3 Reasons Why You Should Be Practicing In all 12 Keys

One of the greatest things you can do for your jazz playing and over all musicianship is to take different pieces of musical content into all 12 keys.

In this video I talk about 3 reasons why you should do this and invest the time and effort. Take this into action, and I guarantee you'll see results. It's worked for me, and I know it will work for you as well.

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[dscl]

I’m doing “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire)“ in all 12 keys. It’s not only my favourite song but it’s just about the hardest song I know (I don’t really do jazz). Everything you say is right, I’d already figured out the ear training bit, as I amaze myself at what I can hear in Eb (my favourite key), but I CAN'T hear EXACTLY the same thing if I play it in (eg.) A, E or B. Thanks for your help.

[kamaismusic]

I took "Have you met mrs. Jones" throug several keys. Man the B-Part is pretty hard, but it helped, like you said, you get deeper to the material. Thank you for this advice.

[jazzerson]

It's also good for being able to modulate as a soloist and add more depth to your performances. I find I Can't Get Started boring in just C for instance, take it into E flat via C Maj 7 to F minor 9, B flat 13 and G flat via E flat major 7 to A flat minor 9, D flat 13 and it completely brings it to life!

[Herehear]

Playing the blues in all keys is a whopping start. it can be pretty humbling finding oneself able to burn through certain keys but not getting much traction in others.

[chebstar]

My old jazz teacher told me a story once of his old teacher who gave Rachmaninoff a practice session in a studio with a piano in it in exchange for one piano lesson with him. So my teacher's teacher was having trouble with some complicated Bach passages and when he asked Rachmaninoff to help him, guess what the latter said? "Practice it in all 12 keys!" :)

[MrFree-vjqj]

Randomly transpose to other keys what you just learned to play, don't go half steps up that's mechanical and too easy it does not challenge your musical ear, playing a line or chord progression in a different random key will force you to rely on your ear because you lose all physical and visual patterns which
always get in the way of your ears development.


-if you have limited time, favor popular keys. all 12 are not necessary, even 6 important and switching randomly is better than 12 half done
And There is more to it, don't stop at the simplistic : practice in all 12 keys they all keep repeating without proper thought into it.
Always ask yourself why and how

[timwelvaarsjazzharmonica]

Hi Brent, first of all: great teachings! As far as practicing in all keys I would like to add a very good 4th reason to do so! I learned actually from my mentor Toots Thielemans. He taught me that by playing a melody in all keys you can choose your own favorite key for that tune to play it in. As you know, of course, a tune sounds different in all keys. In other words, by playing a tune in all keys you will hear what key the tune sounds best in. As a result you'll perform that tune in that favorite key at your best! : )

[argeancomics]

Is there any kind of exercices to fix the major scales? I mean, Im using your 4 Pattern exercices in 12 keys, but would be more effective if there would be a method (like Clarkes or Arbans) with different aproaches of each key, just to help fixing the accidents. Just repeating each key up and down becomes mechanic after some time routine and the mind flows away from the practice. Im trying to transpose some simple musics (Im a beginner student) in different keys but I miss something more specific.

[donngoodside]

The concept of Jazz Standards, usage of, ii, V7', I's, and Substituting the, V7 with a ( V7 of: V7 ), ex., dm7, to G7, ( if the 'G7, hangs in for 4 measures,  it's boring ), So: you substitute a D7, maybe a chromatic descend, to a Db7, before resolving to C Major. "Does this also work,  'Melodically'  if the 2, 5, is in a minor Key... 'Bm7 ( b5 ), E7 'Harmonic ), sub to 'B7.?

[viktm]

What gauge of strings are you using, if I may ask?

[JustinArmstrongsite]

Been working on Happy Birthday through the keys... Playing by ear is slow going... :p

[thestrangermusic]

I am not that interested in Jazz, but I want to become a sophisticated musician in my own terms and eventually learn a little from the genre.
Should I also practice my licks in all 12 keys?

[sergiojaenlara]

The problem with guitar is you can be dead before you end the practice of a simple lick in 12 keys on every position. How do you do it?

[Beulzabob]

I'll play devil's advocate for the opposition and say that you can achieve all of those goals by playing in 6 keys, all separated by a whole tone, A, B, C#, Eb, F, G one day. Then move the whole cycle up a semitone the next time. This will be far more efficient. There is a minutia's worth of difference between A and Ab or C# and D, etc... The real benefit is getting more practice and being able to transpose on the fly.

[OhioGolfAddict]

Nope. :-P In all seriousness, started learning to play Jazz and take lessons after 26 years of on an off playing in November. This week is the first week we are challenging and getting serious, and I am learning a tune a week. For week one, is Blue Bossa. It's not a super hard tune, so I think it I should be able to learn it in all 12 keys before Monday. Challenge accepted. Thanks for the content Brent, and keep up the great work. Always tons of info in these and the podcasts.

[gerrycoogan]

Okay, I'm in. I've been meaning to bite this bullet for years and I usually abandon it after four or five key changes. This time I'll do all twelve.

I'm going to do a couple of Sinatra songs from the Swinging Lovers album. (By the way, I'm a piano player.)

I've Got You Under My Skin (Original key is C sharp or, if you prefer, D flat.)

And

You Make Me Feel So Young (original starts in A flat then transposes to A.)