Phrasing is also a difficult topic to teach so I am curious what you think? 🙂 0:00 Intro 1:14 Lick #1 The Jazz Lick that doesn't swing (but is perfectly fine for the rest) 1:36 Hearing singing/phrasing - tapping into what you already hear 2:23 Lick #2 Getting The Accents right 2:47 The Most Important Phrasing Rule in Bebop! 3:57 Lick #3 Accents on the 2& and 4& - A Technique "hack" 5:21 Lick #4 Mixing up the accents 6:04 Lick #5 A Complete II V I 7:22 Wes Montgomery Phrase and Analysis 7:45 Learning to "hear" phrasing 8:10 Analyzing the Wes Lick 9:52 Like the video? Check out my Patreon Page!
I would argue that there are a few generalizations you could make about jazz phrasing since, as educated as the bebop players were, they still played based on intuition most of the time. One such example would be altering thirds in your arpeggios (albeit sparingly). Sometimes making a minor 7th into a dominant or major 7th fits so well and sounds really jazzy, without necessarily having a rigorous theory in the moment to explain it.
An interesting note is that this is how 20th century composers like Stravinsky emulated jazz. Stravinsky specifically was known to use both major and minor thirds to emulate the chromatic sound of blues which heavily influenced jazz at that time.
I don't really consider that phrasing. That is about the note choice and not how you play the notes, and I think you might be mixing up chord substitution and leading notes?
@@JensLarsen I suppose that's more along the lines of voicing rather than phrasing, though I think to a certain degree they're connected. A generalization you could make simply regarding phrasing would be to aim for the up beats (2 and 4) since those almost always get the accent in bebop rhythms. Accenting on strange offbeats is another good generalization. The rest is just studying good players, regardless of instrument (though you teach guitar so guitarists as examples only makes since).
Because as you said, phrasing is a bit of a vague topic and there's not a lot of strict theory on it and not a lot of education on it. That's why I think generalizations help, but studying players and how they implement these generalizations is what really makes them work. You always need context.
I've just recently discovered your channel and your content is tremendously helpful. As a guitarist who is most comfortable in the classic rock genre I've dabbled in jazz but never liked what I was playing. I knew something was off but could never put my finger on exactly what it was. Thanks for providing some very straightforward insights into why my jazz phrases suck! I'm planning to invest time to some serious study of your videos and working on applications. Thanks again for your content.
Man Jens, I wish you were one of my teachers when I was studying Jazz at the conservatory! Everything you say is so clear. Very grateful that I get to enjoy your wisdom and insights online!
Hi Jens! Love your channel! Agree with everything you are saying here. One thing I've noticed recently and have been trying to work on: Parker lines lot of the time have a descending direction and also are across the bar lines and end and start on end of 2 or 3. Trying to emulate that really added a dimension to my playing. Thank you again!
Great tips here Jens, this came up at our jam Sunday as we were working out the "modern" Autumn Leaves. Everyone went out and grabbed some exotic scales but there was no groove, it was a bunch of scale-bots. Timing, movement, punctuation and breath... Thank You!
Hi Jens, excellent lesson! That tremendously helped me to understand the thought processes lurking within this topic. Also, yes, they were truly 'smoking' at the half note. That one is in my jazz collection and a must for any ! Bless you..
I never thought about thinking of the first note of a pull off as the accent note oddly enough, and when you brought it up, I was like aw duh, that clears up a few things about jazz tone on the electric guitar!
Jens, why do you make this seem so simple? I try and do this & it still sounds like mud!! Thank you for making this seem realizable for someone who is old
I definitely think singing what you play is a great tool Jens. My classical double bass teacher insisted on it. I developed a habit of singing at times without thinking which didn't go down to well at my day job playing in a military band. Still a great way to stop the drivel & play something with substance
Yes Jens, that sounds like a good idea. And if you developed a more comprehensive lesson of Wes-style phrasing/rhythm with various drills based on scale/arpeggio treatment as a lesson for purchase on your web site then I’d be happy to buy it.
This is really good, thanks yet again Lars! Also, if anyone is looking for more on the same topic, the Hal Galper book "Forward Motion" talks about the same topics with some different takes and exercises to use.
One of things in the Galper book that is interesting is he advocates changing the rhythms and aligments you use for practising scales and arps so that you are doing this when playing scales, and that really helped me internalize it better.
It s all about " swinging" . A dotted 8th feel. I try to accent the upbeats and drag a little bit to get the feel. It helps. Dizzy Gillespie said that s how Be- pop got its name from the feel. Bebop a Bebop. I guess that was part of the innovation. Scott Henderson has a good modern be bop feel. Imho
That's no entirely acurate. Bebop was named after the last two notes in a frase, think first phrase of Ornitholigy. And actually 8th notes are more even that dotted or triplet :)
Hej Jens, jag uppskattar ditt sätt att lära ut Jazz Guitar. Har följt dig i några år nu. Jag heter Thierry och är en franskfödd jazzguitarist boende i Stockholm. Keep up the good work!!! Hälsningar. Thierry
Thank you, Jens! This is a wonderful lesson! It took me years to learn how to make my lines sound like jazz --and this lesson explains it very well. I also like to start a bebop phrase with a triplet --then play a syncopated 8th note run-- and end on a one-two "bebop" sound. I love your lessons and will sign up as a patron after the holidays (grandkids are expensive!!!), Thanks again!
Really glad you like it John! You are of course welcome on Patreon when you feel that is something you can allow. For the rest you can also join the FB community (that is free) bit.ly/InsidersFBGroup
how big is the interval usually, when you play the lower note after the accent? Since you use pull offs, is it mostly seconds and thirds? great video! thank you!
Glad you like it! It can be as big as an octave. The pull-off is only when that happens to fit. I don't even use it in all the examples 🙂 Are you on FaceBook?
Hi Jens, very useful lesson... What would you say is the average number of accents a nice 2 bar jazz phrase should have? I know this is so subjective, but anyways...
Lol!! "It sounds more like Mega Death than it does like Charlie Parker " !!!! I think Phrasing is soooo important. If you can master phrasing you you can be great. I think of Santana's Europa. It's not that hard to hit the notes, but wow, he nails the phrasing.
The one I usually recommend is the first version of Four On Six: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-K7OO-s31pOU.html But Nathan Borton has another one that is a lot easier: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8wy6CYrw7Vc.html
Hey Jens, Just a little footnote, I could not hear who you were mentioning. It sounded to me that you were saying Chi Potter, when in fact you were referring to Charlie Parker. Not a big deal for most Jazz people, but when you're a novice to jazz such as myself, it threw me off slightly. Nothing to write home to mom about, considering your extent of knowledge and your willingness to enhance other people's lives, who would have no other means of access to quality Jazz instruction. Thank you very much.
Jens Larsen that’s hard - either movin along, smoking at the half note or the incredible jazz guitar of Wes Montgomery, but the latter is what got me into jazz guitar in the first place!
I'm not on Facebook. I tried searching for one available for purchase and couldn't find any at all. How did you come to own yours Jens, if you don't mind me asking? Is there anywhere that you know of where I could buy one?
No worries! I thought I you might find interesting. The AS2630 stopped production in the late 70's so you have to be a little patient and find one 2nd hand. That's what I did 🙂
Megadeath don't got no swing, but I heard that you can re arrange certain songs of theirs into killer bossa tunes :-/ Sorry, I couldn't help myself.....
That's funny you mentioned Megadeth because the guitarist and drummer in 86 were Jazz Musicians also and if you listen to the album Peace sells, especially Devil's island the solos are straight from Bird. It's quite amazing to hear it in that way.
