Pat Metheny - Lesson on Improvisation

I couldn't find this video on KZbin anymore, so I decided to reupload it.
This is a unique recording of private lesson an unknown guitarist had with Pat Metheny. The original video was divided in mulitple parts, I merged them into one whole video. Enjoy!

[@btanonymous]

I took notes on this video to bring into the practice room. Thought i'd share incase anyone else finds it useful. Pat Metheny Guitar Lesson: Rhythm TRUMPS all Hear Subdivisions whether it’s 8th note triplets or sixteenth notes (depending on the tune) AT ALL TIMES. Better yet really FEEL these subdivisions. Play with great drummers as much as you can! Doesn’t matter the style. Charlie Parker and Coltrane are the best examples of getting lines in a solo to really sink in with the rhythm section. The goal is to "get your hands dirty harmonically and rhythmically at the same time". You become part of the rhythm section as a soloist. You really want to describe the changes so that if you played with just a bass player or drummer you would hear all of the harmonic information. Play more arpeggios, guitar players have a tendency to shy away from this obvious fact. Pat plays about 50% straight chord tones when soloing. With the exception of maj7th over min7 chords, Pat hears all 12 tones over any chord. Think extensions. "This took a long time to get together" If you have great time, you can get away with playing pretty much anything. Listeners respond intuitively to solid rhythm. Listen to people a lot who have great time to imitate the feel. Along with Miles, Trane, and Parker, Sonny Rollins is great to imitate for guitar. His lines are easier to execute on the guitar. Sonny can also turn a small idea and stretch it over a solo which is something guitar players have trouble with. Aim for Rhythmic definition and power under everything you play. This is best developed playing with others. A drum machine can suffice if you don’t have access to a good drummer. Aim to land on/end a line/phrase on harmonically strong notes on strong beats. Pat recommends playing really simple with the chord tones over a progression and try to make as rhythmically accurate and interesting as possible. The goal is to make your rhythms so accurate the drum machine disappears. Be careful to make triplets clear, not like eighths or sixteenth notes

[@clapton79]

Beau Taillefer Sir, thank you for this.

[@petermarshall878]

Beau Taillefer Thank you!!!

[@Gregorypeckory]

+Beau Taillefer Excellent posts like yours are why I think in spite of the 5-10% or so of comments that are from trolls and miserable whiners complaining about the fact that the free lessons they find aren't perfectly tailored to suit them, there is real value in the KZbin musician community; most of us are here for inspiration, and to share tips, ideas, opinions (in a civil manner) and helpful instruction with each other. I bet you got a lot out of that exercise too, so its win/win.

[@btanonymous]

Thanks! I typed this up for myself and figured it would be helpful to share for others. I've listened to this several times a year for 5 or 6 years and it always gets me back on track.

[@jfilipeferreira]

"Be careful to make triplets clear, not like eighths or sixteenth notes" is not exactly right. What he said was "Be careful to make triplets clear, not like *dotted* eighths or sixteenth notes". But excellent summary, otherwise! Thanks!

[@beanabus77]

The more I study music, the more I realise there are only fundamentals, and the master musicians are those who have the humility and patience to keep working on the fundamentals.

[@guitarproud]

Right on

[@metakatana]

Master musicians also know how to break the rules and break the fundamental principles of music, expanding and innovating.

[@EvgeniyNeutralMusician]

Indeed. Patience, persistence. Also I feel this is very appropriate: Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. It feels bad, and very sad, when you are talended and smart, but you don't have persistence. In music for example.

[@vecernicek2]

+christianmillermusic yes, this is probably true in all fields

[@William102582]

+christianmillermusic The sole prerequisite is the desire to do it...

[@LightmasterChampion]

Thank you, Jelle. Editing and sharing this is an invaluable service to humanity. 🚀

[@NaturesGesture]

This lesson is great. Pretty much changed my life. Especially the rhythmic stuff he talks about is great. Recommend it to any guitar player who's serious about their instrument.

