Who is right, Brecker or Branford ? (about practicing in 12 keys)

[@courtneynero6886]

Branford has a great point, "the audience doesn't care." If you're playing "Oleo," the audience doesn't care if you play it in Bb concert or Db concert, as long as it sounds good. However, Brecker's essential point is being able to get around the horn, not having limitations on the horn. The great pianist Michael Weiss told me, "never let a key beat you." You don't want to be in a position where you're playing "Cherokee" (in the original key) and you sound excellent on the A section and sound like crap on the bridge (because it has other key centers). You want to have facility across the horn to be able to play the whole song with agility and dexterity. And part of that means practicing and knowing your vocabulary in all keys so you have the same facility across the horn. My two cents....

[@saxodrew1083]

DITTO!

[@saxodrew1083]

I wholeheartedly agree! They're BOTH right! 😊 Plus, I have no business arguing with either one of them!

[@salcrocker894]

Right on!

[@tunomatic]

I think the two "concepts" can't be compared because Branford is talking about performing and Michael is talking about practicing and, in my opinion, they're two completely different things.

[@JazzDuets]

The question persists though, is the juice worth the squeeze? Should you spend your precious time on this planet practicing cherokee in 12 keys, when ultimately the audience does not give a fig? We practice to per form better, right?

[@tunomatic]

@@JazzDuets I think that at the end of the day, it's very beneficial, even though I don't do it😁, but, as Pat Martino once said in an interview, you don't really know a tune until you have played it in all 12 keys.

[@jamesduckery]

​@@JazzDuetsI think it comes down to every player. A lot of players don't have Uncle Mike's dedication to master all the keys. Do what works for you.

[@PabloVestory]

@@JazzDuets I've found when having trouble to internalize a tune or a phrase, after running it thorugh the 12 keys, it goes a lot easier when returning to the ORIGINAL key, probably because I grasp a better understanding of the intervals, the relations... maybe some back processing too. So, 12 keys practice helps to perform better. Muscular memory gained by many repetitions in the same key it's nice and helps, but learning the intervals and structures, plus fluence in any key it's way better i think. Also, changing the secuence to avoid rutine, sometimes by fourths, half tones up, down, by thirds,... even better using some randomizer like 12 good old playing cards, or apps

[@CubanTenor]

@@JazzDuets Yes, it’s worth the squeeze! We practice to perform better, and we perform better the greater our mastery of our instrument. Learning to master something like Cherokee or Rhythm Changes in all keys is a great longer term goal as its benefits will have a great impact on your playing over any other tune.

[@rpj-sax4lyfe]

Both are -Any type and every type of practice ,work, etc. is needed… doing anything is better than nothing Only way for you to get better is to practice and work on anything and everything that will make you better in what YOU are doing. And everyone is different… as brecker said its personal thing HE does. And Brandford is also right because hes going to work on what HE needs to work on. No one is wrong the journey is personal

[@JazzDuets]

fantastic!

[@siriusra2692]

.......... Exactly...... different musicians are at different levels of their development.....a band is team work..a band is only as strong as it's weakest link...all musicians started out as weak links...even the greats

[@roderickberry2508]

Funny , both are right and both are GREAT players. I know Branford from Berklee and he has great ears. I didn’t know Micheal but sat and talked with him for over 2 uninterrupted hours in the underground tunnels in Montreal during the jazz festival. No one could find his autograph session but me and we talked saxophone for over 2 hours ( a highlight of my life for sure ). Point is Micheal was on a mission and his path was set forth early in his musical life. All keys was his way. If you know Branford , as he explained things is how HE is. Bold,Organic,Strong. I would study with either of them and be 10 times the player I am now. Point is both of them are GIANTS on there horns and can or could play anything in any key any time. ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🔥🔥🔥🎼🎼🎼 It doesn’t matter how you know , as long as you know!!!!!

[@JazzDuets]

for me what you said about Branford´s ears is what is germane. Branford I think just had the natural ability to play what he hears, way beyond the normal average guy.

[@matt-darwin]

Branford isn't saying don't practise in all 12 keys. He's saying you don't need to play all the songs you know in all 12 keys. It's a completely different point than what Brecker is talking about which is facility on the horn. Brecker even says in his clip that some songs sound bad in certain keys.

