3 Ways To Play More Interesting Rhythms In Your Solos

Learning to play solos where the rhythm really sounds like Jazz is difficult and it is probably the most important part of Jazz. Jazz Rhythm is a language that you need to develop.

What you want to focus on is practicing things that help you hear phrases that have those rhythms in them. They have to be in your ear and in your system if you want them to come out into your playing.

Learn Jazz Phrasing, the way to make the notes you play sound like Jazz:

Content:
0:00 Intro - Jazz Rhythm - Hearing Phrases with great rhythms
0:30 #1 Themes and Melodies
0:45 Internalizing melodies = internalizing rhythms
1:34 Using Theme Rhythms in Solos - Tenor Madness
2:04 The other elusive skill for Jazz Playing
2:18 Rhythmical Target Notes
2:33 The Different Kinds of Target Notes
2:53 Example: 4& as Rhythmical Target on a Turnaround
3:40 #3 Rhythmical Displacement
4:13 Example Motif from Bernie's Tune
5:20 More than just the notes
5:40 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.

Edited by Luciano Poli

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[JensLarsen]

Slightly shorter video this week but some important things to check out! How do you work with rhythm, any of these approaches? 🙂
Content:
0:00 Intro - Jazz Rhythm - Hearing Phrases with great rhythms
0:30 #1 Themes and Melodies
0:45 Internalizing melodies = internalizing rhythms
1:34 Using Theme Rhythms in Solos - Tenor Madness
2:04 The other elusive skill for Jazz Playing
2:18 Rhythmical Target Notes
2:33 The Different Kinds of Target Notes
2:53 Example: 4& as Rhythmical Target on a Turnaround
3:40 #3 Rhythmical Displacement
4:13 Example Motif from Bernie's Tune
5:20 More than just the notes
5:40 Like the video? Check out my Patreon Page

[ronamundson]

Very nice lesson, Jens. I'd like to hear any other ideas about good tunes to 'borrow' for jazz phrase study. One more thing -- I'm very happy to hear you spend a few extra minutes noodling before & after the actual lesson. I've actually saved several of those short extras just to follow the way you naturally play things -- when you're NOT actually working on a lesson, but just playing. If you want to drop in a few informal 'just noodlin' sessions, I'd be sure to watch for them.

[RCSmiths]

Rhythms are definitely fundamental to not only Jazz, but music and life in general. You need consistency and order indeed. Awesome work!

[JosephusDalrymple]

Hi Jens. Nice video. Thank you.
Yes, I’d love a discussion about rhythmic phrasing and how rhythmic devices can be incorporated into tasteful phrasing.

[blainelilly]

Happy to see "Straight, No Chaser" as an example here. Monk (for me) is one of the most rhythmically interesting composers and players, period. No chaser.

[marceloagustinmombelli]

Video on rhytmical target notes? Oh! Big fat yes!

[MastanehNazarian]

I’m gonna try the rhythmical target note today! 5 minutes of working with an idea you’re sharing is better than an hour of un-aimed practice!

[thomaswalton]

I wish I didn't need to go to work, so I could spend all day on these lessons ahhh not enough hours in the day!

[Mrius]

Right now I'm trying to learn more on rhythmic placement. Playing behind the beat is something I try to work on, and exaggerate it to really drive the point home. Practicing this helped me realize how rushed and ahead of the beat my playing actually was, and I can really recommend it. Lennie Tristano and Warne Marsh are two players I listen to often, and they play behind the beat, and are always swinging really hard.

[dario]

Ciao, sei fortissimo.Un saluto dall'Italia

[sergiomendozaangeles]

Muchas gracias por el video Jens me ayuda muchisimo un saludo desde Ciudad De Mexico

[Athraminaurian]

I transcribe interesting rhythms and use them as sort of a "vessel" for notes. I'm also really into using rap flows as the rhythmic framework since a lot of rappers really develop their flows in interesting ways. Groovy Tony by Schoolboy Q is a track that comes to mind. Very interesting accents and very loose.


Transcribing Miles Okazaki is also very worthwhile, that man is a rhythm wizard. Check out Kudzu or Dozens. Completely insane stuff.

[dsargeant]

Use the Tenor Madness rhythms in Summertime and call it “Summer Madness”

[vishyoutubevideos]

Is the blue wristband looking thing some kind of sound damper? And do I need one for my guitar?