[@AngelHadzi]

Thanks a lot for uploading this video, it´s a kind of jewel

[@trevorbadger91]

I have been religiously studying this sample of Pat’s playing. One thing I realized that Pat and Brecker have in common, if you slow down their playing by 20%, you realize that the notes they are playing, regardless of how fast and “straight” the rhythms sound, they are still swung. Mind-blowing.

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

It's really great of you to share this lesson! Many important points and topics. Thank you very much. Really.

[@moebiuslolo]

This video is for me pure gold!!!! thanks for posting it !

[@nogoogleplus]

Thanks so much for sharing! Man how lucky was that guy to get a lesson with Pat!!!!

[@genec8393]

This is a great recording. I couldn't find it either. Heard it years ago. Thank you for re-uploading

[@warrenmcdonald]

Great lesson; very interesting hearing Metheny's take on soloing. Very instructive and helpful. Thanks for posting; a real treasure of insights.

[@KolodziejczykKuba]

a lot of guys here are saying that as a teacher Pat was pretty critical and harsh... well i tell you - you did not see harsh if you didn;t study in classical music field in europe, especially with russian proffesors. Pat is just saying what could be better and for saying h-o-w to do it he is a great teacher here. i am amazed how simply he explains a lot of magic i hear in his playing and now i undertand better his principles. until now i was just amazed with his level as super complicated, now it is a much more clear. thank you for sharing

[@christopherhanna5754]

Thank you so much for posting this .

[@bobbyhallmusic]

This was so awesome. I will be coming back to this often. For now, it’s time shop some Sonny Rollins and find a solo of his to learn. Thank you!!

[@richardpictures]

I first heard this a few years ago and have thought of it many times since. Really glad to see this is back up, thanks. I’m getting even more out of it now, now that my ear is more developed. The part about hearing all extensions on any chord really stuck with me.

[@axocaster]

Thank you for the post. There are players who will never hear teaching at this level so you've really brought us something truly unique here. Thanks again!!!

[@JelleWillems]

You're welcome!

[@LucasLucasMusic]

@@JelleWillems Hey man, now what standard they are playing?

[@user-wl6hd2fi2x]

Lucas Ray Exp [LRE] mr p.c.

[@hetitorm]

@@LucasLucasMusic Mr PC

[@BeaverChaser]

Man great jazz players like Pat need to release some recordings of him and other great artists just sitting down talking about music and just grooving over stuff. Nothing thought out, just on the spot having fun. Guys like him are so damn good that their spontaneous stuff that they just come up with out of nowhere is so, so much better than your typical studio album.

[@roberturban2560]

BeaverChaser THAT IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA I LOVE VIDEOS LIKE THAT!

[@mathewreichardt3832]

He has albums like that rejoicing, trio stuff, song x etc

[@seattlevkk]

What an amazing treat! Pat is not being arrogant In the least. He's frankly sharing his opinion and knowledge in a direct, patient, and respectful way that can only help the student. If we were only as fortunate to learn from such a master.

[@tiluriso]

Thanks for posting this, bro.

[@holdencaustic]

This is awesome- thank you for sharing!

[@frusseldiz]

Thanks for posting this. Very interesting!

[@jazzrico]

Why would anyone want to remove this? Metheny's advice are jewels of wisdom that a player of any level could heed and apply. Metheny's info is so valuable, I can't image even him not wanting to share this with the world.

