Is Your Improvisation Practice a Waste of Time? (And How to Fix That)

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When it comes to actually getting better at Jazz Guitar Improvisation, then it is not easy to really have strategies that makes your solos better, and you don't want to just keep noodling the same stuff without getting anywhere. This video will give you my thoughts on melodic soloing and jazz guitar improvisation techniques and strategies.
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Content:
00:00 Intro
00:30 The Song and the Story
01:23 The Fastest Way To Learn Chords
01:40 Practice To Be Melodic (not Random)
02:04 Solo #1 - Keeping It Simple
02:31 Solo #1 - The Important notes
03:54 Solo #1 - Stumbling over the changes
05:29 Solo #1 - Bridge in Bebop Mode
06:35 Solo #1 - Difficult To Not Be Melodic
07:59 Solo #2 - Melody!
09:13 Visual Motifs
11:24 Balance In Your Solo
11:51 Play What You Hear (and listen to yourself)
13:17 Solo #2 - Not Motivic (or is it?)
14:39 Solo #2 - Bridge = Bebop Mode
16:43 Solo #2 - Getting Into Trouble (again)
16:55 Blues and Dim Chords
17:58 Learn To Understand The Chords!
18:10 How The Pros Think About Chord Progressions (and you probably don't)
18:17 Like The Video? Check out my Patreon Page
My name is Jens Larsen, Danish Jazz Guitarist, and Educator. The videos on this channel will help you explore and enjoy Jazz. Some of it is how to play jazz guitar, but other videos are more on Music Theory like Jazz Chords or advice on how to practice and learn Jazz, on guitar or any other instrument.
The videos are mostly jazz guitar lessons, but also music theory, analysis of songs and videos on jazz guitars.
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Опубликовано:

20 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 118

@JensLarsen Год назад

I guess the premiere tomorrow will be a part of my Birthday celebration 🙂 Hope to see you in the chat! 🧨3 Reasons You Will Regret Not Working On Chord Soloing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-isjq6ow22u8.html

@flannelcommander Год назад

Happy Birthday Jens

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you!

@djmileski Год назад

Man oh man, you keep making the perfect videos for my personal instruction needed in real time. I’ve started focusing on technique lately and this is the perfect counter-compliment towards that; thank you sensei 👌🏼

@martin_schwarz Год назад

Great video again! My concept has always been to switch off my guitar knowledge and sing instead. I think to play like Ella Fitzgerald sang is the goal. A singer just listens and sings. We need to sing through our instruments without any detours. Try to get your fingers and pick out of the way.

@JensLarsen Год назад

That's a great idea!

@andrejgregoric1324 Год назад

exactly. if only my fingers would follow my singing ideas 😉. it's funny, how just singing creates great lines, but the moment I grab guitar neck, ideas limit themselves to technique and ability to play...

@martin_schwarz Год назад

@@andrejgregoric1324 Start to sing what your fingers are playing. Look at your fingers, it helps to visualize the sound. Later you'll be able to play what you're singing. I learned it this way. Your guitar technic will make you a better singer and your natural feel for your voice will make you a better guitar player. It's even possible to "sing" chords. Watch videos of piano players like Oscar Peterson or Keith Jarrett: obviously they're singing.

@andrejgregoric1324 Год назад

Yeah, that is not a problem unles I use pitch that is to high 😉. It's when i hear in my mind, what should be played but my technique limits my ideas or even take over and I fall into noodle samples... But I hear you, I know the solution but it takes a lot of practice. Picking up where I left at 20's and now 30 years later just need more play and practice (and I'm not very good at practice)...

@rickjensen2717 Год назад

Really helpful Jens. I think if you can at least hum or sing most of it then its a good line(s).

@zaqintosh Год назад

Thanks for the thoughtful lesson Jens! Awesome to see you analyze your own improv. Btw fun improv trick I sometimes do once I get comfortable with a jazz standard: as I’m soloing, I’ll borrow a very recognizable chunk of the real melody, and use it a few times in the wrong part of the song (transposing it if I need to) as a way to connect some of my invented lines. Bonus points: I’ll use a chunk of melody from the previous song I just played over the next song (transposed if needed) to mess with the audience or my band mates :)

@tinaazzara8595 Год назад

Happy Belated Birthday Jens! Thank you for all the valid info. You’re very kind! 🎶🎂🌷

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you so much!

