Wanna get good at jazz improv? Stop wasting time studying modes! 

i LOVE that you start these lessons with playing FIRST , and usually 2 choruses....then you begin to teach ....as it should be

I just found you today, I can't stop watching your lessons. Wow . You have opened my eyes to a whole new world. Thanks man.😃

After playing guitar for 40 years, often times very academic, I have been watching your videos. I love the organic approach. Focusing on listening to the accompaniment so I know where you are… that is a big escape from academia. ❤️

This is totally correct - our data source should be the music, not some abstract Berklee/Aebersold "play by numbers" methodology. In any case, over a tonal piece (most standards) we are not playing modally because we are not using different tonics every chord. Tonal songs with ordinary harmony are not modal music. We use suspensions and various chromatic embellishments, voice leading over harmony. It makes little sense to think of them as "modes", for me at least, it's counterproductive: every chord in a tonal piece has a relationship to the tonic, even tonicisations (and modulations even, which have particular "flavours" in relation to tonic key). I wasted years thinking of them as isolated floating "modes". Decades later i started seriously transcribing I'm now learning how jazz musicians actually PLAY (not some false, half-baked "modal" pseudo-theory). Oh, I can instantly name and play every single mode of maj, mel.min, harm.min, harm.maj back to front, in sequences, instant inversion and retrograde of cells, etc etc blah blah, but it's completely f-ing USELESS for playing good music!

There are a lot of people on RU-vid teaching guitar, but I really like that you are teaching music. As a tenor saxophonist, I'm learning a lot from your approach. Thanks, Christiaan.

Thank you for the lesson!! I really enjoy it. As always the most important thing are the chords and the notes we play over them.

“was kind of ok” : ) you’re too humble Christaan

Good one, even while studying jazz guitar, I often wondered why they teach this sophisticated modern stuff, while the students still struggled to play a simple swing solo. Greetz Sven

Legend has it: he improved this entire video during that introduction solo! Haha love the content ❤️🤝

In University they drilled modes like insanity... i left after a year. For the past year ive studied on my own from professionals on youtube like yourself, i have come a long way since i forgot about modes and have been transcribing. Modes never made sense to me and were actually very constricting. You are awesome thanks for the great info

There is a lot of good wisdom here (and your channel is awesome). I will say I think there is a middle ground between modes and a more transcription based instinctual method of playing. At my college (BGSU) we didn't talk about modes a lot. We focused on simpler chord-scale relationship concepts like realizing what major scales to play over ii-V-I's and using harmonic minor on minor ii V's. So instead of doing the "mixolydian-dorian-ionian" thing on a basic ii-V-I progression, you just play the major scale i.e. on Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 just play C major the whole time. A lot of standards such as Stella by Starlight are so much more playable for a beginning improviser just by breaking things down into ii-V progressions. So for me personally, it helped me a ton to think this way. Really I feel like if you can master the major scale in the 5 standard positions, harmonic minor, and lydian dominant + fully altered (and the latter is less important), bam, you are good. You still have a whole lot of great theory to help you understand things, but not so much that you get held up by it. That said the theory (as others have stated) is really just a great way to get started sounding "ok" on tunes. It takes, in my view, much less time to grind out scales than painstakingly transcribing solos, so the path to actually sounding decent is faster with some simple scale knowledge. Mastery requires the transcription and line studying you talk about.

I agree. Would you become a great writer by reading great books written by the best writers or by memorizing the dictionary?

Great advice! If you want to learn to speak a foreign language, the most effective way is to simply immerse yourself amongst people who speak it well. Vocabulary and grammar will come naturally as you practice communicating.

Thanks for the great advice. You're right about the old ways of learning. I played bass for 25 years. In the 90s I remember having to decide wheather to buy a book, a cd, or a pack of strings for a gig next weekend (before guitar center strings were about $30 for d'adarrios. Back then, that was 2 tanks of gas.lol ). I remember asking the best bass player in town, Mike Johnson for lessons, he told me, " I wish I could give lessons, but I really don't know what I'm doing, I just play what sounds right." The last couple of years, I've taken up guitar, focusing on jazz standards, and I've come to the conclusion that knowing the intervals for a particular chord progression and playing what sounds right is the best way to go. I'm trying to work up tunes from real book charts to get a sense of the changes and internalise the appropriate intervals of each chord, then trying to figure out lines from my favorite version of the tune. Thinking about the modes and particular voicings I'm playing is too much "in the moment". I just try to play the intervals of appropriate chords to the changes and assume Django or whomever I'm trying to copy, probably wasn't thinking about it when he played either, he just played whay sounded right.

