What I’m Thinking About When I Improvise

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

🗓️ 18 October 2021

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to episode 292 where today we listen to a recording of me improvising over a popular jazz standard and try to understand what I'm thinking as I improvise. Improvisation can be a mysterious thing, and it can feel difficult to connect the dots between the scales, licks, and patterns you are practicing to actually improvising great solos. This episode will give some insight into how pro and advanced jazz musicians think. Now the art of improvising and playing great jazz solos tends to...

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.
0:36.8	Now, the art of improvising and playing great jazz
0:39.3	solos tends to be a mysterious thing for those on the outside looking in. Like, what are the
0:45.2	advanced and pro-level jazz musicians thinking about when they improvise? How are they able to
0:50.6	spontaneously create things? Are they thinking about scales? Are they thinking
0:54.9	about core tones? Are they thinking about licks that they've learned? Are they thinking about a
0:58.8	particular emotion when they're playing? Like, what is creating this ability to create
1:03.3	spontaneously and great improvisations? Well, in today's episode, I'm going to actually
1:07.6	uncover that in myself to see if we can get inside of what I'm actually thinking when I'm improvising so that hopefully you can take that information and that knowledge and apply it to your solos so that you do create great improvisations.
1:21.3	Let's do this thing.
1:23.5	Welcome to the LJS podcast, where you get weekly jazz tips, interviews, stories, and advice for becoming a better jazz musician.
1:32.9	And now your host, he's a jazz musician, author, and entrepreneur, Brent Bartstra.
1:39.5	Hey, what's up everybody?
1:40.2	Brent here from Learned Jazz Standards, where we help musicians just like you.
	...

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