How Improvisers Improvise

[@jamesmachado8874]

High school band teachers need that to understand that being a marching band robot is not the same thing as being a musician. This is the main reason students stop playing after 4 years. They never got to even listen to Miles or Coltrane. When I hear a talented student with swing and tone I go and buy them a Kind of Blue CD. I'm a physics and chemistry teacher.

[@BradHarrison]

You're doing good work. At the school I used to work at, one of the math teachers is a great guitarist and has a great relationship with the music department and music students.

[@GizzyDillespee]

Best buy them a CD player, too, while you're at it.

[@robdude4250]

As a Jazz Band Student, I resonate with this comment 😌 Also, I recommend researching “Giant Steps” (John Coltrane) after breaking it down, that piece is wild.

[@happilyferociously7403]

Band kids quit because they don't have any meaningful way to interact with music with their given instrument and knowledge thereof. The avenues that your average band kid has available to them to actually play their instrument in a meaningful way are far fewer number than someone who plays something like piano or guitar which lend themselves to pop music, accompanying, playing out in environments and scenarios that don't traditionally include a conductor or sheet music. Furthermore, both piano and guitar have the benefit of functioning as a solo instrument as well as a rhythm instrument. Additionally, piano and guitar are extremely simple when it comes to changing keys, scales, or playing a chord of a certain quality with a different root. Music theory also tends to display itself almost visually, the geometry of intervals and how they nest to create chords and scales becoming something a pianist or guitarist can sea projected on their instrument. Band kids, once they no longer have a teacher directing them towards specific pieces that they are going to play, have more obstacles in their way when it comes to acquiring additional musical vocabulary. Someone who has been instructed to play off of sheet music, has not been selecting the music they're playing, and the music theory they have encountered undoubtedly suffers from extreme Euro classical bias? These are all handicaps. How are you going to decide what to learn or play when the music written for your instrument isn't really your favorite and your education has focused on staying in your lane? Also, the sheet music itself is an intermediary between you and your instrument that can act as an impediment to making actual musical choices, the stuff that comes from internalizing vocab and not just memorizing it. To reiterate? People fall off because they don't like it that much...or they lack ways to engage with music once they're let free. Focusing on jazz improvisation via Coltrane or Davis isnt going to help. Music students need to learn how to "speak" along with common progressions and music forms and genres, not just how to meander along the musical forms of genres and artists that are long since past the point of relevance. A kid who can kill it on So What? is talented, but a kid who can casually jam along any given hip-hop track that comes on the radio *understands* how to converse, not just recite. Recitation is not motivating once you don't have reason to recite. Being able to converse with any given song, though? Always be relevant.

[@robdude4250]

@@happilyferociously7403 dang… I’m a high school student in band rn, and that’s so real for all of us…

[@SummerMensahMusic]

Flute Player shepherded into classical- happily breaking out into jazz. Thank you for leading the way with the info on this channel!

[@BradHarrison]

Welcome!

[@Singer7771]

As someone who’s become pretty free with improvising on the piano, the best thing I’ve learned isn’t a bunch of licks or whatever. The best thing you can do is learn to hear music in your head, then learn to play it with your fingers. Sit down, play a note, listen in your head for where it goes. Just sit even without the piano and improvise in your head. If you’re only learning how to improvise with a few different licks and chord progressions, you’re limited. If you become very advanced at playing what your mind hears, then you can achieve freedom with improvising. And this applies to any instrument not just piano. Edit: additionally, I think it’s so important to spend as much time just listening in your head as you do actually improvising on the piano. If you don’t hear anything, then you have nothing to play with your fingers.

[@Veaseify]

Exactly, if you walk around humming tunes or can whistle melodically without copying a known tune you can use that musicality to improvise on a real instrument. A lot of people just don't 'hear' anything except songs or music they have listened to in the past and that means you just gravitate to your library of licks or running scales rather than actually doing anything creative when its your solo.

[@LiftPizzas]

@Singer7771 Similar here. I improvise because I hate sheet music. I also don't want music theory in my head telling me what to do. I don't really do any of the steps in the video. Reminds me of Music Man where Prof Hill calls it the Think Method. LOL Sometimes the best pieces come from just sitting down at the piano and before you even look at the keyboard hit a few random keys. That's your melody, go.

[@Chris-hq7nl]

Yeah I'm a guitarist and I'm trying to learn to play jazz as a rocker. When I was in choir in high school we had to do interval sight reading and I hated learning the intervals but as I've gotten into the theory behind jazz it has occurred to me that when trying to solo my brain isn't really thinking about "oh here's this chord so I need to play this scale," it's either "this arpeggio is a good place to work out of and then I've got a minor sound and I kind of want to make it spicy," and one day I realized my brain is thinking in intervals.

