How to Turn Scales Into Killer Jazz Solos

Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur

Music Commentary, Jazz, Jazz Improvisation, Jazz Saxophone, Jazz Theory, Jazz Bass, Jazz Piano, Education, Music, Jazz Guitar, Jazz Solo, Jazz Standards, Jazz Trumpet, How To

4.8 • 536 Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2020

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to episode 229 of the LJS Podcast where today I have on special guest Brett Pontecorvo to teach us how to properly use scales to build great solos. Scales are useful tools, but if applied in an un-musical way, can be problematic. Brett walks us through some solid tips for taking vanilla scales and developing them into melodic masterpieces. Scales are a classic way to get started with improvising over a jazz standard and they can be quite useful. However, in the wrong hands and used...

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is sponsored by the Learned Jazz Standards Inner Circle.
0:03.8	If your goal is to level up your jazz playing this year and feel confident improvising over
0:08.5	jazz standards, the inner circle has everything you need and more.
0:13.0	With monthly jazz standards studies, a library of powerful courses, and a vibrant community
0:17.3	of like-minded musicians, you're guaranteed to improve your playing every
0:21.7	single month. Podcast listeners can get 50% off their first month when you go to LJSinterCircle.com.
0:29.5	That's LJSinnerCircle.com or find the link in the show notes. Now, on to today's episode.
0:36.8	Scales are a classic way to get started with
0:39.4	improvising over a jazz standard, and they can be quite useful. However, in the wrong hands and
0:44.6	use the wrong way, well, they just end up sounding like scales, very unmusical, very vanilla,
0:51.1	and it just sort of sounds like you're playing notes over top of jazz standards.
0:58.4	And that's not really what we want. We want to play actual music, actual melodies. So the real big question here is how do we make scales musical? Like how do we take something that is a
1:03.8	linear pattern and turn it into something that actually has great melodic value yet still
1:09.5	helps you identify notes and get ideas and sounds
1:13.6	in your head that you can use in your jazz improv. Well, on today's show, I have very special
1:17.9	guest, Brett Ponte Corvo, who is my music production manager at Learn Jazz Standards, a phenomenal
1:23.2	pianist and educator. And he is going to teach us exactly how to take scales and make the musical
1:29.6	so that you can play killer jazz solos with them. Let's crush this thing. Welcome to the LJS
1:37.4	podcast, where you get weekly jazz tips, interviews, stories, and advice for becoming a better jazz
1:43.7	musician. And now your host, he's a jazz musician, stories, and advice for becoming a better jazz musician. And now your host. He's a jazz
1:46.9	musician, author, and entrepreneur, Brent Bartstra. Hey, what's up everybody? Brent here from
1:52.7	LearnJazzstandards.com, which is a blog, a podcast, and videos geared towards helping you become
	...

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