5 Jazz Practice Hacks to Improve Faster

[@Raven-Creations]

Since getting a looper, I've found a really good technique is to record say eight bars of a four-bar ii V I backing track. I'll then record a four-bar lick over the first four bars. My practice is then to answer that lick in the second four bars, and try to come up with new variants each time round the loop. This call and response means I get used to coming up with something new, based off the original lick. This simulates trading licks with another player, and got me out of the rut of having set phrases that I'd assemble, like Lego bricks. Taking the language analogy, it's like riffing on MLK's "I have a dream" speech, just recording "I have a dream, that one day...", and in the gap coming up with my own dreams. Sometimes, instead of a lick, the first four bars will be the melody of a standard I'm learning. This lets me develop soloing based off the melody. This stops every solo sounding the same. That is, I hear the melody, then play a solo idea based off the melody. The goal here is to be able to play a solo to say All The Things You Are, and for someone hearing that solo to be able to tell that I'm playing All The Things You Are. Because I come up with different ideas each time round the loop, it really improves my improvisation, it also helps me get into my head the "essence" of the original lick, so rather than learning the lick verbatim, I just need to remember the important notes and phrasing, and can fill in the blanks. Without doubt, my looper is the single most important tool I've found to make my practice more productive. I just wish I could have had it forty years ago, it would have saved me so much frustration and disillusionment. Anyone not currently using a looper really needs to get one. Considering the price of tuition, the price of a cheap looper is peanuts, and a small investment that will pay for itself many times over. I have a looper with built in drum patterns, and a bass9 pedal. This lets me loop drums and a bass line. I can then loop a chord track over that, and it takes next to no time to have a complete backing track to practice over.

[@derekakien7379]

A thoughtfully constructed well produced session. Thankyou.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thank you!

[@mgoldson]

Hey great info. Really appreciate it…The practice strategy really resonated with me. That should be number 1 on this list and all else follows from that.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad it was helpful!

[@joanbeltre]

Excelente... Thanks for putting this together... 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@Learnjazzstandards]

My pleasure!

[@MyJ2B]

Great tip on doing the right exercises in practice for maxiumum output efficiency. FYI - Wilfred "Fritz" Pareto was an engineer-economist-mathematician from Italy (1800s) who realized that 80% of the economic activity/holdings was controled by 20% of the individuals in the country. In today's world, it might be more like 99%/1% e.g. Gaites, Musk, Bezos, etc. LOL

[@michaelstevens8]

Hello from Kansas City, Missouri Brent. Great video as always. This is one of the most thorough and systematic practice strategies I've seen. For any one thats interested, their is a great book called The Jazz Musicians Guide to Creative Practicing by David Berkman. Thanks.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Awesome, thank you!