To get good at jazz (or any other music) you have to play music, not just practice scales.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
What Jens said
- Thread starter IamGroot
- Start date
Here's something that's struck me lately: Take every possible thing that's been used as a learning tool over the ages, and ask if it's strictly necessary. The answer is No. What you're left with is Nothing. But can you learn Jazz by doing Nothing? Probably not.
It's like how they killed Caesar. Every guy stuck a knife in him. They don't know which knife killed him, but they definitely knew that he was dead.
I think that if you actually want to learn jazz, then you have to start with Something. Whatever you choose, is sure to be something that somebody disagrees with.
It's like how they killed Caesar. Every guy stuck a knife in him. They don't know which knife killed him, but they definitely knew that he was dead.
I think that if you actually want to learn jazz, then you have to start with Something. Whatever you choose, is sure to be something that somebody disagrees with.
Why does this even need to be said? You work on fundamentals then apply it. Anything you try to learn follows the same path. But if you have no fundamental information down, you can't play jazz in any context.
Their are people that have been practicing jazz for 20 years and havent really improvec. They need to gig.
Yup. I guess it seemed obvious to me. When I started my jazz band, I'd only had a couple years worth of lessons so I had some stuff down, but I knew the only way to learn jazz is to play it. I still don't give it the time it deserves but that's on me.
Yes and no.
Yeah you absolutely have to play music to get better at music, but in the shed is where you are taking apart the music and working things out. You might absolute rinse All The Things You Are in one key, but if a singer sits in and it's Dmajor then knowing your ii V's in all 12 keys eliminates a lot of the guess work on the bandstand. It's a two way street. You shed and you play. Playing then tells you what you need go to shed. The process repeats itself in a never ending and often depressing cycle.
There are also people who have, inexplicably, gigged for 20 years and don't get better as well. Practise and putting the practise into practise is how you get better.
Yeah you absolutely have to play music to get better at music, but in the shed is where you are taking apart the music and working things out. You might absolute rinse All The Things You Are in one key, but if a singer sits in and it's Dmajor then knowing your ii V's in all 12 keys eliminates a lot of the guess work on the bandstand. It's a two way street. You shed and you play. Playing then tells you what you need go to shed. The process repeats itself in a never ending and often depressing cycle.
There are also people who have, inexplicably, gigged for 20 years and don't get better as well. Practise and putting the practise into practise is how you get better.