[@brianmatthews232]

immaculate playing and tone as always Nick 😀

[@swperry04039]

They’re both right. It’s all about approach and knowing what you want and need to do. Also about how the individual needs to work things (or not) to be able to move an idea around the horn/ through keys.

[@aagevaksdal]

They were both right. Because both knew their shit, and both could compose beautiful maladies on the fly. It is a matter of where you are at at the moment in time. Overlearning is considered a good thing, and ideally it fills your bag of tricks when it comes to playing interesting lines. But like most things in life, you gotta want it, you must take an interest in melodic playing. I think. Love your vids, don`t ever stop.

[@bluetv6386]

Catching maladies on the fly sounds dangerous

[@musicbyfriendsforfriends3311]

My professional experiences often required that I show up to play with groups without rehearsal and to perform whatever tunes in whatever keys called. Needless to say it was beneficial to be as comfortable in E major as in Bb major. Also, when jumping between alto, sax, tenor sax, clarinet and flute depending on who needs what, it is necessary to be able to play what you are hearing without benefit of charts or foreknowledge of what the band leader is going to do. Fortunately, one can develop this by focusing on certain tunes, like “Rhythm”, in all the keys. Blues changes as well. After a while, playing by ear in any key becomes easier.

[@JazzDuets]

Personally I like to practice certain things in 12 keys. It helps me as a non genius as I NEED to understand as well as HEAR and I learn better that way. What do you think? Is the juice worth the squeeze or is life too short?

[@minglorex]

And who said you ain't a genius. Well you're genius to me. Your lessons has helped my jazz life alot. Thank you for all you do

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

Learn to recognise intervals, something I am sure you can already do knowing your work ethic. You should not really need to learn everything in 12 keys if you can hear those intervals in your head. Intervals are relative and don't care about keys.

[@jzgtr100]

What ever it takes. Sometimes it’s 12 keys, sometimes it’s more tune, next it’s time, it’s groove, it’s inflection, it’s licks. Not enough hours in the day. Better to practice than not. For me, I need to memorize more tunes and more licks. Licks need to be transposed to different keys and string sets and positions as a guitarist. I’m pretty lazy about transposing tunes and depend too much on iReal Pro for transposition when working with singers.

[@bobcosmic]

The juice is worth the squeeze

[@jackbussy3133]

Come on Nick ! Life is too short. To me it’s like waiting to have all words in the dictionary in your head before you start to speak or write. We practice to make personal or public performance easier and more enjoyable. That should be goal. Do when you feel something is unclear, why not practice in a few keys or the 12 keys ? Good exercise. If you think about it, even Bach thought that !! What else is the Well Tempered Clavier ? As always, balance between brain, heart and muscles is KEY. The only real key !

[@RHINOPLASM]

I think it could depend on the instrument you play. I am a bassist, and as a string player, I can rely on digital patterns and shapes (though not solely). Since it is tuned in 4ths, the patterns repeat throughout the fingerboard. I still play through all keys, but I also believe it is important HOW we practice through all keys...around the cycle, minor thirds, whole steps, chromatically, etc.

[@kevintownsend3840]

As a saxophone player, i can agree with both these great tenor saxophone giants. Know your horn but also know your audience.

[@isoEH]

The few times I venture to play some tunes in other keys I feel some benefit when I return to more familiar keys with a changed view of them. Thanks for the vid!

[@thewarhenk]

I love both of these players and I get what each is saying. I’m more of a Branford than a Michael; not that my facility approaches either, but I’m more based in melody and rhythm. I don’t practice any one thing in all keys, but I try to remain aware of moving through most of them, at least to the extent that I’m playing the equivalent of all ‘the white and black keys’ on the saxophone.

[@wobamusic]

I think both are right in their decision... Michael Brecker says 'it's his personal choice' and that's the way every musician has to find out what makes him/her a better musician and the personal claim...I made the experience that practicing in as many keys helps me to become a better musician...and to know more about my instrument...kind regards👋

[@MichaIsraelKovler]

I practice short ii V I in 12 keys. It is boring but really enhances my muscle memory and hopefully I will discover it in my solos... Thanks Nick for an intriguing video

[@steveslagle1859]

I like what both of them say and agree with both

[@konafama]

Thank you Michael. Thank you Branford.

