The Type Of Jazz Licks That Make You Play Better Solos

You probably know this feeling with Jazz Licks: You have transcribed a great lick that you want to use because it sounds amazing on the album where you learned it. But every time you use it in a solo then it is this big block that just never really sits right in your solo and sort of breaks up everything.

This video gives you a better way to approach solos and licks you have transcribed

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Kurt Rosenwinkel - How To Make Interesting Lines!

25 Arpeggios That Sound Amazing On A Dm7 Chord

My old video on the top 5 books:

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Content:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Keep it Short and use Phrases as Building Blocks
01:05 Joe Pass is a Good Guitarist, Be Like Joe
02:08 Forward Motion and Joe Pass
02:40 A Message from Things-I-Forgot-To-Film-Jens
03:19 Different types of Phrases to Recognize and Learn
05:25 Building Your Own Jazz Vocabulary - 2 Examples
07:15 Analyzing Longer Phrases - What You Lose When You Zoom In
08:19 Kurt Rosenwinkel Breaks the Rules (again)
09:27 But Parker also Breaks the Rules
10:34 Arpeggios as Building Blocks
10:40 Like the video? Check out my Patreon page

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My name is Jens Larsen, Danish Jazz Guitarist, and Educator. The videos on this channel will help you explore and enjoy Jazz. Some of it is how to play jazz guitar, but other videos are more on Music Theory like Jazz Chords or advice on how to practice and learn Jazz, on guitar or any other instrument.

The videos are mostly jazz guitar lessons, but also music theory, analysis of songs and videos on jazz guitars.

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[JensLarsen]

How do you work on licks? Do you have a favourite source?
Content:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Keep it Short and use Phrases as Building Blocks
01:05 Joe Pass is a Good Guitarist, Be Like Joe
02:08 Forward Motion and Joe Pass
02:40 A Message from Things-I-Forgot-To-Film-Jens
03:19 Different types of Phrases to Recognize and Learn
05:25 Building Your Own Jazz Vocabulary - 2 Examples
07:15 Analyzing Longer Phrases - What You Lose When You Zoom In
08:19 Kurt Rosenwinkel Breaks the Rules (again)
09:27 But Parker also Breaks the Rules
10:34 Arpeggios as Building Blocks
10:40 Like the video? Check out my Patreon page

[JosephusDalrymple]

Book reviews from your POV would be very interesting.

[ivan_osorio]

I love your content, Jens. It's so dense with information, I can stay with one of these videos for a while to be able to unpack it all and really digest it into playing. Something I really appreciate is that you almost never use guitar-specific terms.. It's never the 3rd fret of the 4th string, but the minor 3rd of the scale. I really appreciate that. Thanks a lot for all the content; as a hobby guitarist, it really helps me keep going :)

[captainkoo]

I’m amazed at the number of times I couldn’t quite articulate an issue only to find your video stating the problem perfectly.
I used to transcribe Bill Evans solos for piano, only to find that they were too long to be inserted into my playing. Thank you again for your brilliant teaching.

[kilterkaos]

You are one of the better teachers on YouTube. And I thank you for taking your time to post these videos.🙏👌

[RCSmiths]

To know different types of licks make guitar playing so much more interesting definitely! Always a pleasure to watch!

[TheMegansdad]

Your breakdown of, what is to me, intricate analysis of complex ideas, turns them into user friendly and easily grasped concepts.Thanks for all you do for the guitar and those who love it.

[insidejazzguitar]

This is a great lesson. After transcribing a few Charlie Parker solos, I noticed him using some same little phrases over and over but he alters them slightly and sometimes plays them in different places in the bar and connects them differently to other phrases.

[josephfuentes]

Thank you! by far the best teacher on YouTube!

[colindeibertmusic]

I tried playing jazz with my building blocks, but I took a Giant Step on a Lego.

[harveyhensley]

Another helpful lesson particularly when combined with your excellent lesson on Coltrane Patterns.

[Jamsville]

I really like the perspective you take in this video. Breaking down phrases in to their smallest elements allows you to mix them up and create variations more easily, in your own style (similar to the comment I wrote on your FB post which I wrote before watching this video.)

Also, I think Chad LB takes a similar approach with his “melodic cell” concept where he chains together melodic cells to play longer lines, although those are not necessarily transcribed ideas.

[benkatof]

Another excellent lesson. Maybe sheds some light on ideas behind the lines in your books, which I love.

[stumpshot]

Thanks Jens for putting out this video content during this trying global situation we find ourselves in. The last example with Parkers material ties in for me with what Barry Harris is talking about with some of his half step approaches. It's so fascinating how it all evolves as time goes on and who learns from who and who carries on these traditions.

[qoodrink]

Awesome video as usual Jens! Would love to see more videos exploring Joe Pass' playing, love his style. Also a book review series sounds great 👍

[idnemgk]

Great look at building blocks and why they are important! Another thing (at least for me) that is very important is developing my control of dymanics and swing (or groove). That seems to be less present in many guitarists' playing. I feel very rewarded by all the work done with the intention of getting the building blocks to really dance! ... and I confess, listening for that in my own playing also provides excellent feedback on (the many) times when I've neglected that practice. : ) On the other side of that - perhaps only when I am well into the practice, these building blocks start to feel wonderfully flexible - that could also be enhanced by years of listening to how Coltrane plays with them. Interesting to hear which of the great players, build solos by playing a streams of well connected "buidling blocks", and which players spend more time playing with fewer "building blocks", but playing more with how they can be morphed and reshaped. Also note how that latter approach sounds to my ears, to be a later developement in the history of Bebop (and in the history of John Coltrane's playing). I haven't done this yet: make a note of recorded examples of that developement across the entire history of Jazz improvisation.

Also, Jens, I'd love to follow you in a series of videos on your take on the different jazz teaching books that are out there! I hope you'd be including some that are not specifically for guitar, but that work very well for guitarists, as well.

Thank you for sharing this video. It cheered me up and woke up my morning sleepy neurons. : -)

[anabsurdkitten]

3:52 That's the first thing I thought when I heard that phrase, lol!

[ivankachkovski]

Thank you for this Sir! A series on books would be great indeed, I find Joe Pass books a bit overwhelming for instance (most probably I am just way below required level yet) but your comments help look for immediately applicable things! Fantastic!

[benaiahwright]

That was an amazingly insightful lesson!👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[HristoVelev]

At about 6:45, it's convenient to think about that as part of G locrian/halfdiminished, on the 5th degree of the dominant? Would that be ok?