This isn't just good advice for jazz, it's good advice for anyone improvising in any form IMO. I think Christiaan's method is a super demanding approach that works for learning to play a super demanding form and it's great if you can hack it. But the general idea is applicable to anyone who wants to improvise: Find a way to learn and practice music, musically (in a way that _forces_ you to involve the ears) ! And learning lines by ear from sources you love is certainly one way to do that. It is challenging but intensely satisfying when you get it. Great stuff Christiaan. Here's my tip. If you are practicing something and you could stick cotton in your ears and keep practicing. You're practicing something but it isn't music. (There are some totally non-musical finger drills specifically targetting independent _finger control_ that can be useful for guitarists but otherwise -- study music musically!)

I recall Emily Remler saying there are in essence two kinds of Jazz approach , a) Cadence Jazz b) Modal Jazz. Most Jazz isnt modal, I tend to think, certainly pre 59, but you can approach a tune modally or cadence wise in theory (least chords the better for modal!). Using essentially arpeggios is traditional on bebop, introducing chromatics in them of course, but modal jazz does benefit from a modal approach (I know you briefly referenced this). So, not to contradict you, but just to open the idea of Jazz beyond traditional swing or bebop approaches, as for example McLaughlins does in his approach, and a few more. Good video!

You're so on it Christian. A very refreshing voice in an ocean full of chord-scale ramblings. Thank you so much. Obviously applying the idea of following the sound of a line and not be too bothered with the analysis of it works easily on guitar, bass and violin, but in order to play it on another instrument - where hand shapes are not merely moving up or down, and the visual memory, together with the sound memory make you able to move the line around - you would have to perhaps analyse the line a bit more. Unless you rely on your ear of course, and have a great ear-hand coordination. Anyhow: compliments for your musical and insightful way to approach musical matters.

This is brilliant. Best advice ever. Study great lines. All you need to know is in the lines.

I like to think of it like this: music is essentially a form of language, and we learn to talk long before we learn to put speech into a theoretical framework in the form of grammar... but we "know" grammar before we can articulate it: a 5 year old kid has the information of how to correctly conjugate verbs encoded in his head (in spoken form, at least), he just can't explain it because it's a subconscious process. I see music the same way: we "know" how a note will fit a harmonic context by virtue of having played and listened to all kinds of music. Musical theory is a way to put that into a framework that can help us articulate that information, but IMO without the subconscious part coming first it's not that useful in and of itself.

So, is like a Tetris game... you have the shapes and you try to put them in the right place in real time. As Bill Evans used to say: "repetition is improvisation". Thanks!

You're one of few jazz guitar teachers/player that makes sense and give real good advise for live playing guitarist. I'm contemplating on learning jazz guitar from a rock background. Thank you for great advice​.

cool these line you teach help me make sense of the fretboard and how to organise my lines and mix to makemy own as well you are a good teacher now practice this around the circle then on standards . cheers .

Love what you are saying here and you are right, musical lines are the vocabulary of music. I think transcribing is such an important activity. We learn languages by repeating what others say and ultimately making that language our own. We should do the same with music and ignore much of the theory.

Great videos. Mostly way over my head but with some useable stuff for us newbies, however no point in slowing down a backing track if you're going to then play twice as fast! LOL

Thank yo so much, teacher, this wisdom is invaluable

You are an amazing teacher! And player. Obviously 🤗 I’ve been a mediocre jazz improviser on the violin for years. You make everything so clear! Thank you!

Christiaan, I believe you.

Thank you, nice to hear info from you that’s come straight from the mouth of a master like Stochelo Rosenberg. As I’ve heard said before : the answers to all your musical challenges lie in the recordings of the greats

Practical, truthful, and humble. Many thanks.