[@Veaseify]

@@Chris-hq7nl Yes, a really basic way to improvise is just to re-state the melody of the vocal line at the beginning and then move it up in thirds so you are playing the harmony line. We all do that without having to conciously think about it but like you say, it's all about intervals...

[@nomadsaxophone]

for real, i watch all these videos saying to learn licks, ive never really learned any licks, i just feel it and go. im sure im playing other peoples licks all the time without realizing it, but im not learning licks to play back. but maybe i suck, i dunno

[@jselengut]

This is great. Thanks so much. I run a jazz band in Turkey and occasionally there are horn players that have professional classical training and have really good ears but they don't know harmony at all. Their solos sound like creative guessing but still kinda not great because they don't understand the harmonic context of their choices and often tensions show up in very strange places. These same players are occasionally very reluctant to learn about chords and scales because they want to jump right to your stage 5 and just play without worrying about that stuff. This video shares quite well all the things that I am trying to impart to them.

[@maksimivanov5417]

Just curious - how's that possible to accomplish a pro classical training without studying harmony? Did they skip lessons or are horn players not taught this?

[@jselengut]

@@maksimivanov5417 I really don't know. I find it amazing what gaps there are. I mean, they now basic stuff like major and minor arpeggios but as soon as you get into 7th chords it's a crap shoot! In one of our tune, there was a diminished chord and I asked him to spell it and he had no idea. Same with Augmented triads. It's astonishing. Then there's the idea of improvising as spontaneous composition. How is that possible without the backdrop knowledge of harmonic context. It's a mystery. And even in the conservatories here for jazz music, there are shocking gaps. Many people don't know who Fats Waller is!! Or Art Tatum or Bix Beiderbecke. These are pioneers of their chosen art form but ignorance prevails. I feel like an ambassador bringing them this information.

[@markokalcic3113]

Rhythm IS the big deal!!!!

[@BradHarrison]

It’s huge! But it’s rarely a stumbling block for beginner improvisers, in my experience anyway. They can call and answer and pick up and execute simple rhythmic ideas really easily, but they totally freeze on what notes to play without a bit of guidance.

[@bassomatic6055]

​@@BradHarrisonif you've ever listened to kids learn to improvise over time it's clear it's less about the notes than the phrasing which comes down to rhythm.

[@BradHarrison]

Oh yes, plenty of experience here! Obviously teaching is about dealing with the problem that’s presented to you. Every student and group has different needs and you need to adapt to that. But rhythm just hasn’t tended to be a big issue with my students. Not by the time I get them improvising anyway. I start them off with simple ideas, lots of call and response, trading, etc, and it mostly just works itself out as they build their technique and understanding of theory and ear training.

[@zugrath16]

@@BradHarrison I guess it depends on what you mean by "rhythm"... I'm not a teacher but have played in many different jazz bands. From my experience, most people don't have a problem with playing things "in tempo" or mimicking rhythms from others (like you said). But I've heard so many beginners and intermediates (myself included) struggling with rhythmic **phrasing**. Like, being able to play a phrase that rhythmically builds on what you previously played. And being conscious of every rhythm that you use. I really think this is what matters the most in a solo, and that should be practiced right from the start. As a player you should not only build a vocabulary of "notes", but also a vocabulary of rhythmic ideas. And that requires deliberate practice. Like Dizzy Gillespie said, when asked what he thinks about when he improvises - "I think of rhythms and put notes to them". Sidenote - I really liked this video and I think the 5 levels you made were spot on. Just wanted to give my perspective on rhythm :)

[@m00nbeams42]

@@BradHarrison as a bassist thats real and true

[@alexgrand36]

At 4:20 (lol), the chord progression to OutKast's Hey Ya! isn't actually in the key of G. The progression goes something along the lines of: G/C/D/E. The first three chords are tonic (meaning in that key) but the fourth chord, E, is not. E major is the major VI chord of they key of G causing dissonance with the third of the chord (g#) and the root of the key G. Enjoy my masterclass in yapping that no one's probably gonna give two shits about 👍

[@mtaur4113]

Here I was expecting the fish emoji to stand for bass...

[@BradHarrison]

You’re the first to mention the fish! I kinda liked the visual.

[@drtimsparks]

scale(s) I assume?

[@BradHarrison]

You bet!

[@FishingForLife28]

I was sitting through the whole video saying to myself "I guess I do a bit of all" untill level 5. That really hits exactly how I feel when I improvise. Intuition/feeling with a foundation of music theory knowledge

[@aaronbowman5142]

I first played guitar with a friend and realized i couldnt improvise over a decade ago, and about 2 years ago i really began taking it seriously and just started improvising. i am on the other side now and i can barely believe it, it felt so foreign and intimidating before and bow it feels so natural. This is a fantastic video! The most important step is to just play anything and you will improve no matter what.