[@trevorbadger91]

I spent this past winter learning every line Pat plays in this video. It is honestly one of my favorite samples of Pat's straight-ahead sound, and one of my favorite samples of his playing I've heard just generally. A simple minor blues, but he makes every line sound incredible. I can't even begin to tell you how much I've learned because of this video. Even after learning the solo verbatim and being able to execute it by rote, all the things he talked about in the video--particularly his discussion on the primacy of rhythm, articulation, and phrasing--have become more apparent to me than ever. I have a fairly good harmonic grasp on what he plays here, save for a few things. Surprisingly, a lot of what he plays is just diatonic arpeggios/scales with some chromaticism/chromatic enclosures, and a sprinkling of outside notes here and there. It's not nearly as harmonically-dense as I thought it was. What stood out to me the most was the articulation, the accenting, his rhythms, how he staggers his ideas, his phrasing, the actual physical execution of the line. There is a Pat Metheny "feel". Learning this solo has given me so much inspiration and ideas on what to practice, how to practice, and honestly, I barely scratched the surface of it. The best lesson I've ever been given.

[@trevorbadger91]

I'm finding that while Pat's harmonic vocabulary is definitely rich, I don't think he tends to think in terms of scales and modes as much as he thinks in arpeggios/chord-tones, extensions, and altered extensions. In fact, a lot of his playing would be traditionally considered harmonically unjustifiable, but he's able to pull it off through his ability to still resolve to chord tones on strong beats or by the rhythmic/structural phrasing and logic of his lines. I think all of this is elucidated by examples in his actual playing here, as well as by what he says here. "If you have great time, you can play anything". Notwithstanding the dubious simplicity of this advice, I think having great time in the Methenian sense isn't just having a steady tempo and even subdivisions in your playing, it's knowing where you are at any particular time in a song's form, when and how to add more tension to your lines in the greater context of a solo, etc. He's not saying harmony is unimportant. He's simply stressing the rhythmic dimension in using harmony that is inseparable from it, that for must of us tends to be an afterthought.

[@trevorbadger91]

In sum, it's not so much what you play as much as how you play it. That's the greatest takeaway for me. If you try to learn this solo by only paying attention to what notes he plays, but ignore his articulations, dynamics, rhythmic feel, eg how the line is actually being played, I GUARANTEE you, it will sound uncharacteristic, boring, and uninspired. The soul of a line, the character of a line's sound is in HOW the line is played.

[@paulquantumblues3599]

@@trevorbadger91 I'm learning what he played in this video too. It's a treasure trove of great phrasing, rhythmic variation, and dynamics. I've been playing for 30 years or more now, and my technique is as solid as it will probably ever be. However, my phrasing is awful- just awful. I spent so much time learning technique that I ignored the most important aspect of music- making music. I've been listening to this video for years (I've made an audio copy of it and listen to it in my car) I've worked very hard in order to hear eighth notes, triplets, sixteenth notes, etcetera in my mind while I am soloing- I've gotten pretty good at that. However, my phrasing- ugh! I've also been learning a lot from Peter Farrell's videos. He is a student of George Benson, and he talks about a lot of the same stuff that Metheny talks about. I've had lots of teachers, and even graduated with a Masters in music, and no one ever told me the things that I've learned from this video and from Peter Farrell's videos. This is top tier information that only the top 1% of jazz guitarists seem to know about. It's what separates them from the rest of us. Yeah, I can play their stuff, but there was always something missing when I played their lines. I didn't sound as good as them even if I was playing the exact same notes. I sounded like crap. I never knew why, but now know why. Judging by what you've written here you seem to know why too.

[@svensvensson6705]

21:35 who is he talking about?

[@davidsheriff9274]

@@svensvensson6705 yes,it was edited out. Who would you guess he is talking about?

[@dknj5962]

“I can hear all 12 tones now as it relates to any chord, it took me a long time to be able to do that”

[@bobparsonsartist564]

I’ve heard this before, but just really heard it tonight.

[@MaxFrankl]

Awesome Channel- I really enjoyed watching! Best wishes, Max

[@Stricknyne1]

I must admit to never being a huge Pat Metheny fan. For one reason there are so many clones. His sound always seemed over processed to me and some of the records were a little on the easy listening side. But hearing this I am just knocked out. His playing is so solid, time is impeccable, great lines, and delivery. What a tremendous player, communicator, and teacher. Thanks so much!

[@MichaelRiceNYC]

This.

