How Thinking In Shapes Can Change Your Jazz Improvisation

Are you speaking the jazz language fluently?
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[@davidtardio9804]

Wow. Just wow. Mind blown. I don’t even know where to start with this. It’s fantastic, and it would definitely be useful. I just need to start with one chord, never mind a tune! I’ll let you know how I’m doing in 2027 or so.

[@KS-yb1wq]

Dude, this was a game changer. I started doing this immediately and was astounded. It brought 'creating music' back to the table. It was fun. I played Body and Soul for 2 hours, caught in creativity. As a guitarist, I did not expect this. I'm glued to your channel now. Thanks.

[@nickmainella]

Oh wow I’m so glad to hear this!! Glad it helped 👍🎶

[@beckyn9338]

Steve Kortyka was just talking about playing in shapes….so I started to think about it, but I’m just a novice. I can think about it all day long, but execution is the thing. It’s gotta come out the end of the horn! I’m just starting to practice sequencing, which is a great thing! Maybe thinking in shapes comes next. Btw I appreciated that some of us might need to slow down the tempo! And love the idea of starting with the blues! 😊

[@dzzy121]

Love this concept. I struggle with creating lines on guitar and thinking this way might really help. I too, am visual and shapes make sense.

[@nickmainella]

Visual learners unite!

[@georgesember9069]

I rely on shapes quite a bit in my guitar study struggles, I’m very shape oriented. I don’t know if that’s good thing. I also try playing free so I’m too much relying on shapes. Once in a while I actually create an original melody!

[@joelpierson2628]

This morning I worked on playing the shape over Bags Groove looping bars 7 -12. I had to write the shapes down, but I think little by little I can memorize them, and that's where the fun will start.

[@nickmainella]

Don’t be afraid to do what you have to do at first! Writing down is perfectly fine in my book :)

[@joelpierson2628]

@@nickmainella Here it is two weeks later, and I can play the shape from memory over the same blues. At times, I can sprinkle in some embellishments and get back to the shape, but not yet around the 9 & 10 chords. I started playing my usual stuff this morning but only the shape over those two chords. It forces me to stay connected to the chord form and hit the shape from random points. That's some slow progress, but to be fair to myself, I haven't spent much time practicing. I've had some serious distractions for a year that I'm trying to resolve. Real Estate, bad neighbors, and lawyers are not conducive to following one's passion.

[@kooky74]

Yes. That is a really nice present. Thx so much. ❤

[@nigelcreasy8234]

Really took to this approach. The great thing is it structures a phrase. The phrase it structures always seems to be a question with a melodic phrase in response. The really interesting thing is that the phrase suggests it’s own response. Great video Thankyou

[@nickmainella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andrewcampbell2903]

This is great Nick . It seems to generate other lines that depart from the shape , but with the shape remaining as a reference point to return to during the improvisation .

[@ToddBrooks-gm6hy]

Has Nick ever posted a lesson that didn't make one stop to think and re think about what you've been doing or not doing? Another great tid bit you could spend hours applying to uncountable places

[@user-ot6ki7rn3f]

Excellent approach , i am going to use this to practice. Many thanx Nick!

[@nickmainella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@xersxo5460]

So it’s abstracting a coherent system from practically random sounds to make the subjective structure more accessible. Thank you for this. I’ve been thinking this is how music making is, because I never found any rules about chords and rhythms and melodies evoking certain experiences (because there are no concrete ones just associated and famously consistent patterns). I wanted to get it down to a science so that I could finally understand and replicate from a basic level but I see that it’s more practical to use my own (and others’) definitions and built up associations. So Thank You so much for clarifying this. Getting so analytical has made music hard to understand at times. But knowing there’s no real analysis to be had is really freeing.

[@nickmainella]

You're right, analysis only goes so far and then it's time to just play some stuff and see what sounds good to you. Take George Garzone for example, he actively tries to play random notes. But when he does so with good time, tone, intonation, and strong resolution points, it sounds absolutely genius!!

[@johanneskatz767]

Nice, I will try it. ❤ That ist simple and suitable for me.

[@lesharris9560]

Great idea.frees up the mind a bit.

[@thomasvahle]

A very interesting visual way to make an incremental step into improvisation!

[@raghavchari]

Love this Nick. I've seen some others talk about this general concept before but not as clearly illustrated as you just did. I'm going to give this a try.

[@BebopHardRock]

Great lesson on a very important subject! Thanks Nick!!

[@nickmainella]

My pleasure!

[@gotofourths933]

I like it . Thank you Nick . Im going to try this today. If i achive to place the shape in chord changes easily , i will use second shape and so on. I guess it will be a scale and arpeggio practices at the same tiime.🙏👏👏🎷🎷

[@jimkangas4176]

I've done this a but not enough - I noticed that you can take that three note riff from "Misty" and move it all kind of places. Good thought - thanks!