[@enhancedlemons484]

I'm lucky enough to be the "natural improvisor" type. And I know from experience that once you listen to people like charlie parker, you get humbled really fast.

[@soldtoscience]

trained jazz piano player and bass player here. Love the organization of this lesson. For all the folks saying rhythm matters too... of course it does, though my experience with a melodic instrument, gotta dig into that harmony first. Can't play in time with intention until you know what notes you want to explore and why. Trying to play in time (even very slow) before I understand a concept feels like giving a speech while learning what you are talking about live.. its just not the most productive way for most to improve. I don't know many people who can learn, while already playing what their learning haha. It's funny though, when teaching I usually bring up the idea of building energy and tension/release very early. As your target note gets higher in pitch and your rhythmic subdivisions get faster, energy goes up. Opposite to bring energy down. Then Levels 2-4 are all about harmony.. gotta hot the books... then level 5 would be where you bring back rhythm and dive deep using all that harmony you've learned as a vehicle for rhythm. Playing behind or ahead of beat, poly rhythms... etc... along with subdivisions and higher pitches building energy... that's how I'd define what's being worked on in level 5. At that point, the goal is pretty much to learn an advanced technique in practice and quickly convert it to an intuitive subconscious way to build or release tension/energy performing. When performing you are controlling emotion and energy with your band almost unconsciously because you've added progressively more advanced concepts in practice and cataloged how they make you feel. Eventually I don't even remember the name of what I'm doing or when I learned it. It's just there for when I want to make the music do... this! At level 5, these expand into your band. Like the keys and bass player can hear each other hinting at that upper structure triad together and drag the rhythm together to sound naaaasty.. and the drummer keeps the time straight so there is a reference to hear the time drag..... then pop back to the song almost telepathically, leaving most listeners not knowing what just happened, but it makes em wanna wiggle.. Sorry that replay got long, I got excited haha. Great video. Cheers!

[@BRO_TOAST]

This is a beautiful comment. Very nice

[@terrycox1639]

Don't always begin or end on standard notes. Don't always do the obvious. Miles Davis might say... "show that you're working on something". After all, we are talking about Jazz. To what extent is a matter of preference.

[@BradHarrison]

All good ideas!

[@drtimsparks]

I feel like in most pop and rock music you never need to leave level 2 (with a tiny bit of level 3). The next levels stray mostly into the jazz world and the niche folk world - but most amateur musicians I know stick in level 2 and are proud to get level 3 on the 'weird' chord in a song.

[@kyleh1127]

In my experience, most musicians that play contemporary styles get chastised or even punished for going beyond lv3 knowingly. I've always found it odd that certain people in the pop and rock sphere get hailed as geniuses for using 'wrong' or 'wierd' chords/progressions/melodies when they amateurishly stumble on them by accident, but when musicians with actual knowledge, training and intuition do that sort of thing intentionally, it very often gets dismissed or critically panned for being indulgent or pompous (unless, of course, theyre doing a youtube video detailing the musical techniques used by the aforementioned amateur 'geniuses').

[@charliegreen7565]

​@@kyleh1127 I think it comes down to work ethic. A lot of people subconsciously hate the idea that you generally need to put a in lot of time and effort if you want to do complicated stuff with music that sounds good; when an amatuer improviser/composer/whatever sees someone who knows what they're doing accomplish something musically complex/sophisticated or technically challenging, it can serve as a reminder that they have a lot to work on. When they see another amateur level do something like this beyond their usual abilities, they sometimes interpret it as a hint that they can skip the years of practise it usually takes to pull it off. For these people, there's a pretty fine line between awe and envy, and it's very easy to slip across into the more unhealthy side of it if they're in a bad mood or unhappy with their progress.

[@tyler361t2]

6:56 this part is probably confusing folks. the reason hes using the mixolydian is because thats the fifth mode of the major scale and the 7th extension is often added to the fifth chord of a key. hes also essentially saying to treat each chord C, F, G as their own keys, despite being in the same chord progression, and to use each mixolydian scale on top of them rather than just the C one, as C is the first chord and F is the 4th and G is the 5th

[@pbierre]

To improvise a solo well, you need a great backing band groove. You're just reacting to the excitement of the band's groove. You can anticipate a chord change with choice of notes (leading notes). One trick I love is to rest between phrases during the exact instant of the chord change (the "1"). This helps the listener shift attention between the chord changes and the lead part. A great solo takes all kinds of license with the rhythm, using syncopation and cross-rhythms.

[@BradHarrison]

All great ideas! It’s also great to highlight some of the juiciest notes from the chords as you cross the bar line and the chord changes. But mixing it with space is also great!

