The lessons right here?

[joe2758]

Out of curiosity, I checked out the free lessons on the landing page of this site. They're good, how come no one recommends those? Sort of ironic. The bebop licks and blues licks are good, I'm gunna cop some.

[joe2758]

50 Jazz Guitar Licks I mean, bruh...this is gold

[joe2758]

I like coming up with the before and afters; makes it more fun, helps keep in memory, makes it my own etc...when i learn whole solos I have a hard time separating it from that and piecing together new stuff.
Like answering the phrase with my own thing

[joe2758]

Yeah, nothing better than learning a whole solo for time feel, flow, technique etc...kinda like "this must be how it feels to be pretty good" lol

[joe2758]

I listen to recordings and copy phrases I like.

That's a tried and very tested method since the begin of recordings.

It's not rocket science, it's not complicated, it's relatively simple, just use your ears.

What helps you more do you think; the process of figuring it out or practicing it over and over?

edit: open question to all

[joe2758]

That's awesome. Since I only practice about 5 hours a week, that's just not practical. Better, I'm sure. The thing is there are just too many players who know little theory and can shred jazz (good example gypsy jazz, but why would it not work for bebop?), and theory/ear training people who can't play (me, I went to music school and improv at a beginner level).

I'm still in a phase of being bitter that I got sucked into the trap of learning backward.

[joe2758]

Here's an example: I can sight sing, sing and name intervals, transcribe basic melodies with relative pitch, know theory at nerd level...If I can play it who cares?

[joe2758]

I can't say that I understand exactly how you feel about improvisation, but I did fall into a similar trap of 'learn all the modes' and 'learn every drop 3 inversion' etc. Once i learnt what that was theoretically and how it sounded roughly, i was like, oh how come it doesn't sound like jazz? But i didn't know what to do about it or how to listen or 'understand' jazz, so i just gave up entirely on this music many years back. I remember being quite frustrated I couldn't get it.

Yeah that's exactly it. So, I changed my tactic to exclusively licks (I tend to take extremes). Although I can't say if that is only so successful for me because I already have a good ear and theory from before ( i understand everything I play, but i dont know if it matters is the main point). BUT, I am convinced it would have been to start this way.

Yeah of course, I have tons of favorite players off the tops of my head Lee Morgan and I can sing his solo on Moanin'...I've done all sorts of ear training shit, I even sang bits of solos in solfege...

Here's what I think happened in jazz ed: The players could already play and then became interested in theory. So that's what they taught their students, maybe assuming the students were learning vocab because, "that's obvious right?"

[joe2758]

Yep that's basically my current phase. vocab, timing, and technique. Although I use more of a gypsy style picking, and also f*** singing lol (unless you like it, which I don't)

[AllanAllen]

Figuring out licks and transcribing solos made me realize I was making things waaaay too complicated. Most of the stuff I like is diatonic lines, or chord tones played with good feeling and maybe an enclosure or approach note.

It stripped away the formulaic theory playing that I thought was the right way to learn jazz.

Chet Baker, for a guy who "didn't know any theory" sure knew how to play the right notes over a progression. He's not hitting accidental b9s guessing where the pitch is, he's hitting what he wants when he wants.

[joe2758]

Yeah and even the harmonically complex lines aren't even any harder than straight diatonic.

[AllanAllen]

Early on I did Miles Davis solo for Bye Bye Blackbird and was shocked how much of it was based on F9 tones. I was like, where is the hamster wheel, mental gymnastics of chasing changes with greek scales?