@dharma404_ Год назад

I really appreciate the depth and detail to this and other talks of yours Jens - especially the transcriptions which allow me to analyze and digest what you're discussing. All of it is so helpful. Please keep doing what you're doing!

@dharma404_ Год назад

And Happy Birthday! 🎁🎂

@bobartur1386 Год назад

Happy birthday Jens! And thanks for the lesson. You really go in deep with improvisation concepts!

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you Bob 🙂

@Kimomaru Год назад

Favorite guitar channel. Thanks, Jens. It' helpful to be shown what's happening, but you go into detail about the "why" and I always have new ideas after watching your videos. Back to practice 😅

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you! That is really great to hear!

@cbolt4492 Год назад

Reminder set! Happy birthday 🎂🎂🎈

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you Christian! 🙂

@suzannahardman489 Год назад

Belated Happy Birthday! It's wonderful how you describe music in words and play so beautifully. Thank you very much for your superb tutorials. They are always extremely interesting to me. You make it easy to understand the link between music theory and what we're actually supposed to be doing as musicians, which is rare!

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you very much! 🙂

@Rixster53 Год назад

Lars, My take on this vid is... don’t over analyze your playing. Making music on the guitar should be fun and enjoyable, a release and freedom from the sometimes and oft mundane situations we find ourselves in on this planet. Sure, strive to improve, learn new things and grow on the guitar BUT, at the end of the day it should be a relaxing, enjoyable activity that feeds your mind and soothes your soul. Music is a gift of God, don’t ruin it by dissecting and parsing out every note-inflection-phrase ad nauseam! Believe I heard Joe Pass say you shouldn’t be “thinking” while you play, let the music flow through you! As a born again Christian, I love praising God on the stringed instrument as it says in Psalms, thats what gives me exceeding joy!!! Never stop learning but enjoy the gift you have been given!!!😇

@RC32Smiths01 Год назад

Improvising is so hard to master in my humble opinion. Takes much experience to be able to improvise in a variety of contexts and experiences. Cheers as always.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Absolutely!

@xxczerxx Год назад

If you're ever in a rut (I often am), try transcribing music you love. Nothing gives clarity to what you "want" to achieve by simply mimicking what you adore.

@xoxb2 Год назад

We're lucky to have you on here, old chap! Fascinating insights. And Happy Birthday for a couple of days ago!

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you 🙂

@GordonZoot Год назад

really good to hear the thought proesses with the HONESTY (..hesitatating.... emergency exit... etc) - this is a very useful video, thanks for posting :)

@JensLarsen Год назад

Glad it was helpful!

@rockstarjazzcat Год назад

💜😎🎸🤙🏼 Great content, Jens! Happy Birthday! 🎂

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you Daniel!

@jeromeceze7246 Год назад

Thanks so much jens,,.....your video are very interesting ...and happy B day amigo

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you Jerome! 🙂

@syalda0001 Год назад

11:55 this is a very important concept, in regards to all forms of art. One must first envision what they are trying to do in the mind to be the most effective in producing any kind of art form

@Lotusblue777 Год назад

Jens happy birthday 😊 Thank you for what you doing Be happy and healthy ❤

@kevinwidjaya6855 Год назад

Happy birthday mr. Larsen, wish you all the best. Thanks your video really help! God bless

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you! 😃

@djmileski Год назад

So I’m currently working on picking/fingering technique speed (with metronome) increasing over time, also working on internalizing the arpeggios you spelled out previously. I think this video’s instruction will package those two things together

@philiprowland9390 Год назад

I loved this analysis, Jens. Very helpful. And very musical, melodic, and applicable. I would like to see the same kind of analysis, but incorporating small chord tidbits into the solo, as if playing with only a bass player for backup. Thanks!

@JensLarsen Год назад

Glad you enjoyed it! We'll see if I do more like this :)

@paulpmanhowland7818 Год назад

Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Glad to hear it!

@seattlevegas66 Год назад

The biggest take away for me is to 1) listen to your own material and 2) strive to improve based on the listening.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Those are certainly important to focus on!

@djmileski Год назад

The part your analyzing at 6:08, with the sustained notes, has a very nice devil may care vibe.

