How Do I Practice Motivic Development for Jazz Improvisation?

[@johnnyblue1101]

Still my “go to” for jump-starting the mystery of motific development

[@L5man]

I feel instinctively that this is the heart of what I need to be studying

[@janevonmaltzahn2667]

Main benefit:: YOU SHARE YOUR THINKING PROCESS in this video, so we see WHY you're changing the motifs. Need to learn how to think!! The danger early on is that I l just mechanically learn progressions in 12 keys, but now how to think about changes!! I also liked the tip: practice sessions are not supposed to sound "good." As always, THANKS for your generosity - beyond grateful. Whodathunk it? World class musicians teaching us at home. WOWZA. What a way to start the day!

[@danloschen5899]

Very well presented. I preach this to my students regularly, so I'll be swiping some of the terms you are using in my own teaching! It seems as if many intermediate-level students are so obsessed with playing the hip scales, the hip substitutions, but not thinking about the actual ideas they are presenting, and this really gets to the gist of it. It has always struck me that motivic improvisation is actually a very basic concept: you could teach some aspects of it to a student in their first few lessons as an absolute beginner, on any instrument. "Play something simple. Can you play it again? Play the same rhythm on a different note..." and so on.

[@JeremySiskind]

For sure! I think it's "easy" to teach and learn scales/modes, but it's much harder to really teach and learn the actual building blocks of what makes a good melody and an interesting improvisation. I"m glad we're on the same page!

[@caseydahl1952]

This is great! All the little tricks that were floating around unarticulated in my subconscious spelled out in clear form for more deliberate practice and improvisation. Thank you so much!

[@pallhe]

Excellent stuff. Just what I need, really well presented.

[@CharlesAustin]

Yeah Jeremy another brilliant and down to earth and on point demo .. I used to use terms like: static pitch shape and static pitch area for keeping the shape in modal transposition etc. It worked well enough but .. you kill it with all the motif ideas ..so great ..We’ll be listening to this on and others over and over .. BTW I’m having trouble purchasing your materials from Canada and can get Downloads only, which alone is great .. Love it all !!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks o mcc for the comment! I'd never heard those terms before, but they sound smart. :) Regarding the book - shipping to Canada is wildly expensive, so I sell the PDF from my site or you can buy the physical copy from Amazon. I appreciate it either way, Charles!

[@CharlesAustin]

@@JeremySiskind yeah I made up those terms but that was a while back. So by now they’re only vague recollections of former students I expect. So thanks for the info on your publications. I’ll download and also get some titles from Amazon. Thanks Jeremy, we’re spreading the word here..

[@tobbebergman7583]

Excellent explanation of techniques all the great improvisers use !

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks so much! This subject totally fascinates me...it's a whole area of study which I would argue is just as important (or more) than scales, modes, etc.

[@tobbebergman7583]

@@JeremySiskind I totally agree !

[@unemployable82]

How usefull is this, instead of practicing countless and pointless hours of scales and arpeggios, this is actually what happens in improvisation, bravo! (I'm a guitar player btw)

[@JeremySiskind]

Nice! I love it. Yeah, it's really the story telling that makes music music, right?

[@theoooms7277]

Very usefull. I find this approach too much overlooked in tutorials while it is such a basic building block in composition and improvisation. Thank you so much again😎

[@JeremySiskind]

My pleasure, Theo! Thanks for continuing to check out what I'm putting out! :)

[@mickcarpenter2963]

Sounds very modal, ie longish passages on same chord. Is that the best use or can you use easily on standard swing 2 5 1?

[@JeremySiskind]

You can use in any context, it's just harder as the chords are changing because you have to update notes. So, I'd recommend practicing over a single chord and then advancing to doing this over changing chords.

[@winstonmacmahon9735]

Very nice, like how you broke out the examples and explained that you kind of need to beat them into your playing:)

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks, Winston! Yep - this kind of stuff takes a lot of repetition! You don’t want to be thinking about it while you’re trying to improvise. :)

[@anthonyjackson1177]

Now that, was a lesson!

[@JeremySiskind]

That's so nice! Thanks, Anthony!

[@rommelmunoz4658]

You really r a good teacher simple but can be understood by a newbie hope to hear more from you awesome

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks so much! Lots more coming for ya!

