Beginner’s Guide To Learning to Improvise (7 Steps)

[@sidneiramalho]

Hey Jay, one thing I'd like to add, I was always under the impression I had to play several notes when improvising, that alone hold me back for awhile, I was struggling one time with a pentatonic scale and my teacher told me "you're not obligated to play all 5 notes in there" LOL Another thing, pauses are also part of the improvisation, we forget that. Great video!

[@damonhinson4005]

I've never even touched a saxophone. Your advice is really solid for musicians of any flavor. Thank you

[@johndeer4250]

after 5 years of guitar on youtube i finally grab a sax and in 20 days I have improved enough to do a sad version of baker stt and sounds pretty good so I want to take a minute to thank you for your tutorials the sax did become my main instrument and my sound has dramatically improved with lots of practice and your profesional advice so Thank you for your videos 🙏

[@arrbeesax]

100% agree on listening availability. I grew up with tapes and a walkman. Then the iPod came out and changed the game forever. THEN streaming music services matured and it's ALL THERE. I pick one artist a month and I don't think I hear everything they play before it's time to move on to the next one.

[@adamdeem5526]

Great stuff, thanks, Jay! I’ve always been a good reader of music and can hear stuff well, but got bogged down and discouraged with all the technical theory in music school thinking that the basis of jazz improv was knowing the technical theory of chord construction, etc. from paper. Learning the theory and chord progressions by ear is so much better for internalizing it and being able to play it than trying to read and memorize. I really like how you’ve laid out your courses to maximize ear training and playing the horn over reading endless patterns and etudes.

[@johndeer4250]

because of you I own 3 sax my first tenor then an alto and just got a vintage c melody I won’t go anywhere with out at least one and every time I play when I open my eyes some body is there with cash even tho is less than a month but is the little things you say that become big on my practice sessions thanks again for all your videos

[@bettersax]

Great to hear

[@jacquelamontharenberg]

Jay. Well put together tutorial. From my experience (I slowly learn this the hard way), you are absolutely on key with this bro.

[@smoothvelvetsinger]

Jay is the consummate master of teaching. We should all be very thankful for all the top notch lessons he shares with us. I wish his channel was available back in the day when I got started playing🎶🎷 I'm sure to tune in every time he uploads a new video🤗

[@yoonieboonie4639]

Thank you. I never listen to any english songs until you tell thank you again.❤

[@marshwetland3808]

Love your frequent analogy to language and communication. As a former language instructor, I have been using this analogy to encourage myself - I'd like to be as good with music as I am with language, at least.

[@robm667]

Hi Jay. The listening part for me, and for anyone, should be obvious. We shouldn't need to listen to a sax, just any music that goes off the prescribed melody, but not too far off and not for too long. The stumbling block for me is what you say about rhythm and speed. To do improv, I should pick familiar melodies, strong beats, and bpm between 60 and 80. I foolishly tried faster tempos for a while and just recently realized I was spinning my wheels. A slower tempo readily accepts some 1/8 and 1/4 note ad lib. Four years in to playing the sax, this makes a lot of sense. But...for an aspiring artist, learning faster tempo "solo" segments (as an improv would be) is still good with reading and practicing written music, to get the hang of how more advanced folks would play an improv...as Miles Davis said, :"First you imitate, then you innovate." Thanks for helping people figure this out early.

[@petegalindez9961]

Great stuff Jay! I am a prime example of it’s not too late to start learning…I’m self taught on sax and spent the last 30 years playing mostly by ear at first, then from pulling down tracks and playing along with musicians…I had absolutely no music theory whatsoever…In the last year, I’ve enrolled in some BetterSax courses, gone to my local jazz clubs much more (I’m in DC now), and in the beginning, like you said, it all sounded like a foreign language, i.e., “I didn’t get it.” I’m now starting to recognize patterns and can understand what’s going on a little better than before…the journey continues…

[@dizgil6881]

Just clicked on the vid and about to watch. Man ive been "getting into improv" for years, theres always so much info on the internet but wheres the curriculum haha. Wish there was some kind of milestone list like theres in other fields like engineering...something like changes I, arppeggios I, phrasing I. How to go about structuring a few years worth of self study, and most importantly how to "grade" or measure one's progress has always been my biggest struggle

[@bettersax]

That’s what the courses I’ve made are trying to do for people.

