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Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

Should I Be Counting When I Solo?

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

4.8536 Ratings

🗓️ 9 January 2024

⏱️ 9 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this podcast episode, Brent addresses a question from Cliff Dunn about counting while soloing. Brent advises against counting while soloing, emphasizing the challenge of trying to coordinate two different tasks simultaneously. Instead, he recommends practicing feeling the time and provides various strategies, such as listening to recordings, working with a metronome, and breaking down the feeling of a measure. Brent encourages musicians to focus on feeling the music in their bodies ...

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

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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.

0:23.1

Podcast listeners can get 50% off their first month when you go to LJSinnerCircle.com.

0:29.5

That's LJSinnerCircle.com or find the link in the show notes.

0:34.8

Now, on to today's episode.

0:53.0

Music the show notes. Now, on to today's episode. All right, my friends.

0:54.4

What's up? Brent here from Learned Jazz Standards.

0:55.7

Welcome to another episode of the podcast where I'm answering your jazz questions five days a week to help you become a better jazz musician, feel more confident as a jazz improviser, and have more fun than ever playing music.

1:08.6

Today, we have an excellent question from Cliff Dunn. Let's give it a

1:13.5

listen. I had trouble keeping up with the form and when soloing, placing the notes on the correct

1:19.4

beats is difficult, but counting often distracts me. So when soloing, are you counting?

1:26.0

This is a really great question, Cliff, and I know a lot of other people have this exact

1:30.1

question.

1:31.1

And there's a lot to unpack here, but first, let's just answer straight up the question that

1:36.5

you're really getting at, which is, are you counting when you're soloing?

1:40.7

And the answer is no.

1:42.4

You should not be counting when you're soloing for all the reasons

1:46.2

that you've already said. If you're trying to count one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four,

...

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