Did you work on phrasing like this? Share some tips! Content: 0:00 Intro -The difference between You and Wes 0:45 Different types of phrases 1:18 An Angry TH-cam comment 1:38 How to get started 1:52 Breaking down a Wes solo for phrases 2:54 Example solo on Out of Nowhere 3:18 Rhythm - Less notes = better rhythms 3:55 Repeating Phrases and making a solo that is a whole piece of music 4:53 Breaking down the structure of Autumn Leaves 5:27 Example solo moving a phrase through Out of Nowhere 5:54 How to start practicing this. 6:30 Developing Phrases in a solo 7:02 Solo example developing phrases. 7:36 Like the video? Check out my Patreon page
You really nailed it, Jens. Trying to work more towards solo guitar, this is definitely the path (at least for me). I totally agree that those long fast phrases will work as breaks and at other spots, but if it's continuous, then you can never interject the harmony. This was one of my first hurdles. One thing that I try to do is with a 3-4 note phrase that I'm going to repeat, is to add another layer of harmony each time, i.e. single notes, then double-stops, maybe 3 or 4 note harmony, etc. Not too hard with a few notes. Listeners like this because they say to themselves, "ah, I see what he/she is doing" (at least I do!). It also leaves enough space so you can do those harmonized walk-ups, walk-downs, or turnarounds. You cast the idea well, but what could you do to elaborate further?
I went to a Jazz workshop many years ago. The fellow who was giving the course spoke about phrasing and how important it is; he played sax. I asked him how to practice making phrases. He did not understand so I explained that I knew what to do to practice scales and arpeggios and flatpicking etc, but I had no idea how I could "practice" getting better at phrasing. He said that no one had ever asked him a question like that before and he needed to think about it. He stopped talking and taking questions and started walking around in circles for a couple of *minutes*. He stopped, looked at me and said "practice stopping". I asked "what do you mean?" he said play a bit and stop, just stop, don't play for a while and then do it again. Practice stopping, not playing. He then thanked me for asking the question; that made me feel good. That was all I needed to understand how to practice phrasing. My biggest complaint with many Jazz musicians is that they have no idea how to stop. I get bored because to me, it is monotonic. They don't think so, but I do. The big name jazz players are *never* monotonic, they know how to stop. This may be only useful to me because I only play what I write but this concept of "just stopping" opened a big door in my brain and how I think about music. I LOVE your presentation and methodology Jens. Thank you. Big long runs gets annoying and it ruins the pieces, for me at least. I want to hear a story, a dialog .... listening to the river flow is fun at first, but not all that interesting after a while. Technique is a *means* to an end. The objective is to tell a story, a cohesive musical story. Practice stopping.
What a great story! And very well told, too. Wonder who the sax player was - it was a good answer, just listen to Miles Davis play. He sure knew when to stop in his phrasing. Not so sure about John Coltrane though... 😎
Great story. Yes, horn players and singers need to breathe. Guitarists, pianists, etc. have to really work to develop a human-like "voice." I'm totally with you on how endless cascades of notes with no stopping become meaningless after a while. (No shortage of things to work on for a lifetime...) Cheers
Some MIGHT be missing the point. Playing "simple" motifs is much harder than it looks, even for professional musicians (I just spoke with someone of that level the other day, I am nowhere near his level of musicianship). Try this: play a short phrase, and keep it in your aural memory while you play your next phrase. Now, keep that phrase in your aural memory as you play your next phrase. You are actively building up your aural memory. You are improvising with this technique, not pre writing a solo (which is also a great exercise). Technique is difficult to build up, but building your aural memory and your musical ear could be even more challenging. Even Eric Alexander and John Coltrane have practiced some form of this exercise--you can hear it in their playing. And the groove and rhythm. Technique can capture an audience, but building motifs and "composing on the spot" will keep the audience listening--because it's part of story telling.Playing substitute changes and double timing won't work if you can't connect and build on everything that you play. Be well, be safe.
