Learn And Play Giant Steps In 5 Easy Steps

[@kymasiellis]

Incredible video that is so helpful for not only learning Giant Steps but also any song ever. Your method is so thorough thank you

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Thank you so much - this is indeed a great way to learn songs. When there are many chords I like using this method. But indeed fits on all songs! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!

[@lesliethomas2081]

This is the best page ever, this man is working seriously. I,m glad I ran onto this knowledge zone ,fantastic page woow just great this is it..

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Thank you so much for writing such a positive and inspiring comment. Let me know if you have any question - they are always welcome! :)

[@jorgejassa6201]

Adorei as suas dicas! Parabéns

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Thank you so much. I am really glad you check it out. Inspires me to keep going

[@jimphilidor9031]

So many thanks to you! This is super useful.

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

You are very welcome. Thank you questions are always welcome

[@jackwilloughby239]

Nice presentation. I'm glad to see a Saxophone player starting to talk about Position Playing. I started learning this tune on Tenor & I asked my Teacher at the time about this approach & she kinda blew me off, but I was coming at this tune from a Guitar Player/Violin Player perspective. Yeah I actually got a Tenor Sax and learned to play Tenor so I could learn Giant Steps on my violin. I did the same with Charlie Parker. I bought an Alto, and learned to play everything in the Omnibook on alto, so I could play Bird on my violin. Did it work? Nope! Why? Each instrument has certain Strengths and certain Weakness's & they are about Polar opposites between violin and Sax. The Approach I'm working on now involves taking a pattern and playing that pattern in one Position throughout the whole tune ( I chose the first pattern from Hanon to start with) Ascending on the First section and Descending on the Second. This led to the idea, which you mentioned in passing, about playing Scales through the changes Morphing one Scale to the Next, not going back to the Root. If you start with one Octave Scales, you'll see these little Chromatic Triples that occur. Mainly where a Major Seventh is followed by a minor 7th. I Think you really need to do this starting on each note of the Scale both Ascending and Descending, because these Triples occur on different beats throughout the piece. Maybe all this gets Ironed out if you start with the Bebop Scales rather than Diatonic? After you can do scales in Two Octaves, I would use the same approach with arpeggios, but use the Through Scale Method and play every other note. There Is a Ton of Work involved but you have to admit, it is the Most Efficient way to learn your instrument. Once you have it down in one key, say B, you transpose to the next Key Center of the tune: Eb, and 1/3 of your work is already done, then transpose to G and 2/3's of your work is done. Then choose a key a minor third above B and repeat the process: D, F#, Bb. then F, A, C#, Then Ab, C, E. Which brings you back to B. It's probably the Best Overall Approach to learning Jazz on the Violin cuz it will either get rid of all your Intonation problems or make you want to go out and buy a Sax. The funny thing about violin is that it's the Tiny Steps that trip you up. Polar Opposites! Cheers, Jack

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Amazing how this works on violin and super great you are checking saxophone videos :) I did play classical piano for 13 years of my life so the Hanon exercises are very well known to me. Coltrane of course practiced these sets of changes up and down and in all thinkable ways. There is a lot of systems in it, but we also need to really learn to listen to what actually sounds good and what not. One of the approaches I used to use when I really got into this tune was taking all the licks Coltrane plays and transpose them onto all chords. Really nice to hear from you! All the best and have a great practice! Søren

[@darryldixon5794]

Do you have the Giant Steps instruction for alto sax?

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Hi Darryl, Yes of course :) all lesson manual I publish are in alto and tenor key. But you need to get it from Patreon. and if you choose to come on patreon you get access to all lesson manuals I have ever made - roudn 3000+ pages of material. www.patreon.com/posts/61449110 Let me know if you have questions :)

[@johnfilardi]

I’ll work on this over the weekend, I don’t listen or play Coltrane, seems way to technical for what I want to achieve right now, but I’ll give it a shot

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Hi John, how did it go? it is quite technical - let me know what you are working on and maybe I can recommend a video and material on Patreon? Love to har from you!

[@Chilajuana]

+ I think you mean from the 9th down to the third at 2:37....

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Yes, sometimes I am talking too fast and thinking too little hahahaha. Sorry for the confusion. Thank you for mentioning it and making me better.

