Learn to play ii-V-I on the saxophone. Buy Dr. Wally a coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/dr.wally 00:00 Introduction 1:03 The Theory of Theoretical Theories 3:00 Desmond has the answers 7:03 Alto Workshop 9:00 Tenor Workshop
Great stuff. While I have a degree in clarinet performance, I've never studied jazz. I've played in jazz groups and it was always a hit or miss with solos. I'm finally starting jazz studies this January at the young age of 55.
I was waiting to hear you say"Now go practice."What am I supposed to do?I suppose I could tell myself to "go practice."I was just about to do just that,after I listened to yo our educational,and informative lesson.
Interestingly enough, looking back at ALL the amazing musicians I've studied with and currently study with... any discussion of theory is always incredibly fundamental and basic. The emphasis is always on HEARING and PLAYING music. Practicing a tune by singing the root motion. Singing the thirds. Grunting through the rhythms of a solo. Hearing articulation as I copy it from the record and SINGING it, rhythm first, before I put it on my instrument. Seems like the only place I really encounter advanced theory is... on the forums and comment sections that frequent the internet. Why is that.... ;)
Wow!! Than You so much for this video. I purchased books on the ll l V and still remind clueless in how to..... you made it so simple to learn it. All I have to do is put it into practice witch I'm sure is more challenging than it sounds put i feel less stress about it
These tutorials are fantastic! You are an outstanding teacher...Thank you so much for these. Music is language. We learn to speak before we learn to read, write, diagram sentences, etc. I truly enjoy every one of these videos...
This is the first of your videos i've watched and now I've learned the hard way not to drink my coffee while watching unless I want it to burst out my nose ("thanks Glen, the stove gave it away 😂😂"). Your playing is amazing obviously but WOW you are able to teach so amazingly well!! I've got to share this channel to all my music friends. Thank you for your hard work and amazing content!
Thank you Wally! Realizing that the all important ii-V-I can be played over diatonically helps me be more relaxed in improvising over the changes & not so concerned about the mental process of thinking about the actual chord tones, but rather just playing what sounds or feels good.
So much beauty to be found in simple diatonic lines! I like to start there, then see HOW the chromatic alterations add flavor! Have a great rest of the weekend, Rob!
Exceptionally well done, truly appreciate you quoting the greats to get the point across. I played thru it serval time trying to mirror tone inflection and articulation. Worth the challenge and makes me want to practice more often!
Ha, loved the Tenor Madness quote over the ii V I! I never realized that would work, but it sounds great! These videos have been super helpful to me; I’m mainly a classical saxophonist but your videos are helping cement some of the ideas I learn about in my jazz lessons!
I was a classical saxophonist exclusively for most of my career! I developed this approach to teaching jazz because as a classical player, I never connected with most of the jazz pedagogy! Glad it's helping!
Thanks Dr. Wally, this is an awesome video in more ways than one for me. Explaining the ii-V7-I in a simple diatonic manner was great but the best advice you gave was that one does not have to take every pattern through all 12 keys. It is very time consuming and by the time you learn one pattern and tackle another in most cases I have to go back and relearn the first again. Thanks again for the inspiration and I look forward to your next inspirational message.
Exactly, Lester! I used to take this approach, and had like 3 ii/V licks that were always the same and I hated it. Life's too short for the robot jazz approach :) Happy practicing my friend!
Fantastic addition to my growing "Dr.Wally call and response exercises library"! And thanks the slower speed I know how Dr.Wally voice sounded they day he mistakenly drank from the whisky flask instead of his coffee bottle.
@@drwallysax totally, I'm already quite knowledgeable in jazz theory as I've been playing jazz guitar for more than 25 years but I'm starting on the saxophone and like you said it's far more important to learn the language than the theory of it. Theory helps to reproduce and keep track of something that has been already created, learning the language helps with everything else, creation, improvisation, interpretation, feel, rythmic placement, dynamics etc... Music is an oral tradition before everything else.
Doctor Wallace, found a RU-vidr who rates the Dr. Who theme songs. Told him he missed the Sononauts version. He watched, then immediately put it on the top tier. I was a big fan of Dr. Who #4. You and the band need more videos.
@@drwallysax I do and I can only imagine most other buddy saxophonists do! Music theory is generally intimidating and takes the fun out of fundamentals! Other improv lessons via the Internets talk about using the root chord's diminished 4th mixolydian triad... So yeah yours is more fun and realistic!
I think the analysing does make sense when you want to transpose it. I hate when someone say "now learn it in all 12 keys" but transposing it to a few is a great exercise. Knowing a little bit of the theory facilitates e.g. identifying a chord shape in the melody or understanding to which note a shape leads. Transposing is useful because that way I add the ii-v-i phrases you cited to my language repertoire from which I can recall more flexibly - when soloing in different keys - the more keys I've practiced them in.
I feel I finally found the promised land. I always said I play with the Sax since I didn't go to any school of music and l didn't learn any real music theory. Learned by getting into the Junior High band (Rubank methods) which I continued through High school and later made the college band which paid my way through engineering school. Had fun throughout but always felt intimidated by all these greats teaching technique and getting in the weeds of scales and music degree jargon (foreign language) taking away the fun and making me feel like I will never get it. I always thought improvisation was just that, not stopping to analyze the scale technicalities. Always improvised by ear while keeping an eye on the key. Never felt like a pro even though I founded a Latin Music band played all the clubs in downtown St. Louis when we wanted to, and made a lot more than union musicians on my terms. I still feel I am an amateur but feel relieved that I can get back on the horn and enjoy it without having to get a masters degree in harmony or music. Thanks Dr. Wally for freeing me.