Love this. I have been struggling with motifs in my solos for some time, and now I have another voice in my head telling me to keep trying! I got a new guitar this week, a 1993 Joe Pass Emperor! I have to live up to this instrument! Your vids are key for me, Jens!
Me gustan las clases que das y el contenido que compartes. Aquí en el sur nos cuesta superar la barrera del idioma. El traductor de YT es malo, ya lo sabemos, por lo que si hicieras algún vídeo con subtítulos en español estaríamos agradecidos! Saludos y gracias igual!!
At 13 seconds, though cool, the context made me chuckle! Also the angry TH-cam comment, ha! Like any good teacher, you push the fundamentals, make the student jump through hoops. Then, when the student is doing exactly what you taught, you say "hey, why are you working so hard? You learned the rudiments, now just chill and feel it." Another great video Jens!
Haha, arthritis makes sure i play that way. I cannot physically play as fast as many players, and i try to compensate with interesting intervals and motifs based on melody.
Ryan Jones , practice blues riffs ( phrasing) and short in notes blues"runs" . Then practice jazz riffs , practice arpeggios on a separate guitar with .008 or .009 lighter. gauge strings until you get the arpeggios down pat. Practice riffs using lighter gauge strings.
@@JensLarsen Funny enough, I am Okay with my disability. There are so many fast players, people that are not much over eight that can play sweep arpeggios and 16th note runs, should I really wish to compete with them? My sound is my sound, and is separate in my mind from my motor skills. Perhaps I must only have sufficient skill to realize my sound, not the other way around. Thank you for your work Jens, I wouldn't be playing Jazz at all if I had not found your videos 2 years ago. I have played every day since, fast or no, good or no.
Ryan Jones , remember also , it's not how fast you are able to play , you have to have the phrasing ,songs and notes.Harmony and melody ,those two elements of music.
You make the point very well. Trying to copy others and using their "tricks" is a great way to guarantee that you will never be good at "creating" music. You will get very good and duplicating "other" peoples music. There is not a serious painter, sculpture, writer, architect, etc. that does not develop their "own" style. There are many people out their that know how to play at unbelievable levels, of those a few are also "artists", but not many. Often it is our limitations that forces us to be "artistic" with what we have and THAT is the road to greatness. Thank you for reminding me of this!
Thank you very much, Jens. We all need this reminder. It's more about the time and making the lines fathomable to the listener than displaying how much harmony you know, or how fast you can play. Not that I know or can do much anyway hahaha.
Thanks for another great lesson Jens! I had to rewind the video; when you said "you can practice this roboto." I thought you said " you can practice this in your bathroom " !! Yes, I laughed out loud.
I would sum up by saying: stop playing mechanically, and play only what you hear in your head. Music must be in your head, in your spirit, not in your fingers. Fingers must only be the medium.
@@JensLarsen It's OK, if that's the music they really want to play. The goal of music is to express yourself. All the rest (competition, success) is bullshit.
There's a trick I sometimes use when I play: I play as if it wasn't me playing, as if I was just a listener. So I play what I'd like to hear as a listener. It's amazing how you sound more "musical" when you do this. Of course, great musicians and geniuses don't have to use this trick; it's a trick for "average talented" musicians.
Well, not really. He's a great musician and bassist, and I'm sure he studied cats like Bird, Powell, etc. and can play that style; much of jazz improvisation's foundation is rooted in bebop and the blues, but, his vibe and cats in his class studied Trane and the subsequent hard bop players, like... Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea etc. The thing about Bebop is..., most of it was developed during the time when the popular music at the time was extremely melodic and maybe even a little corny and those cats had to find a way to improvise through those types of changes like "I Got Rhythm" or "How High The Moon" and created a very sophisticated jazz vocabulary and language in the interim from those show tunes and crooner types of melodic music of the 1940s and early to mid 1950s combined with the pre-existence of the blues.
