2 CDs; CD #1 is the slow version and the CD #2 is the fast version. Furthermore, Aebersold's rhythm sections on all of his publications all sound alike. You would think he would have used some different musicians once in a while.
I find his books to be jumbled and confusing. Seems like he's trying to cram too much info. Not simplistic enough. Found myself turning the pages upside down and inside out trying to figure out what the heck he was talking about or trying to relay. Its a chore just trying to figure which tracks go to which scales. Just not simplistic enough for me. I don't think any of his books are for beginners, and they all assume a person is fluent in reading music. A beginner on any instrument is not. I don't quite feel his books are good for beginners. And the way some of the notes are inked, weird and hard to see at times. I'm sure the books are good for some, they could use a lot of updates and improvements. I'll try to find a method that's more simplistic. Gotta be something out there that takes a more basic approach, doesn't try to throw so much at you at once.