How Dizzy Taught Me To Play Fast

[@AimeeNolte]

Watch this video for free (and with no ads) over on Nebula! nebula.tv/videos/aimeenoltemusic-how-dizzy-taught-me-to-play-fast/

[@jcortese3300]

I have to admit sometimes it's validating to watch Aimee's videos and think of all the times that someone has told me that, if I want to improvise, I have to "just feeeeel it, maaaaaaan!" Yes, you have to "just feeeeel it, maaaaaaaan!" after 25 years of obsessively playing and replaying licks in every imaginable key to the point where you have the trained ears of a Greek muse and the fingers of a brain surgeon. What jazz musicians actually do and what people who are not jazz musicians think they do are in different galaxies. o_O

[@robinsarchiz]

A brain surgeon wishes they had pianist fingers.

[@blueginger3654]

Aimee, you are so blessed. Not only are you passionate about Jazz and bebop, you are passionate about helping others grow and enjoy this language we love. You swing so effortlessly and your vocals are soothing and swinging! Please never stop. You've got lots of fans. My jazz buddies and I talk about you often... bass players, keyboards... you're connecting. I'm a jazz vocalist/flutist and I feel like you are a friend to all of US in this jazz family. Thank you so much! And lets keep finding the Joy of Swing.

[@AimeeNolte]

Thx so much!! And say hi to the gang for me 🙌🏼😍

[@jerryballard371]

Just outstanding! I’ve done transcriptions for my whole life, usually ending by learning to play them, yet not seeing it show up in my own playing. The bit about identifying the nugget that made you want to transcribe it in the first place is gold, and taking that nugget and using it everywhere (at least for a time) is just another level! I just grabbed a simple turnaround from my transcription of Benson’s solo on Billy’s Bounce and ran it through this blender, and for the first time I find it getting its own life under my fingers. Thank you!

[@insidejazzguitar8112]

One of my favorite videos of yours! This process you demonstrated is probably one of the most important and fun activities for my own learning.

[@ImpliedMusic]

great lesson. you make it clear how conception can flow from study and practice. i appreciate the 'warts and all' editing as well, letting us into the process. many thanks for this.

[@crystal-pupa]

youre a great player and educator! thanks a bunch :)

[@frederickkoranteng3910]

Thank you so much for this Aimee ❤

[@GuyMichelMusic]

I play the cello but use that same principle. I teach my students a lot of theory. Wish more teachers would think more like you in terms of creativity

[@ronwass]

Great video, showing a musician's stream of consciousness/thought-process, ruminating on how counterpoint works with harmony, form, and the universe.

[@seattlevegas66]

Been watching your vids for a while. This is one of the best for me!

[@spartacusjonesmusic]

Love your chops, Aimee.

[@plumbawl5977]

Superb elocution, Maestro, demonstrating your professional pianist experience! You, demonstrating the practice of expressive licks and dissecting them in every key (two hands, too), is a benefit towards more creativity! Humbly studying the Masters by ear, score, and hands allows one into a communion through the memorization and practice until the lick flows, naturally, into anything! You are an accomplished musician and remarkable scholar!

[@iloveaudiostuff]

I just love this lesson! Everyone talks about using licks from your jazz heroes, but you actually teach how to incorporate this into my practice! Thank You ♪♬♫♬

[@MrRezillo]

Wow, this is very helpful. I'm a trumpet player struggling to learn fast licks like this. I was actually following this method with some easier licks: playing the lick everywhere it would work in a particular tune. I actually "heard" all the notes in the Dizzy lick - not like when I first heard him years ago and couldn't figure out any of his licks (but they sure did swing). Big thanks for making ths vid, Aimee.

[@TonyThomas10000]

It was really fun watching this at 2X speed. You were really flying!!

[@JohnPaulRiger]

Some cool chops right there Ames!

[@bassprincess71]

Geat lesson, well explained and fun too! Thank you, Aimée.

[@nicaguitar]

This is identical to the break bud powell plays on Celia!!