@@JensLarsen It's crazy, though, because, my father was raised in Detroit from the age of 3 (after his family moved from Georgia) and was a straight Bebop musician and was 17 years old in 1957 Detroit and trumpet players his age back then were starting to move away from true real bebop and playing more loud, blurt with more gimmicky licks with some bebop phrases here and there. To me, Barry Harris never sounded and still sounds nothing like McCoy Tyner, Amad Jamal, Wynton Kellly or even Tommy Flanagan and other cats within hat age group. Also, I meant hard bop, as in, post 1950s Miles Davis. Bebop is much different to me, but.., hey, that's just me. I grew up in it so it can hear the difference which is probably heard as more nuanced by others. I really dig Herbie Hancock's playing, but, he "ain't" never played no bebop.
That's the biggest challenge for players - to make music and not play scales and patterns and try to run every change. Chet Baker and Miles are 2 good sources for playing in a more lyrical and less mechanical style. Excellent video, thanks.
your very rigth ! but it takes time to understand ! just play the melodie on a standard , not chord not impro, and listen ! you just have so many things to work on the simple melodie ! tone , rythm, sound, why ? because the great guitarists have their own voice , its the most difficult to do !
This is very true! Sometimes when we solo it’s almost like we have to “prove” to ourselves and everyone else that we can “make the changes”, but it doesn’t actually sound good to play every single resolution and outline every single change. It also makes you end up playing way too many notes and putting too much pressure on yourself.
I've been listening Kurt Rosenwinkel, Wes Montgomery, John Abercrombie, Keith Jarrett and all these guys have a common sense of approaching to solos: something that is not crystal clear, something vague. Can you make a video about John Abercrombie next time? Thank you for your great lessons!
Quick question Jens..... when approaching a standard for the first time and want to practice the arpeggios of the chord changes for starters, how do you organise all the exercises you need to play through?? You know including scales, arpeggios , chords etc... do you write it all out or just make a mental list... what works better?? Also what software do you use that creates the really good sheet music shown on your posts???
It is hard to say what will work for you. I never write things down. I use the exercises to help me remember the chords. I do have a video on learning a standard on the channel, maybe check that out? The software I use is GuitarPro7. It is fairly inexpensive and works really well
question...should one thats starting out with extended chord...learn one major and one minor shape on the 6th and 5th string to be able to build a progression , and then learn more shapes from there...or should you learn multiple voicings at the same time...??? i have trouble remembering a bunch of shapes...can you elaberate more on this please..???
Jens that part at 7:10 until you talk again is beautiful. Playing like that accumulative suspense because the mind can actually be taken further. That was way more than example.
Jens, every video I’ve seen of yours was concise, uncluttered, precise, and inspirational. Your a great teacher. This was the best of them all. Honestly I would love to hear you talking a solid hour on this topic. Because as others have said here, every great jazz musician has come to the same realization. It’s easier said than done, this stringing together of short rhythmically related ideas, but this is what it’s all about . When I think of some of Lewis Armstrong’s lines , they are so damn simple, but you know exactly the story he’s trying to tell. What isn’t simple is his ability to tie them together as a story. I think maybe bop jazz confused a lot of us as to what telling a story in a solo can be.
1mn 18 !!!!!! Tooo fuun !!!! Greeeaaat !!!!! I heard J.Pass with O.Peterson playing be bop but the timing is so fast, so many notes , chords changing that it is impossible (for me) to "listen" quietly what they play.... YOU ARE REAAALLY SWINGING WHEN YOU PLAY SHORT PHRASES !!!! There is "rythmical breathing" !!!! (I do not know if I am clear through this expression !!! Lol).
That s exactly how i Like to play ! I sometimes do this exercice: plays shorts phrases , and the beguining of each phrase must remind or refer to (quote) the ending of the last phrase, harmonicly or rythmicly . Very fun to do and creats â lot of sens. 'Scuse my english, Master!
5 mn... greeaat it is true though I never realized " Autaumn leaves" thème was repeated 3 times because I always loves that melody reminding me the "simplicity" of The Beatles mélodies...("Penny Lane"...