[@dizgil6881]

@@bettersax thats great, might see you in there soon!

[@anuyt3]

I really love your videos. They've made me better already in my 2 weeks of watching your videos.

[@ChipTheMusicMan]

I think a goal this year will be to start transcribing more. Thanks for the reminder, Jay!

[@lejazz6938]

Great comparison with learning a language!! I would like to add: learn to construct 2 measure sentences (lines) I wish I had been aware of this when I started!

[@millennial8441]

I would like to say something. I study baroque and galant style music from middle and end of the 18th century, and I play the baroque transverse flute and the alto recorder. At those times a musician who didn't know how to create good and interesting music at the spot didn't get the job. We are talking about musicians whose worked in royal and aristocratic courts through Europe. Thus he needed to be a "musicus practicus", i.e. a practical musician who composed music laid down on scores AND improvised music to be played in ceremonies and events before the King, or Queen, or another noble-one like an Earl or a Duque. The training of that kind of musicians got started when they were quite young and lasted about 10 years. They learned all the formal schemes, phrases, bass motions, chord progressions, ornamentations issues, orchestral combinations, instrumentation issues that were called "partimento", and sight-singing lessons called "solfeggio". Thus they listened to A LOT of music during that 10-year-training session, they knew all the vocabulary that were in common use in 18th century. Johann Sebastian Bach could improvise a whole four-par fugue at the spot on the organ or the harpsichord. That is no magics but training over and over again. You cannot improvise decently if you are not exposed to a specific musical language and if not combining it to understand what you are listening to.

[@joegaudette2494]

Another AMAZING video Jay! I certainly wish this was the way I had gotten to learn back in the day : ). All great stuff but for me, the listening was major and I could do it anywhere - I used to prerecord albums on cassette and have them with me all the time, even when I didn’t have a horn around. Thanks again for doing all this great stuff you do! Cheers!

[@wherebanana9902]

1. Learn how to listen 0:41 2. Practice these 4 elements on every note you play (rhythm, sound, technique, music theory) 1:41 3. Forget about speed 2:37 4. Learn tunes 3:36 5. Transcribe 5:30 6. Learn vocabulary 6:31 7. Community 8:25

[@olatejuoladapo4822]

Thanks a lot. I really appreciate you. All your videos are amazing. I need videos clips on solos and modulation. Still not getting it.

[@willyb3463]

Good one, enjoyed that. I've been at it for a long time but new to the KZbin aspect. I'm 27 years in but we're all learning.

[@frinaanting]

Just love that you're showing off the album that got me inspired to pick up and play the sax - Hank Mobley's Soul Station.

[@jasminduncanson2520]

I love this video I forgot about transcribing thanks 4 the advice ❤

[@Megamember678]

When you’re not a beginner, but this video is more useful for you, then begginners!

[@davideiotti9725]

Thanks!

[@lonieeg6463]

best advice so far

[@searcherholic3473]

Seems like time and a sense of enjoyment are crucial. I'm lazy and have always enjoyed 'playing along' with almost any music that I like from a young age playing by ear and simply harmonising or 'descantising' gives you also a simple confidence and you don't even need to think about chords or 'maths' (that's how I feel about them) Yet if I did have a better grasp of music theory I'd probably be one helluva better musician - and play in more bands! I've only listened to half your video so far... Some tunes (jazz standards) are really hard!! I hope you found this useful 😂❤

[@BeHappy4God]

Before you get pulled under the impression that you need to play a million notes per second to play a good solo, go listen to Sherman Irby. He is an outstanding sax player, and his solos are so simple

[@andrewcasillas1765]

I love your videos my brotha! HOwever, on your microphone your "s" sounds are really sharp just letting you know ! :D I love the videos been a fan a long time!

[@josephfarnsworthmusic]

Awesome video! Any word on when the better sax tenor sax will be available?