[@mauromateosax]

Its worth practicing in every key because our goal is to adquire control over our instruments. If i learn to transpose to every key, im not only learning that stuff in every key, what is more important, im developing the skill to manipulate music as i wish in my instrument

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

to what end though? Are you doing it just for yourself or is there a performance demand on you to do this? Will it be required if someone hires you to play a gig?

[@mauromateosax]

@@TheCompleteGuitarist i don't think playing an instrument as a muscle memory based activity. For example one exercise i've been doing lately is improvising over two chords of a tune that don't have a diatonic relation (yesterday it was V- I-) in every key. When i finished and came back to the original key the improvement was great because passing through every key made me get more and more familiar with the sound of these two chords working together, and also part of the exercise was actively gathering info about what resolutions work best or things to keep in mind. This is because for me most of the areas of learning to play are connected and are not purely a matter of which notes im playing and making my body memorize that particular movement. I see instruments as both the capability to connect any sound from my mind to my horn, and the capabilty of feeling the fingers and body "instinctively" oriented in any position related to the horn. I do this by a heavy conscious-focused study in any exercise i play which mostly i develop myself based in my own daily need. Sorry about the long answer, i don't know if it helps me in gigs but it helps me in feeling more and more in control of my instrument :)

[@HardyNahtal]

There are saying the same thing, but have different relationships to music…..You are right!! So, start from yourself Lovingly f Coltrane, Wayne, Brecker, Marsalis. I play 12 keys, but each key resonates differently on each horn, which means I play every key different. Let that difference give you inspiration🎉

[@joseraulvelazquez6941]

I do it with the blues...i set up finger mode in my casio piano and jam away in all 12....great way to get to know your limits ...and fun as hell

[@thormusique]

Great video, thanks! I think the question is at least in part a personal matter. Although on any given day I might play certain keys more than (or to the exclusion of) others, I do practice all my exercises in 12 keys. In the case of actual tunes, I generally don't, but only because I like to focus on melody and harmonic movement, and all their ramifications. Of course, that might mean that I might also stray into other tonal centres while ostensibly staying in the original key, so playing exercises in 12 keys tends to make me feel I 'know' my instrument (guitar) more intimately and translate ideas to my fingers more easily, if that makes sense. So in short, I'd say they're both right. Cheers!

[@diegojosésilvabarroilhet]

For functionality, you should play near tones on the circle of 5ths first, to grant that you can comp any kind of voice (s, t, a, b). Extra tones for extra fun

[@billreindl5421]

I do practice some things in all 12 keys. I began because I really wanted to learn how to transpose - it forced me to see harmony and form more clearly. It also has helped me improve my ear - something I struggled with believing my ear a bit dull. I can’t do everything in all keys. Exercises yes, scales, absolutely, but not all tunes… not enough time. But when I really want a to know tune I will work it in all twelve keys and often I find chord subs I hadn’t thought of, voicings, and gain an overall familiarity that comes with no other practice. Thanks Nick

[@JazzDuets]

really cool to read these comments. Thank you

[@AmeeliaK]

I go up to 3 or 4 accidentals for certain things but I practise the most important stuff in 12 keys, and of course in all minor keys too

[@Schumanized]

As the great Tom Schuman told me: "Play with what you have and play what your heart tells you".

[@ChristianFlanagan]

The better I know my instrument the more confident I am in my ability to play music and the more relaxed I am when I'm playing. I sound better when I'm relaxed. I construct all my practice around the Circle of Fifths and practice in 12 keys.

[@mrdog66]

Many years ago I saw Sonny Stitt at a jazz club in Boston. Towards the end of the last set Stitt let young sax players sit in. He would call Rhythm Changes or Cherokee and do a solo in all 12 keys. Some of the younger players did their homework and knew that Stitt might do that. Some did not. Sonny Stitt was putting the young players through the ringer. From what I've read of jazz history this was common in jam sessions in the 30's and 40's, playing Rhythm Changes or Cherokee in every key to test young musicians mettle. After the show ended as I was walking out there was Michael Brecker sitting at a back table. I'm not sure how long he was there but there he was catching some of Stitt's last set.