Great video as always. 100% this the original melody on so many standards is great, then a lot of the time soloists turn it into a pissing contest of how many notes can be crammed into a bar or how many advanced techniques can I use to show off. It's like replacing the meal with the spices. I like what you said about the 2-4 note phrases and concentrating on the rhythm, it feels more like you're telling a story as the subject or character is changing or offering different perspectives etc. And it promotes creativity rather than just regurgitating other peoples licks.
A solo is like a story telling, great video to make understand why emotion, feeling and groove s so important. technical stuff is here to serve the song, and listeners not to demonstrate power of the guitarist. That why I love Wes Montgomery, Georges Benson, , Grant Green, Clapton, BB king and so many others, jazz, blues and Soul msuicians
Thanks for continuing to post these great videos. I send these to my guitar students all the time, have learned a lot myself. Doing only Skype lessons now looks like for a long time, hope you are safe.
Maybe it is a good idea to tell the beginning musicians how to create a motive, by starting first with rhythmical idea's, that will be later clothed with melodic material otherwise, it is maybe for, the routine's understandable, but beginners will maybe not understand how to build one...also by maybe show or play first the naked rhythmical idea, also this connected with statements: 1st 2nd and 3rd statement and then there is three different rhythmical motive's that have some underlying idea, for instance, the idea what you played... one 4 and 2 8's but maybe the 2nd time a bit longer and the last time longest as an example..But maybe this is helpful, if not see it as not written at all...On the other hand, learning things on different levels could be helpful, with strategic x xx patterns without immediately notes could be helpful I suppose, Also lots of compositions may be started with the rhythm: For instance, take 5, maybe Westcoast blues, or Foot prints(those last two are wild guesses
i really like the way you teach...i was trying to find a good lesson on how to construct chords...and your lessson on stacking 3rds has to be what really opened my eyes..i never thought of looking at it that way...thank you
Yeess Jens... Wayne Shorter ("short" lol). You' re right , I felt it unconsciously and never "realized" it untill I saw your vidéo...this is EXACTLY what you' re saying...maybe that 's why I never appreciated J.M.Laughling (though hé is great and I respect) mainly... In Rap music, singers always go very fast and it is really boring at a moment for there is no time for the ear to "breath"...and we understand nothing of the lyrics because of the speeding "singing"... Even Bird "slows down" often in his solos...K.Jarrett, P. Metheny etc...
Greeeaaat: when you play a solo the chords appears on the screen so that we can "understand ", really "listening" to it...Thanks Jens...Well I stop now, I put too many commentaries !!! IT IS just the expression of my joy !!! Sorry for all
Did you work on phrasing like this? Share some tips!
Content:
0:00 Intro -The difference between You and Wes
0:45 Different types of phrases
1:18 An Angry TH-cam comment
1:38 How to get started
1:52 Breaking down a Wes solo for phrases
2:54 Example solo on Out of Nowhere
3:18 Rhythm - Less notes = better rhythms
3:55 Repeating Phrases and making a solo that is a whole piece of music
4:53 Breaking down the structure of Autumn Leaves
5:27 Example solo moving a phrase through Out of Nowhere
5:54 How to start practicing this.
6:30 Developing Phrases in a solo
7:02 Solo example developing phrases.
7:36 Like the video? Check out my Patreon page
You really nailed it, Jens. Trying to work more towards solo guitar, this is definitely the path (at least for me). I totally agree that those long fast phrases will work as breaks and at other spots, but if it's continuous, then you can never interject the harmony. This was one of my first hurdles. One thing that I try to do is with a 3-4 note phrase that I'm going to repeat, is to add another layer of harmony each time, i.e. single notes, then double-stops, maybe 3 or 4 note harmony, etc. Not too hard with a few notes. Listeners like this because they say to themselves, "ah, I see what he/she is doing" (at least I do!). It also leaves enough space so you can do those harmonized walk-ups, walk-downs, or turnarounds. You cast the idea well, but what could you do to elaborate further?
