The SIMPLE Way to Solo Over Chord Changes

[@slimshawsy]

Lightbulb moment! Just went and applied this to some bass soloing over ballads (time to think) and immediately played the best solos I've ever played. Thanks Jeff!

[@Foggjammer]

I hadn’t finished the video when I got up to try the repeat of a phrase with a chord tone technique. That cemented everything I’ve been looking for. This is one of the most insightful video lessons ever. Nice work. That’s worth a like and subscribe.

[@enterprisesoftwarearchitect]

Info starts at 2:20

[@TheMisterGriswold]

The real meat starts at 4:02

[@slimshawsy]

Contextualisation and foundation starts at 0.00.

[@mrelmoresmusiclab]

This is a really great way of explaining this concept.I have been hammering triads on my channel and realized so many players have no idea where the triads are, so they cannot even use the triads as a framework for soloing. They might know some basic scales, but unfortunately they have no idea how the chords are constructed. I think that makes it rougher for them because they never start to cement the intervals or target notes. Yes, I am a theory nerd, so I figured you would appreciate it. ha.ha

[@ruairiglen]

Love all the analogies

[@wtftelex]

that chris potter recording of ATTYA is insane, shoutout to whoever recorded that

[@victormusic01x]

@wtftelex ..i just heard that a few minutes ago, could be in the hall of fame of insanity!..a miracle to have this to study, made my day..practice and stay strong!

[@victormusic01x]

..a great mini lesson Jeff, I checked out the Potter solo improv man, wow..there’s so much to check out there..we’re you able to study with Charlie Banacos?..i wish I had had the patience to do that back in the day in Boston

[@zugrath16]

Garlic bread and sushi does sound pretty nice though

[@mason5069]

Thank you Mr Schneider! Do you offer online classes?

[@spencerjones552]

Hey Jeff are your private lessons still open, or did I miss my chance?

[@Namaste1001]

Confidence, just confidence.

[@pickinstone]

Aural memory. Greg Fishman has a great metaphor for aural memory and working in a coal mine. Where was that highest note from the last phrase? Where was the lowest note? What are the common tones... Also, related to the horizontal is pulse and rhythm. Jazz happens in time. When we play totally absent from accompaniment--outlining the harmony is important. "Sounding good" is more than outlining the harmony though. "Sounding good" relates to creating melody--as you said, but with great time and rhythm. A huge gap in jazz education is the absence of explicit rhythmic study. Great melodies operate in time and are propelled forward by rhythm. Great musicians know how to interpret melody with rhythm because they understand how rhythm works. The HUGE misconception with rhythm is that we just simplify our melodic concept and repeat notes in "a cool rhythm." The reality is that Charlie Parker sounded like Charlie Parker because of his rhythmic conception just as much as his harmonic conception (possibly more so with the former). Same with Wes Montgomery or Oscar Peterson. The real fingerprint of these masters was rhythmic--the way these musicians negotiated time through their beat placement and rhythmic. That's not simply "repeating notes in a cool rhythm." After all, we should be able to swing by ourselves and make whoever is listening dance just the same as if we had a band behind us.

[@airamakknom]

Great comment.

[@pickinstone]

@@airamakknom I know that Schneider is talking about the "simple" way to navigate changes. I am arguing that rhythm should be part of that process--the entire process. The issue isn't that rhythm isn't explicitly discussed here--the issue is that rhythm is seldom discussed in even the most advanced videos about jazz improvisation on KZbin and elsewhere. There's a glaring gap that is even apparent when you study jazz at the university level. Ever notice how jazz harmony and jazz piano are requirements for ALL musicians, regardless of instrument? Why don't we ALSO require fundamental percussion or jazz drums? Why is the study of rhythm relegated to entry level musicianship classes with RANDOM clapping exercises? Here's the start of a possible journey into the real depths of music: rhythm... 1. Polyrhythm -- Look up Mike Longo's "The Rhythmic Nature of Jazz." Polyrhythm isn't a parlor trick--it's another way to subdivide and find the pocket as you play everything else, eighth notes and whole notes included. Polyrhythm should be part of the rue that makes the gumbo to the music you play--especially if you play funk, jazz, and rock music. Polyrhythm operates in the background and informs everything else you play--part of the rue. And when the polyrhythm explicitly comes out in my playing--like playing quarter note triplets--the sound is more natural than "now I am going to play quarter note triplets." I study polyrhythm to connect with that West African swing that is KEY to bebop and all jazz. 3:4 helps you lay back in the pocket instead of guestimating the swing. 6:4 (3:2 doubled) helps me get that forward swing like Cannonball Adderley or Oscar Peterson. 2. Poly-meter -- Look up Jon Raney's website about his father, Jimmy Raney. Poly rhythm and poly meter are different entities and should be treated as such. There is a VERY interesting article that Jon wrote called "Raney, Bird licks, & all that Polymetric Stuff" on the website. Jimmy Raney introduced some of these concepts in his Jamey Abersold etude books, and I have never seen them discussed outside of the Raney family. Jon looks at examples from Bird, Jimmy, as well as actual Shakespearean poetry! 3. Phrasing -- SLOW metronome studies. So many teachers cling to the idea of the metronome on 2 and 4. That's helpful, but only if you know where the DOWNBEAT of every measure is within the clicks. Start by placing the click on the downbeat of every measure. Then, place the click on every 2 measures. EXAMPLE: If you are practicing 160 in 4/4, then divide the tempo by 8 and you'll get 20bpm--that's your metronome click. Then, try putting the click on every 4 measures. I've seen Lage Lund talk about these macro-time studies on KZbin. 4. Transcription -- listen to drum fills and solos. Max Roach, Philly Jo, Art Blakey. Mimic what you hear by drumming on your body. Speaking of transcription, Sam Yahel did a great video about time feel via SLOW transcription on KZbin. He was talking about getting the FEEL of the players we transcribe--getting super detailed with the articulation of every note played and swallowed in a solo. 5. Macro vs. Micro Time. Macro time is related to phrasing, but so is micro time. Subdivision is more than just knowing how to break down a quarter note into 16th notes or how to play a quarter note triplet. Micro time also involves training your ears to hear how each of these subdivisions sounds different depending on where they are located in the measure of music. The "and of 1" should sound different than the "and of 3." We should know where we are in the measure like we know where we are in the harmony, 9ths, 13ths, etc. Bonus: Adam Maness did a "controversial video" for the You'll Hear It podcast called "Why Do I Still Suck?" He talks about how we often ignore the most important ingredient in our music: RHYTHM! Some say that he was a bit reductive, but I thought that Adam said what had to be said about our musical priorities. That's a start... there's MUCH more that I would LOVE to learn about. At the end of the day, "we should be able to swing by ourselves" (Barry Harris).

