I'll never forget when a jazz piano instructor of mine had me play ii V I progression in the key of C while he just ran up and down the C major scale. It sounded a lot jazzier than I expected. My jaw dropped when he told me that his improvisation was just a major scale.
It's because of the well tempered tuning. That is a compromise, allowing us to play in ALL keys we'd like. And the drawback is, not all chords that could be perfectly consonant (or dissonant) still are. Which is okay, many people don't even HEAR these details. We are used to our piano's. We are used to, say, an E flat 7 chord. However, we have never played it on a piano that was TUNED in E flat. That piano has a perfect consonant terts G and perfect quint B flat. When you got a good quality spare piano, and you are a piano tuner, you could do it. Pick the key of a song you love, and tune the spare piano in that key. Sure tuning a piano takes time, but then you can find out if such strange tuning is worth the trouble. Depends on the song. The chords were chosen for a reason, if we change the tuning, chances are we murder the mood of certain chords. That is subtle, I remember an organ piece of Pachelbel, set just one tone lower, in this book, and you immediately hear, this is not the original we all know. Let alone what happens when you play it in a different tuning.
He's really good, isn't he? I love how he broke down 'the bassists job.' I would have thought the drummer would be the time keeper, but what do I know about jazz? Lol
4:02 "We in the horn section rely on the rhythm section for the rhyth and for the harmony and the rhythm section relies on us in the horn section for a tenuous sense of existential reality, for a sense of purpose!" What a quote, briliant! Sounds so insane yet so true!
As a life time jazz saxophonist for 52 years now, i think this video is fantastic!!!!! I have played at Smalls with Roy Hargrove. I was a member of the USAF Bands for 23 years, I will tell all my students to watch this video.Thanks!!! Grant King Koeller
30 years myself piano is my game and just shared with all my students the title of this video. I feel Jamey Aebersold vibe. Met him personally years ago and had a nice long workshop with the man.
Dude, we desperately need more sax players in this world! Hope you're out there passing it on. The sax is missed in the mainstream. A quality sax player is the hidden star of the show.
This is just a fantastic incredibly well thought out video, I'm dipping my toe into jazz composition and learning flugelhorn and this and your other lessons have been amazing thank you so much!
I loved that you talked about the scales you were using over the form. As someone who only plays by ear, the base logic of jazz improvisation over chords, or why you'd play a certain note and not others has completely eluded me for years. I could only play what I heard, but now I know that I need to learn modes. Also, great job from you and your band on the single take! It was executed very well and sounded incredibly pleasing to the ears.
Thank for what I always imagined was a perfectly logic way of explaining basic jazz. I always asked a fellow Piano major, who also majored in Jazz, to teach me a little about jazz only to get some kind of obnoxious answer like “Oh yOu cAnT ReAlly TEach Jazzzzz” like it was some secret language peasants weren’t allowed to be taught or that every Jazzer just somehow learns out of the love for the music alone. God forbid they try to define jazz in some concrete way. Will definitely be coming back to this video.
This debate is as old as jazz. I think there is truth to both sides. There's definitely a formula, but that formula gets abused regularly by great musicians with real chops because dissonance in jazz can work so well.
That pianist just didn't know how to teach jazz and lacked the humility to admit it. Jazz can be taught in many ways, whether in plain language or academic terms. As long as you have good teachers or are self-taught through effective resources, you're being taught jazz. The issue is that many people fail to learn because the teachers either overwhelm the student with too much or bore them with too little, so the end result is that the student gives up.
great video, thanks for putting into 20 minutes what „ pros“ can often not explain. I asked a conservatory trained musician what „ close harmony“ might be. Well, thats Jazz harmonies, she said. ok, then I knew it all.