I went to a Jazz workshop many years ago. The fellow who was giving the course spoke about phrasing and how important it is; he played sax. I asked him how to practice making phrases. He did not understand so I explained that I knew what to do to practice scales and arpeggios and flatpicking etc, but I had no idea how I could "practice" getting better at phrasing. He said that no one had ever asked him a question like that before and he needed to think about it. He stopped talking and taking questions and started walking around in circles for a couple of *minutes*. He stopped, looked at me and said "practice stopping". I asked "what do you mean?" he said play a bit and stop, just stop, don't play for a while and then do it again. Practice stopping, not playing. He then thanked me for asking the question; that made me feel good.
That was all I needed to understand how to practice phrasing. My biggest complaint with many Jazz musicians is that they have no idea how to stop. I get bored because to me, it is monotonic. They don't think so, but I do. The big name jazz players are *never* monotonic, they know how to stop. This may be only useful to me because I only play what I write but this concept of "just stopping" opened a big door in my brain and how I think about music.
I LOVE your presentation and methodology Jens. Thank you. Big long runs gets annoying and it ruins the pieces, for me at least. I want to hear a story, a dialog .... listening to the river flow is fun at first, but not all that interesting after a while. Technique is a *means* to an end. The objective is to tell a story, a cohesive musical story. Practice stopping.
Michael Gerety ...solid gold you passed on. Thank you!
Oh that’s good. That’s REALLY good. I’m going to practise stopping next time. Thanks for sharing that! 💡
What a great story! And very well told, too. Wonder who the sax player was - it was a good answer, just listen to Miles Davis play. He sure knew when to stop in his phrasing. Not so sure about John Coltrane though... 😎
What they said
Great story. Yes, horn players and singers need to breathe. Guitarists, pianists, etc. have to really work to develop a human-like "voice." I'm totally with you on how endless cascades of notes with no stopping become meaningless after a while. (No shortage of things to work on for a lifetime...) Cheers
....and also playing some changes that aren’t really there😂😂
We all dream :)
I thought I was the only one who did that. 🤣
Some MIGHT be missing the point. Playing "simple" motifs is much harder than it looks, even for professional musicians (I just spoke with someone of that level the other day, I am nowhere near his level of musicianship). Try this: play a short phrase, and keep it in your aural memory while you play your next phrase. Now, keep that phrase in your aural memory as you play your next phrase. You are actively building up your aural memory. You are improvising with this technique, not pre writing a solo (which is also a great exercise). Technique is difficult to build up, but building your aural memory and your musical ear could be even more challenging. Even Eric Alexander and John Coltrane have practiced some form of this exercise--you can hear it in their playing. And the groove and rhythm. Technique can capture an audience, but building motifs and "composing on the spot" will keep the audience listening--because it's part of story telling.Playing substitute changes and double timing won't work if you can't connect and build on everything that you play. Be well, be safe.
This is pure gold Jens. especially for someone like me who struggles to learn jazz improvisation. Thanks.
Glad you like it John A
Get Jen’s books. Really. They’re fantastic!
Well now , I'm infected by your virus , don't know if my system would reject or integrate , thks Jens , you're too good ...!!!
Haha! Thanks :)
Love this. I have been struggling with motifs in my solos for some time, and now I have another voice in my head telling me to keep trying!
I got a new guitar this week, a 1993 Joe Pass Emperor! I have to live up to this instrument! Your vids are key for me, Jens!
Great! Congrats on the guitar :)
If this were the only video jens ever made hed still deserve 184k followers.
Thank you, Jeremy!
Me gustan las clases que das y el contenido que compartes. Aquí en el sur nos cuesta superar la barrera del idioma. El traductor de YT es malo, ya lo sabemos, por lo que si hicieras algún vídeo con subtítulos en español estaríamos agradecidos! Saludos y gracias igual!!
Sorry, I don't speak Spanish 🙂
At 13 seconds, though cool, the context made me chuckle! Also the angry TH-cam comment, ha! Like any good teacher, you push the fundamentals, make the student jump through hoops. Then, when the student is doing exactly what you taught, you say "hey, why are you working so hard? You learned the rudiments, now just chill and feel it." Another great video Jens!
Haha, arthritis makes sure i play that way. I cannot physically play as fast as many players, and i try to compensate with interesting intervals and motifs based on melody.
