Welcome to episode 179 of the LJS Podcast where today I go over 7 different options for playing an intro on a jazz standard. While you can just count off a tune and start playing the head on beat one, it can be nice to set up a song with an intro. I walk you through some options and give you a call to action at the end. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% o...
Aug 05, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 179
Welcome to episode 178 of the LJS Podcast where today I have on special guest jazz guitarist and Youtuber, Jens Larsen to talk about recording yourself. I frequently get comments from my course students that the power of recording themselves has become a game-changer. Jens goes into detail about overcoming fears, and what to look out for when you listen back to yourself. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Sho...
Jul 29, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 178
Welcome to episode 177 of the LJS Podcast where today I demonstrate a solo I composed over a minor blues. Composing jazz solos is one of the best ways to solidify the jazz language you already know and get it to come out in your playing. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!...
Jul 22, 2019•17 min•Season 1Ep. 177
Welcome to episode 176 of the LJS Podcast where today our special guest Nick Mainella from the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Podcast discusses how we can improve our jazz improv by thinking slow. To be a great jazz improviser you need to think fast and effectively, and in order to do that, you need to start by doing the opposite. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50%...
Jul 15, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 176
Welcome to episode 175 of the LJS Podcast where today I talk about using pitch collections to create jazz lines over static chords. I personally don't enjoy thinking about playing scales over chords. I think a better way to think about scales is as "pitch collections" which can be especially helpful when learning to improvise over different qualities of chords. I go over the concept and demonstrate some licks. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Lea...
Jul 08, 2019•18 min•Season 1Ep. 175
Welcome to episode 174 of the LJS Podcast where today I walk you through a step-by-step process for learning chord progressions by ear. Learning chord progressions by ear is usually the more challenging aspect of learning jazz standards by ear, and the benefits of learning by ear are numerous. I show you how the power of ear training, a tiny bit of harmony knowledge, and some practice will have you unlocking chord progressions. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn sta...
Jul 01, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 174
Welcome to episode 173 of the LJS Podcast where today I talk about the importance of blues, and why you should take it into all 12 keys. Jazz is a music that emerged from the blues and therefore jazz language is steeped in it. If you can play the blues in any key your jazz improv skills will be miles ahead. In this episode, I demonstrate myself taking the blues through all 12 keys and how you can too! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz S...
Jun 24, 2019•19 min•Season 1Ep. 173
Welcome to episode 172 of the LJS Podcast where today I share my personal story of how I jump-started my jazz skills. When I first became interested in jazz I felt like I was way behind compared to my peers. I wanted to become a great jazz improviser and so I invested my time and energy into it. I go over 5 things that had a big impact on my jazz playing and will have a big impact on yours as well. mportant Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Stand...
Jun 17, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 172
Welcome to episode 171 of the LJS Podcast where today we talk about 10 jazz standards that will expand your knowledge of jazz harmony. My philosophy is that if we learn jazz repertoire all of the lessons we need to learn about improvising will fall into place. These particular 10 jazz standards start exploring jazz harmony past a basic level of understanding and will help you know hundreds more. I mportant Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standa...
Jun 10, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 171
Welcome to episode 170 of the LJS Podcast where today we talk about limiting beliefs and how they can dictate the success or failure of our jazz improvement. Often times musicians are their own worse enemy. We choose to diminish our true capabilities and believe that our potential is limited. This episode is about taking a look in the mirror and breaking free from the shackles of our musical limiting beliefs. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Lear...
Jun 03, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 170
Welcome to episode 169 of the LJS Podcast where we conclude "Jazz Standards Month." This lesson goes over composing target notes over the jazz standard There Will Never Be Another You and then using those target notes to create a jazz solo. This is a great way to start developing improv skills by slowing things down and intentionally composing jazz lines under the parameter of target notes.View Show Notes: https://www.learnjazzstandards.com/episode169Sign up for the Newsletter: https://www.learn...
May 27, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 169
Welcome to episode 168 of the LJS Podcast where we continue "Jazz Standards Month." Oftentimes in jazz education, we place an emphasis on harmonic and melodic elements. We typically don't place enough emphasis on rhythm. However, rhythm is important for understanding jazz music and becoming a better jazz improviser. In this episode, we learn how to apply rhythmic motivic development to the jazz standard Someday My Prince Will Come. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn...
May 20, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 168
Welcome to episode 167 of the LJS Podcast where we continue "Jazz Standards Month." My subscribers often wonder what scales to play over jazz standards to help them improvise. However, scales are rarely the answer to creating great melodic solos. With that being said, they should not be discarded and in the right hands can be used to create great music. In this episode, we take the pentatonic scale and apply it to the jazz standard Just Friends. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free ...
May 13, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 167
Welcome to episode 166 of the LJS Podcast where we kick off "Jazz Standards Month." This month we are exploring jazz standards and digging into different concepts to see how we can learn, understand, and improvise over them better. In this episode, I go over the jazz standard Tune-Up by Miles Davis, and demonstrate how to simplify these chord changes to make them easier to understand. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smar...
