Pro Jazz Musician Reacts to YouTubers Making Fun of Jazz

➡️ Get our FREE Jazz Improv Made Easy Guide to improve your solos in 30 days or less: members.learnjazzstandards.co...
So today, I'm gonna be surfing KZbin to find some videos of people who are making fun of jazz or attempting to play jazz. After all, I'm a professional jazz musician who makes his living off of performing and teaching jazz, so I should probably be a little bit more in touch with what's going on out there.
🕒CHAPTERS🕒
00:00 Intro
00:17 Video #1: Metal Guitarist Tries Learning Jazz
02:59 Video #2: When You Hit A Wrong Note In Classical vs Jazz
07:08 Video #3: When Classical Musicians "Try Out" Jazz
10:22 Video #4: Spinal Tap Discusses Jazz
12:33 Video #5: Guitarist Discovers Jazz for the First Time
**Videos Reacted to**
Nik Nocturnal - Metal Guitarist Tries Learning Jazz: • Metal Guitarist Tries ...
CharlesBerthoud - When You Hit a WRONG Note in Classical vs. Jazz: • When You Hit A WRONG N...
Lexi Zulhke - When Classical Musicians "Try Out" Jazz: • When Classical Musicia...
foodadventures- Spinal Tap Discusses Jazz: • Spinal Tap Discusses Jazz
Rudy Ayoub- guitarist discovers jazz for the first time: • guitarist discovers ja...
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[@blow-by-blow-trumpet]

"Jazz is just luck" - Man John Coltrane should have played the lottery. He must be the luckiest man alive.

[@insidejazzguitar8112]

Makes me sad that so many people don’t like jazz. But then, there are so many kinds of art that people don’t like or are not even aware of.

[@triggSerable]

When people say jazz is just playing random or wrong notes, i could also say, look at a book written in chinese if you dont know it, and then say it's just random scribblings. It's not, you just have never been taught the language. If jazz would be popular as, well, popular music, and everyone grew up with it, no one would make such a claim.

[@lundsweden]

Hmm, the only case where Jazz sounds truely random is the Free Jazz genre. Ok, probably not truely random but it sounds close!

[@benjaminholt6640]

I learned the language. It's just random scribblings. 太奇怪吧!

[@jhonathanbarthomelewoswald1936]

@@benjaminholt6640 haha 很奇妙啊！

[@granddaddy_funk]

Yeah well I'm NGL sometimes people do play random shit lol. Gotta fake it till you make it sometimes

[@amberfrias365]

Definitely going to show my band students your video, thank you for your thoughtful content. 🖤

[@andrejacques6981]

Love it Brett, good to check that before learning Giant Steps, where I can be sure to hit a lot of wrong notes 😂 This really released the pressure !

[@nateworzel6044]

Cursed giant steps is the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life

[@jaggedstudios3315]

It kills me when musicians who don't play jazz think they can just sit down and play jazz off the top of their head. It's more than just knowing jazz theory and harmony (in my opinion, a must) or knowing the repertoire (i.e., jazz standards, both old and new.) You have to understand the rhythm and melodic features that are such an integral part of jazz music. How songs are constructed, chord relationships, key relationships, etc., are important for the improvisor of jazz music. I came from a rock background and wanted to know more than just major and minor chords that rock songs used. Going to music schools and absorbing all that the instructors and professors had to offer played a vital part in my learning experience. That, and actually going out on gigs - not spending countless hours in a room making youtube videos. I tell my students all the time - you need to get out in front of an audience, to get that feedback, whether it's good or bad. That is truly the best way to learn. And, connect with musicians who are better than you. So, if you want to play the same three chords over and over and shred away, be my guest. Just don't show up at my jazz gig and ask to sit in.....

[@infinitydiy6412]

Too funny Brent! Thank you for adding yhis video.

[@MichaelDooleyProject]

Really enjoyed and identified with this one. I am a musician. Can’t play jazz, but love jazz. Fun video.

[@stuartheadey5240]

Great lighthearted and amusing video. Thanks. Most entertaining.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@joeh773]

This was brilliant, thanks for putting that together!

[@MyJ2B]

Thanks for this posting. I just spilled my coffee !

[@DavidSchneiderIP]

Great video!!! Do one on jazz guitarists trying to play a real country shuffle or western swing making it sound authentic. I've gone both ways and both are well worth it.

[@BillyGMcCoy]

Love your videos!

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Thanks. I appreciate it!

[@MyJ2B]

Tritones - Daibolus in Musica causing instant death ? This video is hilarious ! I love Jazz even with its flexible "rules" that do get confusing at times. Thanks for posting!

