JPS Podcast Ep 49 How To Start Playing Bebop

jazzpianoschool.com/podcast49
for practice materials for this episode.
Learning how to play bebop is like building legos...now who doesn't like lego's...its fun!!

[@rahsun7663]

i personally want to say a big thank you for sharing your knowledge , i have been playing music for over 40 years and never heard anyone explain it so clear ,you open my eyes to lots of areas the i needed to know.

[@JayVermaMusic]

30:00 is awesome!! that's one of the main methods I've been working from for a while :)

[@abdelazizallouche9836]

Thank you for giving so generously of your time and your expertise. Now and only now I understand what impresses me in these jazz pianists. Thanks again.

[@Dundatta258]

Jazz Piano School this was a very good lesson i learned alot from this i try to keep in my head the major scale in the key of f also the sharp 11 etc lol thx!

[@emmanuelgilbert]

Stumbled across this from a link on another jazz tutorial video. Hands down the best thing I have ever seen. Feels like the fog is clearing. Thank you!

[@jazzpianoschool]

So happy to hear that! Thank you for the amazing comment, Emmanuel!

[@dfaria1000]

Fabulous lesson on Bebop. Thanks for this class.

[@andrewyerkes4287]

Great lesson. Thank you. Looking forward to developing these approaches at the piano.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Glad to hear that, thank you Andrew!

[@kizitoallcaps]

Thank you 1000x, for your warmth.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for the comment, Kizito!

[@12keys17]

Great lesson. There are quite a few videos on you tube trying to teach “enclosures” as a three note above/below pattern. This video breaks it down much better. Suddenly you get it. Practicing Half step below and scale tone above or whichever way round you want to do it, makes much more sense then trying to learn the whole enclosure as an entity in itself. Thanks so much, the penny dropped !

[@jazzpianoschool]

I appreciate the comment! Glad to hear that we were able to demystify this for you!

[@MarcelPetit]

I've been trying to wrap my head & hands around jazz but couldn't really grasp it up until a few weeks ago. I am good at music theory and tried to understand everything from a harmonic / chord perspective instead of adding guide / leading tones. Your lesson REALLY helped me and improved my playing. THANKS!! :)

[@jazzpianoschool]

This makes me so happy to hear, Marcel! Thank you for the comment!

[@drfortheorlingas]

Wow! Thanks for this. You have suddenly made me understand improvisation in bebop!

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thank you for the inspiring comment Fred!

[@desvonbladet]

This two part series is really good, and all the ideas about building bebop melody lines presented here are also valid for non-piano melody instruments; if you ever developed this into a product separate from specifically piano it would be very interesting to me. (I play piano very badly and that is unlikely to change any time soon; my actual instrument is guitar)

[@taiheiishikawa9623]

I watched this with my student because I was having a hard time explaning how to play bebop lines. This excerise will definately help him. Thanks Brendon!!!

[@martinlehfeldt6916]

A virus of love. I like that. We need more of that kind of virus. Great lesson. Keep up the great work.

[@jazzpianoschool]

;)

[@cns7139]

Thank you. Most generous of you to share.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for watching, @CN S!

[@mikehigginsbass4073]

Great stuff! As a self taught bass player of many years, I’ve got a pretty fancy house but my foundations are shaky! This approach really helps and is very well delivered. Thank you very much.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Awesome! So happy to hear that, Mike!

[@hello55125]

Wow what a great tutorial. Thanks very much!

[@vwcanter]

Thanks for explaining the basics. So many teachers try to make it harder than it really is.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thank you for the comment, Vincent!

[@AllIn1Studio]

Brendon - I am so very grateful to you. I hav been searching all my life to find the ‘key’, the essence of Bebop. A miracle in my pianistic life. I can’t wait to practice, invent figures -listen to the giants with fresh ears!! What a blessing you are - such generosity is unheard of in these grasping capitalistic days.

[@jazzpianoschool]

So glad to hear this!

[@sergiotorreblanca3918]

Vv h v

[@aarontjs]

You know what? You are superb Brandon ! Your Goal is to help as many people play jazz & I just want you to know that you succeeded. Thank you Brandon, you helped me a lot ! God Bless :)

[@jazzpianoschool]

I appreciate the comment, Aaron, thank you!