[@UkuleleAversion]

The first two beats are.

[@alanschulman8597]

Love how you give up the lines that have made it into your bag...and that notebook? Respect!

[@tylerthompson1842]

This is a brilliant lesson so useful to aspiring soloist

[@johnwilson5944]

Really great lesson , thanks Aimee!

[@ronwass]

If Dizzy Gillespie had died young and Charlie Parker had become the elder statesman, Dizzy would be regarded as one of the 3 greatest figures of Jazz instead of Parker. (along with Ellington and Armstrong.) This according to David Baker, and I wholeheartedly agree.

[@pnojazz]

Your piano is sound great Aimee! Great lesson too!

[@池上直樹-l4i]

such a great lesson! i can learn real jazz while living japan thanks to you 🤩

[@UkuleleAversion]

The Am7b5-D7 variation you played was pretty cool.

[@ggauche3465]

Thank you AImee. I also enjoyed this video and it inspired me to learn the lick in all 12 keys. I'm a tenor sax player. I noticed that in your notebook sketch in bar 2 you play D Bb G A C Bb A C Bb, and not A C Bnatural Bb, as written. Someone else already commented on this. I'm sure you planted this to reinforce that we must learn licks by ear!

[@AimeeNolte]

Mannn no it’s just my mistake. That’s all. Good catch!

[@JAYDUBYAH29]

Love your videos, Aimee!

[@mariano155822]

Amizing, Aimée!!!

[@daveshep]

This is great. As soon as you played it, I thought instantly of Bud Powell’s break in the stop-time measures in the middle of Celia. The first sixteen sixteenth notes (I think) match Bud’s lick; he goes up from there instead of down, and into the “solo” part of the song. (Edit: What Edgard Fonseca said earlier today!)

[@GetSkeeted0n]

Solid vid goldmine

[@MattWatsonHarmonica]

The secret to becoming a better musician! Love this video.

[@thatlovejones]

So good.

[@SilverTheFlame]

Thank you, Aimee! :)

[@frankwilder9747]

Awesome & cool 😎 thanks 😊

[@Ludada101]

Mama Nolte in the house

[@adamtaylor2142]

This is wonderful. Time to go learn that lick in all 12 keys....I know that wasn't the point but it's a great lick.

[@JESL_TheOnlyOne]

There are thirty keys - see Vic Wooten's vid on music theory. Seven sharp keys, seven flat keys, in both major and natural minor. That's 28. Two keys with no accidentals - 30 altogether. G D A E B F# C# F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb and C (Am). No, it's not just semantics or enharmonic equivalency: work out the notational results, and you'll see why F# and Gb are enharmonically equivalent, but are not the same key (in short, context, that's why: what's the situation, what's going on). For most of us slobs who stay within waving distance of C natural, these rare considerations are just that, rare - but they can happen. Just fyi on my part.

[@adamtaylor2142]

@@JESL_TheOnlyOne okay, sure. But I can't learn that Dizzy blues lick in 30 keys. Read the room bro 🤣

[@JESL_TheOnlyOne]

@@adamtaylor2142 Things go a lot better if you don't address people like a rude teenager. I didn't say anything about learning a thing. All I did was point out a common misconception and mention a vid for reference (which I'm dead sure you didn't watch). I used to make my living convincing people to spend $100,000 because they knew me for an hour. I know how to conduct myself, O Twerpy One - why don't you try reading, period?

[@adamtaylor2142]

@@JESL_TheOnlyOne okay, good advice. Also, can I borrow some money?

[@JESL_TheOnlyOne]

@@adamtaylor2142 I don't know if you can borrow money or not, but I know it ain't gonna be here.

[@blueginger3654]

Another Jazzy Gem.

[@robertcalmes5548]

On the guitar it seems like a bluegrass lick--something like Tony Rice would have done.

[@AimeeNolte]

Totally!