Wow, their response was obnoxious and annoying! Most jazz musicians will at least tell you one or two favorite standards and to listen to 3 or 4 different recordings of each, because honestly and I'm not trying to be a jerk, but jazz really can't be "defined concretely" as some might consider the takeaway from this great video which actually only outlines, and importantly DEMONSTRATES an anatomy of ONE variation. It really is different than learning blues guitar or any specific techniques/common patterns like is possible for almost all other instruments and styles. As a music major, I suspect you would have grasped everything in this video and much more, and certainly more than anyone could explain in words. 🎶♥️
Great explanation! My friend in High School gave me the analogy of "Jazz is just like DandD. You have your Dungeon Master the tune. Your guide post the chords. The rest is just adventuring. Have fun interacting with the world and your team mates!"
And you have decades of history, convention, “memes”, tropes, and references on the culture level (LoTR, the official lore book, popular fanfic) and the community (the inside jokes with your local scene or friends)
You did a beautiful job of clearly explaining Jazz and the blues. I’ve been drumming for 40 years and loved this presentation. Please continue with this. TY
This is an explanation of a particular type of “traditional “ jazz. But there is also a more esoteric theory, and that is that human minds can sense “meaningful patterns” and great jazz artist can take your mind to a completely new musical space while still “making sense”.
I love the musicianship in the explanation alone. The whole speach fits so perfectly in the form of the music being played, and the flow is never lost. Adored it 👏👏👏
I learned more about music theory and improvisation in that one 20 minute clip than in all my years of instruction and reading as a rank amateur musician! Thank you!🙏🏻
I've only been with the trumpet for about a year and a half; your channel is a continual help and motivator. This is one of the very best videos I've seen explaining form and function. Your trumpet sounds fantastic. Great choice of notes; great timing. Thank everyone for their playing!
I'm a guitar player (strictly hobby amateur) trying to get a bit of jazz enlightenment. I found your presentation very clear and helpful. I'll record the chords and try the scales over the chords to try and get the sounds into my head. I'm not musically particularly talented, so as a newcomer, what I'd find most helpful is a gradual easing into jazz - as an example, just working on two bars of the I chord to get some ideas going in proper jazz style; something to establish a solid foundation, then gradually extend this to say fours bars, then the IV chord and onwards. I've had a go at memorising transcribed solos by Charlie Christian, and even transcribed one myself. I've enjoyed doing so, but it's not getting me into improvising. It's early days yet I suppose, but I hope my comments make sense and are helpful for you. Thanks for a first class and clear presentation - it's definitely an evolutionary step forward for me.
Loved this video! It was like a lesson & a wonderful performance all in one. What a joy to see such top tier musicians! Thank you for the effective instruction.
Legitimately one of the best videos I've seen on TH-cam. So well explained, great pacing. I'm not a musician, but this pulls back some of the curtain of what's going on in jazz.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I wish someone had explained it to me this way a long time ago. Now I need to find some accompaniment tracks to practice.
I was a music student and jazz theory was a required class for 2 semesters. There’s a lot of lingo that if you don’t play jazz can really get you confused. This video clarifies a lot of things. Still can’t get over hearing that someone was blowing in my jazz arrangement assignments. 😂
Here’s how I use all 12 notes over a Dominant 7 chord: first 3/b7, the mighty tritone contains the 2 most important notes, then 1-3-5-b7 is the arpeggiated chord, then b3 and b5 from the Blues scale (with b3 always resolving upwards into 3, never the reverse), then add in 6 and 2 from Mixolydian. So now we have 1-2-b3/3-4-b5-5-6-b7, the most “inside” notes (Mixolydian + the Blues scale). Finally add in b2-b6-7 as “outside” notes to be used in chromatic lines that resolve. There’s all 12 notes over a Dominant 7 chord.
Incredible, down to earth and in-depth enough introduction to jazz. I wish I had this years ago when I was trying to understand jazz by myself. Even after years and years of trying to understand certain jazz stuff, I learned a BUNCH of basic stuff
I can't go to college; getting introduction instruction was awesome! Often I play in Jazz Orchestras and have to sitout on soloing. Very nicely done! Thanks!
What a fantastic video! I wasn’t even looking for this because I didn’t think I was interested in playing jazz but I was fascinated throughout the whole thing and I learned a ton from it, now I need to try
I love this video. It's so cool to have a flowing explanation inside of a performance like this. Very compatible for my learning style. My huge thanks to the four of you.