[@AcevedoDMA]

This was a common thing in my undergrad, playing jn 12 keys. Then my teacher suggested a brilliant alternative, learn to play a tune in 4 keys. That way you get the benefits of learning to competently perform changes and get better at other keys. Then when you learn another tune, try learning it in 4 different keys. This way, hypothetically, after learning three times, you will have played in all twelve keys. You get all of the best benefits, with 1/3rd of the work.

[@tenortones2]

Some things are good to practice in 12 keys, like a simple line that transposes easily. I think it's great to do. And some tunes like cherokee & rhythm changes and blues and even giant steps or all the things you are as it's a symmetrical tune. But also realize that music doesn't move in ii-v-i's or symmetrically all the time. So they are both right.

[@Faz99Master]

So much music goes through many keys, I think that practising certain tunes in a few keys will lead to cover all keys in a more creative way.

[@jzgtr100]

As a guitarist, I practice some things in 12 keys. Rather than go chromatically Bb to B, I go up a fourth Bb to Eb to Ab, etc., which is quite challenging changing string sets. As many have said in the comments, both are correct. If you’re playing with different singers, be prepared to play in some weird keys. IRealpro has helped a lot, although you can’t always trust its changes.

[@tbonealex]

Looking at that 1970s dissertation on Charlie Parker’s solos, it was interesting to see the frequency of certain licks in certain keys. He may of practiced in all keys but he didn’t play the same things in all keys. The skill of transposing lines at different intervals is very valuable, but you can do this more quickly with short phrases rather than whole tunes.

[@JazzDuets]

yes I saw that as well, the way Parker repeated certain phrases, and Jazz in that way is similar to a language. This is important for the newcomer to appreciate. It is not necessary to re-invent the wheel every time we play. Of course, there lies the beauty as the player is free to do what they like. Regurgitate phrases or not

[@kazire4591]

Listen to his solos as a guest, he is playing in all keys the same licks. Do you really think he only knows his famous licks in just two or three keys ? Really ?????? He was practicing 13 hours a day, man. So go practicing instead of looking for excuses :))))))) Bless you.

[@JazzDuets]

@@kazire4591 You seem angry or triggered somehow....

[@brianwingard8180]

There is more to talk about than what either Branford OR Brecker said. Playing in all 12 keys trains the mind, regarding possible application of melodies to different harmonic relationships. When keeping in mind that improvisation can be thought of as on-the-spot composition, the 12-key practice sets up the mind to be able to apply the melodic shapes, motifs or phrases of one tune to the chords of another tune. This allows the musician to impose one tune's melody on many alternate chords that our mind would otherwise have missed, since it was never fed the suggedtions through practice. Quoting "No Greater Love" while soloing over the first chord of Green Dolphin St. in the key of C would already be cool. But force the quote over what would be the IV chord (F Major), and the melody still "works," while providing a fresh sound, simply because of the new melody/harmony relationship. 12-key practice will strengthen the ability to do that on the spot, or in slow composition, as you take pieces of several melodies, applied to different harmonic relationships, to create brand new melodies. I side with Brecker on this one.

[@owennovenski4794]

Yes to 12 keys. No to it as an obligation. Yes to only doing it as discovery. No to impressing other musicians. Nothing sacrificed or anything required for creative expression and delivery of necessary message or story to an attentive and appreciative audience.

[@JazzDuets]

discovery practice/ learning = inspiration

[@daquetreed5522]

Pop musicians play 4 chords in front of a thousand people. Jazz musicians play 1,000 chords in front of 4 people. I play more popular music like RnB now and that’s what people want to dance to 🤷🏾‍♂️ the last wedding I played at, the bride said it was the first time she saw her mom and dad dance together and they’ve been married forty years. She also said it was the first time she saw her aunt and uncle dance together. So my take today after playing for 30 years now is you can play for you or you can play for others. I had a lot of fun playing jazz in the background at art shows and big band concerts where people just sit in the audience. But playing 2 chord reggae music in front of 500 people dancing at the house of blues or weddings where married couples are dancing together for the first time is A LOT more satisfying. In my person opinion, jazz is for the musician and the handful of people that can appreciate it. Pop music (and when I say pop I mean everything from blues to rock to RnB) is for everybody. The average listener doesn’t understand the concept of Giant Steps but they do understand the concept of Hear and Now by Luther Vandross, even playing it on the saxophone which BTW the bride and groom did their first dance to.

