Jazz Lines... Made EASY! A Guide On How To Build Lines

Hey everyone! In today's video I will be breaking down a SIMPLE and EASY process that you can use to build convincing jazz lines! This process should be able to jump start your ears into hearing jazz vocabulary!

Intro: (0:00)
Logo: (0:54)
First Concept, Arpeggios: (1:03)
Second Concept, Enclosures: (2:00)
Last Concept, Line Closers: (2:40)
The Process: (3:19)
Example 1: (4:14)
Explanation of Example 1: (4:39)
Example 2: (5:48)
Explanation of Example 2: (6:14)
Closing: (7:14)

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[guitar_george]

Great lesson. Clear and to the point. Someone pay this man his money

[jimdolinski]

Great lesson. I needed this 30 years ago! Gotta check your blog out...

[mannyh]

Thank you for this awesome lesson! I was struggling with really structuring lines and I've never used enclosures, I would just play...so thank you so much!

[j.r.goldman]

I do not enclose enough notes when I play. Thank you for posting this. I love chromatic lines and enclosures. Has that Be Bop sound. You made me pick up my guitar and start enclosing everything. Inspired me. Nice lesson but to the point

[joepalooka]

Great lesson Nathan. Just wanted to add some comments re jazz improvisation.. After years of working on this subject, I began to notice something that rarely gets mentioned in any discussions about jazz improv. I don't know why. I was inspired to look further into this further by a quote I read from a famous jazz musician (can't remember the name) who said: "You have to know where the 1 is". This made much more sense when I started looking at jazz transcriptions. The great improvisers all do it. Louis Armstrong for example---- "The Saints Go Marching In" starts on the 2 and he takes it from there. There's many more examples. Your recent transcription of JJ Johnson's "Stardust" is a great example of this. He continually comes in after the 1, before the 1, on the & of 1, or likewise with 2, 3, or 4. When he does start a phrase on the 1, he will then vary and play with his phrasing to break it up, playing ahead of the beat or behind it. I notice it all the time in all kinds of music now. When I improvise I try to consciously think of this and it has made a big difference for me. There's a very famous jazz guitar teacher I won't name on a guitar channel I subscribe who virtually always starts on 1! He's locked into it and it sounds really boring to me compared to JJ Johnson.

[NathanBortonMusic]

What are some methods that YOU use to teach vocab? Thanks for watching!

Intro: (0:00)
Logo: (0:54)
First Concept, Arpeggios: (1:03)
Second Concept, Enclosures: (2:00)
Last Concept, Line Closers: (2:40)
The Process: (3:19)
Example 1: (4:14)
Explanation of Example 1: (4:39)
Example 2: (5:48)
Explanation of Example 2: (6:14)
Closing: (7:14)

[jaymontana]

Great lesson, simple formula. Question for you Nate. How would describe the 'line closer?' To me I see you are start them on an altered note and basically getting back to a chord tone on the I chord. Sometimes it is tricky to construct long form ii V I's because you need to fill that half of bar 1 and 2. It's cool to see the process of playing arpeggio right to the line closer which gets you back home. Thanks!