Hi Christian I have discovered your videos recently, and just suscribed. I am very impressed and glad to get some fresh air away from modes. I have always been reluctant to that complicated stuff without exactly knowing why. Now I can see and hear why ! thanks a lot.

I think both have a place and time and both are equally valid in my opinion, but I definitely agree it is much easier to sound boring when you base your improv (strictly) on modes. I'm personally learning right now that combining modes w/licks are best, at least for how I learn. I like to see scales & modes as the "open road" so-to-speak, while the licks are the vehicles you put on the road. That way, you have the road that the vehicles can drive on, and because you can see what surrounds the road, you can understand why some cars stay on the road and why some briefly go off of it. I do also agree that is a lot of information to process when you could literally just take the licks verbatim at first, then add a bit of liberty without ever bothering with the theory, but again, this is just how I have the best time learning lol

You are totally right.

You gave the best advice that I could ever take. Also it cleared all shadows that was covering my mind with many useful explanations, thank you so much, I subscribed!

You are the best jazz teacher I've seen on youtube so far. No nonsense approach. Would be cool to have tab or maybe an instructional book.

great Lesson I saw Mike stern recently I heard him say in a lesson , "over the ii chord , Play the dorian , and then go up a minor third and play the same minor shape " That is such a great way to simplify the Jazz rule of thumb , Substitute the vi for the ii OR , substitute Super Locrian for Dorian

Great advice, maybe more advanced and less direct that what I have been doing intuitively. My approach starting out is to learn entire solos from performances that I like (transcriptions and soundslice) and once they are in my vocabulary, mixing and modifying them. I have gone for a couple of songs in several different jazz styles which has been helpful when meeting other musicians. I have gone for songs that are easy enough for me to play which has put the emphasis on slower tunes.

Excellent work and great advice. Thanks!

Paco is grossly underrated in the mainstream “electric” guitar world. He grew up jamming with gypsies of course.

Ik ben het compleet met je eens!Groeten,Sean Constantine

I think this is right to say learn lines. The deal with modes is you have to make "Blues Patterns" out of them by adding the Diminished W 1/2 and 1/2 W . At some point you have to have a scale pattern matrix that covers the fretboard you visualize . that matrix can shift and change With the major scale you have to be able to add diminished and play a minor pattern and with dorian ytou should be able to add 1/2 WHOLE DIMINISHED , and play a major sound , the key to "ear playing" could be to know when to make a scale pattern sound minor or major , with in the same key It all depends on what you are playing over , and that can only be done by using your ear

I haven't touched a guitar since 2000 and the twenty years before that I was only a rhythm guitarist, because I was too lazy to work on soloing. Your videos are really accessible and who knows? Maybe I'll buy a guitar again. :) Groeten uit Duitsland.

My father was a traditional bebop jazz player (not even hard bop) and used to always dismiss the "modes" concept. When one can really, truly play on or almost play on a Charlie Parker, Bud Powell level with Sonny Rollins and Monk like thinking, then, modes are already baked in the cake.

I know, it sounds funny, but I really like the backing track:))

I think you are 100 percent right. I did a video on a Herbie Hancock lick. He used all the notes of the dominant diminished scale plus a passing note. It's the chromatic scale with Bebop phrasing. Going to check out your starter series. I was thinking Charlie Parker and you mentioned him.. funny. Also the way I use the modes is just for 🐈 organising something. Basically talking with other musicians. Autumn leaves is written in two flats. For all practical purposes it has two five ones .. if that song is transposed to C it is far less complex as we can see it better.

Excellent pieces of advice. You're a good Jazz guitar player. I believe that blues players have also the tendency to learn/"steal" phrases from other great blues musicians. I like to study complete arpeggios and solos from my favorite hard/heavy rock guitar players, but it always take a lot of effort, and in rock music, I feel that it would be really awkward to use someone else's famous licks on your own music (like that great riff from Sweet Child O' Mine, for example)... That's why I prefer creating my own lines by using my ears and knowing what I'm doing based on theory. And it took me years to understand how to apply the theory that I constantly learn in a way that actually allows me to play. Ironically, when I write/improvise a phrase, I always want to sound in the spirit of "this" great solo on "that" great song...

3:23 Well there IS a genre called en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_jazz modal jazz, which led to a significant development of jazz music in the second half of the XX century.