[@Martian128]

Thanks Jeremy! Love you man !!!

[@JeremySiskind]

Right back at ya, Marshall!

[@Andreascph]

Great video! Good examples, very approachable and easy to apply to my practice sessions. Thanks a lot!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks! I’m glad you liked it!

[@magc3520]

Inspiring as always been! Thank you for sharing your ways of playing jazz piano and for encouraging. Did the buzzing sound come from your device notification?

[@JulianLambert]

Great lesson - thank you Jeremy!

[@JeremySiskind]

You're very welcome, Julian! Thanks for checking it out.

[@josgroot9919]

I do not understand the difference between 'sequencing' and 'adjusting by signature'. In both cases the motif is changed such that the motif fits the new chord, isn't it? Apart from this: a nice video, thanks!

[@JeremySiskind]

Imagine you’re playing the C major scale. If you were to sequence it, you would play the scale starting on D or E (DEFGABCD or EFGABCDE). If you were to adjust it to the key signature if D, it would still start on C but using the key signature of the key of D (C#DEF#GABC#).

[@josgroot9919]

@@JeremySiskind Now I understand, thanks!

[@richardsprince6980]

I studied with Gary Burton back in the day, his main focus in teaching improv is on motif development. Although not as detailed as your presentation (you are definitely the king of detail!). My question is, do you see motif development, and linear bebop style improv as mutually exclusive? I find I’m doing either one or the other. PS I’m sorry I missed registration for your Fall semester, looking into it for January.

[@richardsprince6980]

PPS another terrific video!

[@jimkangas4176]

Really good for me - I'm a jazz guitarist trying to develop a solo repertoire. I'm curious about the next step, i.e., what classical players might call sentences and periods. If you're sequencing a motif, I like it when they go several times instead of just 2? Even in a sentence (as I understand it), you change the rhythm and movement (e.g. playing it twice in the same space), but that's still only 3? Thx.

[@JeremySiskind]

That’s a good question! I’m not sure I have an immediate answer. Because jazz is created in a more stream of consciousness method, the results are expected to be more stream of consciousness and not quite as organized.

[@EjLapore]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

[@JeremySiskind]

You're so welcome, EJ!

[@EjLapore]

@@JeremySiskind really love your teaching videos! when are you going to play in a live streaming sir? its good to engage with your fans..

[@EjLapore]

@@JeremySiskind love motivic improvisation.. beethoven is a master of this...

[@pianotubeleonbricht9635]

So interesting!

[@JeremySiskind]

I'm glad you like it, Leon!

[@arielhungary9327]

Great lesson!

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks, Ivan! Nice to hear from you and I hope all is well in Hungary. :)

[@arielhungary9327]

@@JeremySiskind Thanks Jeremy. I’m reading your book and try to renew my practice habit. I enjoy discovering similarities between your KZbin lessons and the printed version. Actually your Chanel is an important and very useful support to the book because you make this way the written examples alive. (Hungary has a very difficult time because of pandemic. We have a total lockdown. But I found my advantage in piano practicing.)

[@stellamoonandherstars6697]

Lovely lesson. I miss you : )

[@JeremySiskind]

Thank you, Stella! 😃

[@CharlesAustin]

Great !

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks so much for watching,g Charles!

[@brendaboykin3281]

Thanx, Maestro 🌹🌹🌹😎

[@jean-pierrebourlier9154]

Very useful video, as usual . A question : what is the tune you take as an example ? I don’t understand what you say in the video.Can you write the title ?

[@JeremySiskind]

Thanks so much! I believe this is “Recorda-me”

[@guidamattos4970]

Speed 0.75..... I understood you...how can I buy This books? I'm from Brasil

[@JeremySiskind]

However you need to do it! If you'd like to buy the PDFs, you can buy from my site, www.jeremysiskind.com/shop/. To buy the paper copy, buy from Amazon. Thanks for your support, Guida!

[@anderssvensson3894]

Nice but why is he farting every now and then ?

[@JeremySiskind]

Fair question!

[@anderssvensson3894]

@@JeremySiskind Great uoload and subject nevertheless !

[@DoubleCheeseBurgerss]

get a mic man

[@David-zn8lg]

fantastic lesson!