LJS 154: How to Avoid Meandering Jazz Solos (feat. Jeff Schneider)
Learn Jazz Standards Podcast - A podcast by Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur
Welcome to episode 154 of the LJS Podcast where today we have special guest Jeff Schneider back on the show to talk to us about avoiding meandering jazz solos. Jeff talks about how to create jazz lines that sound more like a conversation than just a stream of notes. This one is packed full of jazz truth nuggets. Listen in!
Listen to episode 154
Ever feel like your jazz solos are meandering? They don't really have any direction and they just sound like a stream of notes?
Anybody who has ever improvised has experienced this. Maybe you've listened back to one of your solos and felt bored. Everything just sounded the same from beginning to end.
On today's show, I have on special guest, composer, pianist, saxophonist, and YouTuber Jeff Schneider.
Jeff is a phenomenal musician and educator and he lays down a ton of great advice for creating jazz solos that sound more like a conversation than a stream of random ideas.
If you're feeling like your jazz solos are missing something, this may very well be the lesson you need to take things to the next level.
In this episode:
1. How to take a simple idea, create a pattern, and then break it.
2. How to transpose musical ideas over different chords to establish repetition.
3. How to adjust a line to fit a different chord quality.
Big thanks to Jeff for laying down a ton of value in this episode! What I love most about what he teaches is how simple it is. Often times we make jazz improvisation so complicated when really just one idea is all you need to create an interesting solo.
Let me know in the comments:
Which use of repetition are you going to try in the practice room this week?
Important Links
Jeff Schneider's website
LJS 65: How to Create Killer Jazz Solos by Thinking Like a Composer (feat. Jeff Schneider)
LJS 142: Creating Melodic Jazz Solo's and the Art of Not Thinking (Coaching Call with Dan Sich)
LJS 145: How to Listen to a Jazz Recording and Learn From It
Learn Jazz Standards Community Facebook Group
