The LJS Podcast is the podcast where you get weekly jazz tips, interviews, stories and advice for becoming a better jazz musician! Hosting the show is the jazz musician behind learnjazzstandards.com, author, and entrepreneur Brent Vaartstra, who’s one goal is to answer any question about playing jazz music you may have. Jazz can be a challenging music to learn and play, but it doesn’t have to be so hard. Each episode features a specific musical challenge that jazz students may come across, where it is discussed and answered. Special jazz guests frequent the show, sharing their expertise on an array of different musical subject matter. Listeners are invited to call in with their jazz questions to the podcast hotline, where it could get answered on a future LJS Podcast episode. Join thousands of other listeners getting free jazz education every week!
https://www.learnjazzstandards.com/podcast
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 10 days 3 hours 26 minutes
What Should I Do If I Don’t Have a Lot of Time to Practice?
Welcome to episode 323 where today I answer the question of what you should practice if you don't have very much time to practice.
It's common for us to be time-poor when it comes to spending time improving our jazz skills. So what are the high-level activities we can work on, and how should we do them? This episode will help.
Main Points:
1. Debunking the false narrative that you need to practice a lot
2. The #1 activity I recommend practicing
3...
Rhythm Changes Accelerator: A Powerful Course to Help You Master Rhythm Changes
Welcome to this special bonus episode where today I talk about our new Rhythm Changes Accelerator course we just released in our Inner Circle membership.
Learn why learning rhythm changes is so powerful and how to master this important song form...
Quick Win: How to Instantly Learn Chord Progressions for Jazz Standards
So how can you play jazz standards at jam sessions and gigs even if you've never heard them before?
Well, today I'm sharing with you my top tips for recognizing chord progressions.
In this episode:
1. Intro
2. Tip #1 - Start understanding and getting familiar with these.
3. Tip #2 - Learn as many of these as possible!
4. Tip #3 - Not much in the ear realm.
5. Tip #4 - Get into the trenches and do the dirty work.
6...
Should I Learn Jazz By Reading Music?
Welcome to episode 325 where today I dive into the controversial question of whether or not it's a good idea to learn jazz by reading music notation.
Many musicians feel comfortable reading music but have heard that jazz is best learned by ear. I dive into my philosophy and why the answer to this question isn't so cut and dry.
Main Points:
1. How my philosophy has changed over the years
2. The benefits of learning by ear
3...
How to Effectively Practice Improvising
Welcome to episode 327 where today I talk about how to effectively practice improvising. Often on this show we talk about tactics for learning how to play great jazz language, like learning jazz solos.
But we also need to actually practice improvising. So how do we do this effectively other than just doing it? That's exactly what you'll learn.
In this episode:
1. Why practicing improvising is different from improvisation tactics
2...
3 Mindset Shifts That Helped Me Enjoy Playing Music More
Welcome to episode 329 where today I talk about 3 mindsets that helped me start enjoying music more. It's a strange thing when something you used to enjoy doing a lot starts to lose its appeal for a variety of different reasons.
For me, it always comes down to mindset, and I share a few that have really helped me continue to have fun playing music.
In this episode:
1. How skiing taught me non-judgemental curiosity
2...
Top Questions About Playing Jazz Answered
Welcome to episode 331 where today I answer the top questions I get asked about playing jazz. These questions come straight from my Monthly Jazz Mastermind Q&A sessions I have with our Inner Circle members, and are the most common ones that come up time and time again. See if you have any of these questions as well!
In this episode:
1. How do you know what the melody is to a jazz standard when the melody is played differently?
2...
My Entire Philosophy On Learning and Teaching Jazz
Welcome to episode 333 where today I talk about my entire philosophy on learning and teaching jazz. I discuss what I believe about teaching jazz, using music theory, how to learn to improvise, and how to practice to get the most success.
This episode consolidates a lot of talking points discussed within many different episodes of this podcast.
In this episode:
1. My 4 Core Philosophies
2. Philosophy for what you should focus on
3...
Quick Win: Perfect BEBOP Minor BLUES Solo
How do you craft amazing bebop lines over a minor blues so that you sound like a jazz pro? I'm gonna walk you through the perfect minor blues solo.
In this episode:
1. Intro
2. What actually are the chords in the D minor blues?
3. Try to add these to make your solos sound super "Bebop-y"
4. The quintessential bebop rhythm
5...
How to Get Unstuck From Playing The Same Stuff Over and Over
Welcome to episode 335 where today I talk about how to get unstuck from playing the same stuff over and over again in your jazz solos. It's easy to get comfortable playing the same stuff because we know it will sound good every single time. But this also keeps us stuck, unsatisfied, and wishing for more. I go over my simple solution for turning this around.
In this episode:
1. Why do we get stuck playing the same stuff
2...