Not often you can look at that from the bright side though?
Ryan Jones , practice blues riffs ( phrasing) and short in notes blues"runs" . Then practice jazz riffs , practice arpeggios on a separate guitar with .008 or .009 lighter. gauge strings until you get the arpeggios down pat. Practice riffs using lighter gauge strings.
@@JensLarsen Funny enough, I am Okay with my disability. There are so many fast players, people that are not much over eight that can play sweep arpeggios and 16th note runs, should I really wish to compete with them? My sound is my sound, and is separate in my mind from my motor skills. Perhaps I must only have sufficient skill to realize my sound, not the other way around. Thank you for your work Jens, I wouldn't be playing Jazz at all if I had not found your videos 2 years ago. I have played every day since, fast or no, good or no.
Ryan Jones , remember also , it's not how fast you are able to play , you have to have the phrasing ,songs and notes.Harmony and melody ,those two elements of music.
You make the point very well. Trying to copy others and using their "tricks" is a great way to guarantee that you will never be good at "creating" music. You will get very good and duplicating "other" peoples music. There is not a serious painter, sculpture, writer, architect, etc. that does not develop their "own" style. There are many people out their that know how to play at unbelievable levels, of those a few are also "artists", but not many. Often it is our limitations that forces us to be "artistic" with what we have and THAT is the road to greatness. Thank you for reminding me of this!
Thank you very much, Jens. We all need this reminder. It's more about the time and making the lines fathomable to the listener than displaying how much harmony you know, or how fast you can play. Not that I know or can do much anyway hahaha.
Thanks for another great lesson Jens! I had to rewind the video; when you said "you can practice this roboto." I thought you said " you can practice this in your bathroom " !! Yes, I laughed out loud.
I would sum up by saying: stop playing mechanically, and play only what you hear in your head. Music must be in your head, in your spirit, not in your fingers. Fingers must only be the medium.
Well, I think somebody like Pat Martino or Adam Rogers hear their lines as well, but don't play that many short phrases.
@@JensLarsen
It's OK, if that's the music they really want to play. The goal of music is to express yourself. All the rest (competition, success) is bullshit.
There's a trick I sometimes use when I play: I play as if it wasn't me playing, as if I was just a listener. So I play what I'd like to hear as a listener. It's amazing how you sound more "musical" when you do this. Of course, great musicians and geniuses don't have to use this trick; it's a trick for "average talented" musicians.
John Petrucci plays Bebop, doesn't he ... ? ;-)
Well, not really. He's a great musician and bassist, and I'm sure he studied cats like Bird, Powell, etc. and can play that style; much of jazz improvisation's foundation is rooted in bebop and the blues, but, his vibe and cats in his class studied Trane and the subsequent hard bop players, like... Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea etc. The thing about Bebop is..., most of it was developed during the time when the popular music at the time was extremely melodic and maybe even a little corny and those cats had to find a way to improvise through those types of changes like "I Got Rhythm" or "How High The Moon" and created a very sophisticated jazz vocabulary and language in the interim from those show tunes and crooner types of melodic music of the 1940s and early to mid 1950s combined with the pre-existence of the blues.
Yes, essentially it is bebop, just with a different type of phrasing, another melodic flow and some other note choices (and another meter)
Jens Larsen ... apart from that - identical! 😂
@@JensLarsen It's crazy, though, because, my father was raised in Detroit from the age of 3 (after his family moved from Georgia) and was a straight Bebop musician and was 17 years old in 1957 Detroit and trumpet players his age back then were starting to move away from true real bebop and playing more loud, blurt with more gimmicky licks with some bebop phrases here and there. To me, Barry Harris never sounded and still sounds nothing like McCoy Tyner, Amad Jamal, Wynton Kellly or even Tommy Flanagan and other cats within hat age group. Also, I meant hard bop, as in, post 1950s Miles Davis. Bebop is much different to me, but.., hey, that's just me. I grew up in it so it can hear the difference which is probably heard as more nuanced by others. I really dig Herbie Hancock's playing, but, he "ain't" never played no bebop.
thanks master...GOD blessyou
Glad you like it 🙂
That's the biggest challenge for players - to make music and not play scales and patterns and try to run every change. Chet Baker and Miles are 2 good sources for playing in a more lyrical and less mechanical style. Excellent video, thanks.
your very rigth ! but it takes time to understand ! just play the melodie on a standard , not chord not impro, and listen ! you just have so many things to work on the simple melodie ! tone , rythm, sound, why ? because the great guitarists have their own voice , its the most difficult to do !
