Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Welcome to episode 194 of the LJS Podcast where today we take a look back in time at jazz history. We look into the different eras of jazz, the important musicians to listen to from them, and how the music evolved over time. 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...

Welcome to episode 193 of the LJS Podcast where today I take the often overwhelming and confusing world of jazz theory and make it simple. Jazz theory is often overcomplicated with way too much information and concepts that are unnecessary. I boil things down to the basics and help make things more understandable. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: L...

Welcome to episode 192 of the LJS Podcast where today I put myself on the spot and compose a jazz tune on the podcast. I had no pre-conceived ideas before recording, I just start going in real-time. See how I did and the tune I came up with in 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...

Welcome to episode 191 of the LJS Podcast where today I walk you through a chords analysis of the popular jazz standard All the Things You Are. This tune is packed full of valuable lessons that will help you understand other jazz standards better and ultimately improve your improvisation skills. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards...

Welcome to episode 190 of the LJS Podcast where today I talk about how to get jazz gigs. One of the big goals for most musicians is to get out there and play. That's where the real fun and learning can happen. But how do you acquire those gigs? I go over three ways with different strategies for each to help you get out there and start performing. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership F...

Welcome to episode 189 of the LJS Podcast where today I have on special guest pianist and educator Brett Pontecorvo to talk about making time to practice and setting up a masterplan to achieve your musical goals. Not having time to practice is a common complaint, but this episode crushes that limiting belief and shows you a path to achieve more in your musical life.   Important Links: LJS Inner Ci...

Welcome to episode 188 of the LJS Podcast where today I have on special guest jazz pianist Keelan Dimick to discuss the transformational moments in his musical development. Keelan is a jazz piano phenom and he opens up and shares his journey as a musician and the key points in his development. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards t...

Welcome to episode 187 of the LJS Podcast where we conclude "Jazz Blues Month!" In this episode, I cover my philosophy on mastering musical material, and it especially applies to jazz blues. No, it's not a bunch of fancy licks, shortcuts, and hacks. It's a real process. I dig into that and how you can start taking action. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide...

Welcome to episode 186 of the LJS Podcast where we continue onto week 3 of "Jazz Blues Month!" In this episode, I cover the 2nd strategy of this series which is understanding the 3 pillars of jazz blues language. Not only do we discuss what they are, I tell you what to practice and a few tools that can help for each. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standa...

Welcome to episode 185 of the LJS Podcast where we continue "Jazz Blues Month!" In this episode, I cover the first of 3 strategies I'll be covering on crushing it on a jazz blues. Strategy #1 is "Mapping", and I go over 3 phases of mapping over a jazz blues. After mapping, the mystery of what notes to play will be completely solved. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Member...

Welcome to episode 184 of the LJS Podcast where today we kick off "Jazz Blues Month!" In this episode, I discuss 3 reasons why you need to master the jazz blues. If you go deep into understanding and navigating a jazz blues it will unlock countless secrets for becoming a great jazz improviser. Here's why! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by...

Welcome to episode 183 of the LJS Podcast where today we listen to two solos I've recorded in the past. We'll listen to one that I'm proud of and checks off the boxes of a good jazz solo, and we'll also listen to one I'm not so proud of. I analyze what made the good one good, and the bad one bad. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by...

Welcome to episode 182 of the LJS Podcast where today I have special guest Adam Levy on the show to talk about diminished harmony and how to start improvising over diminished 7th chords.  If you've ever felt confused by diminished chords and how to approach them, consider this a must-listen episode. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz...

Welcome to episode 181 of the LJS Podcast where today I announce that I'm taking a break from jazz...for two weeks. But the fact that I'm taking a break does have some significance, and I want to explain the benefit of taking breaks for you and your musicianship. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way View Sho...

Welcome to episode 180 of the LJS Podcast where today I answer questions from the Learn Jazz Standards Community Facebook Group and YouTube channel. Lots of great jazz questions are answered over a wide range of topics. 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...

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...

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...

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...

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 b...

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...

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 yo...

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...

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...

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...

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 limit...