This video helped me understand how jazz is put together I’ve always wanted to compose jazz it pleases my ears more than any other genre when done right, just the nostalgia feeling I get from it, thank you for the informative video
I have always enjoyed jazz to some extent but I think now I'm able to appreciate it. Great video and talented musicians here. This video explained a lot thank you.
I play low brass (read: tuba) and am now on a quest to *really* understand the underpinnings of scales/chord prograssions...this is a great presentatiion, true education.
Truly, thank you for doing this video - a great introduction into jazz/blues but more importantly it shares why I love playing saxophone - unlimited possibilities. Neil
This video is so good, I've learned a whole lot of things I never had the opportunity to learn in books. I'm a jazz lover from Italy , but down here we are not as "on the point" as you guys in the U.S so thank you so so much for these fantastic contents you give out for free, they"re such a precious help.
Drummer missed exactly zero chord changes. Outstanding.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ain't no drummer, that's a "groupie"!🙄
gotta show love to the drummer, pocket only for 13 minutes straight is crazy
The man is on point
Flowstate. Even for the simple demonstration. 😊
Zach grooves would have been fired for sure.
That's not long
@@balroggambit Bop drummers holding down a fast cherokee for 45 minutes while the tenor players try to flex on each other
I'll never forget when a jazz piano instructor of mine had me play ii V I progression in the key of C while he just ran up and down the C major scale. It sounded a lot jazzier than I expected. My jaw dropped when he told me that his improvisation was just a major scale.
As a hack rock player rather than a jazz player, isn’t that something that I or any other basic player could do as long as we stay in the key?
It's because of the well tempered tuning. That is a compromise, allowing us to play in ALL keys we'd like. And the drawback is, not all chords that could be perfectly consonant (or dissonant) still are. Which is okay, many people don't even HEAR these details. We are used to our piano's.
We are used to, say, an E flat 7 chord. However, we have never played it on a piano that was TUNED in E flat. That piano has a perfect consonant terts G and perfect quint B flat. When you got a good quality spare piano, and you are a piano tuner, you could do it. Pick the key of a song you love, and tune the spare piano in that key. Sure tuning a piano takes time, but then you can find out if such strange tuning is worth the trouble. Depends on the song. The chords were chosen for a reason, if we change the tuning, chances are we murder the mood of certain chords. That is subtle, I remember an organ piece of Pachelbel, set just one tone lower, in this book, and you immediately hear, this is not the original we all know. Let alone what happens when you play it in a different tuning.
cool idea -you can do it with software pretty quickly @@voornaam3191
All modes within the same scale share the same notes. C major, C Ionian, D Dorian, G dominant, G Mixolydian, it’s all the same notes
@@sirtrixxthis is what that person was referring to: th-cam.com/video/1Hqm0dYKUx4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=bKg2wzh72LO4ybnJ
Dang this sums up 30 years of jazz research in 20 minutes. Amazing
Dude. I have studied jazz on and off for decades, and this is the first time I’ve seen it explained so clearly. Thank you! ❤
Right!? Quickly, with a great sounding backing that made me focus the whole time!
💯💯💯💯
Then you took the WRONG workshops. Simply walk out after 5 minutes. It never gets any better, after those 5 minutes. No, it doesn't.
He's really good, isn't he? I love how he broke down 'the bassists job.' I would have thought the drummer would be the time keeper, but what do I know about jazz? Lol
4:02 "We in the horn section rely on the rhythm section for the rhyth and for the harmony and the rhythm section relies on us in the horn section for a tenuous sense of existential reality, for a sense of purpose!" What a quote, briliant! Sounds so insane yet so true!
As a life time jazz saxophonist for 52 years now, i think this video is fantastic!!!!! I have played at Smalls with Roy Hargrove. I was a member of the USAF Bands for 23 years, I will tell all my students to watch this video.Thanks!!! Grant King Koeller
30 years myself piano is my game and just shared with all my students the title of this video. I feel Jamey Aebersold vibe. Met him personally years ago and had a nice long workshop with the man.
