Jazz Practice Routine How To Find The Perfect Balance

If you have to make a 30 minute Jazz Practice Routine, what should you include?

We are all different so there is not one solution that fits everybody, but you don't want to waste time, or leave out important things to practice.

In this video I am going to go over what I think a 30 minute practice session should include. I am of course a guitarist so it will be aimed at jazz guitar practice, but I am sure the philosphy and topics will fit all instruments. Some of the topics that I think are important for a jazz practice routine would be:

Technique, Repertoire, Exercises, Vocabulary, Theory, Ear-Training,
Transcriptions

I am really curious about how your practice routine is, so if you have a routine then please leave a comment with a list of stuff you work on. This is useful for people looking for inspiration and certainly also for you to evaluate how you work. I will do the same 🙂

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Check out my Practice Routine:

#jazzguitar #guitarpractice #jazz

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[JensLarsen]

*My Routine:*
5 min Chromatic + Arpeggios (similar to the video)
20 min scales and exercises


Playing songs with Metronome (as long as I can) and/or check out recordings
unless I have to prepare for a gig, then I do that.


If you want a more accurate description of my routine then you could check out this video:

[danardalin]

Mid 40's. Played since i was 10. I'm told by some that I'm good but, being brutally honest, i know how actually mediocre i am.
You hit my biggest issue... I've never learned a single song... not any that i practiced enough to remember. It definitely shows in my "playing". I do practice, but lack of any song knowledge has held me back. I'm embarrassed to be around actual musicians and have never really played with anyone else in a meaningful way.
Watching your videos the past few weeks have convinced me to rethink what i actually want out of my time with my music and instruments. I just need to pick a couple of easy tunes to start with.
Really appreciate everything you do here in your videos.

[shawndimery]

I have around 4 hours a day, my daily regime mainly consists of
20 mins - Chromatic warmups using all permutations
30 mins - The never ending scale exercise, using different progressions every day
20 mins - scale practice or arpeggio practice, learning new scales, sequences, diatonics etc
40 mins - technique, 1 day alternate picking, 1 day legato, 1 day sweeping, then repeat
60 mins - chords, play through standards, write down tricky transitions and then perfect them, comping, triads, drop 2 etc
60 mins - Improvising, writing lines, focus on a chord tone and write lines aiming for that tone (within a ii V etc)
30 mins - Transcription, currently working on the Charlie Parker omnibook, this changes every few months

[craighos]

I don’t spend enough time learning actual music. Its easy to get caught up in scales, arpeggios, etc. Good suggestions. Thanks. 🎸

[exat]

I usually practice guitar 4-5 hours a day, and I will rest on sunday for my finger, here are some I usually do everyday:

1.Inner Pulses : put the metronome on beat 2 or beat 4, play pentatonic scale or melodic minor scale or modes~just pick some of them and do 12 keys

2.Triads: Play Major and Minor triads horizontal (usually top three strings, include root, 1st inversions, 2nd inversions), all 12 keys and do circle fifth way.

3.Chromatic : I do diffrent tempo from 100 ~ 150, ( I set the metronome increase speed gradually ), this work is focus on train the muscle

4."Install New Vocabulary": I have several Jazz licks books, I will pick some of I like and work on different tempo and do all 12 keys, and different position or Octave them, repeat play and listen

5.listen music : Jazz, Blues, Fusion, Rock, Billboard, ...etc

6.Play the songs : work on some Jazz tune and play some songs I want to work on (And Try to use the new licks I learned into the improvised)

7.7th Arpeggios (Maj7, Minor 7, Dominant 7, Minor7b5, Diminished 7, Minor Major 7, Major7#5)

8."Key Changes " : Here I use Irealbook as a tools, set 2 different bass note in 2 bars, like one bar is A and second bar is Bb, then loop the backing track, play A major scale in first bar, then play the Bb major in second bar , don`t leap but smoothly ), I will change different keys everyday, not only play major scale, sometimes I will play modes.

9.Watching your youtube video for more information~~:D

[TarasSlipets]

Many thanks for such structured, complete, but in the same time brief practice plan!

[petersantospago]

Ty Jen's... That's allot to chew on...I like the structure of it... And you're a damn good guitar player and educator. . You've got my support.

[periachi]

I don't have a strict routine per say, but my usual practice looks like this:

Warmup: besides Jazz, I'm a big fan of metal lead guitar, so for warming up I've been using Yngwie licks and trying to practice them. I also like running through speed picking licks off the solo to A7x's Nightmare, as i find they really throw my hand into shape.

Afterwards I use Jens's arpeggio exercise with the leading chromatic note to really get my hands into shape, and then I double check it by running a couple stretchy chromatic exercises.

Next is Ear Training. Right now I'm learning Miles's solo off of So What? (About halfway there), so before picking up the guitar I listen to the solo and try to sing the phrases I'm working on atm. I do this for at least 20 minutes.

Improvisation takes about 30 minutes. Been working on upping my improvisation around "A" Train and working on Billies Bounce too.

At that point, I typically start writing songs and try to work on my singing chops as well.

I typically play around 3 hours a day so it definitely varies depending on your schedule but this is what works for me

[ericjtomsky]

I try to practice 2 hours everyday:


30 minutes-- play 4 note chromatic runs to warm up/ right hand left hand finger sync (about 2- 4 minutes), then play all the licks I am currently working on (plus some light improvisation) to a metronome first at a comfortable speed and then a less comfortable speed. Currently working on your Charlie parker arpeggio video!