[@NoVaOnYT01]

2:24 thanks for the lick

[@BradHarrison]

Lmao. Not quite, but I hear what you’re going for.

[@aIewishus]

where?? lol

[@ahmedcaballero3383]

Which lick 💀

[@samuelwilson818]

bro has negative aural skills LOL

[@ahmedcaballero3383]

@@samuelwilson818 -100000 aura

[@sirhunter7572]

Fantastic! Thank you, I will be sharing with my students on Monday.

[@andypeacock1]

1'08" - In my experience, students struggle more with rhythm because they are too wrapped up in playing the 'right' notes at the expense of rhythm. A convincing rhythm is often more important than pitches.

[@Pnutbutter6988]

That level four trumpet solo with the variations of the scales really shows that you also don’t have to have a super complicated solo it can just be something like that and still sound really good

[@BradHarrison]

It doesn’t always have to be baffling! Sometimes simple stuff can be very effective!

[@AnthonyCollierMusic]

This is so good Brad! You packaged this information in such a receivable way. Keep up the great work!

[@charliegordan6354]

I never get tired of your videos. I'm currently student teaching to get my certification. Once I have my own class I'm going to link your videos as supplemental materials for my curriculum

[@AndresCastroGuitar]

I can't thank you enough for all this insane info, all around this channel is beyond amazing!

[@BradHarrison]

So glad you’re enjoying!

[@dynamo5326]

Level 5 a good example is Sonny Rolliins on Blue 7 and the album “Sonny Meets Hawk!” They are almost completely free while following the form. Almost abstract yet intact

[@josephmontz3404]

This is a great intro vid. I have been teaching myself improv over the past couple months and are around your Stage 3. Thanks for the video.

[@kozmobluemusic]

Just discovered your channel. Love your teaching style. Subbed and sharing.

[@steveatfullmeasure]

Another realy helpful video. The framework helps me understand much by putting the elements in context.

[@AussieCoasterReviewer]

Love the HHGttG reference at 5:05!

[@TheIceIvy]

I would consider myself Level 2 who uses level 1 as a leaning tool and trying to play level 3. I would say after watching this I have a much better idea of what to do to reach level 5 (which sounds amazing to be in that flow state where you know exactly how harmonically it'll all flow to each other without having to constantly think). Thank you for the video!

[@m.vonhollen6673]

Here’s how I approach improvising over a Blues with 3 Dominant 7 chords. First I find the 3 tritones (3-b7) that most define each chord. Then I expand that to each chord’s 4 notes (1-3-5-b7). Then I add in b3, which always resolves upwards into 3. Then, one by one, I add in 4-b5-6-2 in that order (2 is the most difficult to use properly). Now I have 1-2-b3/3-4-b5-5-6-b7 which is Mixolydian plus 2 notes from the Blues scale. Finally, to those 9 notes, I add in the last 3 (b2-b6-7) which I use in chromatic lines that resolve. - I always know both the letter name of the note and what interval it is (in relation to the chord being played, for example over E7 then G# is the major 3rd). That’s how I use all 12 notes over each Dominant 7 chord in a 3-chord Blues.

[@derkjanvangennep4830]

Nice vid and explanation! Music is about strong rhythm, therefore great improvisation is always rhythmically clear. When your fancy licks aren't played with a strong sense of time, they won't come across to the listener. I rather hear simple music played well, than a musician trying to convey a message that he/she/x doesn't fully understand or masters. Therefore listen to the greats, what you want to play is probably already there. Great improvisers have left us with an abundance of knowledge we can study in 12 keys. Have a great practice session!

[@ctmcollins4160]

Just love your horn man! That 1st level was a tune in itself....please give it a name! Thanks

[@honey8ter]

thank you so much for this video! i've been getting into improvisation recently and this is so helpful!

[@afhoj]

Brilliant video, a fascinating glimpse into an esoteric subject. Great work!

[@skymooseft]

This was an awesome primer. I play bass and want to expand my knowledge. You look like a great resource.

[@thinkerly1]

Well-designed, great graphics. Thx!

[@unishea1649]

You are quite a good teacher. I will really really love a music theory course by you.

[@NTAWeasel]

Loved the don't panic reference. Made the whole video

[@huguerah]

Good stuff. I'm a guitarrist and struggle with improvisation a lot. I played today with some mates from repertoire class and felt like I f*cked up every solo lol. But I'll get there. Tks for the content!

[@AdamWestUS]

This contemporary on improvisation translates so very well no matter the genre or instrument! I hope tsoay if I use this as a template to make a video for harmonica students!