I still like to map out the main guide tones of where the solo is going and than fill in the fills that I want, so that I can go from simple melody like the first lick to more complex. Thanks for the licks as they are great to practice - even in all keys so that I don't have to look at the music but must play it by ear, which is the whole point.
I find that if you play great lines- you intuitively start to hear, feel, and predict the guide tones. And you're working on sound and technique at the same time. All the answers I need are in the lines of Desmond and Getz.
Super helpful. I didn’t realize there was a “tenor workshop” part later on, I was transposing the alto workshop on the fly . Haha. Was good practice. Thanks Dr Wally
Thanks Parker! The generous coffee donations have allowed me to upgrade the Academy video gear! Not only does it look better, you might have noticed I can post more often now! (workflow with modern gear is soooo much easier). Have a great week!
Dr Wally, your post made me weep. I am MMus in classical piano and I know all the theory and more, yet my sax(and jazz piano) didn't progress. I only progressed when I stopped learning theory and analysing things. Then, as I started hearing, the theory was already there for me to know what I am doing. Teachers teach it wrong and I got sucked into it despite being a teacher myself!. Now I am just playing by ear, like I used to before they dragged me into the music school and ruined my life by academia. Love Uranus!
Well this just made my morning, thanks! Classical training is almost an impediment to learning jazz. I speak from LOTS of personal experience. Glad you're headed in the right direction!
@@drwallysax You are welcome. Yes Norfolk. I was an OJT desperately trying to get out of combat arm units and got a whiff of army band life it was awesome. unfortunately i had to stay in my current mos at the time but got to do the band thing for 5 years. Awesome break from regular army units.
Fantastic. You remind me of the Robin Williams character in Dead Poets Society who made his students rip up the awful poetry analysis essay then stand on their desks to see the world in a new way. Oh captain, my captain Dr Wally.
Gary that made my morning, thank you my friend. That's a high compliment, and hopefully means I'm having some success getting students to enjoy the process of playing jazz. Having completed a Doctorate in music, I've seen first hand how much garbage is created to justify the Universities music program's own existence. (I mean, I taught college and was part of the problem as well). But now I just want you guys to have fun and play!
Plagiarism! I wrote "Rocket to Uranus" back in the seventies! 🤣 Honestly fantastic information many thanks, and kicking the academic music 'snobs' into touch. Play and enjoy it, that's music. Thanks Dr Wally, I'm away to practice. 😃
Thanks, Jim! Having completed a doctorate and taking renaissance counterpoint and post tonal serial analysis, I feel like I've earned the right to criticize the approach. My heroes learned by playing with mentors and records. It's way more fun and efficient.
Hahaha! Rocket to Uranus. 'Be the first traveller to the winking star'. That is pretty funny Dr Wally. There were guffaws all around. I have completely forgotten what this lesson is about.
Holy Smokes! Where's your tie? Have you been making your coffee Irish Dr. Wallace(and on the Lord's day)? Fantastic video! Also, "the winking star"..... so much for breakfast 😂 Thank you for the effort you put into these videos👍
I love your take on this Doc. A baby doesn’t learn to talk by learning the grammar first. The child learns by listening, mimicking and later re-creating based on what they learned through observation. In the human sphere, the music long existed before humans developed the aptitude to understand how to notate and analyse it. It’s a very ignorant statement when I hear people say “if you can’t read music, you are an illiterate musician.” I need not say more, you already pointed out the Beatles and more. Thanks for your amazing lessons Doc.
Kadrian, you just put it much more eloquently than I could have. You're absolutely right! The sounds, the experience, the community: that's MUSIC. That's the art form! I don't give a crap what an academic says about phrasing. Just let me hear Miles or Parker play it! All the answers are in the records!
I'm going through the process a second time. Lifelong guitarist, came up in the heyday of chord scale theory. Through sheer bullheadedness I finally found my way. So I decided to start all over again (at retirement age) and learn jazz on another instrument - that Crown Prince of instruments (cause we all know what the King of all instruments is) the saxophone. This using my hard-earned bits of wisdom. My decades of learning, or attempting to learn, taught me: what Doc Wally says. Keep good time, brothers and sisters. Learn the melody and play it with emotion. Understand the chords, but do not be bound by them. Listen to the masters. Play along with them. Don't worry about transcribing everything. Just mimic bits and pieces. Above all, keep good time.
Yeah, I just learned to play Long and winding road for fun and practise (by ear). If Paul had been thinking about music theory, would he even have put the juicy minor 7th Bb (on alto) in there among A and B? Music theory can give you ideas, but it can also limit your imagination. Ear and feeling are tools that should not be underestimated.
Hello Wally! I’ve enjoyed this series a LOT! Thanks for making things so clear and easy to understand. For us, adult students with limited time, it’s so useful not to lose time trying to figure out what to practice and how. Looking forward next week’s announcement… life changing announcement… mmm… are you leaving jazz for hockey? Did you bought a coffee field in Colombia and you’re moving there? 🤔
Hello, Dr. Wally! Great presentation! I've already shared this with several of my students, 2 of whom have asked, What songs are these ii-V-I improvs from? Thanks in advance!
In college all we did was analyze jazz theory and after the class I also didn’t understand and appreciate the music any better and worst felt unmotivated to play it anymore
Just great your offered strategy. First music and melody the theory. To follow your examples goes perfect, because i was told they are 2-5-1. But if i listen to music and a passage or phrase please me, how do i find out if it is 2-5-1 as well?