[@CostantinoPipero]

Just tried (poorly) and it did “twang”

[@guyinpei]

Great tips here - but are you playing C instead of B before the Bb on the 3rd beat (G7) ? I've been watching your vids for years !

[@AimeeNolte]

Good catch! My bad!

[@billschafer4967]

Wow

[@raftag590899]

She just gave you a master class for free.

[@martingisser273]

Sounds like paradigmatic natural scale? (I have no idea of harmonics, but sometimes practise natural horn.)

[@joshuajennings6852]

Sounds very similar to Bud Powell opening line on “Celia”

[@cjarchives2900]

5:43

[@AGBCoaching]

I love the way you teach but I’m not ready to do any of this. My fingers don’t move like that 😢

[@JoaoCarlos-gd1km]

Show 👏👏👏❤

[@andyquinn1125]

How'd that audition go?

[@AimeeNolte]

It did the trick. ;) Blues licks. Where it’s at.

[@Blue-qr7qe]

Why am i hearing snippets of Ornithology while you're working that lick out. Must be i'm just birdbrained.

[@mer1red]

Just to mention for the non Apple users: there is also another older but very good application called Transcribe!, multiplatform as it should be (Windows, Linux, ...). See also my answer to another comment here.

[@maloneycraig]

That lick sounds like Rachmaninov to me. "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini-Variation 18". But Rachmaninov STARTS the phrase with that line, where Dizzy ENDS the phrase with that line.

[@Darm0k]

There's about 6 notes of Turkey in the Straw in that lick.

[@donschneider7953]

Super rusty in Db? Yep...and, well, you know,... other things as well. At a live event, many years ago when I was feeling pretty full of myself, I was invited to sit in with the band and play some "regular old blues"...uh, OK. The band leader turned his head to the other players, called out "In B" and immediately counted off a super fast-paced 1234 and we were off and running like a horse race. Yep, a little rusty in B. I might have had a chance in either C or Bb...but B? Hmmm. Never was really "polished"...so rusty was all there was. "What was the cool voicing on the string of secondary dominants at the extended turn around?" Not likey to figure that one out on-the-fly at breakneck speed. Humbling.

[@daveshep]

It’s hard to think of an instrument for which B would be a comfortable key.

[@man0sticks]

@@daveshep Chopin thought it was the most comfortable key on the piano, but then, he didn’t start his students on the Bebop scale.

[@MarcoRaaphorst]

It sounds cool although he is playing the major 7 instead of the flat 7 in Bb7 right?

[@AimeeNolte]

Yes I think that’s right. It’s been a long time ago but I remember someone else making that comment

[@AimeeNolte]

Get Transcribe Plus here: apple.co/3ARkcwY

[@dckmusic]

Had me on Transcribe+ until I heard it was only for iOS.

[@AimeeNolte]

That happens a lot with apps I pitch. Too bad. Ugh.

[@mer1red]

There is also another very good application called Transcribe!, multiplatform as it should be(Windows, Linux, ...). I'm using this for years and I can't miss it anymore. I can analyse everything to the finest detail with it. It does not contain the AI and machine learning stuff to remove vocals, drums, bass etc, but, honestly, I've never seen an app that does this in a satisfactory way, and I know something about neural networks and related technologies. If you think about the physics of sound you will realise that this is not possible.

[@UkuleleAversion]

@@mer1red Yep, it’s phenomenal. Only downsides are the EQ customisation being finnicky and it not being available for mobile phones or tablets.

[@mer1red]

@@UkuleleAversion Yes, and the author of Transcribe! has very good reasons for not deploying it on phones and similar: "But if I did a version for smartphones and tablets, it would be necessary to lose quite a lot of features. This would result in a product that wouldn't be very much different from other products already out there - so what would be the point of that?". I agree with this: someone who is serious in working with sound, as a musician or composer, doesn't use toys such as phones, but full fledged tools: a PC, laptop or Mac. The EQ functionality is sufficient for me, taking into account that the goal of the program is to transcribe. It's not a sound editor aimed at music production.