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Learn Jazz Standards Podcast

The Secret to Feeling Calm When You Play Your Instruments

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

🗓️ 31 October 2022

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

So, it's the year 2009, I'm in college at that time, going to school in Seattle, Washington. And in Seattle, there is a jazz jam session at this bar called the Owl N' Thistle. Cool little dive bar, exactly what you want in a jam session, kinda smells like stale booze, all the good stuff, right? So, I go for the first time, even the second time, third time, fourth time, fifth time. Honestly, it really doesn't matter at this point in my life. The same feeling inside of my body was always the s...

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.

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.

0:36.7

So it's the year 2009. I'm in college at the time,

0:39.8

going to school in Seattle, Washington. And in Seattle, there is a jazz jam session at this bar

0:47.9

called The Owl and Thistle. Cool little dive bar. Uh, exactly what you want in the jazz jam session.

0:54.4

Kind of smells like stale booze, all the good stuff, right?

0:57.5

So I go for the first time, even the second time, third time, fourth time, fifth time.

1:04.2

Honestly, it really doesn't matter at this point in time of my life.

1:07.2

The same feeling inside of my body was always the same. It was just always the same. And that was

1:13.5

terrified, tightness, stress, and anxiety before I went up to play. I was scared. I was horrified

1:21.6

to play. I had serious problems with performance anxiety. Now, also at the same time, some of my

1:30.5

colleagues within the school, players that were a little bit older than me, a little bit more

1:36.7

experienced than me, noticed that I was playing really tensely. Like, they would look at my body

1:42.4

when I was playing, when I was jamming with them,

1:44.9

and they would see that my shoulders were crunched up, that my hands were, you know, very tense and

...

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