[@chuckbaby10]

Next to Wes Montgomery,Pat Matheny is my favorite guitars!!!!!! I first saw Pat Matheny on television it was either Don Kirshner's rock concert or Burt Sugarman's midnight special back in 1978 I believe. After seeing the group I was hooked! I will see him perform every chance I get! Also, a very pleasant musician to talk to.

[@anotherluckyone]

This is so on the money. A great lesson! Thanks for posting.

[@danielpinto6165]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i33FoIiojZKSpq8&ab_channel=DanielPinto

[@robinghoshmusic]

Awesome lesson. Thnx for posting!

[@jeffgomez88]

Wow, what an insightful lesson from the master himself.

[@JokingSandwich]

phenomenal... so much food for thought

[@maztar905]

Thank you for sharing! ❤

[@jonathanzielke2280]

Thank you so much! Great for every guitarist..

[@jazzrico]

Metheny really is a great teacher. He should do more of that.

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

Why would he? He makes great money performing worldwide.

[@alejofar]

Wow! What a find. Thanks!

[@RudeBoy-hx1fn]

Everything he's saying is astonishing, and the criticism is realistic. If anyone's ever taken lessons with a master musician, this is how they sound. It IS a humbling experience, nature of the beast. A short list of some of the things that stuck out to me. -Hearing everything you're NOT playing in terms of rhythm. -Feeling the smallest subdivision over the tune you're playing and being able to play right on top, way behind, or in the middle consciously and on-demand. -Telling the other guitarist that he needs to become more critical of his rhythms. -Telling the other guitarist that his harmony was overly-simplistic (that he wasn't "describing the chords" - great way to say it). -Talking about how important it is to be able to switch between picking and not picking phrases to consciously affect articulation. -How having great time can really make a player's lines even with straight note choice. -Pointing out that the other player tended to land on notes that are harmonically weak.

[@songsmadeforyou]

GREAT summary. I'd like to add that he said your 8ths should be much closer to straight 8ths, and more equally weighted

[@RudeBoy-hx1fn]

teddy d Thank you. Yeah, that too.

[@mathewreichardt3832]

Pat was right about the guys rhythm ...although when he talked about the triplet Pat did play a lot of 16th notes. I also thought Pat was understating the harmonic aspect of what was being played as not everyone can play over changes with only chord tones and extensions in real-time and the guy taking the lesson was basically playing scales. I bet Pat could effortlessly play over Giant Steps wheras the guy would struggle through it if play it at all.

[@RudeBoy-hx1fn]

I think the triplet thing is Pat's way of talking about the circular nature of rhythm... and the way swung eighths (and swung sixteenths) should have that triplet sound in jazz. That's what makes it swing, is if you can feel the triplets over eighths. That was my interpretation of it, anyway -- more feeling the triplets over everything rather than just playing triplets. Good point about the harmony. Maybe too advanced, right? Just playing chord tones (with no extensions) would probably be challenging enough, let alone adding in more specific harmony.

[@bryanthevanayagam7472]

Wow... Pat Metheny blows me away everytime

[@dharmabam]

wow. some dudes here saying PM was *harsh? shows his respect for the student that he's not sugar-coating it. he's teaching an already-accomplished player how to get to the next level. jeez if I got an hour from PM, the last thing I'd want is him telling me I was nailing it.

[@NUJAKKCITIE]

this is fantastic!!

[@CristiandelGiorgio]

Thank you for re-uploading

[@BenLubin]

Great lesson, very interesting.

[@ledaswan5990]

Very cool. Thanks

[@francistulip4222]

love pat's language at the start ! wow...

[@yogevcohen]

Thanks!!! Amazing

[@Sandemose]

Pats snappy pick sound is so percussive and swinging. Wonder how he sounds on drums. Love listening to his time without anything else.