RIP Roy incredible legacy.
Dude, we desperately need more sax players in this world!
Hope you're out there passing it on.
The sax is missed in the mainstream.
A quality sax player is the hidden star of the show.
Been playing jazz for 10 years and still watching videos like this, mentally taking notes. You’re never done learning!
Super cool this was done in one continuous shot! 👏🏻😮
Old school Jazz feels
I tried snapping my fingers, but nothing happened.
@@MyRackley ты только что стёр с лица земли половину человечества! 🤯
One shot. Fine writing. Fine musicians. Thank you, Professor Spellman, thank you, Professors.
This is just a fantastic incredibly well thought out video, I'm dipping my toe into jazz composition and learning flugelhorn and this and your other lessons have been amazing thank you so much!
Thanks! Happy to hear it!
The most important part of jazz is to always introduce your number as going "a little something like this."
I loved that you talked about the scales you were using over the form. As someone who only plays by ear, the base logic of jazz improvisation over chords, or why you'd play a certain note and not others has completely eluded me for years. I could only play what I heard, but now I know that I need to learn modes.
Also, great job from you and your band on the single take! It was executed very well and sounded incredibly pleasing to the ears.
Thank for what I always imagined was a perfectly logic way of explaining basic jazz. I always asked a fellow Piano major, who also majored in Jazz, to teach me a little about jazz only to get some kind of obnoxious answer like “Oh yOu cAnT ReAlly TEach Jazzzzz” like it was some secret language peasants weren’t allowed to be taught or that every Jazzer just somehow learns out of the love for the music alone. God forbid they try to define jazz in some concrete way. Will definitely be coming back to this video.
This debate is as old as jazz. I think there is truth to both sides. There's definitely a formula, but that formula gets abused regularly by great musicians with real chops because dissonance in jazz can work so well.
That pianist just didn't know how to teach jazz and lacked the humility to admit it.
Jazz can be taught in many ways, whether in plain language or academic terms. As long as you have good teachers or are self-taught through effective resources, you're being taught jazz.
The issue is that many people fail to learn because the teachers either overwhelm the student with too much or bore them with too little, so the end result is that the student gives up.
@@somekid7 It's when it becomes a demonstration of formula that jazz becomes BORING.
great video, thanks for putting into 20 minutes what „ pros“ can often not explain. I asked a conservatory trained musician what „ close harmony“ might be. Well, thats Jazz harmonies, she said. ok, then I knew it all.
Wow, their response was obnoxious and annoying! Most jazz musicians will at least tell you one or two favorite standards and to listen to 3 or 4 different recordings of each, because honestly and I'm not trying to be a jerk, but jazz really can't be "defined concretely" as some might consider the takeaway from this great video which actually only outlines, and importantly DEMONSTRATES an anatomy of ONE variation. It really is different than learning blues guitar or any specific techniques/common patterns like is possible for almost all other instruments and styles. As a music major, I suspect you would have grasped everything in this video and much more, and certainly more than anyone could explain in words. 🎶♥️
That bass solo was nuts😮
Agree
Great explanation! My friend in High School gave me the analogy of "Jazz is just like DandD. You have your Dungeon Master the tune. Your guide post the chords. The rest is just adventuring. Have fun interacting with the world and your team mates!"
And you have decades of history, convention, “memes”, tropes, and references on the culture level (LoTR, the official lore book, popular fanfic) and the community (the inside jokes with your local scene or friends)
You did a beautiful job of clearly explaining Jazz and the blues. I’ve been drumming for 40 years and loved this presentation. Please continue with this. TY
This is an explanation of a particular type of “traditional “ jazz. But there is also a more esoteric theory, and that is that human minds can sense “meaningful patterns” and great jazz artist can take your mind to a completely new musical space while still “making sense”.
The piano came in and my heart melted 🖤
It means you have a good heart ;)
it cld take more than a cntstrck little comment and loveheart on YT to have her sit exactly as directed in ur mix dyude
Wow ❤❤❤so when did Bee Gees mend your broken 💔💔💔？
I’ve been listening to jazz for 65 years and this is the best description of what jazz is about. Thank you.