[@gkpartington5634]

Thanks Jay - always great advice and lessons

[@addie7846]

Really edifying ! Continue the great work !

[@gawayategulle6272]

Awesome!!!!! 😊😊

[@musichotic]

im lovin' it

[@ewedude]

Correct! Hard to argue with this distillation. Sound advice for wannabe/beginning jazz improvisors as well as for vets in the trade who wish to continue to reach.

[@raseshgandhi6702]

Very lovely information

[@PeterFullen]

Jay, you mention spending time listening to music. Do you have a playlist of artist that you recommend?

[@judithlau1827]

Uff.. so many great resources but where do I begin? I starting then I’m giving up, then starting again but never getting on that road 😢

[@alexymilhazes7082]

I've been playing the saxophone for nine years and I'm not playing extactly the way I should be, for someone with that many years of experience, and that was because, at some point I stopped practicing regularly, due to some mental illenesses I've developed that took away my motivation and pleasure in doing things I loved to do, even though I thought about giving up several times, I never did cuz I know deep down inside that I need music in my life, I just need to find that motivation and that spark I had when I started, I've been trying and trying so I just I had the idea of trying and learning something different, I have a bit of experience in improvising but not enough, I want to be better and I don't know too much about jazz, but I really like it and it's interesting, I want to listen more but I don't know where to start, is there anyone that has suggestions of what to hear?

[@storm1968eu]

you sound exactly like my sax teacher, although ... i don't play sax. 😳 yeah, chromatic harmonica teachers are few and far between. my sax teacher doesn't play the harmonica, and cannot teach me how to play it, but he knows how to coach me to become a better musician. 🎷

[@alejandro20271]

So my fingers have a lot of pressure onto the keys, I’m trying to fix it but I’m not completely sure how. It’s so hard to swing while this is happening. Does anyone know anything?

[@JacobAvalos-qc4hy]

What's your setup?

[@franbo2mil]

Do you still have that 270 sax? Would you mind givin it to me, and shipping it to Argentina, hehe. Think about it, saxophones here are literally unthinkable (moneywise)

[@RichardMa-t8q]

What are some musicians you recommend listening to?

[@davidolahmusic]

True story 🤓👌🙏

[@maryadedigba7175]

Wow

[@barryoverstreet4876]

What? How long have you been in France? I was sure you wee in NYC. We'll, there you go.

[@wyndhl8309]

Listening 🎶 👂 🎧 🎶

[@wyndhl8309]

... and Music is a language not unlike French, English and Chinese, for example; especially improvised music (Jazz) Jay is 💯% on point 👉 (JAZZ) Language Acquisition, sir! I HEAR and enjoy the language of (Jazz) MUSIC almost all the time; as soon as I decide to imitate and learn the tune, I quickly realize that I have to LISTEN first - very attentively, not merely HEAR. Listen, Internalize, repeat, practice - slowly...

[@HonestSaxSound-unEdited-]

​@@wyndhl8309 whole music is a language, much more than only improvisation..

[@wyndhl8309]

@Cristian W. Fath Yep! "...Music is a language not unlike French, Spanish or Chinese, for example..."

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Miles Davis "7 Steps to Heaven." Just learn that song.

[@ggauche3465]

One long advert!

[@angusramsay6485]

Yet all true. If I was wanting to learn to improvise and starting from scratch the courses on this site and for the reasons quoted in the video are hands down the best way to go. Even if you are getting private lessons you should be doing this stuff too.

[@judyjarnefeld8264]

I agree with Angus. I am the poster child for this video who came in with “all the bad habits “ and zero training other than ability to read sheet music. I didn’t even know how to name keys or read chords and had little or no metronome experience. I was spinning my wheels on my own and these materials were exactly what I needed to learn improv. I can clearly see more advanced students improving as well.

[@jiklo1883]

And buy fu''k loads of reels! 10 is not enough, and everything must be under 2.5...! Keep it going!

[@nachmanherman4114]

🙏🙏🙏👍👍

[@factod4784]

What if I'm just lazy as fuck and I don't want to practice