Train Your Ears With This Phrase

Have you ever of the phrase and song title "Jazz is the teacher (Funk is the Preacher)"?
Not only is it the title of a 1980 James Blood Ulmer record, but it's also a pretty accurate statement when it comes to the process of learning modern music.
There is a lot to be learned from being able to outline harmony regardless of what style of music you play.
I want to highlight that fact in this video with a classic ii-V-I line I stole from Michael Brecker about 25 years ago, and get you thinking about the intent with which you work on music.
If you want to dig deeper into the book mentioned in the video, you can check it out here: janekgwizdala.com/store
There are a limited number of signed copies that are shipping worldwide, ebooks that you can enjoy immediately, and they all come with standard notation, bass TAB, play alongs and videos where applicable.
Join my Newsletter if you want more free content like this: janekgwizdala.substack.com/
#bassguitar #basslesson #basslessons
0:00 Intro
0:33 The Phrase
1:03 With Backing Track
3:02 Breaking Down The Phrase
4:48 Confidence Playing "Outside"
6:50 The Most Important Thing
8:10 Development List
9:09 Millions of Licks
10:38 Maximize Your Time

[@ethanlocke3604]

It’s probably not a wide enough appealing topic for a full video, but at least in a podcast, I’d like to hear you talk about any sort of thought process behind when you use different synth sounds. Like when would you use octave+bitcrusher as opposed to just octave, and when you think about being a good moment to change sounds in a song, and when it too much switching around

[@janekgwizdala]

That will be this weeks podcast. Was planning on doing a deep dive in the new board, so this is perfect timing. 👍

[@ethanlocke3604]

@@janekgwizdala hell yeah! I look forward to it

[@jogmog589]

Incredible video as always - looking forward to the video on your new 6!

[@hahabass]

This is the first lick I have managed to learn. And I have been playing for many years. Thank you.

[@building436]

Such a beautiful phrase, it's not just mathematics, these constellations have a deeper effect. I have to learn to play that, even if it takes months. Thank you, thank you very much!

[@victord6333]

Thank you for expanding on this lesson. I really appreciate it a lot. I need to get back into listen to other people music and understanding the language when i here it. Love what your doing.

[@edunogues23]

LOOOOOVE this kind of videos man! Id love a video that focuses on how to play without looking at the instrument, its sooo hard for me. Thanks for you passion, it inspires me to practice a lot :)

[@blmartin2215]

Great stuff here , thanks J

[@richshields6692]

Cool. Never would have thought of that. Thanks man.

[@Simbaibass]

Lovely piece of language! I couldn´t get to sleep last night until I got it. Just got the ii v and pentatonic bundle too. Looking forward to push myself out of my comfort zone with practice. Thanks maestro!

[@stevendawson2331]

You and I appear to be on a parallel track. I also just recently picked up these books after way too many years of playing. I'm finding myself purposefully slowing down and trying to focus on the sound and the time more than anything, and finding the zen to spend so much time with one linear idea from 80 bpm until whatever my max may be for that line... in all keys. Just killer. Seriously thankful that these resources exist and that Janek takes the time to explain and express how to use them in context.

[@mozr5053]

Got me a signed copy😅 Just in time to practice on my Spector 4 euro😊 Thank you for what you do. Im a huge fan of your work!

[@edwardeatmon325]

You are always dropping bass science my friend, I have the book and all of your others

[@federicoortiz8496]

Hola Janek! Gracias! Impecable como siempre, saludos desde Argentina

[@nabsdmusik]

Fantastic explanation Janek, I practice regularly Major, Minor scales arpeggios, chromatic across my finger board really helped me to become a better bass player to write my own music. Thank you.

[@samplemuso]

Listen first… then play.. couldn’t agree more ❤ excellent advice

[@PV184bass]

I will study this video until I understand everything about it. Super usefull information in here.

[@imo2834]

Just ordered a physical copy of ii V I. Hope I get a signed version. Had to go through Amazon though. Greetings from France

[@enochamoo2368]

Hi, i like your teachings. Tittle of old songs to listen

[@ipsc2alpha]

I am so glad that I found your channel. Such great content. What effects do you use in this video? I would guess a hall reverb and chorus.

[@janekgwizdala]

Appreciate you taking the time to comment. Just a little reverb on this one, no chorus.

[@jdms_yt]

Janek, love the instruction and content- thanks! Was your bass custom built for you exclusively... or can anyone (like me :) buy one??

[@omegeljames6028]

Am that book be perchest on Amazon? And thanks for the information man I’ve been following you from day one and I’m always learning thank you 🙏

[@janekgwizdala]

The books are available digitally and physically at my website. I do signed copies from my website that ship worldwide: janekgwizdala.com/store They are also available from Amazon. Appreciate you being along for the ride!

[@wallace_nelson]

Grate Book!!! I just purchased the Warm up and Ultimate Chop Minor Modes. Do you think the Chop Major Mode will be reprinted? Great Video. Appreciate your way of teaching..