[@jaymotito]

You have got me out of a quagmire I have been in for years. You are an amazing Sensei!. hearing 'Spreading the virus of love' in 2021 slurps different ♥️♥️

[@jazzpianoschool]

Awesome! Glad to hear that, Nderitu!

[@thorsteinssonh]

Thank you, quite like the emphasis on approach notes, the "be-bop" part -- makes me think of all those Bird and Bud Powell heads I've been practicing, the lines do indeed begin and end on the principle you point out!

[@jazzpianoschool]

yes, most definitely! Thank you for watching!

[@user-xh2jv4ds4w]

Great stuff. Thanks!!

[@georgepapanaoum1144]

28m 18s is combination's on half step below and scale tone above

[@hx-flixblog4569]

Thanks a lot, dude. This is just what I was needing and you explained it to me. I'm quite new at the keyboard and I was a bit confused about the Bebop chords, and scales. I'm a Salsero percissionist and flute player. I like to expand my knowledge of all geras though. Anyhow, sometimes I couldn't differentiate some Bebop with other jazz concepts. You've been very helpful ma man. Muchas gracias!

[@jazzpianoschool]

Awesome, glad we could help!

[@paxwallacejazz]

How to (stop) playing bop, was on the minds of everyone in the 70s. Because playing bop amongst really good free players made you a square. My how things have changed. That's why I can list the good harmelodic (Ornette capable) pianists on one hand. No one loves changes more than me but☯️when inside one seeks freedom, when free one seeks order. Someone had to say it.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Yes, great line! One of my favorite bassists, Drew Gress, makes a similar comment! About seeking order when playing free, but seeking freedom when playing structured tunes like standards. Thanks for the thought provoking comment!

[@thorsteinssonh]

and another thing, like someone pointed out here below. A master of a study or art, is not really a master until he is able to filter out the most important aspects of a subject and in that way guide his students on a path of discovery. Richard Feynman pointed this out a long time ago, and stated that his practice of continually refining his explanations of a subject were extremely beneficial to his own study as well as any student of his. According to Feynman, this was his 'gold' standard on being a so called expert on a subject - that is to be able to explain and condense the subject very efficiently.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thank you for your comment Hrobjartur!

[@Acemaster24367]

You the man Brenden

[@ammiammi1974]

Extremely helpful. Thank you very much. Greatly appreciated. Cheers.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Glad it was helpful!

[@georgepapanaoum1144]

33m 50sec synthesis of ideas captured in motion.

[@brendanmunnelly1150]

Hey Brendan, that was one Superb lesson! I'm one of those Talented, passionate Guys you talked about, who's been banging his head off walls in frustration at his inability to make significant progress in Jazz: In truth, I have learnt and understand more about be-bop in your single podcast, than I have from watching a plethora of other jazz tutorials. I was on the verge of giving up on my dream but you have given me new hope. You are a marvellous musician and a quite extraordinary teacher. I can't thank you enough. It's dawn here in Ireland but I'm going to your site to Join up. May God bless you for all the work that you do in sharing your gifts with us. Bren

[@jazzpianoschool]

Much appreciated Brendan! Thanks for the comment, and we appreciate the support!

[@MrScarthi]

thank you..a brilliant approach..

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thank you for the comment Michael!

[@Dundatta258]

great lesson

[@johnnycaper_]

damn, I remember when I was learning to play guitar, now I get the ame feeling about piano, I don't understand shit, feels just like good old days xD

[@radityarachman4170]

Oh my God this what i've been looking for thank u so much :)

[@jazzpianoschool]

Glad it was helpful, Raditya!

[@Jack-fs2im]

wow what a greeeeeaaaaat vid.now I haven,t got excuse for not learning to play my fav sound.thanx,thanx

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for the comment, Jack!

[@PIANOSTYLE100]

Plan to share this

[@robbo12332]

great tutorial! Thanks Brandon.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for watching Luke!

[@tonyb4699]

Probably the best lesson on KZbin

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thank you Antonio!

[@yeahimafreakofnature6804]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thank you!

[@kevinbeer6958]

What a gift thank you

[@jazzpianoschool]

My pleasure!

[@hkhoe]

Great lesson, you opened my door to bebop.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Glad to hear that!

[@rachelpalmer3280]

Amazing!

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for the comment, Rachel!

[@phnx4life]

Skip to 5 minute mark..

[@rajjadhav9916]

Thank you so much Sir!

