When to Use iReal Pro to Learn Jazz 

Hi Brent, I always learn tunes by ear, but I use iReal Pro for other things. There are some fantastic features which I use a lot: 1. You can loop over smaller sections of a tunes 2. You can change the tempo. 3. You can transpose a tune into other keys 4. Tempo and transposition increments can be done automatically at each iteration of a loop 5. You can create your own chord changes to make your own exercises These features are all fantastic for working on tunes after you have already learned the melody and harmony.

i use Ireal Pro just to play along with, it's like having a bassist and drummer to play with

I do use iReal pro a lot live because I play corporate gigs with a lot of different singers. The most common standards that I play often, I can play without looking in basically all most popular keys because since they are popular, I took time learn the theme by ear and comp the chords that fit. (fly me to the moon, autumn leaves, Summertime, The lady is a tramp, Fever, Can't take my eyes off you, Lullaby of Birdland, Misty, etc.). But for me, iReal pro comes in handy when I'm put on the spot with a progression I DON'T KNOW and get called literally between songs on stage. If I can't find it and we have another harmonic player I just float on top and figure it out as we go. But iReal pro has saved my ass quite a few times because of sometimes I'm alone playing the chords. It's also super great for testing out melodic ideas and find new rhythmic phrasings when at home. Hell It's an invaluable tool for transcribing chords too because the edit function is a pure breeze. and then I can shoot pdfs to all the other knuckleheads via air drop.

I'd be interested in some hard scientific data to support some of the ideas you express in this video. For example, If i could by ear "learn" a standard in say 3-5 hours, but I can do it in 15 minutes by looking at a chart, is the science there to back up the idea that from a cognitive standpoint I'm "better off" spending that 3-5 hours? Is the assumption that eventually I'd get so good at it that I could cut the time down to 15 minutes by ear alone, or are you saying the actual motor function and memory retention is demonstrably greater in the ear only scenario? What is the actual percentage difference. Keeping in mind also I could potentially learn 20 tunes with a chart in the same time it takes to learn 1 by ear. Also, I literally don't care about the "your at a gig and a song gets called that you don't know" scenario. Maybe that's a thing for some people, but I didn't start playing music so I could prove to other musicians that I can play random songs on the fly. Is it actually scientifically more beneficial to learn 1/20th the repertoire merely for the purpose of proving to myself I can still do the ear training exercises from jazz school? I confess, this was one of my pet peeves in Jazz school. The "ear" thing really seems like a bravado thing. It's like a weight lifter trashing people that use a bowflex at home cause they aren't "really lifting." Does the bowflex guy have that hot 6 pack abs like the meathead at the gym? If he does, why do I care if he didn't use free weights. If I can hit the changes, comp, play the melody, play chord melodies, etc, and I sound the same as the guy that spend 20x the time to learn the tune, is the other guy, "better off?" Do you have data to indicate that the person who learned it by ear has some mysterious, deeper, more intense connection to the music than the chord sheet guy?

I love IRP but I use it to practice jazz and share charts, not learn jazz. Learning jazz is primarily done by listening, studying and playing with other musicians as you know. You are doing a good work with your site, I would think that you would be encouraging people to get this useful tool. I learned about IRP at a large music camp 4 years ago and virtually all the jazz guys were using it on iPads. I went out and got it and I use almost every feature of this app and it’s very useful. I usually like reading your stuff but I think you missed the boat on this one. There are several more pros you ignored and some of your cons are weak.

I like to use it for the back tracts. I may look at the chord changes and then go by ear. I vary the tempo as well.

Love this guy! Indeed one of my favorite channels.

It's really annoying to read such outrageous musical snobbery that "using IReal Pro with the Real Book is bad advice". I can only say in reply---- total BS! I am not a professional, just a deeply committed musical student like most of us. I have spent many hours going through hundreds of the jazz standard backing tracks on IReal Pro and playing the simple melody lines in the Real Book, playing at different tempos and in different keys. It's fantastic to be able to do this! I'm not looking to be a professional musical snob---- I'm looking to LEARN THE BASIC MELODY AND STRUCTURE OF THE SONG. As I learn these basic structures, eventually that will give me the freedom to "play by ear". IReal Pro in combination with the Real Book, or other books----- is a superb practice tool---- end of story!! It has helped me enormously. Do NOT believe otherwise!!

I agree. I see way too many "jazz" musicians who seem completely incapable of playing by ear in any way. They are stuck with the chords and consequently sound wooden and preconceived.