[@santibanks]

The song they play is John Coltrane's Mr P.C. from his Giant Steps album (which is a fast blues). Regarding "hearing all 12 tones over any chord"/outside playing, i'm 99% confident he took that from David Liebman's book "A Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony and Melody" as I remember him talking about it on either his blog or somewhere else online. But as Pat will tell you, there are no shortcuts to music. Don't just pick this book up in the hope to get to be able to do the things Metheny and Brecker do, get your hands really dirty into the basics of harmony and scales and anything he offers here. If you can't play amazing lines with just the chord tones (hear Metheny's example in the video here, or there is also one in the book "the Metheny Interviews" where Metheny includes a transcription of a solo using only the notes of a chord and I think it's even just the triads, not even a 7th), then this book certainly is not going to make things better for you.

[@roberteckert]

Pat said something in this lesson that finally hit me...and TOLD me how to really solo in the post bop era. I’ve been playing hard since 1971, have a degree in music and practice nearly everyday. What he said was quick and answered the students question as to how to get away from soloing off the beat. He answered ‘ no, I feel it in my stomach’. Great tip. The beat is felt in your gut...wait a sixteenth note and...take OFF...using rhythmic variations with your pick and right hand. As far as notes...you are really only a half step away with any ‘wrong note’.

[@laurenmerlino9766]

Very Kool!

[@nosebone2861]

"you sound like a guitar player" lol!

[@thewoodys_surf_instrumental]

I saw Pat with the Gary Burton Quartet in 1975. Pat pretty much stole the show. Halfway through the set Gary introduced him as his new guitar player, but later said "I don't think he will be staying in my band" ... judging from the applause after Pat's solos.

[@SweetSpotGuitar]

And since then, Burton has worked with a young Kurt Rosenwinkel, and now Julian Lage. It seems that Gary has a nose for up-and-coming guitarists.

[@egyptianminor]

Gary was right, also Pat has said he had wanted to start his own solo career in the earnest and record his debut (maybe independently) back in 1974, not long after he joined Gary's band, but Gary advised him against it, saying he needed more experience, so Pat relented. But Gary knew....

[@drcsciv]

I've been playing for 30 years and never been able to get anything together. it's my therapy I guess.

[@Kdog123123]

And I thank you too for posting. I need to come back and hear this from time to time to remind me to work on what He outlined in this lesson. I wish I could ask him about the timing thing ... I think I would need to see it on paper for the definition of playing "on top, behind, floating, and inside" the beat. I don't quite understand that. I though at first Pat mentioned "floating" within the beat is good, but later He said not, am I correct? - Anyways, very cool lesson. I need to grab ahold some how.

[@vecernicek2]

+Kdog123123 You can play on top, behind, or on the beat. Behind the beat is the relaxed feel you hear in Dexter Gordon's playing. You play at the same speed as the meter of the tune, but slightly behind. On the beat is when you play exactly where the beats are. Etc.

[@rudolfwormstall1196]

Is there a way to download the sound material as compressed audio file ? There is some very valuable information within this video.

[@kenrach9875]

would live to know what year this was recorded

[@skimanization]

I once played with a guitarist in South Africa that couldn't read any music but a giant guitar player, what he only needed was just how the song goes and then when you played him or sang the song he would play it and then kick us!!! Pat Metheny needs a little theme and then without asking you for chord changes, he would kick arse with his improvisations!!!

[@kvnboudreaux]

somebody somewhere said you can play any note you want as long as you land on the right note

[@skimanization]

What Pat says is that you must just "thrive on a riff" whether it's rhythmic or melodic.

[@AluminumBird]

This is a treasure for me where I'm at. Hope the guy taking a lesson in this got it together. He was smart to record it and listen back; he wasn't grokkiing what PM was saying during the lesson - after the second song they played he was like "Is my rhythm better now?" LOL. I bet he listened back to this every day and it ground him down to really shedding on rhythm. I hope he got to the level he wanted. BTW I love how PM says fantästic LOL

[@matthieuhagoort8787]

Nice music

[@androidguitar]

@charligj: Pat talked about Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, John Scofield, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery. etc.