[@BradHarrison]

Glad you enjoyed! I do try to make my stuff non-specific to any instrument. It’s the abstract ideas that are the most widely applicable. Feel free to use the ideas and patterns in my video in your own teaching or videos(though, depending how closely inspired, a shoutout and direction to the original video would be much appreciated). But please don’t reupload, edit, or reuse any part of the video though. All the best!

[@adambradburytrumpet]

Great video Brad.thanks.

[@aeea3306]

Absolute gem of a video

[@Matt_Johnson_Music]

Very clearly explained…wonderful job, Brad…;-)

[@BradHarrison]

Thanks!

[@samslaby4882]

a really impressive articulation of a subject that i've found fascinating and often baffling. I'm a drummer but recently started learning piano. When I see live jazz and the pianist plays at lightning speed it can feel really mystifying how they could possibly do whatever the hell it is they're doing!! But this video helps me grasp it a bit more

[@SandyWeltman]

Really great, clear and concise explanation!

[@nabDoesYoutube]

I'm currently just venturing into the beginning of level 3, I've had a lot of questions this past year from fellow musicians because my improv has come on a lot. I think ear, rhythm and key centres is a great starting point for classical musicians with technical ability venturing into jazz. It can be very frustrating coming to a piece where the key centre doesn't always fit the whole progression and choosing notes can be really difficult. Seeing how many different scales fit all chords in this video has been immensely intimidating but also quite therapeutic in that, my frustrations are genuine, I have so much to learn and it's going to be hard. Going from level 1 sometimes ripping an amazing solo to then feeling like I've learnt nothing and fumbling around a standard I haven't heard before can be disheartening, but this video has taught me that it's patience and learning and I'll get there.

[@timtaylor7154]

Start at the beginning. Learn to play blues...if it doesn't contain blues language, it ain't jazz. Listen to Pops and Bix. Appreciate the tension between the afro-centric and euro-centric elements which are present in the music in every era. Listen to Ornette and play some more blues. Don't blow off the 20's, 30's...that music is the context needed to even approach Bop. Start at the beginning.

[@CalvinMoore-sq9pn]

Very good job, and I think you covered it all. I am interested in knowing more about the use of space when playing the bass. I often heard that time, tonality, and space are the keys to good soloing.

[@BradHarrison]

I think those are great things to keep in mind while soloing! There’s definitely a balance to be struck between playing too much and not enough. Too much space and the listener feels unsupported, too little and the whole solo feels like a run on sentence. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to get into these topics with you in a lesson. More info at www.bradharrison.ca/lessons All the best!

[@kilianbeyly3934]

"funkus naturalis" : you killed me with that one 😂 It reminded me of that fun story about archeologists who named some fossiles after the band Gojira ! And amazing cotent as always 👌😎

[@stevenabra5397]

Awesome video, Brad!

[@SoyMan.The.Great.Musician]

Great video. I’m in the 3rd stage, it’s fun to improvise with my buddies

[@jordipeiro5265]

Felicitats! Quina claredat! Moltes gràcies.

[@tanxbro113]

0:32 are you swallowing?

[@BradHarrison]

must have missed the in the edit! I usually try to cut out most of the breaths and y'know... mouth sounds.

[@oldtimetinfoilhatwearer]

​@@BradHarrison well i LIKE the mouth sounds

[@BradHarrison]

Lmao

[@JustFiddler]

😅

[@howbrightyoushine]

So for guitar players: start your solo off chromatic, and once you hit the golden note that sounds perfectly in key, that note is probably where the scale starts.

[@nikigba]

what a great video man!

[@curtpiazza1688]

Wow! Great lesson! Thanx! 😊

[@salmec1217]

I'm between level 2 and 3. In order to find the scale I usually start with pentatonic. Once pentatonic fit well I switch to major scale ( even on minor chord ie Am song I play C major scale.)

[@BradHarrison]

You can do a lot with one scale or pentatonic! And when you’re ready, adding some more complication can potentially make things sound even more interesting.

[@kloa4219]

yooo! I needed this, thank you for this

[@MagnusTimbre]

This is a great explanation.

[@joeblakeukeman]

Thank you! Your video is well presented and full of good advice. Much appreciated. There is one significant aspect to improvisation that could be investigated: being 'in the zone', also called being in the moment, in the Now, entering the Timeless, being a 'conduit' or 'channelling' - some mysteries sort of thing where the music happens by itself, where you, as a musician, are the instrument. Hard to describe. But it happens. 🙏

[@BradHarrison]

Great point! I like to use the term “flow state”. Magic happens there. It can happen at any level. And it can also remain irritatingly elusive too. Magic can be uncooperative.