[@bassBabass]

Great video!!!

[@rik-keymusic160]

Its actually quite astonishing that so many great jazz artists could make a living playing so much wrong notes.. 😅

[@lundsweden]

As long as you don't play the butter notes, you'll be right!

[@craigbrowning9448]

Someone to explain to the lady from the classical music background that a Chord Chart is the same basic idea is Figured Bass.

[@darengraves1717]

Loved this video,one of my work out CD’s was Sonny Sharrock’s “ask the ages”.My daughter heard this and said that it sounded like random noise😂😂😂

[@juanbusquier8546]

Jajaja... Conozco a muchos de esos. Buen video!!en España no soporto que las bandas de viento tocan acentuando 1 y 3 ... Luego cuando aprenden los que les gusta el jazz bien , pero es verdad que mucha gente cree que tocamos lo que queremos fuera de contexto melódico , armónico y rítmico. Adoro tocar jazz y para mi USA soys los mejores y un ejemplo para mi. Me encanta tu canal. Saludos desde España...

[@vinay67897]

LOVED THIS!

[@portsideguitar1981]

Haha, fun video. Jazz is awesome and so many faceted with everything from blues based to avant- garde stuff. Something there for everyone, just don’t expect to see it written out 🤪

[@liseauffray2119]

Too funny! Love it!

[@jneily6074]

Hilarious! Thanks for the great video.

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@divinasi0n]

Bro, do you know about Metal bands like Ever Forthright or Means End? The lines between Jazz and Prog Metal harmonically have long been blurred. There have been quite a few bands since the mid 2000s that have dipped their nibs in both pots of ink. Seeing your reaction to metal bands writing such sophisticsted music would be super interesting. Kep up the good work 🤘

[@dimmmmmmp]

'jazz is a softened music' trane: am i a joke to you?

[@ribamarsantarosa4465]

2:10 "it's just lucky, that's all what jazz is" 🤣🤣🤣

[@bobbygoesbig]

My favorite line from the Spinal Tap video is "Jazz is an accident waiting to have happened."

[@JohnA000]

A funny scene making fun of jazz is in the sitcom the office. Angela is whining to Oscar(i think) and she says "and what's with jazz, can't they just play the right notes".

[@practice_Chinese_yoga]

Courageous episode!

[@joshuamarks1129]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Although you can improvise over chord changes without knowing the tune or the “jazz language”, making musical sense is generally based on familiar rhythms, familiar melodies, and familiar harmonies. Unfortunately, only people who actually listen to jazz will be familiar with any of those 3 elements. So attempting to improvise jazz music without any actual jazz musical references will definitely result in “playing random notes and getting lucky”

[@Bruingebak]

Thanks Brent. As always, you haven't disappointed your audience.

[@MrDaneBrammage]

He's not *far* wrong about the random notes. As long as you hit chord tones on strong beats, you can get away with damn near anything in between.

[@jazzman_10]

Oh boy, it cracked me up...😂😂

[@ArthurRosch]

How things have changed! As the planet's population doubles there are four times as many people learning jazz as there were when I was a kid in the 60s. It feels kinda crowded but far less lonely.

[@atomaalatonal]

carnatic culture made it an absolute art to play "wrong notes" and resolve them as a relief moment on pretty darn long stretches, making jazz a childs pala in comparison^^. its a center motive in all music to stress out "wrong" and resolve it into "right" aka dissonant vs consonant

[@ProfileP246]

😆 that Charles one was killer funny.

[@bmichaelr1]

As a none formally trained musician these types of criticisms had me thinking at first as to the validity of Jazz music. For instance rock and classical music for many always seem to sound correct to the ear. I kept sn open mind. I listened to all different types of rock music AC/DC LedZepplin Megadeath Metallica Slayer Iron Maiden Nirvana Queen Journey Rolling Stones Eagles Guns n Roses U2 Police Pink Floyd Rush Super Tramps Van Halen Frank Zappa on and on ... And you know what? Of course its great stuff. All popular valid music that are followed by hundreds of millions around the world(billions ) for good reasons. But I also listen to Jazz music. For instance many classical musicians and rock musicians, at least those shown in this video would laugh and make fun of a Theolonious Monk. One of the most unique sounding musicians and composers I have ever heard in my life period. And there are many many more. One of the first albums I started listening to when I started my jazz journey was an album called Aromatic featuring Ron Carter Hubert Laws Art Farmer Kenny Baron. It was never a hit album for many reasons. But playing back that album today and comparing it to many of the Rock offerings of the time then and now makes it sound even more valid. I am happy to see jazz musicians continue to explore their music as it continues to grow in complexity in terms of melody harmony structure rythym and its uniqueness. Outside of the mainstream acceptable musical genre like rock and other types of popular tasty stuff. Which is also valid and also worthy. I hope they continue to make fun of the music. It wwould be a successfull sell to some. But not the open minded adventurous misical fan. .