I love the musicianship in the explanation alone. The whole speach fits so perfectly in the form of the music being played, and the flow is never lost. Adored it 👏👏👏
I think I learned more about Jazz today with this video than I did an entire semester I took in college, haha!
All the skill in this video is unmatched
Definitely!
I love how you actually showed this
This is one of the best illustrations of the fundamentals of playing jazz with other humans
I suspect you're American. "Other humans"?
Why not "other people"? 😊
@@gam1471I’m American. Never heard anyone else say that. F off tbh. “ you must be American”
i tried it one time with other spacealiens but they aways get across
Other living creatures
Personally I like to play jazz with other inanimate objects
I learned more about music theory and improvisation in that one 20 minute clip than in all my years of instruction and reading as a rank amateur musician! Thank you!🙏🏻
I've only been with the trumpet for about a year and a half; your channel is a continual help and motivator. This is one of the very best videos I've seen explaining form and function.
Your trumpet sounds fantastic. Great choice of notes; great timing. Thank everyone for their playing!
Thanks, Jeremy! Happy to hear it!
hats off to all participants and thank you for the phenomenal instruction. Great teacher.
Best background music for a TH-cam tutorial video ever!
Man, underrated video. It's incredible that the whole thing came out in one take
Brilliant! Wnat an amazing jazz appreciation crash course!
I'm a guitar player (strictly hobby amateur) trying to get a bit of jazz enlightenment. I found your presentation very clear and helpful. I'll record the chords and try the scales over the chords to try and get the sounds into my head. I'm not musically particularly talented, so
as a newcomer, what I'd find most helpful is a gradual easing into jazz - as an example, just working on two bars of the I chord to get some ideas going in proper jazz style; something to establish a solid foundation, then gradually extend this to say fours bars, then the IV chord and onwards.
I've had a go at memorising transcribed solos by Charlie Christian, and even transcribed one myself. I've enjoyed doing so, but it's not getting me into improvising. It's early days yet I suppose, but I hope my comments make sense and are helpful for you. Thanks for a first class and clear presentation - it's definitely an evolutionary step forward for me.
#13:32 this is where we start to look at each other among those of us who have no idea about jazz and go to a jazz concert
such a free way to express emotions in music
that was the most amazing intro i've ever seen
Stellar presentation; very clear. Many thanks for the kind patience of the bass, drummer and keyboard.
Wow. Not only teaches a lot but brings out the love of jazz. Thank you
Bobby, I absolutely love this video. Thanks to you and your band for putting this together.
Loved this video! It was like a lesson & a wonderful performance all in one. What a joy to see such top tier musicians! Thank you for the effective instruction.
Legitimately one of the best videos I've seen on TH-cam. So well explained, great pacing. I'm not a musician, but this pulls back some of the curtain of what's going on in jazz.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I wish someone had explained it to me this way a long time ago. Now I need to find some accompaniment tracks to practice.
I was a music student and jazz theory was a required class for 2 semesters. There’s a lot of lingo that if you don’t play jazz can really get you confused. This video clarifies a lot of things. Still can’t get over hearing that someone was blowing in my jazz arrangement assignments. 😂
As a jazz pianist, I really enjoyed the video. I wish I had it when I started a couple years ago! You explained the chemistry perfectly.
Gotta love the upright bass! 👍
Here’s how I use all 12 notes over a Dominant 7 chord: first 3/b7, the mighty tritone contains the 2 most important notes, then 1-3-5-b7 is the arpeggiated chord, then b3 and b5 from the Blues scale (with b3 always resolving upwards into 3, never the reverse), then add in 6 and 2 from Mixolydian. So now we have 1-2-b3/3-4-b5-5-6-b7, the most “inside” notes (Mixolydian + the Blues scale). Finally add in b2-b6-7 as “outside” notes to be used in chromatic lines that resolve. There’s all 12 notes over a Dominant 7 chord.
z z zZ z z ?
horse
Incredible, down to earth and in-depth enough introduction to jazz. I wish I had this years ago when I was trying to understand jazz by myself. Even after years and years of trying to understand certain jazz stuff, I learned a BUNCH of basic stuff
Fantastic tutorial. Simplest, most cogent and concise intro to jazz I've ever seen.