I loved this lesson. I just read the book "I Am a Strange Loop" and although about different subject matter, its really about the same idea - sometimes reducing things to their tiny little components isn't as useful as looking right at the bigger pictures. Thanks.

How about invent your own lines using the arpeggios or chord shapes as the anchor. Record them and improve them ...cut out the transcription chore.

Great lesson, you speak out, what I thought for a long time

Great video

Very good stuff. What I am taking away from this is: I can learn a mode. Let's say D dorian. I then know where I can play that scale. I then learn Charlie Parker lick no. 1. I then learn where to play that lick so that it sounds good. I'd rather learn the Charlie Parker lick.

So true, lines are key.

Although I don't play guitar, this was very interesting. Thank you very much for this video!

You can spend a lifetime learning great licks and ultimately build up a repertoire of licks that you may or not understand in terms of why they work. It seems to me it's also good to understand the theory that makes things work . Someone may ask you to improvise on top of a specific chord progression. If you've got some theory under your belt you immediately have a starting point on which you can build something, hopefully something artistic and tasty...That part's up to you, and at that point you might remember a line you like that would fit and adapt it in a creative way. No matter how you come at it if you're repeating someone else's lines or a scale over D Dorian it's going to be boring. Music is an art and art isn't created with a recipe book. In the end IMHO It's probably best to have a lot of both (licks and theory).

i mean title has its effect, yet music is in total a discovery and each phase that becomes sensed it breaches inside its awareness...so partly impossible not to...

I draw my solos from the vibe of the song and the tonal centers of the chords

It's all good, we all learn differently, maybe we think the same as I never practise scales as modes there is no need when I practise scales I play patterns, make melodies, play the arpeggios in a given scale, I just don't criticise other ways because in time you just might need another outlook, I didn't say your way is wrong either, there is no right or wrong way just a way that's good for you or me, cheers buddy REPLY

Beautiful playing,

878/5000 It's true that you do not need names of notes, or any theory to play music. It is true that many of the best guitarists (musicians) do not know any notes or theory, and they play fantastic music. It behaves like reading to language. In order to speak I do not need to be able to read. But there is one big difference between fine musicians and the real greats: Stochelo, Joe Pass, Martin Taylor, Lee Ritenour, Django, whoever, grew up with music. They heard their music in the mother's loaf before they were born. And they started playing music at a very young age - the music they had internalized long before. This is a completely different condition than most of us have. I'm a fan of learning by ear. Since I do that, I'm getting better.

I don't think about scales and modes whenI perform I only use them a little when I am thinking up ideas for later solos

I really like this approach! New to your channel, great lessons, Thanks! 😊🎶

Hello Christian, I'm not sure about the title and the rest of the video, even if I understand this way of practicing and learning. The best you could say is to learn from others (as you explain) and ALSO learn modes for two reasons: being able to play on changes you've never seen before, impossible in your way, and being able to create your own way of playing, phrasing, etc... I'm sure you understand what I say. By the way, about learning licks, it is a good way of praticing ear, technique and vocabulary, but the right way (for me) would be to play it on all strings so as to not be limitated by technique... Only because pedagogy is for me very important too, I don't want to bother you anymore, sorry ;-)

Congratulations on 3K subs!