30 minutes-- current songs I'm working on for performing live


30 minutes-- improvise arpeggios, major scale runs, and pentatonic notes over some II- V- I backing tracks in various keys (because I haven't gotten to more adventurous and complex jazz progressions yet)


30 minutes-- look for new stuff to learn, maybe some jazz standards, theory, licks etc, whatever catches my eye!

[אריק-צר]

Right now I have begun to play "Jens Ten"

1. Take The A Train 2 - Billy Strayhorn
2. Cantaloupe Island - Herbie Hancock
3. Billie's Bounce - Charlie Parker
4. Tenor Madness - Sonny Rollins
5. Satin Doll - Strayhorn-Ellington
6. Blue Bossa - Kenny Dorham
7. Autumn Leaves - Joseph Kosma
8. Perdido 2 - Juan Tizol
9. Summertime - George Gershwin
10. Solar - Miles Davis
Using iReal Pro
also... Jens Arpeggios and after practicing the arps, I reinforce them by playing against a chord prog using IReal. Also focus on hybrid picking using various patterns like... DDMAMUDU, DD_AMAMU, DAMADDMA

[joshuajackson]

Alternate picking Chromatic scales, sometimes flight of the bumblebee, Segovia scales, Greg Howe “Giant Steps” warmup, sometimes John Coltrane “Giant Steps”, Donna lee, anthropology, Django “minor swing” solo and sometimes “Honey suckle rose”, I use these solos as warmups which makes it easier to remember to do. I am also working on classical solos and I need to get back into chord solos/improvisation. I use excerpts from John Petrucci “Rock Discipline”, Ygnwie Malmsteen “hot licks” and Paul Gilbert’s licks video, Paganini 5th (crossroads)solo. Thanks to Jens Larsen I am trying to improve jazz phrasing, improvisation, and technique!

[l.a.s]

I'm a metal guy (but I really enjoy jazz stuff).
My practice routine: 1hour technique: cross picking, inside/outside picking, 3 notes per string alternate picking, legato, vibrato and bends.
1hour on rhythm: khonakol (gatis and jethis), some repertoire riff, funk riffs, comping ideas.
1hour on repertoire: learn new songs, transcribing etc
1hour ear training: I'm using Curtis first steps on ear training, I already can hear the degrees of major scales. Now I'm trying to learn to hear chromatic approach notes. I use FL studio 12 to generate random notes and training my relative ear.

[Pablo-ftun]

my practice routine (particularly useful for commuters without guitar at hand but with an iphone...)
1) learn reading notes - a ios app called notenprofi - its for children but i really does the job - gamification really helps you to become quicker and quicker in reading notes
2) learing voicings and the neck: iOS - frettrainer
3) learning reading rhythms - Rhythmus Trainer also iOS (most unfortunately the developers have turned the app into a subscription model - but if you only use the app 10 minutes daily it remains free...)

I used these apps on a daily basis while commuting - before the pandemic - and in the moring before starting to work in the pandemic.

[vikramjitbanerjeetuki]

The Steve Morse exercise is pure Gold 👍👍👍❤️🙏

[robinbalean]

This is a topic that I have thought about a lot and have tried many different approaches over the years. What you showed contains way too much for half an hour, for me at least. My practice normally starts with a short warm up involving some sort of scale or flexibility exercises (I'm a trumpeter by the way). Then after that I work on just one thing in depth for the rest of the time. This may be transcribing, or trying to learn a particular technique, but all in the context of a single tune, or even just a few bars of a tune. Always having a tune in mind gives me a reason to work on the techniques I would like to use when I have to solo over it. I used to try to learn everything around all the keys, but now I just do it in the keys that fit with the song I am working on. I will still get around to the other keys eventually, but only when I need them. My practice usually finishes with some improvising over the tune using a playalong. Away from the horn I also do transcribing, listening, and arranging, as well as watching helpful YouTube channels like this one!

[AngelA-xcne]

That one little sentence about how you see the fretboard when you improvise over (for example) G7 in the key of C was the moment where it clicked for me. Thank you

[warrenwilson]

Thanks again, Jens. As a keyboardist I find almost everything you cover very helpful. My own practice routine is less structured, but covers playing progressions and riffs in all keys as well as scales. To maintain dexterity in both hands, I incorporate “classical” repertoire. I divide my time between maintaining skill and pushing into new places.

Part of my musical study, though, is mental: listening to your ideas, for instance. I also mentally rehearse voicings across all keys while lying in bed — it is surprisingly helpful.

Thanks.

[merttalay]

Amazing teacher showed again all genres include jazz blues clasdic music.Steve morse exercise is so good.Thanks for sharing us as always.

[petealba]

My jazz practice routine:
1.Technique- 30 min. (chromatic ex., scale patterns (3 notes per string) and picking
2.Turnaround practice- 1.5 hours A) I VI II V, B)III bIII7 II V, C) III bIIIdom 7 II V (All keys both comping and soloing in all positions. Typically I comp the turnourounds with a metronome in the circle of 4ths in each position. I record this and then practice soloing over each key in every position)
3. 30 min-1 hour Practice 3 standards that utilize these turnaround
For example 1. Bb blues (utilizes I VI II V in Bb) 2. How High The Moon (utilizes bot I VI II V and III bIII7 II V and
3. All The Things You Are which utilizes the III bIII dom7 II V. I interchange these each day with other standars that utilize these turnarounds.

[Ryan-cwzs]

You're an amazing teacher, Jens. Thank you for these videos