[@coloaten6682]

I think with improvising it's the subject where players are suddenly expected to let go of a scale-centric way of thinking in order to say something melodic. Improvisers on guitar/piano might use 9 of the 12 tones available and control dissonance with rhythm, by playing the most dissonant notes on off beats, for example. The beginner improviser might stick to the scale or a combination of scales. A seasoned improviser will consider all 12 tones perhaps minus 2 or 3, and with Jazz this is expected.

[@cheribarkman1784]

Thank you

[@aallonhuippuveikko1476]

It is kinda true the rhythm is easier to impro if one is not so familiar doing it. But also when you are a musician trying to improvise and maby are somewhat trying to achieve to learn it like those masters of improvisastion of your instrument, the rhythm become more importantr. When you are playing some fast notes or riffs almost nobody will notice if theres wrong notes but they do notice if playing out of rhythm or with too much caution of playing wrong. When you play it out bold and sounding like you mean it people will notice. Of course overplaying and trying to play too much over your level may not be good idea. When I improvise in just right moment with good people I can sometimes improvise stuff that I later wonder how I could play like that. Some very tricky licks I had to learn from liverecording and it was not easy to master. At that kind of moment you are truly in meditative stage and in connection with the universe where I believe the music we play comes from. Maby not everybodys music, but mine is. Some may receive it from god or they are god-like artists who invent anything theirselves. Anyways overthinkin kills it. Letting go and listening the music helps. And practising at home and with other muscians.

[@johnconroy3180]

Great explanation. Thanks.

[@BillHilton]

Waiter get me a BEE SANDWICH (excellent vid btw, Brad)

[@makaroshki_po_aktsii]

very in time, thank you!

[@broncoxy]

0:55 wait I thought we were playing _jazz_ here?

[@BradHarrison]

Not exclusively. You can apply these models to all kinds of music. But what was it about that section that you bumped on anyway?

[@broncoxy]

@@BradHarrisondont worry man just joking around on the good ol 'anything goes in jazz if you're brave enough'

[@BradHarrison]

No worries! Yeah, as I said in the video, it’s difficult to say what is objectively good or bad, but there are definitely trends and aesthetics, and that applies to all genres.

[@theclancyjack]

Love this video, learns a lot and surely helped me pinned down where am I and where to go. thanks

[@Datskrazy22]

In school Jazz bands, they always talk about pitch and key and rhythm but they never talk about context of notes there are no wrong notes, you just have to use them in a proper context

[@einsam_aber_frei]

Level 5 is when you’ve mastered all the skills, now you don’t follow any rules and go back to rely on your ears!

[@BradHarrison]

Exactly! The levels are kind of a circle in that way.

[@aurimaslazickas5241]

Thank you for the scales and an overview, i feel like I I am kinda a beginner even though I really enjoy free-improvisation playing. Sheets of music give me jibbies :D, although reading notes and playing from em prob would allow me to just "perform" knowing what to play. I still love improvisation, thanks for the video and effort!

[@drawingwithsound8022]

Thats me! At the lv1. Rock bottom though, only leveling up from here 😅 I’ve been playing for a long time, at the early stage of my progression I didn’t know much of the theory. So I forced myself to learn by ears. I don’t think I have the “perfect pitch”, but I feel like I understand the relationship between a whole step and a half step. Listening to different genre of music helps too, as I would take licks/phrases from them and play them on the different keys and tempos over a different backing track. Now, I am working on applying theory onto what I’m doing. Such as learning the terms so that I can do more research on certain topic, I missed out a lot by not learning theory from the beginning. Wouldn’t be able to comprehended it anyway, too complicated at the time(even now).

[@BradHarrison]

Haha. To be fair, I’d never meant to put a value judgment on the “levels”. It’s just how I define the tools put into use while improvising. And, there is so much to be said for playing by ear! I think theory gets a bad rap for a lot of reasons. It can be an overwhelming topic to be sure, but people also think the term is synonymous with the term “rules”. But I just think of them as definitions, and they can be really helpful to think about concepts and communicate with other musicians. Start with major scales and build from there. They’re the heart of most music theory.

[@drawingwithsound8022]

@@BradHarrison Definitely. It is a whole new language, without it I can’t communicate with others. Verbally anyway. But musically? I can be the extra sauce that no body is asking for..! You are right, I find it overwhelming and got intimidated when I hear people talking “major” “B#” “flat5th” ”augment diminished”. But I am getting to know them slowly. And interesting point you mentioned there “rules” as someone that is learning by ear. It is lawless where I’m from, only high and low around these part of hierarchy hahah! Please don’t take my humour as a flex. I am useless on my own. That is why I’m learning theory now😅. My point was it is interesting for the people that are learning by rules as eventually you’ll learn to break them. I guess it is a different path to take but we would still be landing on the same note. Music theory is universal and not a waste of time for musician. Thanks for replying and great content, I am a learner. Count me in as your cheap student roaming around in the comment section!🫡

[@nicolasmecaj]

So apparently Imma already at level 4 xD (**C major/A nat/mel/harm only) Thank you bro! Confidence boost

[@elj3ster]

I've been studying jazz guitar for a year (6 months by my own and 6 in a jazz school) and all I want to say is that all roads lead to the blues scale. Just add some cromatisms when bored and do crazier stuff when more bored but return to the blues

[@BradHarrison]

The blues scale is pretty great. Lots of great sounds and licks to be found. It is nice to nail the changes too though. Depends on the tune and context.