Hey Christiaan, Awesome video! I completely agree with you! I think you touch upon a huge misunderstanding in not only jazz guitar education but guitar education in general, well atleast the RU-vid guitar education community IMO. Most guitar players think jazz guitarists use modes to solo over chord changes. The thing is most jazz tunes, wel atleast the jazz real book standards are tonal music. While the songs change keys they are based on major and minor tonal centers/keys. Its functional harmony! This is completely different from modal harmony where you often vamp on one single chord for multiple bars! Since most people learned modes they think they have to use a mode for every chord in a functional harmony based song. A ii-V-I then uses dorian, mixolydian, inonian. Why not just play the major scale and outline the chord tones? If you want to "take the long way" as you've called it I think its better to study arpeggios/chord tones and use these as a guide. This makes playing chromatically easier too. Now all this mode stuff is probably a result of the institutionalization/academic of jazz music in schools like Berklee with its chord scale systems etc. While its interesting and very nice for analysis you quickly see that the guitar players most people honor: Django, Wes, Joe Pass, Benson, Martino, Grant Green all learned by learning tunes, learning licks from records and from other people. Joe Pass has a few videos where he says "I dont know nuthing 'bout no modes". Benson has instructional videos where the instructor has to explain him what he is theoretically doing. They all learned by copying other peoples stuff. A great example is blues guitar soloing. Blues is a simpler style of music than jazz IMO. So soloing in that style could also be considered easier. And lets be honest it is, you just can use 1 scale over the complete progression. Now, if we use the scales/modes approach we would just teach somebody the pentatonic scale and then expect him to solo like Clapton, BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan. I know all the 5 major and minor pentatonic boxes on the guitar but my solos sounded nothing like these players until I started to steal licks from their recordings. Its like a language, you have to have vocabulary. Why take the long route of learning scales, modes and then learn to play all these licks if you could just learn all these licks directly? Of course it is important to analyse the licks you play. But if you know the chord and the lick and you know some theory (intervals etc) you can figure this out easily. They key here is to learn licks and songs! Also you make a great point about the information overload today. With RU-vid you have access to billions of hours of music that you can figure out. While this is nice it gives me analysis paralysis. Also a huge con is the amount of tabs and sheet music. My ears are reallllllllyy bad. I need to work on that. Lol, wow I wrote a huge novel :P. Anyway these are just my $0.2 and I am in no way a good guitar player but I like reading about a little bit of theory and how to study music. Thanks PS: Are you often in Amsterdam and do you give guitar lessons there? I saw your workshop was cancelled?

I agree with Christian. When playing over the changes, how many notes do you play over 1 given chord? Maybe 3 or 4 notes if that. I personally vibe with an arp or triadic/line approach. Larry Carlton thinks this way as well. Less is more.

Thanks for sharing sound fabulous Christiaan mean guitar bro! hope you are well God loves you deeply shalom 🎄 😀🎸 🔊🤗😎🎶🎵🏆🎖️🎷

The less talented have to study modes /scales etc.. a prodigies don't have to study any scales or modes because all melody lines are in their head and can be directly translated to the keyboard it's a complete different league hence it all depends how talented you are

you're a genius

Funny thing, the guy I started teaching called me laughing to tell me "just as soon as you thought me those modes, I saw this video that says not to". I reminded him that the reason I showed him those is to become familiar with the fretboard, not to advocate modal playing. That's what I think they're useful for even if you don't care about the modes themselves, it makes you more familiar with the fretboard. What you advise is essential to get better as well. Or another way, what I started doing, I don't learn the line, only the rhythmic feel and put different notes over it, something I come up with.

Hey Christian, great video! All the greats have used this approach to learn to a greater or lesser extent. Charlie Parker studied Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, Jim Hall Wes studied Charlie Christian. I know Billy Bean was a big influence on Pat Martino. I’m just curious to know where you think Django got his ideas from, I know he loved Louis Armstrong, but it’s difficult to know what he must have listened to. His style evolved constantly, even in his late bebop period, his vocabulary is unmistakably his. His lines all seem like they could only have come from him.

Well said , Modal thinking is good for analysis afterword , for learning a great line I think it is important to know the whole fretbord , and visualize it , but to get great blues patterns you may as well listen to the masters . Wes was great because he composed using rules of thumb , You could write a tri tone cadence on paper in 12 keys , BUT , can you write a song with it as good as wes?

Nice video, thank you!

Hi Christiaan :) I'm wondering do you recommend listening to Django and figuring out his lines by ear? or looking up tabs and learning the solos that way? thanks

Great lesson!

Wow great lesson, thanks

I agree most of the Great players I know lived next to the record player

Ideally I think it makes sense to know your modes and also be able to transcribe 'proven lines' (so to speak) when playing jazz. Harmonically, you have to know your way around the instrument. You are a good player in any event. Thanks for this.

Just know Minor vs Major you're good to go Remember Joe Pass?