@Oscaraha Год назад

Groovin on chord tones and some stuff from the melody will get you a long way for sounding melodic.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Yes, but is also a bit vague as a method, you can easily get that to sound unatural and horrible as well

@Oscaraha Год назад

@@JensLarsenIndeed! Happy birthday btw! Your videos are of high value to me, I allways gets some new perspective on manageble chunks of info. Thanks a lot! :)

@SharpElevenMusic Год назад

Great topic for a video Jens! Lovely, you point out correctly how you go about practicing improv skills, which is not just wandering and noodling around and shouting "horaaay" after half an hour when you accidently went out of your current habits and stumble on something "new". I guess this is the most common "practice method" for jazz musicians, yet incredible inefficient. About melody, or what a melodic line is... Very interesting topic, cause I think many people have different ideas, but I'd suggest: --> Memorable melodies usually have some kind of clear suggested anticipation to where it will go next. This helps the listener having an experience of prediction, which is usually satisfying. However, there need to be a balance between being predictable and some kind of variation, otherwise it might become boring when it's too predictable. Let's call it "predictable unpredictability". Imho Paul Desmond was an absolute master in this field. His lines were both predictable, yet variable in a way that would make you hooked to what was to come next. Sequences help a lot with that, and... basically composition techniques in real time. But also Bebop has a kind of unpredictable predictability when done well, there the focus is more on outlining the chords rather than the horizontal sequences. I might be totally wrong, but these are my 2 cents on it. :) /Jorre

@JensLarsen Год назад

That is indeed food for thought! I think I agree with you on Desmond. Thanks for sharing 🙂

@ohtravo997 Год назад

Happy birthday Jens! great video as always! are you gonna make a video where you explore the various guitar effects/pedals used in jazz? like a chorus, autowah, chromatic tuner , distortions or overdrives, or any other super cool groundbreaking effects that help saturate melodys with warmth and bigger sounds

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you!

@ledaswan5990 Год назад

The fingers are the best way to “saturate” your melodies with tone and warmth.

@aranjenkins2627 Год назад

I love the Sonny Rollins / Monk version of ‘I want to be happy’

@JensLarsen Год назад

That is indeed also nice 🙂

@xxczerxx Год назад

Jens, have you ever heard the sax player Patrick Bartley? He's blowing my mind with his improvisation ideas, they're so well "narratively" developed if that makes sense. Check out the version of Oleo he uploaded the other day, incredible playing.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Yes, he's great 🙂

@falsenotefest Год назад

Just play like in south-west of France : "a bisto de nas" !! ("thereabouts" is the approximatively traduction)

@robertworrall2346 Год назад

Watch his right picking hand. It's all manouche (gypsy jazz) down/rest stroke, not alternate. That's where the drive, power and volume come from. And it's difficult. Joscho Stephan has a great website with an abundance of online lessons for gypsy jazz, for absolutely beginners through to seasoned pros.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Surely you are commenting on the wrong video 😂😂

@hansbendixen5430 Год назад

It is not until recently that i think i fully understand bebob and jazz in general . It takes years upon years to master unless you have unlimited time everyday .

@elsonoliveira2152 Год назад

Maravilha essas aulas, pena que não entendo o que ele fala procuro enteder somente olhando . Não entendo inglês. Só falo português

@quincytennyson6020 Год назад

lmfao at the Autumn Leaves quick glance.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Glad you liked that one 😁

@michaelschaefer7962 Год назад

Great Python clip!

@JensLarsen Год назад

Glad you liked it!

@djmileski Год назад

As far as rhymical phrases goes, that’s the main reason I love Sonny rollins and that inspires my own improv motivation

@xxczerxx Год назад

Agreed. It also always sounded like he was genuinely working from scratch on a lot of his tunes. A lot of great players did a LOT of prep for their solos. Bird was known for his lick repertoire and Clifford Brown had ideas he rehearsed (you can hear the same lines on alternate takes). Rollins seemed to build his solos brick by brick. Whether that was stylistic or completely natural I'm not exactly sure.

@djmileski Год назад

@@xxczerxx Exactly, it’s like he said, all the music he learned, heard, and techniques practiced get used on an unconscious level when in the moment of improvising.

@djmileski Год назад

@@xxczerxx way out west blows my mind (as well as vanguard) where, in a trio setting (therefore even less training wheels of chords) never runs dry in creativity (mind blown). Inspirational to say the least.

@clarissalee5398 Год назад

Hi! I wanna ask: when improvising do u imagine how it sounds like and then try and play that on the guitar? Or do u just let the hands play and kind of see what comes out?

@JensLarsen Год назад

I imagine what it sounds like more, mainly by listening to what I just played and deciding what to play next.