[@elj3ster]

@@BradHarrison Precisely! Is my go-to strategy when I don't know what to do in a particular song I havent played. I'll need to practice more scales in order to get more tools for improvisation, but just I'll just return to the basics if I get lost.

[@sixmillionaccountssilenced6721]

Many people call melodic minor / Barry's dim6 scale as the king of jazz...

[@MrDavidFitzgerald]

It's worth remembering that the levels don't necessarily represent better improvisation, they're more like additional tools and colours. There are plenty of amazing jazz blues solos that lean heavily on the blues scale.

[@BradHarrison]

Absolutely!

[@alfonsocapocasale3269]

I've started saxophone 2 months ago and learn just the major scales seems enough for me

[@BradHarrison]

That’s a pretty great start! It really opens the doors to everything that comes next. And for 2 months, that’s plenty to keep yo busy for a while.

[@MikeYousman]

very nice analysis

[@gaylanbishop1641]

Excellent!

[@austinhernandez2716]

You listed Sweet Home Alabama in the key of G to start an argument 😂

[@alpesta]

It was an informative video, thx!

[@ducdemontroud9205]

When i improvise, i start with a simple pentatonic blues scale and i focus to use parts of this scale corresponding the most to the playing chord. Once i feel comfortable, i add more notes from outside the tonality to target some notes inside the tonality and i see if that makes good sound or not. When it makes good sound, i keep using it in that situation. Doing a wrong notes is not bad (especially on upbeats) because a wrong note is quickly forgotten. Doing a rythm mistake is more a problem...

[@BradHarrison]

Sounds like you’ve got some good stuff going on. Agreed that poor rhythm can really throw things off and is really uncomfortable for listening and fellow musicians.

[@ducdemontroud9205]

When you make a rhythm mistake, you can see the drummer, bassist and dancers frowning at you 😅

[@BradHarrison]

Just tell them you’re working on nested polyrhythm tuplets and it’s not your problem if they’re not hip to those yet. ;-)

[@kevincoltri2310]

Hey man, as a 40 y/o professional musician who's been improvising since age 12 (level 1 back then :p), I can say that this might be the most accurate representation of the journey to becoming a great improviser that I've seen. Kudos brother! 🎷🎶

[@BradHarrison]

Thanks! Cheers!

[@NestorVass]

Chet Baker is the level 1 goat

[@BradHarrison]

I think he may have known a bit more than he let on, but he was also exactly who I was thinking of when I wrote that section.

[@NestorVass]

@@BradHarrison one of my teachers in guildhall worked with him for abit. He was playing a solo on a big band and the director told him to play some whole tone scale passages, he later went up to my teacher and asked him what a whole tone scale was. Pretty funny but goes to show how good his ears where

[@warrenguitar]

Chet was the man; his solos sounded like perfectly formed melodies. Always extremely melodic.

[@FoodNerds]

Speaking of sandwiches- 🥪 my mom used to eat peanut butter and onion sandwiches. Yes, she was vitamin deficient. She started taking a multivitamin.

[@BradHarrison]

Whoa. I like savoury peanut stuff too, but that’s a choice.

[@alittleroomforthestars]

Stuck at level 2 for decades, specially if you play a lot in rock/pop environment. Level 3 is a different world for real, but I know it was a colorful one back then, as I read about "chord tones"

[@BradHarrison]

Level 2 can be powerful! If you’ve got good ears, you’re probably basically executing level 3 intuitively. But opening the door to level 4 can be real cool. There’s some really interesting sounds there.

[@davidm.wilmington5325]

Couldn't find anyone commenting on this, so : Love the Hitchhkiker's Guide section graphic (for "Don't Panic") w the poor whale and potted petunias. 😢 RIP (x1,000) Agrajag.

[@BradHarrison]

Oooh. Not again. ;-)

[@theicmers9658]

In jazz, rhythm is arguably more important than the pitches you play.

[@BradHarrison]

I’d say that’s true in a lot of genres.

[@JoeDeCarlo-km9nf]

Wynton Marsalis said it best. Jazz is about rhythm.