[@jazzpianoschool]

You’re very welcome, Raj!

[@AKOSAH-MUSIC]

God bless you sooooo much

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks, @Akosah Music!

[@colorsedge1568]

Epic!💥✅✅ thank you!

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for watching!

[@mikepowers9580]

Can you also approach notes the opposite way, from a scale step below and a half step above the chord tone? I know there are technically no rules to what you can play but would that sound more "outside" the changes than the two methods you use here?

[@BrendenLowe]

Hey Mike thanks for the comment. Yes absolutely!

[@pierrecohenmusic]

You are the freakin’ man! Do you teach private Skype lessons?

[@adityasaxena7374]

I don't know the factors that help KZbin decide which videos to promote but what I know for a fact is that all videos on this channel are highly underrated. I think what might help is try Improving on your Thumbnail like make them more interesting example include the creator's face etc just do the tactics your channel might have a blast

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for the comment and for the suggestion, Aditya!

[@taychinnn]

33:04 😁

[@meresokula9147]

Thanx for sharing

[@jazzpianoschool]

My pleasure!

[@eydiguttason1961]

Thank you Brendan very helpful it gives light greeting from Aalborg Denmark about talents I think of The word of Jesus:" It's not about How big talents but use the talents

[@jazzpianoschool]

Exactly! I agree with you 100%. Thanks for the comment, Eydi!

[@inigogortazar2836]

Hi man thanks for sharing!! very helpful and well explained; I just have a question: when you are improvising in a 2-5-1, G-C-F for example, you improvise all the time in F bebop scale or you use different scales depending of the chord that is being played? Like when i play Gm i use that scale, when i go to C chord i use de C scale, and so on... THANK YOU so much! this is blocking me to finally understand the video.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Hi @Inigo, I recommend sticking with one scale; but knowing which notes in that scale will sound best with each chord. You can change scales (G Dorian, C mixolydian, F major); but G Dorian and C mixolydian are just the F major scale starting on G or C. So just stick with the F major scale (or F bebop scale if you choose); and focus on the chord tones - for Gmin7 it would be GBbDF for C7 it would be CEGBb and for F major it would be FACE. And try to bring out those chord tones! Hope this helps!

[@inigogortazar2836]

@@jazzpianoschool thank you so much, goit it!! Have a good day

[@mattm1256]

Thanks for the great video. I noticed you did not talk about the bebop scales. Where do these come into the picture and are they important to know?

[@jazzpianoschool]

Hi Matt, thanks for watching! As to your question: it doesn't hurt to understand the application of bebop scales but I wouldn't say they are essential to know Bebop Scales are based off the major scale with an inserted chromatic note - that inserted note (between the 5th and 6th note for major, between the 6th and 7th for dominant) gives inherent melodic voice-leading. Hope this is helpful!

[@mattm1256]

JazzPianoSchool.com - Learning Freedom (Online Jazz Piano Course) Thanks. This is very helpful. I really like your approach to teaching jazz piano. Thank you so much for being willing to share your knowledge.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks Matt! We appreciate the comment, our goal is to provide structure and organization to all jazz piano enthusiasts - thanks for watching!

[@pi5916]

Hi Brenden, when you say chord scale for example in the key of F, do we use the F major scale or the F bebop scale?

[@jazzpianoschool]

@P I: in this case, F bebop scale since we are focused on strong tones on strong beats and passing tones on weak beats.

[@piggyfly00]

Play F# repeatedly with confidence. People will think ure a genius

[@bruceholms]

Brendan -- I have been a professional musician for 50+ years. I taught piano for 25 years and traveled in most European countries and the entire US. I have 2 degrees in music including Grove School of Music, Studio City, CA. I am not bragging -- I just want anyone who is interested in your teaching ability to know my creds. This bebop course is incredible! For years I wondered if there was a simpler method to learning bebop rather than the "old school" approach of hacking one's way through (like I did). Well I just watched your EP 49 and I was stunned! If there had been internet and your fantastic well organized method available to me 50 years ago, I could have been years ahead. Anyway, KUDOS.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Wow, Bruce! That means a lot, thank you for your comment!

[@d34u8bdf2]

Great video Brenden! So if I follow this method, is there still any point for practicing licks and transcribing?