@rogerball6265 Год назад

"What is a melodic solo": The first concept I try to keep in mind is "Keep the song's melody in mind"

@djmileski Год назад

Yeah. Melodic subjective yes but I think it might have something to do with (personally) the r equipment of listening while moving towards notes in the next chord (as you have said). It’s really easy to not listen (for me) and turns into random noodleing.

@xxczerxx Год назад

I agree, the best way to get out of robotic improv is to learn lines of a version of a tune you like. I started to realise just how stale my approach to Blue Bossa was after transcribing Art Pepper's version. He doesn't do anything out of the ordinary note wise, but it's the phrasing and feel that is just phenomenal.

@djmileski Год назад

@@xxczerxx I haven’t gotten into Art Pepper yet. Any album suggestions to set off from?

@xxczerxx Год назад

@@djmileski Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, it's a beautiful, beautiful album!

@zaphodrahja Год назад

Have a great birthday Jens, can I gift you a truss rod cover?

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you! I don't have a way to get it, sorry 😁

@rodion_ro Год назад

🙏👌👍✨

@Rixster53 Год назад

BTW, Lars your playing is wonderful! I find (and you probably realize) we are our own worst critics...🥴

@JensLarsen Год назад

Thank you!

@daviddahl8562 Год назад

what video software are you using

@JensLarsen Год назад

We use Adobe Premiere 🙂

@daviddahl8562 Год назад

I use mac mini ventura does that work with mac

@JensLarsen Год назад

@@daviddahl8562 Yes, my editor works on a mac as well. I don\t have one myself, so I can't speak to specific models though. It might be an issue if it is very old?

@daviddahl8562 Год назад

@@JensLarsen Thank you I can't afford it now anyway I'm using a free open source called Kdenlive its hard for me to learn. Oh yeah I should mention a good friend of mine former guitar teacher from McNally Smith college of music referred me to your videos says your the best and I agree his name is Tim Lyles

@user-vf6lp5re9m Год назад

👍🏻👏🏼👍🏻🙏👍🏻👏🏼👍🏻🙏

@JensLarsen Год назад

Glad you like it! 🙂

@sergeybogdanovich7019 Год назад

❤️🍀🎼🎶🎸✌️👌🍀

@thijs199 Год назад

The only melodic thing i know is a raised sixth and seventh the rest is all speculation

@lazyrrr2411 Год назад

i've got Dyslexia and have a hard time reading sheet ... 🎼 i keep telling friends to watch Lars Jensen - - - Oooops ! sorry, man

@pascaljeanne8002 Год назад

ahah you become funny man ! the problem in your solos is the sound lol ! the same sound for 2 hours ...ouch ! i mean put a little crunch or disto and chorus or whatever ! that's what i do lol but a ihave no smartphone or camera ! and try to compose something !

@thijs199 Год назад

We’ll get there fast and then we’ll take it slow 😂😂😂

@grantdeniso6458 Год назад

Melodic is mood right Mr Jens....the music is the mood....if it's a good moody music the mood is good right.....if the thing is a little Koo Koo then ya know...moody....the world is subjective and the music is moody....ya know Mr Jens... Say I'm in the city jammin on the Street somewhere.... And somebody who would ordinarily want to stomp or something happens to be amused because the music I'm putting out there is changing their mood

@grantdeniso6458 Год назад

Especially over here in the city Mr Jens.....n. America....you remember that book the best time and where is it at I am right Mr......talk about a bunch of kooks

@grantdeniso6458 Год назад

Tale of two cities.....that's that's the book...another peculiar period in recent history

@grantdeniso6458 Год назад

So much for globalism Mr jens

@grantdeniso6458 Год назад

Ya know the x file whistle thing

@grantdeniso6458 Год назад

Oh boy

@thijs199 Год назад

I dont know, I feel when people try to objectify their opinion why they just like something, they start saying non saying words like melodic or vibe or whatever. Im not too much about that. Just keep to the facts, all the opinions dont help people anyways only cloug up the bogger picture.

@djmileski Год назад

How about some Wayne shorter commentary, analysis, or what have you.

@JensLarsen Год назад

Maybe, I am always a bit in doubt with hopping on trends when someone passes away

@djmileski Год назад

@@JensLarsen Gotcha. Ironically, I ordered my first vinyl of his, the all seeing eye, 3 days before his passing. Always loved his miles Davis involvement but never until this point got an album of his. Was asking in regards to that, my interest in his playing, not because he died.