Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

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 not...

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...

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 penta...

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. Im...

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...

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...

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 Me...

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. Impo...

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...

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 standard...

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. Import...

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 Standa...

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 standa...

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 b...

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...

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 L...

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...

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 Standa...

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 Impro...

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&...

Welcome to episode 150 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about a technique called "enclosure." Enclosure is a way to conceptualize bebop language, and how jazz musicians approach important chord tones. We learn the basics of enclosure and then apply it over a jazz blues. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz S...

Welcome to episode 149 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about how to set up a game-changing practice play for your jazz playing. If you're tired of meandering and practicing aimlessly, you need a practice plan that works. Learn how Project, Short-term, and Micro Goals work together with the Stair-Step Practice Plan to help you reach your desired musical transformations. Listen in...

Welcome to episode 148 of the LJS Podcast where today we are taking a look back at the year 2018 and everything that has happened in the Learn Jazz Standards community. It's been an eventful year, and lot's of great content, courses, and eBooks have come out. We talk about the top 5 downloaded episodes as well as my top 2 favorites! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide...

Welcome to episode 147 of the LJS Podcast where today we are taking a look at one of my compositions and exploring how some of the non-functional jazz harmonies work within it. Often on this podcast, we cover functional harmony in jazz standards, but this time we discover how you can take that knowledge and start to break the rules. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guid...

Welcome to episode 146 of the LJS Podcast where today we are covering 3 awesome strategies for improvising over a jazz blues. The blues is an important song form in jazz that every aspiring jazz musician needs to be proficient at. These strategies will help set a strong foundation for improvising freely over the blues. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn sta...