[@ducovanw9120]

10:38 The band director

[@fresamouse]

"music based on fear. what are you playing so softly for." he's not talking about charlie parker, or oscar peterson. he's talking about kenny g.

[@peterharrison5833]

There was a country musician who once said that all jazz drum solos sounded like they threw the drums down the stairs...

[@bill3837]

at least you know what a triad is

[@DARRBEV]

Love your vids. But you do recognise spinal tap I hope.

[@MyJ2B]

Jazz is just stochastic ? I am falling off my chair !

[@romanslegion7771]

Funny 😄 “ there are no wrong notes “ cause with only 12 tones , it’s up to you to make it right.

[@seanc4907]

Yeah, LJS member and still gonna be a closet metal head too. Like the Duke said, there are two kinds of music, good music and the other kind..

[@hartwheeler4591]

What I saw was people, not making fun of jazz, but making fun of people who don't understand or connect with it. IF I were to make fun of jazz, I would say: "Jazz is great, especially if you don't want to be bothered with anything memorable."

[@craigsaxonmusic9372]

That’s a clever quip Hart, and I have on occasion felt that way……it’s also painfully true of some “jazz” musicians……however it is ultimately a stereotypic gross generalization of an art form……I grew up with similar critiques of rock and pop music, not to mention classical music…….there is much “memorable” jazz, rock, metal, pop,ethnic,new age, classical, and hip-hop music to be discovered and enjoyed……however I suspect that you are in agreement with that…….I will agree that some jazz is a challenge for players and listeners alike, but immensely rewarding when it is successfully assimilated…….

[@hartwheeler4591]

You're right, of course and I am just being a bit of a smart ass. Your approach to teaching jazz classics is proof of the contrary, the classics aren't esteemed simply for their novel cord changes but for their beautiful and memorable original melodies. I do empathize with the guy who put his phone to his ear and was assaulted by an unending stream of (here's another quip) "academic eighth notes", the epitome of unmemorable music.

[@craigsaxonmusic9372]

@@hartwheeler4591 I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the paramount importance of “melody” and its primary reason folks continue to improvise on those particular classics. My favorite jazz artists are those who embrace a certain fealty to melodic content and make a practice of at least stating the melody before pealing off streams of “academic eighths”……..btw, I’m not the moderator of this YT channel 😉, but I certainly enjoy it….

[@jaysteve8048]

KZbinrs making fun of Jazz? Those same KZbinrs may as well poke fun at: Spirituals, Blues, Ragtime, Country, Gospel, R&B, Rock n Roll, Soul, Doo-Wop, Funk, Punk Rock, Disco, House and of course Rap and Hip-Hop since its these uniquely American music forms that enjoy undeniable African American roots and African American influence--just as Jazz does. Now go either near or far and scat sing a 'Giant Steps' solo will ya already--fun loving KZbinrs.

[@MyJ2B]

AT 13:00, Metal guitar - not for me. If I wanted to play chainsaw music, I would buy a chainsaw! (I am giving away my age)

[@hahabass]

Leave it, Brett. It's ignorance! Folk who have no idea of how jazz influences wider musical forms. So, let's move on!!!

[@jimphilidor9031]

Just play random notes and if it sounds bad, slide it up or down a half step and pretend you meant to do that.

[@James-io8lj]

2.10 Learn the 'science' then youll get it every time

[@chrisgmurray3622]