[@janekgwizdala]

We will do a limited run of signed copies of chop builder at some point. Most likely when it shoot a video featuring some of the content from the book.

[@wallace_nelson]

@@janekgwizdala Awesome Thanks.

[@chrisbardolph]

I have a diminished question if that's ok. In this example, the chords go to a C#dim7 at the end to bring it back around. It basically functions as an A7b9 as I understand, so the scale that works on A7b9 works on the diminished. Cool cool. But I still get confused by the other function of diminished, the "someday my prince" function, if you will.... Say you're still in C, and the chords go Em7, Ebdim7, Dm7, G7, CMAJ7. Over that diminished chord I can't quite make sense of what scale works, as in whole-half vs half-whole, or neither. It doesn't seem like it's functioning as a dominant in that context.

[@janekgwizdala]

Off the top of my head, as I haven't played Some Day My Prince Will Come in about 20 years, I hear that diminished chord in bar 10 as a passing chord more than the dominant function you're referring to in the I-VI-ii-V sequence in my video. The chord in the play along is actually A7b9 and not rooted in C#, but your assessment of the function of the two chords is absolutely correct. The most important thing to do, especially when you have a framework like form and melody with the standard you referenced, is to play the melody first. The melody is being served by the harmony and in turn the improvisation around that harmony can refer back to the melody for context. The sound I hear from the root of the diminished chord you referenced is Whole-Half, but I would always listen for the melody long before I ever thought to stop and think about what scale goes with which chord.

[@mdspman000]

The ii-V-I book is a great reference, but don't get it unless you plan on doing the work because there are no shortcuts or magical shapes that unlock the fretboard.

[@janekgwizdala]

That’s not really true though is it…? I wouldn’t call any exercises magical, but the entire front section of the book is based around shapes that absolutely “unlock” the fretboard. The process of working on combinations of roots, thirds, fifths and sevenths, in all keys, through ii-V-I’s is what will give any player who puts in the work a much better foundation of the instrument. I agree there are no shortcuts though. The work must be done if the results are to come.

[@mdspman000]

@@janekgwizdala I mean't the "magical shapes" comment as a bit of a joke based on typical click bait ads that say they can teach you the answers on how to solo by following one magical finger pattern. In the amateur world (where I live happily) I watch both guitar players and bass players use finger patterns as the sole way to navigate rather than thinking in harmonic terms and exploring ideas of using various interval combinations against the harmony. In the end they can sometimes get you to the same place if you work hard enough and yes there is an underlying fingering pattern you use for many of the the ideas, but relying only on the actual physical shapes often means you don't really understand what the underlying ideas are or how to vary things to create new ideas.

[@reubensolly2237]

What make/model bass is that?

[@ericsearcy8939]

I’m a guitar player learning to play jazz, this was very informative to me thank you! If it’s not too much trouble could you tell me what would be the most important arpeggios shapes to get under my fingers are??

[@janekgwizdala]

I think it's important to first know where the music is coming from before you put labels on it. Yes, you are definitely going to play arpeggios and scales and those lines will be correlated to the harmony in a way that is fairly easy to analyze and label. But if you start there, that's what you will end up sounding like. I can tell you to practice x, y, and z, and it won't technically be wrong. You'll find it is an integral part of the music you aspire to play. But I'd be short-changing you if I didn't tell you to first go and check out Sonny Stitt, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon, Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Fats Waller, Herbie Hancock, Ella Fitzgerald, and about 200 other masters of jazz improvisation first. Get the sound of what it is you want to play in your ear first by focusing far more of your time on listening to the language, than trying to learn to play it by practicing scales and arpeggios. Just the same as learning Hindi or any new and exotic language that is nothing like you're mother tongue. You would never learn the theory first, you would start to learn short phrases by ear. The essence of jazz is exactly that. An aural tradition, passed on through the generations through recordings and live concerts. The book I talk about in this video, that contains many exercises that can help you drill the sound into your practice routine, should not be the starting point. Recordings are where we start, books are there to assist us with some structure. If you read standard notation, I've included all of the exercises in treble clef in the book, so it may be of some use to you as a guitar player. Good luck.

[@ericsearcy8939]

@@janekgwizdala Thank you sir!

[@R_o_m_u]

Got the phrase by ear, 1st job done. Now, let's practice it with intention ! Do you remember which Micheal Brecker record you are talking about ? Thanks for your precious advises.

[@janekgwizdala]

I don’t remember the Brecker album actually… it might not even have been one of his. It’s a great example of a tiny phrase that stuck out of a solo somewhere, and then just stuck with me ever since

[@davidbennett6786]

great lesson!....been in a rut......just what the doctor ordered!

[@janekgwizdala]

RKM

[@alexm4104]

just for be right for twelve tonality you mean Circle of fifths (Maj)?

[@christophercheney1006]

"If you're thinkin', you're stinkin'" -Billy Sheehan. Such a great phrase that you could take in so many ways!

[@jrdPalacios]

Sounds like flamenco / spanish guitar