As a player, what are your most troubling weaknesses right now?

[JakeAcci]

I think this is one of the hardest areas to improve on. All I can think of is to listen to good examples of guys who swing like crazy, transcribe, sing along, try to copy on my guitar.

Anyone got other tips on how to improve ones groove and swing?

I think that in addition to all you listed, the big leg up is playing with other players who can groove well. One advantage Reg has is thousands of gigs with pro level rhythm sessions. Practice is great too, but I don't know if there's much substitute to just being in the thick of it with people who have great time, and being forced to gel with them.

The little experience I do have with this has made a big difference.

Similarly, playing with people who so-so time/groove can really bring you down.

[FatJeff]

1. Repitoire: I feel like I can technically play anything I want to play, but keeping the memory of the changes, particularly on the bridges is tough for me. I know a handfull of tunes 100% and know a TON of tunes 80%.

I'm glad it isn't just me that suffers from this. I've got a list of tunes that I "should know" (meaning that I've played them with others several times), but that I can't remember the changes for. That number is about 100. And then there's the list of tunes I know dead cold. That list is only about 25.

[JonnyPac]

I'm glad it isn't just me that suffers from this. I've got a list of tunes that I "should know" (meaning that I've played them with others several times), but that I can't remember the changes for. That number is about 100. And then there's the list of tunes I know dead cold. That list is only about 25.

When I was 18-20 I buckled down and memorized over 80 standard tunes that I dug. Head, comping, solos, etc. That was hardly enough to sit in at jam sessions- they still had to ask me what I knew because they kept calling tunes I was unfamiliar with.

My view now, is that you cannot really know them all. There hundreds and hundreds of standards and jazz classics that are commonly played- I think that knowing/hearing the commonalities between them (the basic changes that get reused) and the ability to read the head (if need be) is probably the best strategy if you don't want to devote excessive time to memorizing the 500 must-knows.

I played a sit-in gig last Friday with Tepid Club of Cool (a local 40's style swing combo) and didn't know a single tune except for A Train- I had to hear the changes during the head statements and be ready to comp/solo for the rest of the tune. It was a nice challenge, and it went pretty darn well. Finding the tonal centers and the form (AABA, ABAC, blues, etc) was enough- We had lots of fun trading 4's even. Good times.

[JonnyPac]

There's a funny bias on here (and this is NOT a knock against the forum, just a natural observation) - I think a lot of us are on this forum because we don't have much of a jazz musician network in "real life." So we can get involved in all the solitary pursuits, but may forget that jazz is usually about communicating with a group, getting a good sound and feel live, rather than having hip licks, voicings, etc. I know a lot of members of this board don't gig too much, and the ones that do of course don't get to post as frequently - or probably don't care to; they have more direct outlets to discuss the music.

True enough. I have outlets and a combo to call my own, but I am far from an area where jazz happens often. I really have to look for it (which I rarely do) or I need to make it happen with who's around. I manage a guitar store and I still feel the need to get my rocks off here because of a lack of jazz/theory interest among my customers and co-workers.

Another thing we (members here) have in common is we obviously like to talk about our experiences and share our insights; too many players won't loosen up and show their cards- as if they have a secret that was gifted to them via creative intuition or rigorous academic training. Boo on that! Let it all hang out!

[Jazzpunk]

Reading is my biggest weakness right now. Working on it day by day though!

[timscarey]

Weaknesses.....

#1 Jazz Vocab.

I have a small bag of licks that I consider "classic" jazz licks, I want to make it bigger. I play other peoples solos, but not many of the phrases make their way into my vocab.

#2 Swing.

I attribute this to being an electric bass player and to playing so much Brazilian music, I feel like I can swing a bassline just fine, but when I start to solo, I find myself doing a lot if straight 16th note ideas (I like to play fast) I need to work on articulating the swing style better.

#3 Tone and live sound.

I need to take more initiative to change my strings, clean my fretboard, get my instrument set-up, etc... to ensure that I always have the best possible tone. I also have a problem with being too loud when I get really into it. That's a big one, too much volume can really turn off the listener.

#4 Ears

as many of you know, I am really, really, really, into theory. Unfortunately, this is in some ways counter productive to my ability to really play jazz and improvise. granted, it has helped my ability to play the instrument through exercises, compositions, reading ability, memorization, etc... but I still think in scales and shapes way too much when I improvise. I mean, I can sometimes turn it off and just listen, but that can be difficult for me given that much of my musical experience is coming from a place of theory and application as opposed to just listening and playing.

number four is by far the biggest weakness in my skill set. I get down on myself about it all the time. I mean, it's pretty lame when your drummer has to yell roots at you because he's got better ears than you

wow, that was cathartic. I'm sure there are plenty more too.

[Philco]

Philco,

Have you tried to learn chord progression by their Roman Numerals instead of the chord names?

It's not an instant fix (at least not for me), but over time it has made it much easier for me to remember chord progressions. Actually, it gets to where it's not memorizing the progression it's more like you 'know' the progression. The ear get's to where it can hear the common progressions when you categorize progressions with Roman Numerals in your mind. Then you only have to remember that 10% or so of unusual changes that a tune might have (and I bet is you get better at it, that percentage drops and you can hear most anything).

In addition if you get lost, it's much easier to hear your way back to where the song is at.

Thanks Fep and WhatWisdom for your suggestions. I'm not wanting to cry "helplessness" and waste anyone's time but my problem is not one of memory. I really know the tunes back to front and inside out.
I think my problem is one of "intensity". That is to say......I am too much "in the moment" and effected by the music. This causes me to react as the listener might.
More often than not I get more emotional than I should. It's the only part of music that interests me so I'm always going after it. I want the rush but when I get it I am debilitated by it and make mistakes.
I think I can solve this by being detached. Not caught up in what I'm doing so much.
There is a book (that was mentioned on this site) "Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within"
The book deals with this scenario so I have ordered it and await it's arrival.
I never thought about being "detached".
It seems like the opposite of what I've always strived for.
But now the concept makes sense to me.
If I am detached, can I play with feeling?
I hope so.

[Stevebol]

Reading and remembering songs.

[Tom Karol]

Right hand picking at high speed - way too sloppy.