[@airamakknom]

@@pickinstone I absolutely agree with you. I've come across a lot of players on youtube who are really good on a technique level but their timing or being in the pocket falls flat. Even outside of jazz, I agree that there should be more focus on rhythm and time feel. Thanks for the suggestions.

[@pickinstone]

@@airamakknom I am still working on my pocket and rhythmic conception. Rhythm should be connected to everything we practice just like audiation and singing should be connected to everything we practice. At the end of the day, your rhythmic conception will communicate your musical prowess to the audience far faster than any other aspect of your musical knowhow. All aspects of music are important, but rhythm usually gets thrown aside as something that "ya just gotta feel, baby!" Imagine if we talked about harmony the same way--as something felt instead of understood. I'm waiting for some rhythmically inclined masters to take the helm and steer the ship. We need to flip the paradigm and respect the roots of the popular music we love--and those roots don't all go back to Europe and a lack of melanin... if you catch my drift.

[@airamakknom]

@@pickinstone I'm in the same boat as you are in terms of travelling back across the pond to work on prioritizing rhythm. I think there is a deep focus and study that's required initially in order to internalize the more complex concepts of rhythm (muscle memory and mental understanding) so that it eventually becomes a "feel" or second nature type of thing. When working on improv I sometimes fall into the trap of focusing moreso on harmony and "tasty" note choices but lately I've been making it a point to constantly ask myself "is it in the pocket?" Is there a particular way that you work on putting rhythm, harmony and melody together? For instance, do you isolate each one or do you work on all 3 simultaneously? I ask because I'm trying to formulate a more effective way of internalizing them.

[@bryonguernsey9794]

So this was a long commercial for his whatever

[@tudore_jams]

This is great, but barely scratches the surface? Anyone have any other youtube videos to recommend on this topic of soloing over changes? Please link in a reply!

[@Kaimusic0]

Continue to read my mind mr Schneider

[@kinobipiano3464]

When I saw the thumbnail, I thought you were going to talk about Ultraman.

[@davidolahmusic]

True story 👌🙂

[@kelvinwong3779]

now I want sushi with a side of garlic bread

[@sortysciaofiscia]

ch-ch-ch-changeeees

[@jeffb587]

hairdo upgrade at 1:32

[@tallerdepercusionbrasilena7047]

BLABLABLABLABLABLABLABLA

[@surveil3548]

Lets goo! First 🥇😁

[@anthonyruda2021]

I would have liked it if you were at a piano doing some demonstrations instead of just talking. Thank you.

[@golasoff]

Bla bla blaaa

[@fencepanelist]

Jeff mate. I'm paused at 44 seconds chewing my wrists. I don't want all these details my friend. 44 seconds is a quarter of a Tom and Jerry cartoon - it adds up Jeff. PLEASE. Think of all the cartoons you are keeping me from. Please Jeff .... PLEEEEEEZE.

[@chonkyboi8020]

Somebody get this man cartoons

[@zz-.-]

lol 👌👌👌

[@waynerooney2682]

worst explaination id ever see

[@fencepanelist]

Sorry Jeff i'm unsubscribing. Your time wasting puts me in a bad mood - every single time. I was so happy 12 minutes ago now i'm full of hate. Very poor teaching. Shameful.

[@oliviajordan7716]

Dude. This was too extra.

[@barryhunt8527]

You talk too much 🤷‍♂️🤪👎