[@marcioramosfoto]

The right thing to do is to make a true song like a choro master, who improvise by following the melody, as it is more difficult but it is necessary to have respect for the music... play on 12 keys and chose your favorite. ; )

[@elsaxofonista]

Creo que si se debe estudiar en los 12 tonos porque una cuestion de musicalidad, y de ejecucion de la tecnica, pero tengo q confesar que es muy raro que me tope con una cancion en C# o F# pero lo cierto es que cuando improviso si aparecen esos acordes entonces creo que si es importante no dejar de lado esas tonalidades.

[@wckoek]

I practice things like turnaround in 12 keys but on saxophone not everything sounded good or would work well in 12 keys - say even simple things like "Careless whisper" original key on tenor I'll have to set the mouthpiece a half step sharp to make the fingering work. In terms of lines, if you can play turnaround in 12 keys in cycle of 4th or 5ths you can pretty much play most lines on top of your head in most keys that you need. Some songs doesn't work at all 12 keys and in fact you don't need to play in all 12 keys, no one will call you up on the stand and say lets play Ornithology in C# or things like that.

[@victorprotodyakonov9440]

12 keys for sure!! Especially for guitar players!!

[@MKD371]

The 12 keys, is about dexterity and facility on the horn. It also makes playing the stuff you do know in the standard keys fresh and interesting, so that you don't get into repetition. The one feeds the other, which in turn ironically leads to melodic playing. It is the same approach Slominksy advocates

[@alchemysticgoldmind4164]

Scales Arps Intervals.. Harmonized chord scales..for guitar it make you really learn the instrument

[@Davidkaisermusic]

Michael’s talking about a practice tool. Branford’s talking about performance practice. Definitely should play in all 12 keys to build facility and train your ear but it’s not something you should perform all the time. That being said, it does come in handy if you are playing on jam sessions with singers who often change the keys of standards.

[@aarongrooves]

I feel that the question "Who is right" creates a false dichotomy. Branford and Michael were not disagreeing with each other or making a statement about which is better, or even answering the question, "Which is better?" They merely shared their own personal experience and preferences. They're both 100% right.

[@rodrigobertoa5916]

I think if you have limited time and your goal is to sound more melodyc and to have a bigger repertoir, then practicing 12 keys of everything can be too time consuming. There are things like the pentatonic that are def worth the time. If you are a pro musician in the jazz enviroment ( like Brecker was ) then yes, definetly practicing in 12 keys is very important, but if thats the case you allready knew that

[@slybear525]

It kind of depends on how flexible and ready you'll be for various musical situations. If , like Branford, you played you R&B bands , you've done a lot of covers where the emphasis is to play a song more or less like the original recording in the original key. Usually . But the jazz world is far more fluid. All the singers I work with sing standards in the keys that work for them . I had to do Body &Soul in A last week. Brecker was prepared to play in any key. You can hear it in his playing, and I don't think his melodies suffered for it.

[@chelillingworth9466]

They were answering different questions

[@NadavHbr]

Not a question of right or wrong. Depends on how much time you have, what’s your priorities. No one doubts it’s good to be able to play in all keys

[@bodhibeats8257]

Personally, I think it’s not important to practice most things in all 12 keys BUT I like to learn most things in a handful of keys. One key is too few, 12 keys is too many. 😁 (The why: it’s important to me to learn how a new tune “works,” and taking it through a few keys really helps with that. But I don’t need all 12.)

[@kemigeorge6294]

I practice in 12 keys out of necessity. I play trumpet and love playing jazz, but am in a popular music band led by guitarists who love playing in concert E, A, and B. The absolute worst keys for trumpet. So I have to practice them all to switch between the different music styles. Pain.

[@artificialdisco8242]

Exactly! See a guitar on the stage? Guess F#, it's at least gonna be close.

[@JazzGuitarScrapbook]

Only one way to settle this - thunder dome.

[@davidsummerville351]

12 keys preferred if you have the available time.