[@blahdeblah1975]

It's rare to listen to this, and so it's good for that reason - to hear such a major player talk about playing. On the other hand, one doesn't come away feeling too motived, does he? I've had teachers like this. In a way, it's all about them, and good luck if you want to be someone they'd consider worth listening to.

[@kdchrm]

This is about absorbing what you can. I think that is how it is with most high profile players in lessons such as these.

[@Ozoneum1]

That's really it. No one is going to hand it all to anyone on a platter. And, even if they could, which doesn't really seem possible, it couldn't all be absorbed at once anyhow. This is to say, persistence eventually pays off. You may not get it in one lesson, or even in 100 lessons, but maybe on the 150th lesson something big will click for you and you will make a leap forward in your playing.

[@Ronno4691]

Guitar students such as beginners or intermediate players represent lots and lots of lovely undeclared tax-free $$$$$$$ to guitar teachers! Most of them couldn't teach a dog to bark and know it.

[@dirkbertels3872]

Children need motivation from teachers. Grown ups get motivated by listening to good players. What I would want from a master class is honest feedback and demonstrative examples - which Pat is giving in spades.

[@kmurrell1001]

Think he's saying "Liebman" in the bleeped out spots... very formative lesson for me, thanks for posting

[@egyptianminor]

Really? I though 'Lovano' or 'Garzone', but you might be right...

[@spb7883]

I think you’re correct

[@leolopes9918]

Can someone help me saying who he is indicating as good to listen to in 23:46? I couldn`t understand. Thanks!

[@JelleWillems]

Sonny Rollins!

[@impolitikful]

nice

[@CrisFerrerYT]

what guitar brand is on the pic?

[@mathewreichardt3832]

Anyone know what year this was?

[@leegollin4417]

I think I know when and where this is from.

[@bryanthevanayagam7472]

"The main thing you have to work on is rhythm, by far. But I gotta say, harmonically... You got a lot of work there too." LMFAO

[@bobcekaymusic]

ouch

[@lorenzoaguilar1988]

i guess somebody already has figured out who the other guitar player is, it sounds like the voice of Mike Moreno, am i wrong??? thanks!

[@kidpoker007]

When would Pat have been giving a lesson, when he was 19 yrs old?

[@renakmans3521]

It’s impressive that Pat would even take what little time he has to teach someone on this level. The cat must’ve had a good connection…But it’s good it happened:-)

[@stevemortimore2945]

HI, does anyone please know the name of the minor blues they play at the beginning of the video? It's driving me crazy.

[@domr2275]

mr p.c. - coltrane

[@kidpoker007]

Wonder how old Pat was

[@burricanecarter]

can anybody here explain me though, what pat was saying @33:53 ? how are the triplets supposed to be coming out as even 8 notes?

[@bobbygotsch]

Even though the rhythm is technically a triplet, most players "swing" slightly differently than others. Many play it with a more even 8th note approach (but never actually playing straight 8ths). Transcribing solos and playing along with them has helped me get a feel for what he means. It takes a long time to really get down, and I have a ways to go.

[@burricanecarter]

Bobby Gotsch Yes, I think I understand what you're saying, I can hear it in hid phrasing. I was puzzled when he said they should sound almost straight - I thought this was a matter of style.

[@dirkbertels3872]

I assumed he was talking about the duration of each note, not the location.

[@jopjopjop]

What's up with the cutouts? Censoring?

[@alphabeets]

It was done out of kindness and respect for someone.

[@trevorbadger91]

Does anyone know of any other examples or recordings of Pat were his playing is comparable to how it is here? I’ve listened a good ampunt of Pat’s stuff, but his style on his actual recordings/original compositions tends to vary a lot given the harmonic material, etc. I can’t seem to find recordings of Pat playing over standards/more straight aheadish jazz material like this.

