Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Welcome to episode 269 where I have the audacity to suggest that you only need to know one scale in order to start improvising over jazz standards. And chords? Only a small handful. This episode will help beginner and intermediate jazz musicians cut the fat, weed out the excess, and get down to the essentials. Every month in our LJS Inner Circle membership, we do something called the Monthly Jazz...

Welcome to episode 268 where today we have a very special episode in celebration of our 1 year birthday of our LJS Inner Circle membership. We have a lot of guests on the show, members of our Inner Circle, share their musical breakthroughs to help you get an idea of what's working for them so you can take action for yourself. Today's episode is a very special episode. It's an episod...

Welcome to episode 267 where today we have a special guest, founder and CEO of Modactiy, Marc Gelfo, on to talk about practice strategy. In this episode, Marc digs beneath the surface and shares his thoughts on practicing effectively drawing from neuroscience, psychology, and his experience as an extraordinarily accomplished french hornist. When it comes to practicing, we often talk about what you...

Welcome to episode 266 where today we talk about swing feel, what it is, how to properly swing, and some common mistakes musicians make. Swing is the most unique style of jazz, despite there being multiple straight eighth styles associated with jazz. But what exactly makes up a swing feel, and how do we find the balance between "over swinging" and "under swinging." This episode...

Welcome to episode 265 where today I have on special guest musician Michael Lake to talk about overcoming musical frustration. It's not uncommon for a musician studying jazz to get frustrated with their musical progress, which in unhealthy amounts can sometimes lead to demotivation. Michael lends his thoughts on how to work through this and how to set yourself up for long-term success. The re...

Welcome to episode 264 where today I go over some tips and strategies for memorizing jazz standards in such a way that you are less likely to forget them and can recall them even if you haven't played them in a while. I go over a few don'ts of memorizing jazz standards, and some work you can do ahead of time and during the process of learning that will make a difference. The question I g...

Welcome to episode 263 where today I go over a simple strategy you can start implementing into your practice. It's called the L.R.C Practice Strategy, and it will help you take your practice to the next level with structured and focused actions that yield better and faster results. In today's episode, I'm going to be teaching a simple but powerful practice strategy that I first kind...

Welcome to episode 262 where today we are reaching into the LJS Podcast Vault and going back in time to revisit an episode all about Bossa Nova. Special guest Livio Almeida walks us through the basics, shedding light on important rhythms, composers, and tunes. This is one of those episodes that needs another listen! Today on the podcast we are going to be traveling back in time. We are going to be...

Welcome to episode 261 where today I'm covering 4 levels of jazz chords so that you can start implementing these concepts into your comping and jazz solos. In this episode, I start with the simplest of chords, triads, and build up in complexity. You'll learn how jazz musicians take basic chords and transform them into colorful harmonic tools. In your jazz studies, you probably noticed th...

Welcome to episode 260 where today I'm covering a 7 step process for improvising over a jazz standard starting from zero. This is the exact process that my Inner Circle members go through to learn and improvise over a new jazz standard every month, and now I'm sharing it with you. Check it out! I just got done practicing 4 hours to demonstrate the material that I'm about to show you...

Welcome to episode 259 where today we're addressing a really common problem improvisers face, which is getting lost in the form while you are soloing. Getting lost is something that happens to everyone, but the key is reducing this occurrence and being able to get back on quickly. Here are 7 steps to consider. So you're in the middle of your solo, and you are playing all the notes. You t...

Welcome to episode 258 where today I'm having you sit in on a practice session where I explore a I-VI-ii-V chord progression, experimenting with whatever ideas come up in the moment. A lot of times we get wrapped up on playing the "right notes" that we forget that we have to experiment creatively to find the music that we really want to play. Developing a mindset of experimentation...

Welcome to episode 257 where today I discuss 10 life skills I've learned from studying jazz. In the process of studying this music, I've found that a lot of the mindsets and skills I've learned have translated to a multitude of different areas in my life. Knowing this is extremely helpful, and I share some of the insights I've gained that you can share in as well. This episode...

Welcome to episode 256 where today I walk you through some different steps for beginning to develop a great jazz solo. A common mistake I hear is beginning a jazz solo with lots of notes and a myriad of ideas, rather than using call and response and a thematic building ideas. I show you actionable steps you can take to start bringing your solos to life. Okay, what was wrong with that solo? There i...

Welcome to episode 255 where today I'm sharing a short excerpt from a recent live Q&A call I had with my LJS Inner Circle members that answers the question: why is analyzing jazz standards helpful for improvisation? I discuss two aspects that make analysis helpful for the learning process and why it's worth spending some time doing. There are many ways to go about learning jazz stand...

Welcome to episode 254 where today we talk about how to develop a good time feel and a basic sense of rhythm. You can play all of the "right" notes, and the hippest licks, but if your time feel is off and your execution poor, you'll end up sounding amateur. In this episode, you'll learn two exercises that will get you headed in the right direction. One of the more common issues...

Welcome to episode 253 where today we talk about scales and how to know which ones to play over chords and chord progressions within jazz standards. When it comes to scales, there are so many options to choose from, and it can be a bit overwhelming. Learn how to boil it down to the essentials and choose the most common ones first. Once you learn the jazz standard, it can be helpful to understand w...

Welcome to episode 252 where today we have on special guest saxophonist and recording artist Mike Casey to talk about his experience with achieving effortlessness in improvisation. We all have heard our favorite musicians play and wonder how they achieve a level of "effortlessness" in their playing, and Mike helps break down the things that have worked for him. When I see some of the bes...

Welcome to episode 251 where today we have on special guest guitarist and professional musician Quist. He shares with us his tips for internalizing jazz licks using jam tracks as a tool, as well as a host of other topics and insights to how he developed his musicianship to a high level. Now, for many of us sitting at home, who are trying to learn how to play this jazz thing better and become bette...

Welcome to episode 250 where today I talk about what makes a great jazz New Year Resolution that you will actually see through to the end. Most of us want to become better jazz improvisers in 2021, but that's about where it ends. In this episode I break down 3 characteristics of achievable resolutions and a really good one you should commit to in 2021. In this podcast episode, I'm going...

Welcome to episode 249 where we have special guest guitarist Matt Warnock from Matt Warnock Guitar to talk jazz and all things improv. We discuss a number of topics including using the concepts you already know to start improvising, the three most powerful concepts he's worked on to gain traction in his playing, and his philosophies on learning jazz and enjoying the process. You know, I don&a...

Welcome to episode 248 where today we have special guest Mark Morley-Fletcher from Play In The Zone on to talk about how to focus on what really matters in your jazz playing to expedite your improvement. Mark is an incredible educator, and combining his background in analytics and his interest in performance psychology, delivers some incredible tips and tricks for hacking your jazz progress. What...

Welcome to episode 247 where today we discuss strategies on Charlie Parker's variation on a blues which has been dubbed a "Bird Blues." Using this song form as a vessel, I show you how you can take fast moving changes, simplify them, and start navigating them without playing a bunch of notes. I often say that the blues is an incredible jumping-off point into jazz in learning jazz st...

Welcome to episode 246 where today I discuss 5 lessons I learned from my jazz teachers that had a profound effect on my musicianship and mindset.  Whether it's by example or by the actual words said, I've been lucky to study with some world-class teachers who taught me a lot. Here's some of the best stuff that I'll share with you. I've had the great fortune of studying wit...

Welcome to episode 245 where today I discuss how long you actually need to practice in order to make meaningful improvement in your jazz playing. While there is no one size fits all answer, it may surprise you to find out that you don't need to practice as much as you think. One of the main things I hear from people is that they just don't have enough time to practice. There's just...