[@BrendenLowe]

Thank you Anak! And absolutely. Study of licks and transcriptions will give you more ideas into how you can connect bebop approaches in different ways. It's like learning how to improve your vocabulary in a language. You need to learn the components first though, i.e. nouns, verbs, adj etc in order to start improving your sentence structure. Hope this helps!

[@mcrohof]

When Oscar Peterson got wind of Dudley Moore transcribing his solos and playing them he said, do not do that, you need to play the lines and melodies that YOU hear. There is no single point in copying me.

[@dunmill9632]

Let me ask you something. Should I care if the note belongs to the scale when only descends to it? I think you have hit the half tone which doesn't belong to the scale when ascends.

[@jazzpianoschool]

@Dun: thanks for the question! If you're referencing half step chromatic approaches, you're correct - the note that's leading into the next tone does not need to belong to the chord scale. Hope this helps!

[@glennbirrell3784]

What is the Name of that " Bumper Music " at the Very beginning of this Video ? It is very famous!Lots of us are dying to know the name/band who made this recording Famous ! Somebody Please Help !

[@zimasadyosi4368]

Godbless you sir

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thank you Zimasa, and thanks for watching!

[@raphaels2103]

26:40 solo exercice

[@raktimparashar]

Wow

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks!

[@johnnyblue1101]

Solid gold lessons. But slow down; also use examples of approach tones (in combo) in simple Jazz standards with 2-5-1 progressions. This is the essence of where we want to go as budding performers.

[@jazzpianoschool]

Thanks for watching, @Johnny Blue!

[@yeahimafreakofnature6804]

Hey Branden, why during the half step/whole step of the A y dont hit Ab(as approach note) and B?

[@jazzpianoschool]

Hm... not sure exactly what you're referring to. Can you provide a timestamp of where exactly in the video you're talking about so that I can better assist you?

[@yeahimafreakofnature6804]

Yeah, sorry Branden,my bad...would be on 31:36

[@jazzpianoschool]

No worries, thanks for the timestamp! So the rule here is half step below, and scale tone above. Ab is the half step below A, and the scale tone above A in our F major scale is Bb (not B). Hope that makes sense!

[@yeahimafreakofnature6804]

JazzPianoSchool.com - Learning Freedom (Online Jazz Piano Courses) yeahhh got it the Bb ia the forth degree of the F major scale....so if I were for example on C and on the progresssion there is an A minor the aprouch would be Ab and now yes B....right?

[@jazzpianoschool]

Right! :) You're saying that over an Aminor chord, you approach the C with a B? If so, then yes!

[@estebanvenegas89]

muy largoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@alainrichardshimagizwa9178]

Hello, could anyone send me these podcasts from episode 1 please? I missed them

[@jazzpianoschool]

Hi Alain, you can find the rest of the podcasts on our KZbin channel!

[@allinthemind2006]

Im having trouble with finger positions

[@jazzpianoschool]

This is a great question. Fingering is tough because sometimes the “best” fingering varies based on personal preference or whether you have to pivot up (and thumb cross) or down to play the next phrase. So when you see fingerings, you can use it as a guide or reference but ultimately you should choose a fingering that’s most comfortable for you or best fits your application. As a general rule of thumb for coming up with your own fingering: I try to find the most efficient, economical fingering that would allow for better speed/dexterity and would allow you to connect phrases. Hope this helps!

[@allinthemind2006]

@@jazzpianoschool thanks! It really is a dope exercise its just difficult when the finger positioning seems random. I haven't been able to do this very quickly or fluidly without stumbling over my thumb, hitting a wrong note or forgetting where to go out of awkwardness. I guess it just takes weeks of practice

[@TheRealSorav]

Thanks alot my nigga

[@hello55125]

Hi I have tried to access your practice materials and I keep getting a warning about a deceptive site. Is anyone else getting this

[@lzn1232]

Help me...... Please help me

[@TR19685]

Waffle less and teach more please!! Or else do a chat show!

[@saadalhumaid3959]

May i suggest u shorten tutes and prepare more to emphasize the importance of theories and demonstrate what its done and what it sounds like on instrument?

[@Peter-ih2tn]

Hey look! It's a finger licking good piano player pretending to be a good, no-bullshit teacher. Yawn

[@KitCotter]

Beginner level. Talks about himself for too long

[@kupfeli]

You talk so much that it simply gets annoying, my personal opinion