5 Giant Steps Hacks | You'll Hear It

Looking to dominate John Coltrane's Giant Steps? Here are 5 amazing hacks that can take your playing to the next level.

The theme song for You'll Hear It is Peter Martin's "Emotion in Motion":

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[mgarandisthebest]

Just the playing these two do in this video is insane. The fact they make these videos available to us for free defies all laws of capitalism in the best possible way. I learned so much today.

[UkuleleAversion]

Summary:
1. Four note shapes
2. Three note shapes
3. Whole tone descending root movement
4. Change keys not chords
5. Root shell pretty
Bonus:
- Understanding the form
- Chromatic bailout

[DojoOfCool]

I remember hearing Jazz guitarist Mike Stern say when he was Rock/Blues guitarist and wanted to get into Jazz he took Giant Steps and spend a year work on it from every approach he could. Doing a really deep dive on one song like Stella or Giant Steps and can really a lot.

[videoflic]

The ultimate goal of this age. The efforts are made to ensure that the right thing is achievable. This is purely genius.

[peanutbutter]

Giant Steps is one of those tunes you could never imagine of until it's a real thing.

[michaelkohan]

So, in summary (16:28), the most important things are :
1) World peace
2) Vaccine for the Coronavirus
3) Knowing the form of Giant Steps
Amen!
Love these guys!

[Justin.]

9:42 is so helpful, also 16:17 for learning form

[MattLeGroulx]

One thing that sounds cool is to focus on the dominant 7 chord in a bar and play an altered dominant scale. So for the first bar you're playing D altered dominant over the Bmaj7 as well as the D and you can still hit a lot of chord tones plus it gives you that altered sound. Also allows you to focus on a scale rather than harmonically.

Great video, guys!

[mrcneale]

If everyone practiced Giant Steps harmonies for an hour a day...we'd achieve world peace! Two for one....

[JBDirect]

The comical sidebars in between the master class tips and suggestions are pure genius 🙌🏾

[MartyPaoletta]

Love what you guys are doing! I am a session saxophonist, mainly for pop or smooth jazz. I have always struggled with blowing through more complicated jazz changes. You make it so simple!

[jayumble]

YES, number 4 is how I finally figured Giant Steps out (back in the day)! Thanks guys, you are INCREDIBLE!!!

[effsixteenblock]

Love this!
BUT!
These approaches are all great and super useful but they all reinforce the "getting kicked around by the changes" thing because it's SO vertical, which plays into the main criticism of this tune - that it sounds like an etude or exercise.
I'd love to see you guys to a video on playing more lyrically / horizontally through GS changes. (I probably need to search through your videos as, knowing you guys, you've probably already done it!)
Thanks again for the great content!

[TheOMEGASHENRON]

16:17 Such an awesome hack!!!! I really like that sound

[tomm_katz]

Amazing how the quality of this channel improves video to video

[jegoy]

Easier said than done for me...but I will surely go for this!! Thank you for your super efforts Adam and Peter!! Also, I watched your duo piano live earlier and it was an awesome treat!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Dprest-ndyc]

4:12 did adam just quote cherokee subconsciously?

[jojopt]

Very clear explanations on how all these work. Definitely trying the descending whole steps one. Thx!

[justiceisnow]

Just think Tommy Flanagan sight read Giant Steps on the recording session and turned out a very good solo. A testimony to his talent and also the cruelty of John Coltrane …

[anneonym]

Excellent as always ! You guys are cool great musicians and teachers ! Thank you !🙂