Video: 51 cool JAZZ LICKS in slow motion

[GovernorSilver]

Randomly found this. I like this guy's voice - easygoing, chill vibe.

 

[video:youtube]

[Radagast]

Cool.

[ElmerJFudd]

I"ve caught this guy"s videos before. He makes it very clear, as do others, that video tutorial and live video lessons with the right views, explanation and demonstration are better at getting information from teacher to student than any book could ever be. It makes the 'for Dummies' books look tedious.

 

They"ve already largely scrapped teaching kids to write script in favor of print and QWERTY keyboarding, spell check, grammar check, word/phrase prediction, speech to text, etc. What will the future look like? Will we read and write or just transfer thoughts and ideas directly between brains. Will we make music or will we think it and others perceive it skipping air transfer and the ear entirely? Hmmm.

[Noah DC]

That 'swing' beat he is using sounds quirky and suspect to my earsâ¦

 

But yes, agree re: how useful tutorials like this one are.

[GovernorSilver]

I like that he is a bus driver, just sharing his love of jazz piano.

[Reezekeys]

I looks like this guy put a lot of time and effort into this. If it helps anyone, great. I've always felt you can show people the what, but it's more important to know the why. I lose interest quickly when I hear jazz solos made by stringing licks together, unless they're licks that are unique to the player and fit the curve of the solo in a logical way. I always try to be "lick-free" when I solo but I'm not always rarely successful! IMO, jazz soloing at its core is inventing a melody on the spot. Licks are by definition pre-invented. I know there are some (many?) that feel these kinds of exercises can be a "springboard" to the "why" and to better playing, so I say bravo to that and go for it. I will stick to listening to my main inspirations and learning through osmosis â that's just how I do it.

[GovernorSilver]

I looks like this guy put a lot of time and effort into this. If it helps anyone, great. I've always felt you can show people the what, but it's more important to know the why.

 

I think he does share his thought processes behind some things (maybe not THE why, but some whys) in another video or three or five but I'll leave that to be addressed by whoever has seen more vids from his channel.

 

I only shared the video because I liked this guy's presentation style.

 

In my own studies I always fit in some time to learn something by ear, but with the understanding that it comes at the cost of time I could have spent on another activity , so I get your concern about compromising the time you would have spent studying a favorite player. If you're looking at me for an answer, to that dilemma we're both in trouble.

[cphollis]

Maybe it's me, but I've never seen this material presented with this much clarity and pace. It makes me want to sit down, run through his exercises, and report back.

 

It may take a while, though ... I was good for the first few, and then ...

[Reezekeys]

I looks like this guy put a lot of time and effort into this. If it helps anyone, great. I've always felt you can show people the what, but it's more important to know the why.

 

I think he does share his thought processes behind some things (maybe not THE why, but some whys) in another video or three or five but I'll leave that to be addressed by whoever has seen more vids from his channel.

 

I only shared the video because I liked this guy's presentation style.

 

In my own studies I always fit in some time to learn something by ear, but with the understanding that it comes at the cost of time I could have spent on another activity , so I get your concern about compromising the time you would have spent studying a favorite player. If you're looking at me for an answer, to that dilemma we're both in trouble.

 

It's a great presentation. I'm probably just an outlier when it comes to how I work on stuff. I've actually never explicitly copied anyone else's solo, either by ear or transcribing. Instead, when I hear a player do something that really connects with me, I try to figure out what they're doing, but more in a general sense - the way they voice chords, how they mix up the intervals in their soloing, the way they rhythmically displace their phrases, etc. I try to emulate what I think their concepts are without specifically copying (transcribing) what they do. I'm not interested in playing exact Chick Corea licks or McCoy Tyner licks â but I might want my licks to sound a little like Chick or McCoy! During a practice session, when I'm soloing I'll think about these concepts and try to apply them â but I'm never trying to play back something I heard on a record or youtube. The idea, for me, is to do this until I'm no longer consciously "thinking about these concepts" anymore - they're just inside me. This usually takes a while â years, maybe! Actually, if I may be so bold, I think it's an ongoing process common to all serious jazz players â even the masters. That's a theme I remember seeing some of these greats speak to - the idea that they never stop listening and learning. I am reasonably certain none of those folks are trying to play "licks." They're way past that, and that's where I want to be too. I'm working on it.

[GovernorSilver]

One immediate benefit I'm getting from this video is a refresher on ideas for when to change hand position for arpeggios, having not played piano for quite some time.

 

His approach - in this video, who knows if it's different on his other videos - reminds me of the Exploring Blues Piano book. Starts with arpeggio first, then builds on top of the arpeggio ideas.

[GovernorSilver]

It's a great presentation. I'm probably just an outlier when it comes to how I work on stuff. I've actually never explicitly copied anyone else's solo, either by ear or transcribing. Instead, when I hear a player do something that really connects with me, I try to figure out what they're doing, but more in a general sense - the way they voice chords, how they mix up the intervals in their soloing, the way they rhythmically displace their phrases, etc. I try to emulate what I think their concepts are without specifically copying (transcribing) what they do. I'm not interested in playing exact Chick Corea licks or McCoy Tyner licks â but I might want my licks to sound a little like Chick or McCoy! During a practice session, when I'm soloing I'll think about these concepts and try to apply them â but I'm never trying to play back something I heard on a record or youtube. The idea, for me, is to do this until I'm no longer consciously "thinking about these concepts" anymore - they're just inside me. This usually takes a while â years, maybe! Actually, if I may be so bold, I think it's an ongoing process common to all serious jazz players â even the masters. That's a theme I remember seeing some of these greats speak to - the idea that they never stop listening and learning. I am reasonably certain none of those folks are trying to play "licks." They're way past that, and that's where I want to be too. I'm working on it.

 

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I have no doubt you are further along the jazz path than I am.

 

I'm a little better at guitar than piano, and among guitarists you would not be alone, as it's not difficult to find guitarists who won't copy anybody's complete solo or even just a short lick - well, except blues of course.

 

The downside of not being a professional musician is I have to do something other than music for my income stream, and thus cannot devote as much time to music practice on a per-week basis.

 

The upside of not being a professional musician is I can do whatever I want with my music time, as nobody is paying me to play particular music or spend time on music/music-related activities not of my own choosing. So when I'm not goofing off on a semi-modular synth or something, my jazz studies time has been a mix of working on something by ear, practicing a jazz etude or known solo (eg. Charlie Christian's "Rose Room"), practicing rhythm guitar/comping, and practicing a chord-melody arrangement. Unlike some fellow guitar students, I don't spend that much time trying to improvise to backing tracks/playalongs, as I have not found that to contribute much to my progress. But when I do take the time to record something for a playalong challenge thread, it's interesting to hear what comes out, even if I think 90% of it is garbage.

 

With piano back in the mix, I must again figure out how I want to allocate my music time. It's fun though, because there's no pressure. I've got a PDF of basic ii-V-I chord exercises that DC pianist Eric Byrd sent me after I attended his workshop - that'll be a regular part of the piano routine. The Clare FIscher book discussed on the other thread I don't really think of as a jazz piano book - more like a repository of interesting ideas. And of course this video is giving me fun things to do.