That's kind of the same as saying you don't use modes for blues. I agree, You guys use a lot of chromatic stuff. But a person could compose songs from all 7 modes, each one having its own unique progression and cover many variations that Would be hard learn by ear or even remember.. IMHO. Every mode has a different flavor. I mean rather then trying to use modes over certain chord sequences, which is what most people do. Actually compose the songs from the mode itself. That's the way I understand it anyway.

Excellent advice. Keep it up.

Christiaan I love the fact that you frankly admit to an aspirant having to learn note for note the solos of the masters. But seeing you as an intelligent soul it is impossible to understand why you do not address some very obvious questions that mustr arise. Mainly thus: Are you asking us to believe that a solo by say Django was composed and set in stone to be played verbatim like a classical piece by Handel? The point of jazz is improvisation. How do you square this? Do you think Miles Davis went around transcribing the solos of others? Maybe he did. But isn't it better to leave such a rote modus operandi to the classical world? Was Django transcribing Louis Armstrong? Did he repeat his solos verbatim night for night and die of boredom with himself? Don't really think so. So why do you suggest for us to do that? I mean what can you say to those who do not possess the tedium-threshold to be able to sit with pen and paper listening to solos writing them down and feeling like a cheat, robbing ideas so deliberately, knocking off copies like a handbag factory in Indonesia ----- are we lost causes doomed to hot club hell?

Its very inticing to tell new players they dont have to learn theory. But its not good. Ideally your theoretical and practical musicianship should increase side by side, obviously just playing is more fun and rewarding. Theory helps you go to the next level.

you rock thanks :)

Great advice

Great lesson Christiaan, you basically state what so many people forget, music comes first, then theory. I'm doing the same with many of your videos actually lol I've been transcribing your solo of "I love you" you've got in this channel, and I actually got a lot of lines and it's only been 2 choruses! It's been great. Also I have a question and I'd like to hear what you think...; I know that everytime you learn a new lick or line, you gotta practice it with metronome, very slowly and all that stuff, does that mean that I *always* will have to practice every line I want to learn very slowly? Won't there be any point of my playing in which I'll be able to play everything at once? Everytime I try it, it sounds sloppy, how do I fix this? I've been doing your "Become a Swinging monster with this exercises" they are burning my fingers lol but I haven't seen so much improvement, I can't play faster than 140-130bpm without making mistakes, this is kinda frustrating me D:

excellent !! merci

Hello Christiaan, what kind of "jazz" guitar would you reccommend as a starter, and amp? i've read something about that 2x12 amps are yes far to loud, but the soundprojection and overall tone is far better.. i've heard things about a Telecaster being a budget jazz guitar, besides Gretch and the Ibanez Artcores

Christian, thanks for your advice. I totally agree with you. But I have a question to you. "Memorizing chord-tones form on guitar" practice is also not needed? what do you think about it? Actually I'm having a hard time to memorize all the chord-tone forms on guitar. ex) C#m7 = C# E G# B , F#7 = F# A# C# E ... etc. But I know the sounds of chord tones, then I can soloing over chord changes now. The thing is, I can't visualize the form of chord tones on my guitar. I having trouble playing 'using chord tones only, strictly at any chord progressions' I'll wait your advice. thank you.

Seriously, a revelation

CORRECT!

I am by no means a jazz expert. But to me the melody should not sound modal. Sure use them. But let melody be the main thing as far a single notes go.

Being a guitarist myself I just can't understand how many guitarists don't know the notes on the instrument. I mean, how difficult can it be?

When you say 'lines' do you mean Lines that string together particular chord progression's in a sensible way? Just trying to really get it. Thanks for these.

I wish you would clarify what you mean by G7 cause it gets real confusing, is its Gdom7, Gminor7, Gmaj7 or Gminormajor7? And modal playing is still better because whats stopping you from learning one liner riffs as a modal player too. If anything we are just as familiar if not more familiar with scale degrees.

Great musician. How do you rate your Peerless(Monarch?) against more costly models with the same design?

even though you're jazz I think you rock!!!! great learning experience!

Just play around whit backing tracks and it will sound good whit time ... just use your ears..

Whats up with the insistence of pre-Hendrix guitar work in Jazz? Its like jazz guitarists only use 10% of the instrument.

Actually there is a scale that is called acoustic scale... So A minor melodic scale will be like D acoustic scale

So a line is basically the same as a lick?