[@twangbarfly]

GREAT advice - thanks for this mind-expanding idea!!!!

[@nickmainella]

You bet!

[@bobblues1158]

Shapes are a very useful tool for analysing and writing "Classical" music as well.

[@nickmainella]

Totally agree!

[@waynematthews8165]

This is dope! 💥

[@davidsmusic]

Amazing Nick, thank you so much!! waiting to back home to take my tenor and practice!! greetings from Germany!

[@aljoschahunger]

..discovered your channel recently. amazing content about the science of jazz. thx & kind regards..

[@kbh4950]

Great concept...

[@burgessbrian9329]

Wonderful suggestion; thank you so much for sharing cheers

[@nickmainella]

You are so welcome!

[@willymcnamara1429]

what an interesting idea, excited to try this! maybe i can break out of the 4 consecutive 8th note pattern for even more spice and variety. thank you for layin it out so well!

[@nickmainella]

Thanks so much!

[@stephenclark7013]

Got to get onto this Nick I just approach my improvisation totally the opposite to you more linear I guess .Nice one 👍

[@saxman3336]

Excellent idea, i need to work on this.

[@michaeldean9338]

As always, great advice. Thanks again, Nick :)

[@nickmainella]

My pleasure!

[@andreasgilgenberg5588]

wonderful!!!!!!

[@skale1963]

interesting idea 💡 thanks!

[@nickmainella]

You bet!

[@user-vt5kw3iq1n]

Nice ! Very nice !😊

[@nickmainella]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@nicolatacchini1395]

Hi nick! Thanks for this video, i love it! Looking forward to practice this concept

[@nickmainella]

Have fun!

[@inflatedear7131]

Great concept. Thanks!

[@nickmainella]

Glad you liked it!

[@djmileski]

Great lesson!

[@a.j.nicoll477]

Cool idea! Thanks for sharing!

[@nickmainella]

No problem!

[@alexeymorozov816]

Great, Nick! Appreciate your great work! Thank you

[@nickmainella]

My pleasure!

[@evelynyturralde4113]

Novel approach! I'll have to try it. I like your clear explanation of not having to adhere to the first example (e.g., 3-5-2-1, the notes in the chord). The shapes you played in the 1st example fit so well with the chord changes! -- did you try to make the first 2 notes be notes in the chord to identify it? I liked the rhythmic playing around, too. Thanks!

[@nickmainella]

Not really a goal, but I guess they did haha

[@TedMaciag]

Really nice, trying to do this as any linear instrument player is difficult to get a grasp of. Guitarist, pianists have physical shapes / grips to get muscle memory involved. We don't, so thanks!

[@nickmainella]

Well said!

[@djmileski]

You have great tone

[@birdndiz10]

Excellent stuff

[@nickmainella]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@gregoryepa2659]

Greetings from France !

[@MetaphysicalMusician]

This reminds me of phrasing...making statement..and punctuation

[@nickmainella]

Agreed

[@sat.chid.ananda]

would you consider the first Coltrane phrase in Mr P.C a shape? it's very difficult for me to try and move the shapes to other notes cus i'm thinking in degrees and not shapes like you explain here...i'll try and apply this

[@nickmainella]

Yes! Anything can be a shape!

[@Sam-hh3ry]

I grant these are dumb questions but what is the end goal really with this kind of practice? Is the shape nice sounding enough that you want to be able to bring it out whenever? Are you trying to get the sound of it in your head while also learning the corresponding notes? It feels like you could spend the rest of your life drilling this kind of thing but how directly does it correlate to better improv I wonder?

[@nickmainella]

Awesome question! It would start by getting you better at playing certain notes, in a certain shape, over different chords. This might, by itself, unlock some new and interesting ideas over certain chords. It breaks you out of your patterns that you play without even thinking. Then, when you start moving it around the measure, in terms of starting on different beats, you start to develop an ability to phrase anywhere in the Measure on command. So, while practicing this exact thing may feel like it doesn’t really do much for your playing, overall, it has all of these tremendous benefits that have nothing to do with this specific four note shape. Does that make sense?

[@Sam-hh3ry]

@@nickmainella I appreciate the reply! I'll keep this stuff in mind

[@BebopHardRock]

Go get Rich Perry's "Doxy" and listen to the possibilities.

[@ortegaman]

New subscriber 👋

[@nickmainella]

Thanks for subbing!

[@EvanWiederandersMusic]

What are you using for those backing tracks?

[@nickmainella]

Band in a box 👍

[@babakmardani1317]

387th like!😉

[@jefferyboyle7276]

✌ 🎹🗿