How To Write Great Jazz Vocabulary And Learn From Charlie Parker

In this video, I challenge myself to find new things to play in solos, and one way I do that is to limit myself to a single thing and then really explore that, and that is what I am going to do in this video with a basic Cmaj7 arpeggio and all the Bebop Tricks I can think of, or at least most of them.

✅ Charlie Parker on The Blues:

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Content:
00:00 Intro
00:19 #1 Parker and the Blues Mystery
01:33 #2 Descending Is Great As Well
01:59 #3 Making Scale Runs Sound Amazing
02:18 Constructing a Bebop Lick From A Scale Melody
02:46 #4 This Is Also In There
03:08 When Is Something Bebop?
03:50 #5 First A Beautiful Chromatic Phrase
04:09 #6 Chromatic Detour
04:39 #7 A Great rhythm from Wes, Pat Martino or Parker?
05:09 #8 It Does Not Have To Be A Cmaj7 Chord
05:38 #9 Creating Patterns and Pedal Notes
06:11 #10 Wes Uses Technique To Get Phrasing
06:38 Create Bebop Vocabulary For Your Solos
06:46 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]

Who do you check out for Bebop: Parker, Bud Powell, Monk?
✅ Charlie Parker on The Blues:

[michaelstevens]

It's 3AM here in Kansas City, Missouri. I'm a night owl. Some of the best ways to get the most practical use of Arpeggio's is 1.Melodic embellishment of the diatonic 1, 3, 5, 7 notes. 2. Interesting rhythms. 3. Different contours. 4. Inversions. In other words Parker Bebop Arpeggio language which you demonstrate here perfectly. Limitation exercises are one of the best ways to thoroughly ingrain a concept. Great video.Thanks.

[robflores]

2:40am in NY. Thank you for all the knowledge!

[effsixteenblock]

Jens - if you're ever having a bad day, just think about how much you're helping people. Being a great teacher and being able to leverage technology in this way means you quite possibly are helping more people than any music teacher has in history.
Think about that!
I really feel like I can say we ALL appreciate you and your efforts!

[TedBoyRomarino]

Man, you make a lot of fun about your English speaking.
I love your speaking, clearer than defrost water

[insidejazzguitar]

Enjoy your videos as always! As I think you have explained in the past, one of the ways I love getting more mileage out of awesome major seven lines and concepts like these is to use them from the flat seven of substitute dominant cords, like tritone subs and back-door dominants, or from the minor third of the II-7 chord.

[samuelemahtolo]

You just keep doing it, again and again ! This video is a blessing. Thank you very much !

[warrenwilson]

LOL — “Abstract Thought Experiments” What a great line: so many of the tips you give us are about turning technical knowledge into musical melody. I have heard a lot of players who sound like they are practicing drills when they are improvising, your comment gave me a nice smile.

[aylbdrmadison]

Thanks so much Jens. ^-^
Jazz has always been the genre I've struggled most with theory-wise, and I'm starting to overcome that hurdle with your help. You're truly a gifted teacher, and do a wonderful job of making this stuff fun to learn.

[DaddySantaClaus]

I often ignore some chords 😅 but end up resolving later. I really like to play diminished over dominant chords too, that's why I love Jazz endless possibilities,
Btw I just been accepted into university to study music, jazz in specific, I'm so scared and so thrilled at the same time since I'm 31 and play guitar for like 5 years, jazz for 3 years, and only own an acoustic guitar 😂 and I must thank you, cause unaware of it you actually helped me and gave me inspiration, so thank you Jens, for everything.

[hansbendixen]

When i played the first parker line i thought hmm major 7 is that just for the sake of a leading note ... Glad to see you explained it afterwards. great lesson as always.

[Euro.Patriot]

Reasons why Thursday is best day

New Jens video
I can't think of anything else

[siemekkisiel]

9:00am in Cracow. Jens - you are the best! Great lesson.

[Bompu]

Thank you for unlocking these secrets and presenting them in context with such great pacing and clarity! 🙏

[jorro]

I recently realized that about Charlie Parker’s language: he has a lot of the general sound of the older players and the idea of the Major 6 chord as a stable triad. A lot of times he only plays 7ths in a blues as a point of resolution to the next chord. In a lot of ways I wonder: maybe he thought about harmony in a different way than how most people think now. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to replicate a lot of his playing…

[空小人物]

Your videos keep getting funnier and clearer every time! 🤩 😍🤓 thank you so much for these great break downs, they help making jazz-speak understandable for laymen like me 🙏🏽

[gonzalo]

9:50 AM in Madrid and I want to share my secret for learning jazz guitar too: get a good teacher! Tks Jens Great lesson as usual

[steellemonstudios]

Wonderful lesson, Jens! Great concepts and ideas. I’m jamming along.

[crazyshred]

3:23 am Indiana workin on that bebop thanks man!

[necemer]

Love it, Thank you for the great Video. Tom 👍😁