[@pigsyj5008]

Rejoicing 1983, Question and Answer 1989 and Trio 99/00 and Trio 99/00 Live. All trio playing standards and are brilliant.

[@trevorbadger91]

@@pigsyj5008 I'm a little late to the reply, but thanks!

[@pigsyj5008]

@@trevorbadger91 No problem.

[@pigsyj5008]

@@trevorbadger91 It's a different style of playing, but if you haven't heard it check out a record of Billy Cobham from 1976 called "Life and Times" with Scofield. Fantastic modern style jazz rock/funk.

[@Bask3tballTrickSh0ts]

15:35

[@dcbeemon]

I get your point about knowing the structure of music, but I'm also thinking that improv is supposed to take you out. I don't think it's important to dwell on a player's knowledge of structure vs. musical intuition and skill with the instrument. It's kind of like classical vs. rock.

[@charligj]

give out the names of the people whom Pat talked about !

[@rickclick8359]

Victor Wooten said the same thing about learning music most of it focusses on the notes and not the rhythm and time feel. Better to play with good time and wrong notes then the right notes with bad time. Locking into the groove and swinging.

[@jarrilaurila]

21:45 Pat Compared timing of Brecker to who?

[@mpoadmin2978]

Bro this shit was insane. You should hear the people in my high school orchestra. Dont even know how to play a scale past the first octave. Its like the rest of the neck doesnt even exist

[@coltonjones9850]

Thanks for posting what I’m not sure about is he talks about feeling the triplet subdivision in a swing beat, and 16th note subdivision in a straight beat, yet he later says that they should be nearly as straight as possible, the eighth notes. Can someone enlighten?

[@grewalparminder2003]

Think he means complete control. U wouldn't want true triplets though , doesn't sound good

[@keithruddell1800]

hah i wonder what name was muted around 21:45

[@bobbygoesbig]

it is rumored to be dave liebman

[@daleturner]

Chord tones are KING! As is Metheny :-)

[@daleturner]

Oh yeah, and CONVICTION is king as well.

[@jayumble4667]

daleturner Right on, playing with conviction, intent is where it's all at! Also, if you can be totally comfortable with all of the "wrong" sounding notes, an entire new world of sound will open up to you.

[@daleturner]

Jay Umble Amen brosef!!! Well said! Self-editing in "real time" is a dangerous thing! And like you say, play it like you mean it, and everyone will think you meant it. Nice little "safety net," of sorts.

[@mathewreichardt3832]

Chord tones are king but can also be boring

[@daleturner]

Mathew Reichardt Agreed! Anyone who ONLY uses chord tones would certainly be boring as heck! But really, anyone talking about the importance of chord tones usually means they are the "glue" to stick all sorts of harmonic concepts, targets from chromatic passing tones, voice-leading-through-changes things, starting/stopping points for "learned" phrases, etc. They don't mean "only chord tones."

[@paulsimon6544]

Does Pat metheny play the same exact licks on every tune, just modified for key and tempo?

[@matthewpurpura]

Pat was like, "I can count about four guitar players, in the world, in history, who had this kind of thing...me being one of them." lol, he is fantastic.

[@blahdeblah1975]

spoken like a Berklee person.

[@NeilRaouf]

he did not go there. he was sent there as a teacher by gary burton. pat is one of these guys that do not need a college to play and compose and arrange and mix and master...because that's what he would do anyway.

[@killerbiene243]

Does anybody know what guitar player he talks about at 36:20?

[@BurntMcgurnt]

Rosenwinkel maybe haha I don't know hes one of the only ones I just cant get into I know everyone likes him I just dont th hink his music is good I've given him a chance many times and heard all his albums

[@spb7883]

Does he mention someone specifically?

[@egyptianminor]

I think he says 'James Van Buren', a 'Black guy from Wichita'.

[@tedsmusic5556]

What kind of drum machine is he talking about/recommending there?

[@lkb3rd]

I think anything that can loop up a swing pattern in time is what he is talking about.