[@dylankubilus1422]

Perhaps we should all listen to Mr. JJ then decide who’s right

[@Wunktheskunk]

If you don’t practice in all 12 keys, don’t get into the studio with Brecker- ha!

[@borriskarlov8140]

Brecker's got it. You gotta get around the horn and that's how you do it.

[@siriusra2692]

...........they both right......what if you go to a jam session...... someone calls out a tune..they want to play Giant Steps in C#.....but there's a new person on the band stand..he or she can only play it in B.......why not play it in the key the kid know??.......Branford is right...... practice... fine play in 12 keys....does it really have a place on the band stand.....Miles would get a kick out of hearing the kid struggle......but Miles liked outside notes from young players 😅😅😅

[@MarcoRaaphorst]

Interested what Branford also is saying about players who didn't know how to play melodic so instead they started to play complicated stuff.

[@JazzDuets]

yes!!! tremendous to ponder

[@Filpate]

As a professional musician, I think we play in 10 keys mostly. Like he said, F sharp and maybe C sharp would be the only two out of 12 we rarely see.

[@chriswright2553]

See both frequently on the alto, pop and rock

[@LeviClay]

Brecker is right, Branford is logically flawed. Ok, you played with a singer who could only sing in E and G... but that's not all singers, and is no good if you play with a variety of singers. We have singers guest with us all the time, and when they call a tune we play that we might do in F#, but they want it in B, it's not just because. They're not showing off, that's where they need it. Having said that, at the core you have two AMAZING players, and their opinions are being shared with people who may not be amazing players. I can't tell you how many cats I've met with 10% of the vocabulary they need because they've got that 10% in 12 keys. Using 12 keys as a way to avoid the fact that you can't hear and play a melody is the classic jazz education crutch. Develop you ability to play melody... when you've got it... move it to as many keys as you can. Without the former, the later is useless.

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

only 12 keys, surely there are more.

[@LeviClay]

@@TheCompleteGuitarist nope, modes and other tonalities are not keys.

[@wyndhl8309]

Recently, Dr. Wally Wallace, alto saxophonist, educator, has comforted that it is not necessary to practise in all twelve keys. I guess that practice and mastery of the two NATURAL scales - major and chromatic scales - are very important, and may suffice even beyond the fundamentals.😮 Branford performs in as many keys as the jobs demand: RnB, Pop, Fusion, Funk, European Classical and African Classical (Jazz) Music, etc.❤ Branford is alway provocatively practical; a loquacious realist is he.❤ Pianist Ellis, educator and jazz master (RIP), would have made his sons practice in all 12 keys - hence their brilliance. Few players perform in all 12 keys although many do practise in all 12 keys, which I do recommend - 12-key practice sessions.❤ .

[@artificialdisco8242]

It's a weird comment about F# because I've met some... I don't know... ALL guitar players who want me to play in F#. Because they play in E and the trumpet (and tenor sax) then play in F#.

[@jpm65]

I'm with Michael. The cycle of 4ths is such a powerful practice tool. Lifelong practice but in time HUGE payoff.

[@wilfig]

Personally, I think learning how to play the saxophone in guitar keys (E, G, D, A, B) is most essential, because many gigs are just playing pop/rock covers. I'm not saying learn standards in those keys, but at least be able get around the Blues in those keys. Which is why I practice blowing blues in all 12.

[@andyquinn1125]

Spoken like a man who plays for an audience.

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

The 12 keys thing is a kind of illusion. As Branford says, the audience don't care, because they don't know. There is no reason not to know the different keys available but that is where the demand should end. It is better to understand intervalic relationships and then the key doesn't really matter. Maybe the sax is harder to find an unusual key (I don't know as I don't play one) but a major third is a major third regardless of the key. My take is learn to play the music you love or want to perform well and stop trying to live up to others' expectations of you as a musician, because it is usually other musicians that judge. The audience just wants to hear great music.

[@antoniopizarro7670]

Do whatever your teacher says. Otherwise, what are your goals? Pursue that. Brecker cited "my own edification." Is that your goal? Or to perform? Btw, instead of learning one thing in multiple keys, why not learn actual tunes or phrases that were originally composed in those keys. Can you find a piece written in A#m? Then learn it! If not, then maybe Marsalis has a point.

