How To Study Jazz Licks The Right Way

[@JensLarsen]

Does this also reflect how you work on licks? Content: 0:00 Intro - How it is difficult to use licks 0:54 The lick I am using in this video 1:32 #1 Make Sure You Can Play The Lick 1:57 Keeping the Context and Chords in mind 2:23 Connect it to you Vocabulary 2:43 #2 Move around the lick 3:14 What Defines the Phrase? 3:58 Move the Lick around the scale 4:36 Take It Through The Blues 6:52 It's Not An Exact Science, Use Your Ears. 7:19 Voice-leading a Motif Through The Blues 8:42 The Thinking Behind This Process 9:57 #3 Developing and Making Variations 11:31 Rhythmical Variations 12:32 Like the Video? Check out My Patreon Page!

[@alban1964]

It does now.

[@JensLarsen]

@@alban1964 Haha! Thank you :)

[@metaconexionmetaconexion1652]

Hello, I like your videos, Jens, always so educational, but it seems that youtube has not put the automatic subtitles, which are always very useful.

[@willyevans]

In my opinion you have the best jazz guitar channel on KZbin Jens.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you very much, Willy! I am very glad you like the videos!!

[@iainctduncan]

yup!

[@zomat7955]

Thank you, I needed this. This foundational knowledge of HOW to learn can sometimes be harder to find than videos about WHAT to learn.

[@JensLarsen]

That is very true Matt! That was the bigger challenge while studying for me too 🙂

[@Caravaggio44]

Totally agree! Today, it's easy to find WHAT to learn. But, not as many videos on HOW to get the materials in your playing. Thank you Jens!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it :)

[@DaveKaplowitz]

Thanks so much for this, Jens. I have been working on licks but struggling to integrate them into my playing. This process that you walked us through sounds super helpful. Brilliant stuff, Jens!

[@JensLarsen]

That's great Dave! Good luck with practicing :)

[@dkwvt13]

I've been having a lot of fun lately taking licks through the changes in any particular song and playing with the inside/outside tone relationships. Very similar to your description of voice leading. It yields some really interesting modifications. Great lesson, thank you...!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it, Donald! 🙂

[@captainkoo]

Superbly helpful teaching points.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you, Brian

[@anthonydemitre9392]

This is a good exercise for getting used to hearing lines and licks before you play them and thinking musically Thanks, Jens!

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it Anthony!

[@turbopape]

Very nice approach to tackle chord changes soloing using material a beginner can understand. Thumbs up!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! Glad you find it useful Rafik!

[@ChromaBlue13]

Your videos are always so informative and concise. Really appreciate all the work. Cheers

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you! I am glad you like it! :)

[@downhill240]

Another interesting lesson! Thanks for sharing.

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you :) Glad you like it! 🙂

[@davidtardio9804]

Agree completely with everything you said. Especially working on getting in and out of the lick. Otherwise it just sounds stuck in the middle of whatever you are playing. This is great advice. By the way, I've always loved it when you say something sounds "not so nice" which is your very polite way of saying something stinks :)

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks David! Glad you like the video and my way of putting things 😁

[@brad724p]

Another great lesson, Jens!

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you, Brad! :)

[@DESIENASHOES]

easy to understand but very interesting and "handy" to develop -- thanks nice lesson

[@JensLarsen]

Glad you like it Francesco!

[@urbachd]

Another idea I've found useful is to decide on two different licks, and work on transitioning between them. The transitions you invent themselves become licks that can be really interesting. Then you can use those the same way, and it becomes infinitely iterative and creative (though you have to throw away a lot of stuff too)

[@JensLarsen]

Exactly! That's a great way to work with it 🙂

[@Vanolo999]

Hey jens! Can you make a video on tunings? Youre the best one to do so! There's so many

[@JensLarsen]

I only use one tuning so I don't really know anything about other tunings. Sorry 🙂

[@eternalrainbow-cj3iu]

B dim All the things> Charm minor than see the hole tone scale hidden in it just ignore the roo play B C# Eb, is the way to play hole tone over dim...isn't it??? combined with Traids. and make them half hol half hole I admit thatr is difficult improvise polyphoniv and do it over 16 or 24 tones one chord I stay emphasizing that technique...but What you do is still very solid...and very musical the sound is also Terrific !!!!

[@jumemowery9434]

I enjoyed the lesson

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks, Jume!

[@simonfivez2947]

Great lesson as always! Have just been practicing “Blue Monk”, so the Bb7 lick will come in handy ;)

[@JensLarsen]

Yeah! go for it!

[@simonfivez2947]

Will do :)

[@cx777o]

Wow this is gold! Thanks jens! :-) but just to be clear: i am probably on the right way if i can combine licks i wrote (which might be 2 bars long or even shorter when playing straigth 16th stuff) and if i am able to play improvised stuff with the combination of patterns and also by combining by playing to try what i hear in my mind right?

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, that sounds like you are on the right track :)

[@eternalrainbow-cj3iu]

Triads on the dominished or hole tone scale I would higly recommend, combined with fim scale abit, not too much sound sometimes abit too predictable...(personal opinion)and the opposite dim on Augmented

[@LivioSegnini]

Jens, do you think we can interpret a lick as a motif? Thanks as always!

[@JensLarsen]

Yes, but that is only practical if it isn't too long :)

[@elkandweirddreams]

How do you like that epiphone Jens I was thinking of getting one like it.

[@JensLarsen]

It's a great guitar, but I needed to find some better pickups than the stock ones.

[@maxwillow3483]

Well composed lesson Jens, thank you. Is it my imagination or not, but are you playing an original Epiphone Emperor? Great semi-acoustic!

[@JensLarsen]

Thanks, Max! No this is my Sheraton, which is old but not yet 20 years :)

[@maxwillow3483]

@@JensLarsen Oh lord, that is the same guitar I once had-what a peach to play, eh?!

[@JensLarsen]

They are indeed great guitars :)

[@b_olson542]

Have you done a video like this, but specifically over ii-Vs? Maybe I missed it.

[@JensLarsen]

The things I cover in the video are not specific to the progression are they? I don't think that really matters for what I am trying to teach.

[@eternalrainbow-cj3iu]

Great Lesson, od meter 5 ahainst 2beats or od meter what about that..is everybodu ready for that??? hemioles..Hmm Taste delicious...but still Great lesson Sounds just cutting Edge!!!!

[@divisionofthenorth1]

You upload, I watch

[@JensLarsen]

Thank you, Isaac!

[@ЯнТитаренко-м1з]

Do you learn licks only in one position, or you try to play it with different fingerings?

[@shawndimery]

You missing what he’s telling you. Get the line, the idea in your brain, in your ears, that way you should be able to play it anywhere, any fingering.

[@idojacobi8256]

תגובה ראשונה

[@JensLarsen]

Not really :)

[@thekriskokid]

@@JensLarsen Do you speak Hebrew?

[@JensLarsen]

No, but Google does :)