[@tedsmusic5556]

Thanks, ikb. I found a pretty cool app that does that pretty well called Drumgenius. You can buy individual loops or groups, or just the whole/future boatload for $10. I guess it would be better to have loops longer than 2-4 bars, but it sounds/feels pretty amazing to me.

[@lkb3rd]

Today we have an amazing variety of drums to use via computer software. Samples of real drummers, "machines" via software emulation. Glad to help :)

[@MaximillianNewman]

i wonder which sax player pat was comparing to Brecker. Funny that they blurred out his name I wonder who did that

[@HURMSANFORD]

Clarence Clemons

[@con5243]

My guess: Branford.

[@adamhansbrough1714]

I know! I noticed it and had to play it back. Wonder who it is...

[@irogatov]

Kenny G

[@egyptianminor]

I say Lovano or Garzone. But someone wrote 'Liebman'...any of those 3 is a great guess IMO.

[@bassmonk2920]

The rhythm thing is crucial but your "Sound" has to incorporate dynamic rhythm. That's why playing fundamentals are cool if you this technique. Make sure your not playing all the notes with the same volume but with changing dynamics. Its like Jaco would say upfront about his playing.."I play with dynamics"

[@joshwilliams1294]

How does one get a lesson with Pat Metheny?

[@MikeBravos]

Good question

[@brianmi40]

Simply go back in time to when he was teaching at U Miami or Berklee.... I very much doubt he's interested in teaching at all at this point in his career, other than possibly some brief group seminar at some special event.

[@potaylo]

he has had clinics with lodging that cost around 4k if I remember correctly

[@egyptianminor]

This is probably well over 20 years ago

[@Bask3tballTrickSh0ts]

9:50

[@pascaljeanne6520]

some guys are not ...gifted ? talented ? lol ! but they believe in it ! so many on you tube ! metheny is very kind !

[@pascaljeanne6520]

You become part of the rhythm section as a soloist. ....so true !

[@TroubleinZION]

13:41 "You could hear every chord change in the line." "You weren't really saying the changes." Can someone explain what he means by implying the changes? What does he mean describing the chords? ...all the harmonic information?

[@TroubleinZION]

***** I grasp all that you are saying in a general sense. I guess my question was a bit more specific. I'm curious how players like Pat have such a strong melodic compass. Wes had it too. He mentioned how Coltrane is playing upon the extensions. I wonder if those substitutions you were mentioning are the things trane was using and what Pat was referring to. I don't know. I also liked when Pat said he'd prefer the student play simple melodically pleasing phrases versus long meaningless ones. But what makes a phrase sound more contextually sound? I just have too many questions. I wish I could study with such a great teacher.

[@TroubleinZION]

Agreed!

[@pigsyj5008]

Start with an exercise called 'walking' - slow metronome, play only crotchets and 'walk", just like a bass, and try to only play chord tones ('outline the changes')- Cm7 = C,Eb,G,Bb - G7 = G,B,D,F. You must change with the harmony eg. 1 bar of Cm + 1 bar of G7 means 4 crotchets each chord. If you can't keep up slow down or play Minims instead. Gradually subdivide into Eighths, triplets etc. Gradually expand the harmony. Easy to say, lifetime of work. Hope this helps.

[@conorheffer5206]

Around 22:00, who is Pat comparing Michael Brecker to in regard to Brecker's sense of harmony versus this other individual? My computer was either cutting it out at the name, or its the video.

[@conorheffer5206]

I totally think it's getting cut out, looking back. 21:30 is a better estimate of Pat speaks about it.

[@spb7883]

Sounds like “Dave Liebman”, but I’m speculating based on what it sounds likes he could be saying.

[@allanjohnsen1034]

what tune are they playing over ?

[@ti-blanclebrun397]

Mr. P.C.

[@allanjohnsen1034]

thanks :0)

[@SuperBromberg]

6:18 talking on rhythm

[@DiegoARojas2009]

ok