JAZZ LESSON VIDEOS

Today we’re going to look at something that really separates intermediate players from advanced improvisers: confident, fast bebop language. At a higher level, jazz improvisation isn't just about knowing scales or running patterns. It's about how you outline harmony with precision, and how you create forward motion and tension and release. Bebop language is detailed, intentional, and rhythmically alive. It's not random lines. It's controlled melodic architecture. We're goin

The idea of where to start when it comes to bebop can be daunting. Today, we’re going to look at a clearly structured blueprint for developing real jazz vocabulary and stronger improvised solos. Our new course, 30 Day Jazz Vocabulary Bootcamp, provides a clear day-by-day practice plan where every session focuses on three key elements: a technical warm-up, a vocabulary concept, and direct application to a progression or tune. The course also includes downloadable notation exer

Today we're going to be looking at one of the most important ingredients in jazz improvisation, which is approach notes and enclosures. These are devices that can help connect your lines, create harmonically interesting ideas, and make your improvisation sound more like the players we all love listening to—like John Coltrane and Charlie Parker. So we're going to tackle five essential ways to implement them into your own improvisation. Everything we’re going to talk about tod

It’s easy to say that you understand altered harmony, but oftentimes people will be less certain about how to use it. People often do not understand how and when to use this in the context of playing a standard or playing with other musicians. Everything we're about to talk about today comes from Luther’s resource with Jazz Lesson Videos, 30 Day Jazz Harmony Chops, which has a simple day by day plan, where every session focuses on three things: a technical warm up, a harmoni

When it comes to our development as musicians, we're held back by fundamentals that we tend to neglect. Sure, we know all of our major scales, and we know which scales go with each chord, but when the chords start flying by, how do we actually apply that information? And if we're just running scales over chords, aren't we really just pressing buttons? How do we make that sound like music? Often it's simply that we don't know how to approach the fundamentals in a practical, c

While we often think of musicianship as how well you can play, today we’re going to look at one of the most overlooked but absolutely essential skills in music, and that's ear training. No matter what instruments you play, your ears are the gateway between theory and real music. You can know your scales, your chords, your fingerings, but if you can't hear what's happening, it's hard to react, improvise, or truly internalize the music. We're going to explore some ear training

Moving from an intermediate guitar player to an advanced one is tricky. Most intermediate players have solid technique, a good grasp of theory and plenty of scales under their fingers, but when the harmony starts moving, their solos are still built mostly on general licks and scale patterns. Instead of thinking of predetermined licks, advanced players sound different because they're working with advanced vocabulary—concepts like upper structure triads, triad pairs, superimpos

Ever heard someone playing harmony that just makes you say “what is THAT? And how do I do it, too?” Well today we’re going to walk you through a clear practice plan for developing real jazz harmonic concepts. Harmony can feel very complicated. There are so many different things to focus on, especially as a pianist—with so many different styles and approaches to accompaniment and to learning and understanding harmony and melody. A lot of people experience difficulty finding a

For most jazz players, the term approach tones is familiar, but maybe you’re unsure how exactly they can fit into your playing. Most people focus too much on the harmonic component and not exactly on where the notes are landing. You can pretty much land the notes wherever you want, and it can sound cool. But to get to that point, you'll want to first practice being able to play approach notes leading into a downbeat with a chord tone. Then as you expand from that, you can ex