[@tracezacur6784]

Brecker was referring to patterns and exercises Branford was talking about players vibing you because you can’t pay Cherokee in f# One is craft the other is performance.

[@danielgaleano1751]

hay traducción al castellano? es un tema importante.

[@walterholland1251]

Those of us who are woodwind doublers play in several keys anyway.

[@andyquinn1125]

If you're gigging, you worry about the fundamentals. Audience reaction tells the tale. Otherwise, ...

[@kwootamuckbear9294]

Depends…and not the diaper for adults☮️🎵🎶🎷

[@llm468]

Branford meant that most of jazz musicians nowadays are concentrate on technical aspect of jazz and difficulty for them is like an important aspect of every composition, every solo , all the time the play difficult ..... he meant it more in general, not just about the craft. Consequence is that most of the then absolutely can NOT play melodicaly , soulful ...

[@JazzDuets]

What I think: Branford is blessed with huge uncommon natural talent (gift). Most players without this level of natural ability are insecure. So they try to make up with it by showing off with technique at the detriment of the music. I know all about this as I did it for years when younger. As well many musicians are competitive on some level as Branford speaks about in the series he presented about Jazz (especially in NYC)

[@llm468]

@@JazzDuets sure , sorry if my comment was unkind. Truly, you sound wonderful and it makes sense what you meant too. All the best and tha ks for video !!

[@kazire4591]

If I didn't know all my 12 keys, I would never play all those wedding and event gigs where singers want everything in strange keys. Michael Brecker (and all teachers by the way...) is right. Brandford is just lazy explaining what he knows but he knows everything. Don't be lazy and if you want to be good (not just average) you have to be as good in Gb than in C. Go practicing !

[@It.wasnt_me]

Just practice in 12 keys, don't play all 12 keys on a gig 👍

[@santomusic3981]

These are two different points. One is about practising and the other about playing songs in different keys for no musical purpose . Of course you have to practise different keys, how else are you going to tackle a song like ‘Cherokee’. However, Branford is completely right about some musicians trying to ‘be clever’ for other musicians instead of stating the truth melodically and with Soul.

[@kazire4591]

Brandford knows his 12 keys, don't worry about that...

[@paulmitchell2916]

One thing that's helped me is I decided that every key has twelve notes..

[@Meuszik]

Totally agree; it helps to look at it this way

[@mustafa1name]

There are 30 keys though - 1-7 sharps, 1-7 flats, and no accidentals = 7+7+1 = 15 majors, plus 15 minors. Relative minors are relative, not identical. Even genuinely identical keys like G#/Ab can have emotional differences based on instrumental geography. Don't underestimate your audience, they KNOW all this and are judging you 🤣

[@sintrasax]

I can't stand a lot of jazz musicians! There's so much gate keeping and snobbery. For a genre that prizes itself of creativity and freedom it often fails to see the real audience and often focuses on other jazz musicians as it's only listeners. As a long time busker i can assure you that most people have no idea what a saxophone even looks like, never mind what key it's being played in! That being said... If it helps you achieve a higher understanding in the long run then go for it, just don't judge others for not following the same path.

[@JazzDuets]

There is snobbery in all kinds of music. I used to be a snob! I have seen it in classical musicians and folk musicians from northern Argentina. Its not the music. The problem is that we are humans, and the music reflects are flaws

[@sintrasax]

@@JazzDuets you're right, and perhaps if we were to truly escape our flaws the end product of our endeavors wouldn't reflect the real beauty of it all. you're a great player though, i wish luck with everything you do.

[@maxwu3395]

Just practice in all keys. It’s not that difficult.

[@foxybrown2]

That makes no sense what Bradford said and I do not believe that he had never played in any other keys. When you back singers they sing in all keys i had plenty of people sing and changed the key so bad that it did not even sound good. I'm not talking a whole step i'm talking like 4 keys different. So i do not believe what Bradford is saying if he has been playing long as he has.

[@hankrawlins9159]

All these dorks play in all these f'd up keys.of course you've gotta learn every key duh!!

[@jedivideo6203]

I think this video is based on a false premise, like much clickbait

[@JazzDuets]

would you amplify or support your own premise?