I love this video, the examples that you used and how you presented them. Great stuff!
Amen Jens! Great teaching!
Thank you Derryl!!! :) Hope you and your family are safe in this strange time!
This is very true! Sometimes when we solo it’s almost like we have to “prove” to ourselves and everyone else that we can “make the changes”, but it doesn’t actually sound good to play every single resolution and outline every single change. It also makes you end up playing way too many notes and putting too much pressure on yourself.
Also, I think the concepts you talk about here are applicable to ALL genres of music!
Well said... the space between allows you to be creative.. !
Brilliant advice. I love this! Thanks Jens.
Practice is definitely meant to get the most out of what you can! Learning and putting new concepts into application can really do you wonders! Cheers
Glad you like it RC!
@@JensLarsen Always great man!
My jazz master
Thank you 🙂
Great advice!
Thank you 🙂
Great video. Thank you!
You make this so obvious, thanks Jens!
I've been listening Kurt Rosenwinkel, Wes Montgomery, John Abercrombie, Keith Jarrett and all these guys have a common sense of approaching to solos: something that is not crystal clear, something vague. Can you make a video about John Abercrombie next time? Thank you for your great lessons!
Thanks Oguz! I am not making the videos on specific players at the moment. Most people don't want to watch them, so they are bad for the channel.
Quick question Jens..... when approaching a standard for the first time and want to practice the arpeggios of the chord changes for starters, how do you organise all the exercises you need to play through?? You know including scales, arpeggios , chords etc... do you write it all out or just make a mental list... what works better?? Also what software do you use that creates the really good sheet music shown on your posts???
It is hard to say what will work for you. I never write things down. I use the exercises to help me remember the chords.
I do have a video on learning a standard on the channel, maybe check that out?
The software I use is GuitarPro7. It is fairly inexpensive and works really well
amazing and funny teacher..
Superb.
Thank you Paul!
question...should one thats starting out with extended chord...learn one major and one minor shape on the 6th and 5th string to be able to build a progression , and then learn more shapes from there...or should you learn multiple voicings at the same time...??? i have trouble remembering a bunch of shapes...can you elaberate more on this please..???
Try this jenslarsen.nl/how-to-learn-to-play-jazz-chords-study-guide/
@@JensLarsen i will....thank you
Jens that part at 7:10 until you talk again is beautiful. Playing like that accumulative suspense because the mind can actually be taken further. That was way more than example.
Jens, every video I’ve seen of yours was concise, uncluttered, precise, and inspirational. Your a great teacher. This was the best of them all. Honestly I would love to hear you talking a solid hour on this topic. Because as others have said here, every great jazz musician
has come to the same realization. It’s easier said than done, this stringing together of short rhythmically related ideas, but this is what it’s all about . When I think of some of Lewis Armstrong’s lines , they are so damn simple, but you know exactly the story he’s trying to tell. What isn’t simple is his ability to tie them together as a story. I think maybe bop jazz confused a lot of us as to what telling a story in a solo can be.
Thanks for this, Maestro Jens!
Clear cut, and on point.
Glad you like it!
1mn 18 !!!!!! Tooo fuun !!!! Greeeaaat !!!!!
I heard J.Pass with O.Peterson playing be bop but the timing is so fast, so many notes , chords changing that it is impossible (for me) to "listen" quietly what they play....
YOU ARE REAAALLY SWINGING WHEN YOU PLAY SHORT PHRASES !!!!