Some interesting replies... If you see the music as a text, learning with sheets is fine too. If you approach it in the feels way, I'd say learning it by ear is a better option. Nobody really plays jazz tunes specifically to the sheet - even the simple run of 8th notes aren't exactly timed that way like they do more in classical music - 2 x 8th notes in jazz would be more like 2+1 beats of triplets. Then there's the dynamics, articulation etc... just that 'sound'. The negative here is that you're being particular to 1 musician's version of the song at a time, and it takes a hell lot of time - even when you're more familiar with transcribing by ear. But the upside is you can learn whatever song / solo you'd like to, instead of ones that are already available in sheets, and one big thing to note is you ~even if subconsciously~ get to learn how the artist interacts with others' playing. I had to find it a bit daunting when I tried to cover a song, learn it by ear + sheet (for reference), then play it along with the iReal Pro backings (or other sources for that matter) just to find out the flow and the vibe of the backing is just 'off' with the solo & melody of the version I tried to copy. It's OK to a certain extent though. I think iReal Pro is a fantastic tool at hand to provide you some basic setups and environments you need for certain things. Knowing its limitations would only help you for the better, too. Anyways I don't really think there is an absolute right or wrong in the approaches. We need both width & depth to have a complete, 3-dimensional understanding & playing capabilities. To me it just seems like a matter of width (sheet / visual) vs. depth (ear / listening). You will need to figure out how to fill the void in the other side e.g. spending time to develop your own feel after learning the sheet, or check out various versions of the song / learn many songs by listening. "Scientifically" speaking though, I have yet to see any respected / renowned jazz musician recommend it other than learning by ear. That could be an old myth that's to be broken in the future, but someone would need to step up and prove it. Theoretically it seems possible, but so far the evidences seem weak, if not zero.

I’m using it as a backing to practice arpeggios. I switch off the piano. Good or bad idea?

Any suggestions for great sound Jazz backing tracks I have an iReal pro and it Help me a lot but its like the same redundant style ..IM looking for a diffrent authentic sound.

Does it show you chord scales as well? One video I saw showed the different scales that would work over the different chords

Simply, I need it for a clean backing track when I'm trying to make sure I know the tune, and if I want to try out new ideas and make sure they are applicable to the tune. Its great to listen to the primary source to learn, but some songs are only rarely called out, and I can't really get much when I'm improvising on a the original recording of a standard, and there is another solo going on. Software that removes the lead always dampens the rest of the rhythm section and is not a good option.

Its one thing learning rock or metal songa by easy. Thats easy. But jazz? Im good but im not working out 7th chords (or harder) by ear good.

So this app is specifically designed for jazz only?

using ireal pro is more fun than playing with idiots that shows you nothing, at least if you are alone it’s great for the rythmn, practice your vocabulary , comping, and more…..

He's talking like he's just started an argument with his girlfriend, regretting it and trying to calm down the situation. Funny stuff.

So when is it not appropriate to use iReal Pro? I play 99% by ear btw

As I go in life I understand every extreme, black/white position is bad.

And by hear do you mean without the help of any instrument ? Which is another topic...

Don't lower the *original* sheet music, from the composer, to the same level as (most) fakebooks. It is a different approach. The Real book is a more or less accurate writing down of an *interpretation* of a piece. I don't know what resources IReal Pro uses, but I seriously doubt that it is exact original sheet music only. Analysis based on a personalised jazz version is misleading, often a nightmare, and of no use to understand the essence of the composition as it was created. You *cannot* trust your ears on a jam session when you don't know the song. I omit a detailed explanation. So, again, imho the only utility of IReal Pro is in a playing situation where you know that the others use those chord progressions *and* if you have at least a few minutes to look at it before getting started. And last but not least: learning music is *both* using your ears *and* reading the composers writing, because he/she is not available to tell you orally what was in his/her head.

Why iRealPro and not Band In A Box?

iReal Pro and mthp are MY BANDS at home. A metronome with benefits. There is absolutely no downside in using these apps as playalongs. The contrary is true. The educational benefit in playing along is MASSIVE. "Use your ears" is fine. But my ears can't conjure up a fun backing track dude. I see you say don´t use it as source for chord study, ok. But thats one tiny aspect of the app. I think you are exaggerating and baiting people with provocative bs

How can you talk that long and that fast without taking a breath

there are a shit load of silly people in this world. If you can read music why would you NOT learn standards from a fake book? Of course you would. Interpretation comes from ear but the most effective way to learn any tune is from dots. Ireal is also a great tool.

Absolutely terrible advice to tell people "The best way to learn is by ear". Totally WRONG. The best advice for anyone learning to play a music instrument is: "LEARN TO READ MUSIC!". Why this seems so difficult is a mystery to me. It's not that difficult,----- young kids in school bands can do it----- so can anyone who sets their mind to it. I'm not talking about reading Beethoven or Bach---- I'm talking about learning simple melody lines in the Real Book. This opens up a whole new universe of musical possibilities---especially with understanding the rhythmic placement of notes in a bar and the importance of the down and upbeats in jazz. Then you can really start "playing by ear".