I have to say,( with my tongue incheek of course) that jazz does often come across as if the player is deadly afraid of playing an actual melody. It seems that cats turn themselves inside out trying to play anything but the simple melody, instead twisting alternative harmonies, or anything BUT the melody.Also, I should add that sometimes the obvious thing is appropriate, and many jazzers come across to all but an educated few as overly cerebral and intellectually "smart alec" in their inventions, and can forget that an artist should remember that they ate playing FOR people, and TO people, not AT them, and not everything is about how brilliant they are! Of course you can also argue that a musician should take the listener WITH them on a tune rather than subject the audience to twenty minuted of " research" that should reslly be done at home in rehearsal. It's not about you- is something many even great jazz players can easily forget, and the real improvisation should ( to me) happen within the vocabulary of the listener- otherwise one is just ranting for self satisfaction in what is in fact for most audiences a foreign language-whete then is the cominication? Having said all that, of course, I realise the true joy of someone suggesting chordal harmonies which add piquancy to their improvisations and hopefully if they are not too musically jaded, can bring freshness to a familiar tune. I find that for muself one player- for example Joe Pass, can bring tears to my eyes while another( in my case Barney Kessal) can sound so cacaphonous that I'm reaching for the mute switch. I don't know why this is because they are both players with ability, but as different as night and day to my ears.Thankfully their is something for everyone out there, and the only thing that prevents me from enjoying much of what is called jazz is the old excuse ( to which you alluded in ypur comments) that if it sounds awful to you, it's just your fault for being uneducated. Many scientists do this to disguise their lack of clear ideas, using jargon to cover up for their inability to communicate, and this is after all what, I feel, music should be. Once again, though, of course the "rude masses have been slowly dumbed-down" and there is some truth to the argument that some preparation is needed to appreciate jazz well- but not if self-centred elitists continue to indulge themselves for ther own satisfaction. This is the one thing that spoils jazz for many people, and although I enjoy some of it, I feel more could be done to make jazz more accessible to a larger audience, and to make fun of jazzers is not a crime, any more than to laugh at dumb metal headbangers, because they are both destroying music for the aberahe punter.( PS. Keep up the good work!)

[@elmerfudd979]

The best musicians in the world are birds, insects, frogs & washing machines.

[@chrisgmurray3622]

It's jazzers own fault much of the time, for being deadly afraid of playing an actual melody.It often seems that they stand on their head and bend over backwards to show they are so clever that they can suggest the melody by playing all kinds of harmonies to it.Sometimes the right thing to do is just the obvious! Music should take the listener with you not challenge them to be smart-alec enough to keep up. It's not about you- it's about your listeners and some jazzers just leave me cold for apparently trying to show how clever they are- instead of just playing for you and moving you. I also don't buy that argument that you couldn't help yourself from making that if you don't get it you're just not educated enough- that's exactly what turns many people off from listening to jazz. One should not be subjected to twenty minutes of research, but should have all that worked out before improvisation within a framework that people can understand, rather than be subjected to a rant in a foreign language. Music is after-all an international language, amd the listener should be approached and played to- not at. Of course the "rude masses" have been dumbed down for so long in order to sell them third rate crap, that you could argue that they should be more prepared, but that agle is the same as a scientist baffling you with jargon to obscure the fact that they have nothing real to offer, whereas say, Richard Feynman used to say( as did Einstein) that if you can't describe deep stuff to an ordinary person in terms they understand, then you don't really know your subject. The making fun of jazzers for being elitist intellectual snobs is often their own fault, just as lauging at dumb metal-heads( ala Spinal Tap) is forgivable for the same reason. I fond this happens in the modern art world too- if you don't like it, you're just ignorant! Having said this I must agree that many misunderstand jazz( probably for the reasons I've already stated, but to me there is only one rule- if it sounds good to you then it is good!) In my case, for instance, I love and am often deeply moved listening to Joe Pass, but left scratching my head, and reaching for the mute button with Barney Kessal. I don't know why this is but there is obviously something there for everyone to emjoy because both these two have impeccable reputations. Jazz can be wonderful improv that suggests fresh chordal harmonies over a familiar progression, or a load of cacaphonous showing off.( just as can be said for much popular rock or country) , so use your ears , not your scalar or harmonic knowledge to make art, and everyone will be the happier for it. ( PS keep up the good work, and don't allow your over sensitivity to criticism keep you set apart from your audience- it's for them after-all not for you!) I

[@Yash42189]

Sorry charles is a good musician but he is super cringe

[@alfredromero4784]

Just a simple solution STOP playing the wrong notes end of story!!!

[@immatureradical]

This was just clickbait actually, thank you

[@Learnjazzstandards]

Please do enlighten - how does this qualify as click bait? Click bait is when a video title or thumbnail misleads and doesn’t deliver on the promise of the title. In this case the video is literally about the title and thumbnail exactly

[@immatureradical]

@@Learnjazzstandards What about the title referring to people making fun of jazz, which nobody actually does in this video? And the only part dealing with misconceptions comes from spinal tap. Most of this is mildly humorous content about how difficult it is to suddenly get into this musical vocabulary - far from making fun of it.

[@kelyansabz8865]

@@immatureradical shut up nobody wants to hear you. The video was funny

[@kelyansabz8865]

@@brentmadden789 again. Shut up, nobody wants to hear you. The video was funny