[@manopablogo8983]

I’m super mad at you for not posting this video earlier.

[@hugovandermeer1566]

AKA .. Extemporising!🎶🎶🎶🎷

[@josekuykendall5592]

Rhythm is where it at u can play a simple song out of rhythm and u want sound like the song but turn around and play it in time and it sound great

[@BradHarrison]

No doubt! Gotta have the basics under control. Wrong notes are far less of a problem than poor rhythm control.

[@yzimsx]

Anyone who's watching this or searching for help and tips, already passed the biggest and often the only obstacle: having the courage and confidence to _try_. Out of interest, I've been trying to get various people to improvise, and quite often they absolutely refuse to try and sometimes even get hostile and angry at the suggestion of trying to improvise. But if they do try, I can get them to proceed surprisingly nicely.

[@BradHarrison]

It can be scary for people. The options are overwhelming! I can play anything? But what? I usually start them off with one note and let them play with rhythm, then two notes, then build a whole scale. Limiting their options is actually quite freeing.

[@yzimsx]

@@BradHarrison Some tricks I've used are: limiting the set of notes to e.g. 3 pitches on the instrument, giving a very specific rhythm of at most four notes, giving a certain word or short sentence for a rhythm, giving a maximum allowance of two notes per bar or two notes per chord (if the player knows about bars and chords). Playing as if playing comping chords on piano or guitar, but selecting only one note from the chord instead of the full chord. "Repeat the rhythm after me", trading one-bar rhythms where I play something first and then the student repeats that by ear, focusing on rhythm only. One nice method has been, playing over a song with sung lyrics, but so that the improviser is only allowed to play during empty spaces between lyric lines. Or, play a few notes and then stop playing and listen for at least two seconds. All sorts of tricks can be done, depending on what the student can already do, always building on top of an existing skill. I'm not an actual teacher by any means, I just coach a group of young players at the church. It's very encouraging to see their progress. Too bad music can't really compete with video games and smartphone entertainment.

[@yzimsx]

@@BradHarrison Once in a "bring your hobby to the office" kind of situation I was able to get a bunch of complete non-musicians to play melodic snippets by ear on a keyboard by promising that the lines will only use three different keys on the keyboard. It was fascinating to see grown-up people try to actually identify pitches they hear for the first time in their lives. And nobody had even been drinking. I could sense a considerable fear of "what if I get it wrong and make a fool of myself".

[@BradHarrison]

Love it! All excellent exercises. Very cool to bring that to your coworkers too! That must have been really fun for you all. You sound like you’ve got education in your blood.

[@BenIsFiguringitOut]

This is an area I wanna improve in as I’m not really an improviser in my playing.

[@BradHarrison]

It can be a super useful skill. Fun too!

[@m00nbeams42]

5:08 (not important) but im shitting myself over the h2g2 reference in the wild

[@BradHarrison]

Love hitchhikers! I’ve put a few references similar to this in different vids.

[@khalilboutira1177]

Great video

[@xochipillai]

Great video

[@rain-c8q]

Anyone have any recommendations for jazz musicians to listen to?

[@gregorfussenegger]

Dear Brad, Thank you for the informative and very well executed video! I really enjoyed watching it and immediately subscribed :) May i ask what video software you were using to make this video? how did you incorporate the Note Examples with a transparent background? I'm trying to get my head around this since i also want to make educational videos of a similar kind targeted towards string players. Thanks in advance!

[@gobuns2]

I can detect which key a song is in, but I've never seriously tried to play through a song's changes with one scale. you never get the sound you want. I think I have to learn how to outline the changes. randomly adding passing notes or reminiscing other melodies is easy but it never comes to that point because when learning a chord progression, I go through the individual chords playing their 1st inversion arpeggios. so the same 1-3-7 up and down the guitar neck. but no song has that mechanic sound, they all have the proper voicings and inversions that create beatiful chord melody.

[@DarylYoung-uh7vo]

Good job 😮.

[@sunshower1972]

The big thing for me is not burning mental stack on trying to evaluate the improv while I’m in it. You set up the key stuff beforehand, and then just let it happen with minimal observation.

[@BradHarrison]

There’s definitely a balance to be struck. Sometimes you have to be extremely deliberate about your choices or what notes, chords, or scales you incorporate. Other times, just relax, follow your intuition, and let the magic happen!

[@sunshower1972]

@ one example of very low deliberation is during extremely fast sections involving 16th note runs on a song that’s at 115bpm. Making deliberate choices about discrete note choices at that speed is represented by the priming before hand about how to approach a section like that and recall chunked arpeggios rather than which individual notes. A distinction from that is the mental weight placed on the ballads that are extremely slow where melodic contours are shaped slowly over the slower bpm.