r/jazztheory

My current skill level is finishing up Alfred Book 1. My only goal is to be able to improvise jazz. Now that I have a basic foundation, where do I go from here?

I'm not trying to become a master sight-reader or classical pianist. I want to focus purely on jazz and improvisation. I'm looking for a streamlined learning path/course specifically geared toward that goal.

Thanks in advance.

I am a college graduate with a major in music perf on saxophone. I have an intense classical background, and spent the majority of my time as a saxophonist playing “legit” literature (Glazunov, Bozza, Rascher, etc). I have spent a decent amount of time playing jazz. Mostly big band arrangements, and while I have a solid foundation of patterns, scales, and arpeggios, I just can’t seem to get jazz under my fingers. Now that I’ve graduated, I’ve decided to really spend my time trying to figure out, but even though I’ve practiced everything I can think of (transcriptions, chords, licks, enclosures, even a couple of online pdfs) I still can’t get improvisation under my fingers. I understand the theory, and the idea of jazz, and I love listening, but I don’t know what to do at this point. Anything in particular I can do?

Thanks!!

I understand learning the tune, head and chords. I get practicing the appropriate scales and arpeggios over the chords in the progression. They are obviously important but they are peripheral to improvising. They are not the thing itself.

So how to practice improvisation? Is it just a matter of loading up a backing track on YouTube or iReal and just going for it? Because it sounds terrible when I do that. Seriously, it’s a mess.

Is it lines/licks? Should I just try to shoehorn them over the chords and work on hiding the obvious seams?

I know some folks advocate singing a solo. I can’t really do that either as I can’t sing and don’t have any ideas to sing anyway.

My usual practice goes something like this:

1. Attempt to improvise over a tune
2. Sound awful
3. Work through a new book, video, PDF, concept, etc.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 4.

Hi! I wanted to know if you guys have any chords you recommend learning and I guess mastering as a beginner to make things easier going forward. I watched a video and he said
E Minor
E Major
A Minor
A Major
G Major
C Major
D Major
Would you agree or disagree?

Does anyone have a clarity on what chord he's playing right before the B7/B7(#5) at the "You maybe my problem not my love" line?

I've been playing as a Cdim7, which sounds right, but have also seen it notated as Am6 or Am6/F# (F#m7b5?), and also F#m7.

In every chart, backing track, online lesson, etc for It Could Happen to You , bar 10 is a Db7, a backdoor dominant between the ii and I chords. Given that Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Stitt, etc., never played this chord, where does it come from, and why is it so ubiquitous now?

Just want to know

Hi! I recently saved up some money to buy some jazz learning materials.

I'm a bassist and I was thinking about getting The Real Book, but I already own iReal Pro, so I have the chord changes for pretty much every standard. I also don't think I'll use the melodies that much as a bassist.

I think The Real Book would look great in my collection, but maybe I could spend the money on another book that would actually give me more as a bassist.

So I'm wondering if it would make more sense to get something like Chuck Sher's Improvisor's Bass Method instead.

Or would you recommend some other jazz bass books? I'm mainly interested in learning walking bass, improvisation and actually understanding what I'm playing rather than just memorizing lines.

Thanks!

It took me more than 2 months to craft this one and yes, it is here today. The jazz album that talks about love that sometimes be with us all along, and all you have to do is just look for its sign.

A jazz album of 9 tracks. Hope you all like it and let me how your thoughts.

https://preview.redd.it/4udmusq4urhh1.png?width=1459&format=png&auto=webp&s=85bff280320004f2d4d87319315b9841a216f4c0

After C7 chord i can put any of the 12 major or minor II-V-I chord progression and it sounds like it works. They all give the same vibe. Why is this?