There is "rythmical breathing" !!!! (I do not know if I am clear through this expression !!! Lol).
That s exactly how i Like to play !
I sometimes do this exercice: plays shorts phrases , and the beguining of each phrase must remind or refer to (quote) the ending of the last phrase, harmonicly or rythmicly . Very fun to do and creats â lot of sens.
'Scuse my english, Master!
150% authentic and real 😂😂😂
We aim to please!
I know it very well, great teacherr 😂🙏🏻
Thank you so much! I was strugglin' with my improvisation, this way of thinking will really help me to play more musical phrases!
5 mn... greeaat it is true though I never realized " Autaumn leaves" thème was repeated 3 times because I always loves that melody reminding me the "simplicity" of The Beatles mélodies...("Penny Lane"...
Great video as always.
100% this the original melody on so many standards is great, then a lot of the time soloists turn it into a pissing contest of how many notes can be crammed into a bar or how many advanced techniques can I use to show off. It's like replacing the meal with the spices.
I like what you said about the 2-4 note phrases and concentrating on the rhythm, it feels more like you're telling a story as the subject or character is changing or offering different perspectives etc. And it promotes creativity rather than just regurgitating other peoples licks.
A solo is like a story telling, great video to make understand why emotion, feeling and groove s so important. technical stuff is here to serve the song, and listeners not to demonstrate power of the guitarist. That why I love Wes Montgomery, Georges Benson, , Grant Green, Clapton, BB king and so many others, jazz, blues and Soul msuicians
It’s like you’ve been watching me and knew exactly what I needed right now!
Where are the tabs for this?
Which tabs? 🙂
Jens Larsen Wes phrases etc.
I can post them on Patreon, it's from an older video on Wes
@@JensLarsen Got them. Thanks. Loving the way you teach.
Awesome lesson!
Thanks for continuing to post these great videos. I send these to my guitar students all the time, have learned a lot myself. Doing only Skype lessons now looks like for a long time, hope you are safe.
Maybe it is a good idea to tell the beginning musicians how to create a motive, by starting first with rhythmical idea's, that will be later clothed with melodic material otherwise, it is maybe for, the routine's understandable, but beginners will maybe not understand how to build one...also by maybe show or play first the naked rhythmical idea, also this connected with statements: 1st 2nd and 3rd statement and then there is three different rhythmical motive's that have some underlying idea, for instance, the idea what you played... one 4 and 2 8's but maybe the 2nd time a bit longer and the last time longest as an example..But maybe this is helpful, if not see it as not written at all...On the other hand, learning things on different levels could be helpful, with strategic x xx patterns without immediately notes could be helpful I suppose, Also lots of compositions may be started with the rhythm: For instance, take 5, maybe Westcoast blues, or Foot prints(those last two are wild guesses
i really like the way you teach...i was trying to find a good lesson on how to construct chords...and your lessson on stacking 3rds has to be what really opened my eyes..i never thought of looking at it that way...thank you
Well presented; thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Jens for everything you do ✌
Thanks for sharing the knowledge once again!
Thanks for another great video!!! Please take care!!!
Good video, it’s all about short and simple melodies!
Yeess Jens... Wayne Shorter ("short" lol). You' re right , I felt it unconsciously and never "realized" it untill I saw your vidéo...this is EXACTLY what you' re saying...maybe that 's why I never appreciated J.M.Laughling (though hé is great and I respect) mainly...
In Rap music, singers always go very fast and it is really boring at a moment for there is no time for the ear to "breath"...and we understand nothing of the lyrics because of the speeding "singing"...
Even Bird "slows down" often in his solos...K.Jarrett, P. Metheny etc...
Even Bird "slows down" in his solos...sometimes...
Thanks Jens.
Regards,
David D
Thanks Jens,cool ideas !
Brilliant, as usual. Thanks Jens.
now you are talking
Greeeaaat: when you play a solo the chords appears on the screen so that we can "understand ", really "listening" to it...Thanks Jens...Well I stop now, I put too many commentaries !!! IT IS just the expression of my joy !!! Sorry for all