[@mrfrankybuzz]

Michel Petrucciani played one of the best versions ever. Check it. Thanks for this great video.

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Love yo hear it - do you have a link? Thank you for your great comment and thanks for checking in!

[@earthtobuzzcomeinbuzz.9946]

If i recall it's 3 keys and use pentatonics the coltrane way.

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Yes indeed, three keys in the right order and the right pentatonic scales hahaha Love your approach 😉

[@AlexAces93]

A lot of hate for the song in the comment section. I genuinely like the melody/song though. And the virtuosity of the solo is pleasing to my ear. So in my opinion not just an exercise. To each their own.

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Totally, like the song, like the challenge. Coltrane was working this out and really dug deep. I know that Michael Brecker was also working a lot on the Giant Steps Changes to see how, where and what they could be used for. The third movement is amazing to conquer. Thank you so much for getting in here to comment!

[@MrAbomb234]

"you gotta learn all the shapes and work on voice leading" haha augmented scale go brrrr

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

True that, did that, works wonderful. But renewing is when you get to your own way of playing Giant Steps. Love the tune

[@charlieparsons3047]

"Moments Notice" is much tougher.

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

There are so many difficult tunes out there. If you play it fast enough everything is difficult!

[@JohnPaulBuce]

🅱️iant 🅿️teps

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

😎

[@darthmorbous]

Countdown I find to be more difficult tbh

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Yeah Count Down is a though one too. I think Giant Steps is more known - and the concept is basically the so called Coltrane Changes

[@precisionhoops365]

I play alto

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Hi Yes in Patreon there is the full lesson transcription for Alto saxophone Also the full transcription of the Coltrane solo I would not learn this in any other key. For the lessons coming I add the Alto transcription of everything. Try checking it on PAtreon www.patreon.com/posts/61762240 All the best :)

[@precisionhoops365]

@@sorenballegaardmusic Having difficultly on Patreon

[@precisionhoops365]

@@sorenballegaardmusic What do you mean in any other key? I’m on a e flat alto so the transcript you have is for b flat tenor

[@precisionhoops365]

@@sorenballegaardmusic Cannot find it for alto

[@espr7564]

The question is "who wants to play this boring tune" Well I guess some people do? it can be a demanding work out, but it´s not a good melody by any stretch of the imagination. Anything written by Coltrane or Miles is for some Jazzers the Holy Grail, for example, is Miles´s "Tune Up" a good melody ?? NO absolutely not. Well it´s all a matter of taste I guess, some of the best tasteful melodies used in Jazz were written by people like Gershwin & The Duke. Is it productive for a musician to spend hours improvising in Giant Steps?? well that´s a matter for you to decide. 😎 Peace

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Somone is in a good mood!

[@joeyrchapa]

I know this song is pretty difficult. Most difficult though? Countdown I believe is harder.

[@leipa9169]

Countdown is essentially the same song

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

All tunes are hard when you really want to play them musically. And then there is tempo - the faster the more difficult!

[@joepalooka2145]

Hey Soren--- I think you have a fantastic KZbin channel. I've learned a huge amount from your videos. But when it comes to "Giant Steps"---- I think it is the most boring jazz tune I've ever heard. I think it is totally over-rated. It's mostly just a technical exercise. It is not a great jazz standard. Yes, it's Coltrane and he was a genius. But I would rather learn to play "Donna Lee" or other tunes than "Giant Steps".

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

I can completely understand what you are saying. I like the concept and the theory behind the tune. I love the challenge, but I really like to take it a step further - moving the concept into other tunes and using the knowledge in all the ways I can. never not play a tune.

[@Mr.S369]

No, give that dinosaur a deserved rest and don't regard your ability to blow over it as 'jazz'.

[@sorenballegaardmusic]

Yeah, it could be a technical exercise, but also a great way to expand your knowledge of the keys. I tend to play it very slow to challenge myself in the changes. And the Coltrane lines are amazing to use in all other tunes too.

[@mikomon309]

Dinosaur? Hardly. It's discussed more than it's played. On Green Dolphin Street, I'll Remember April... those are the dinosaurs. The problem with GS is that jazzers equate playing it at warp speed as some kind of musical right of passage. It's just an interesting, melodic tune/etude that's not even "out".