Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Welcome to episode 21 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about 4 steps to finding more time to practice. We get a lot of emails about this, and since practicing is such an important thing for musicians (especially in jazz), it is important we talk about it. Find out how you can squeeze practice into your regular schedule. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guid...

Welcome to episode 20 of the LJS Podcast where today we are joined by special guest Nathaniel Schroeder to talk about how studying jazz can help you play other styles of music better, and vice versa.  Nathaniel is primarily an upright and electric bassist, but also a multi-instrumentalist and has his feet in multiple genres. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to lea...

Welcome to episode 19 of the LJS Podcast where today we talk with internationally renowned jazz guitarist Larry Koonse. LJS guest blogger Peter Rubie conducts Part 2 of this interview, and they talk about Larry’s career, jazz, music, and a host of other stuff. Listen to Part 1 if you haven't yet, otherwise onward! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by e...

Welcome to episode 18 of the LJS Podcast where today we talk with internationally renowned jazz guitarist Larry Koonse. LJS guest blogger Peter Rubie conducts Part 1 of this interview, and they talk about Larry's musical beginnings and much more. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Learn Jazz Standard...

Welcome to episode 17 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about 8 jazz records you need to listen to. Our host of the LJS Podcast, Brent Vaartstra, talks about his favorite jazz albums that have stood the test of time, and invites you to chime in with yours. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Le...

Welcome to episode 16 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about practicing with a metronome. Practicing with a metronome can help us attain improvisational freedom and rhythmic confidence. Having a great time feel and a strong inner clock is a big factor that sets apart the greatest musicians. Working with a metronome can help you reach that level. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner C...

Welcome to episode 15 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about 5 steps to learning jazz language by ear. In this episode, we talk about why it's important to learn jazz language by ear rather than from sheet music, and 5 practical steps to do it. Learning music by ear is certainly the road less traveled, but the rewards are well worth it! Listen in. Important Links: LJS Inner Circl...

Welcome to episode 14 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about 10 important jazz standards you need to know and why. These 10 jazz standards are not only commonly called at jam sessions and gigs, they each have something specific to teach us about jazz and other songs in the repertoire. If you know these 10, you are well on your way to understanding many of the harmonic concepts traditi...

Welcome to episode 13 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about the art of playing duo. Bassist Wallace Stelzer joins us as a guest on the show again to discuss why jazz musicians should play duo, different kinds of duos, tips for playing duo, and important jazz duo recordings. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standa...

Welcome to episode 12 of the LJS Podcast where today we are joined by a very special guest, jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein. We caught Peter in between touring to sit down and talk about jazz! Pete talks about the New School, jazz as a social music, Jim Hall, the jazz career, and much more. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Stan...

Welcome to episode 11 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about 4 ingredients to becoming a better jazz musician. These "ingredients" aren't things you should practice or what licks or solos you should learn. These are some really important things to be done outside of the practice room if you are serious about becoming a better jazz musician. Listen in! Important Links: L...

Welcome to episode 10 of the LJS Podcast where today we call up internationally renowned jazz guitarist Bruce Forman in Los Angeles, California to talk jazz! Bruce talks about his musical beginnings, the state of jazz today, what tunes every jazz musician should know, and much more. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards t...

Welcome to episode 9 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking all about composing music as a jazz musician. Our special guest, saxophonist and composer Josiah Boornazian talks about how he composes music, why all musicians should compose, and several different approaches to composition. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz St...

Welcome to episode 8 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about 2 exercises for hearing chord changes in your solos. As jazz musicians, we want to be able to clearly hear the harmony of the tune we are playing in our solos. This is a skill that can really take your solos from sounding amateur and bland to professional and full of life. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membersh...

Welcome to episode 7 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about how playing free can make you a better improviser. Our special guest saxophonist and composer Josiah Boornazian walks us through some enlightening ways to bring free improvisation into the practice room, rehearsals, and even gigs. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Le...

Welcome to episode 6 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about Why Jazz Is Important to Society. If you never listen to another one of our podcast episodes again, at least listen to this one! Brent discusses the importance of music and jazz in society and why it needs to be valued. Listen in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz St...

Welcome to episode 5 of the LJS Podcast where today we are joined by two very special guests, drummer Diego Maldonado and bassist Wallace Stelzer. In this episode, the guys talk about an assortment of important issues such as playing together as a band, pet peeves on the bandstand, the does and don'ts of gig etiquette, and practice tips. Also, a special treat awaits at the end of the episode!...

Welcome to episode 4 of the LJS Podcast where today we will be talking about 3 Things Every Jazz Musician Should Be Practicing. In this episode, we go over three things to practice that are proven to be very effective in improving jazz soloing and jazz playing in general. If these are not a part of your practice routine now, you are going to want to pencil them in! Important Links: LJS Inner Circl...

Welcome to episode 3 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about how to overcome low self-esteem as a musician. In this episode we talk about how musicians (especially jazz musicians) can suffer from low self-esteem by being hard on themselves and unhappy with their playing. We walk through 4 different things to consider to help overcome low self-esteem as a musician. Listen in! Important...

Welcome to episode 2 of the LJS Podcast where today we are talking about how to properly learn a jazz standard. In this episode, we talk about why learning jazz standards is so important and 5 great steps to learning a jazz standard so you can really own it. Find out how! Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way Learn Jaz...

Welcome to our very first episode of the LJS Podcast, where today we are talking about 4 Habits For Better Practicing. As jazz musicians, practicing is one of the most important things we can talk about. Listen in as NYC-based jazz guitarist and LJS blogger Brent Vaartstra walks us through these important practicing habits. Important Links: LJS Inner Circle Membership Free Guide to learn standards...