This really nice. Thank you for putting it together.
I can't go to college; getting introduction instruction was awesome! Often I play in Jazz Orchestras and have to sitout on soloing. Very nicely done! Thanks!
Fantastic video! Love who fast Bob pulls mic out of the pocket
That was fantastic, thanks! That definitely gave me a clearer understanding - much appreciated
Tremendously talented group of musicians.
phenomenal explanation! Thank you for this great video!
Great concept executed to perfection! Thanks!
The performance was so smooth omg I loved it
This as a kind ear opener for me. Thank you!
I dont play trumpet but this is super helpful as a drums and piano player
This is the video I was missing in my life. 🙌
Wish I had seen this 50 years ago
Seriously tho, this was a sweet lick. God help us, and keep Jazz alive and well in these trying times!
Thank you. Well explained.
Thank you for creating this wonderful introduction to jazz appreciation. You are the best!
Absolutely excellent!! Such great musicians! The woman on the keyboard is fabulous!
What a fantastic video!
I wasn’t even looking for this because I didn’t think I was interested in playing jazz but I was fascinated throughout the whole thing and I learned a ton from it, now I need to try
I love this video. It's so cool to have a flowing explanation inside of a performance like this. Very compatible for my learning style. My huge thanks to the four of you.
you guys are amazing, both in explanation but also just clean and tidy playing
I loved the outside solo, the concept was great and it helped people a lot
Absolutely amazing video, thank you so much 👏😊
recently really getting into _jazz_ as I joined my unis jazz club (wayy to late, I'm done studying soon) and this is just great~
This video helped me understand how jazz is put together I’ve always wanted to compose jazz it pleases my ears more than any other genre when done right, just the nostalgia feeling I get from it, thank you for the informative video
I have always enjoyed jazz to some extent but I think now I'm able to appreciate it. Great video and talented musicians here. This video explained a lot thank you.
I play low brass (read: tuba) and am now on a quest to *really* understand the underpinnings of scales/chord prograssions...this is a great presentatiion, true education.
Awesome thank you guys!
Exellent,, thank you, What a great concept explained in few minutes.
Fantastic. You make it look easy!
Thanks for your interpretation ..👍👍
This is the clearest explanation I’ve ever heard. Thanks!
Just beautiful!
Truly, thank you for doing this video - a great introduction into jazz/blues but more importantly it shares why I love playing saxophone - unlimited possibilities. Neil
This is pure gold!
Great lessons. So clear
Agreed, really appreciate the clear breakdown of how the parts all fit together. Nicely done!
What a fantastically educational and enjoyable video, great explanations and great playing!
Excellent video, thanks!
So glad I stumbled upon this. Wonerfull !!!
Very enjoyable - Thank You Bob and team
Great insight into the world of jazz!!..great job guys!!..👍
Bravo!!!! Well articulated and amazing music!
Excellent presentation and also skills from each of the musicians....
Brilliant video.
I need more videos like this one, more analysing and specific terms in details. great job! thank you
Very good explanation !
I love it thanks ! I love you show and also possibilities inside the same patch also explaining step by step not just doing the patch !❤
Wonderful, informative, video! Love the format!
Very cool and chilled drummer.
Now understand a little more and I appreciate this style of music! Excellent! 👏🏼
Brilliant video thank you very much ❤
This just summed up my past 3 years of jazz in a beautiful, concise manner. Great work!!!
This video is so good, I've learned a whole lot of things I never had the opportunity to learn in books.
I'm a jazz lover from Italy , but down here we are not as "on the point" as you guys in the U.S so thank you so so much for these fantastic contents you give out for free, they"re such a precious help.
Great band sound and fantastic pianist!
Great instructional video in a very comprehensive and enjoyable format. Great job!
Pretty cool !! well done guys