May 06, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 166
Welcome to episode 165 of the LJS Podcast where today we have a fun show where we discuss how to improvise over the LJS Podcast theme song. It's an episode mixed with a bit of education, and just plain having fun. Best yet, we listen to several recordings of LJS community members improvising over the theme. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off...
Apr 29, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 165
Welcome to episode 164 of the LJS Podcast where today we have on special guest trombonist, author, and educator Michael Lake to talk about warming up the body and mind for musical performance. Warming up is important for avoiding injury, and physically being able to play to your best ability, but it's also good for your mental game as well. We get inside Michael's head and learn his best practices and tips. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn ...
Apr 22, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 164
Welcome to episode 163 of the LJS Podcast where today we talk about what to do when you feel unmotivated to practice. Sometimes we are burnt out, sometimes we just don't want to and don't have a good reason. It can be confusing especially since deep inside we know we want to become better jazz musicians. Don't panic, here are 5 things you can do. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standa...
Apr 15, 2019•26 min•Season 1Ep. 163
Welcome to episode 162 of the LJS Podcast where today we have on special guest Aimee Nolte on the show to share with us how to develop an engaging solo that tells a story. Aimee thinks the biggest mistake she sees jazz improvisers make is coming out of the gate playing a slew of notes and run-on lines. She shows us how she develops a great jazz solo and let's loose and some amazing tips. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the S...
Apr 08, 2019•37 min•Season 1Ep. 162
Welcome to episode 161 of the LJS Podcast where today I go over an in-depth analysis of the jazz standard "There Will Never Be Another You." This is a fantastic tune that has a lot to teach us about traditional diatonic jazz harmony, with a few fun surprises along the way. Learn how to start approaching this great jazz standard. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: ...
Apr 01, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Welcome to episode 160 of the LJS Podcast where today I walk you through how to learn a jazz solo (or possibly two) by ear in 1 month. This practice plan breaks things down and makes things easy, even if you've never learned a jazz solo by ear before. Having a plan is important, and this one will set you up for success. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn more about my 30 Steps to Better Jazz ...
Mar 25, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 160
Welcome to episode 159 of the LJS Podcast where today we have special guest Rodney Brim on the show to talk about how to properly "hack" your brain for bigger, faster improvement in the practice room. Rodney is a psychologist and professional musician and knows the inner workings of the brain and how it works. He walks us through 4 huge tips for brain hacking in the practice room. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Wa...
Mar 18, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Special announcement! The Learn Jazz Standards Podcast has passed 1,000,000 total downloads over the past 3 years with 4 new episodes a month. It's a big mile marker, so here's a short episode to share some gratitude to the most important people who make this show a success: my listeners. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!...
Mar 13, 2019•6 min
Welcome to episode 158 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about how to add chromaticism into your jazz lines. Chromaticism is one of the characteristics of a classic "jazz sound" and so we take a close look at how to implement it. We go over 5 different licks and gradually introduce chromaticism into them. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off ...
Mar 11, 2019•16 min•Season 1Ep. 158
Welcome to episode 157 of the LJS Podcast where today we discuss four different scale options for approaching half-diminished chords. Sometimes it can be helpful to take chords out of the context of chord progressions and look at them individually. These scales will help you map out note choices for this mysterious chord. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50%...
Mar 04, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 157
Welcome to episode 156 of the LJS Podcast where today we feature a listener question all about how to memorize chord changes so you don't start confusing them with others. If you've ever gotten lost playing a jazz standard because you accidentally switched to playing a similar one, you're going to find this episode helpful. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 5...
Feb 25, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 156
Welcome to episode 155 of the LJS Podcast where today we have special guest Christopher Sutton back on the show to talk to us about improvisation. What I love about this interview is Christopher is not a jazz musician, and he offers some unique perspectives on improvisation that are really refreshing. Learn about musical playgrounds and how thinking this way will enlighten your improv. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Sma...
Feb 18, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 155
Welcome to episode 154 of the LJS Podcast where today we have special guest Jeff Schneider back on the show to talk to us about avoiding meandering jazz solos. Jeff talks about how to create jazz lines that sound more like a conversation than just a stream of notes. This one is packed full of jazz truth nuggets. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Show Notes Jeff Schneider's website Learn Jazz Stand...
Feb 11, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 154
Welcome to episode 153 of the LJS Podcast where today we are covering 28 different jazz skills that you can start practicing today. No more excuses of not knowing what to practice! I break them down by category and list a lot of resources we have on Learn Jazz Standards to help you accomplish them. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way List of all resources mentioned in this episode Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle:...
Feb 04, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 153
Welcome to episode 152 of the LJS Podcast where today we are covering my music theory checklist for understanding jazz improvisation. If you are wondering what step-by-step building blocks you need in place for understanding jazz harmony and improv, this is a solid list. Take notes on which ones you need to work on. Listen in! This list is based on my eBook and companion course "Zero to Improv" Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standard...
Jan 28, 2019•34 min•Season 1Ep. 152
Welcome to episode 151 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about how you can apply different pattern exercises over scales. Patterns are great technical exercises that can help us become more flexible on our instruments. I give several different examples that you can put to use. Listen in! This lesson comes out of my jazz theory and improv eBook and companion course "Zero to Improv" Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards ...
Jan 21, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 151
