Jazz Practice Routine How To Find The Perfect Balance
If you have to make a 30 minute Jazz Practice Routine, what should you include?
We are all different so there is not one solution that fits everybody, but you don’t want to waste time, or leave out important things to practice.
In this video I am going to go over what I think a 30 minute practice session should include. I am of course a guitarist so it will be aimed at jazz guitar practice, but I am sure the philosphy and topics will fit all instruments. Some of the topics that I think are important for a jazz practice routine would be:
Technique, Repertoire, Exercises, Vocabulary, Theory, Ear-Training,
Transcriptions
I am really curious about how your practice routine is, so if you have a routine then please leave a comment with a list of stuff you work on. This is useful for people looking for inspiration and certainly also for you to evaluate how you work. I will do the same ????
Check out the article:
Check out my Practice Routine:
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#Jazz #Practice #Routine #Find #Perfect #Balance
Originally posted by UCqepSCHTyWj4BzHxEEUNvlg at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ggZQhPn_k
My Routine:
5 min Chromatic + Arpeggios (similar to the video)
20 min scales and exercises
Playing songs with Metronome (as long as I can) and/or check out recordings
unless I have to prepare for a gig, then I do that.
If you want a more accurate description of my routine then you could check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR_v0zTYw_g&t=0s&index=3&list=PLWYuNvZPqqcHBi6TAQA8f7gWiLmk7Xv-d
I don't have a strict routine per say, but my usual practice looks like this:
Warmup: besides Jazz, I'm a big fan of metal lead guitar, so for warming up I've been using Yngwie licks and trying to practice them. I also like running through speed picking licks off the solo to A7x's Nightmare, as i find they really throw my hand into shape.
Afterwards I use Jens's arpeggio exercise with the leading chromatic note to really get my hands into shape, and then I double check it by running a couple stretchy chromatic exercises.
Next is Ear Training. Right now I'm learning Miles's solo off of So What? (About halfway there), so before picking up the guitar I listen to the solo and try to sing the phrases I'm working on atm. I do this for at least 20 minutes.
Improvisation takes about 30 minutes. Been working on upping my improvisation around "A" Train and working on Billies Bounce too.
At that point, I typically start writing songs and try to work on my singing chops as well.
I typically play around 3 hours a day so it definitely varies depending on your schedule but this is what works for me
Many thanks for such structured, complete, but in the same time brief practice plan!
Super! Thanks Jens!!
Mid 40's. Played since i was 10. I'm told by some that I'm good but, being brutally honest, i know how actually mediocre i am.
You hit my biggest issue… I've never learned a single song… not any that i practiced enough to remember. It definitely shows in my "playing". I do practice, but lack of any song knowledge has held me back. I'm embarrassed to be around actual musicians and have never really played with anyone else in a meaningful way.
Watching your videos the past few weeks have convinced me to rethink what i actually want out of my time with my music and instruments. I just need to pick a couple of easy tunes to start with.
Really appreciate everything you do here in your videos.
My 30 minute practice routine is to watch 5 YouTube tutorials – I am now a virtuoso – in my head, it’s just my fingers don’t realise yet ????
4:08 a front meter??
As an other important part of jazz is rhythm, an other good exercice to me is to play rhythm on a famous jazz song as if you were part of the group (for example on "4 on 6") and to be able to keep the groove. Same thing with a bossa nova (fir example "Chega de Saudade"à with classic bossa rythmn
that chromatic one, i reshape this into the chromatic scale. i call it the Chromatic Spider. Practising navigating around the neck, especially if cycling thru a few keys. Consecutive notes & "digitals". Just a bit more melodic .. just squeezing a bit more outa ur warmup. Yep, I too love playing 2 the back-beat 2 & 4s.
What is that blue thing on the headstock?
I definitely don't have a solid "this is how much time I work on this" before I move on. I find it difficult because I have so many things I'm trying to learn right now. always working on pentatonic modulation, minor and major, triads, arpeggios, stuff I get from my teacher, and also trying to learn slide.
Getting familiar with every key is going to take some time for me. C Major and G Major are my bread and butter, but I took some of the advice of this channel to heart. I made little slips of paper to help with the circle of fifths, and those double for "what scales am I going to practice today?"
Generally, I spend around 5 to 10 minutes warming up with finger exercises. I do some symmetrical stuff just like you've shown here. For picking hand exercises, there are some Paul Gilbert lessons that are my go to that really work on alternate picking. String skipping is a skill I need to invest more time in.
For playing, I've really enjoyed playing over a backing track that can be found here on youtube, but I'm gonna focus more on the 7th and 6th arpeggios and adding them into my play. The extensions (E7#9) will come. 🙂
My routine is staring at the the damn thing until I get distracted by something. Some of my best playing comes from not playing at all.
Thanks!
I spend most of my hour-long practice sessions focusing on athleticism and 'feeling' the connection 'across the gulf' between the right and left hands; I also try not to get trapped too much trying to 'keep up' with the tempo, rather to make each note a perfect hit. . .scales I try to do at speed
It's tough because I try and get at least a couple hours in 5-6 days a week. For YEARS I practiced scales and most recently arpeggios for almost the entire practice session. I often KNEW this wasn't effecient as many would define it though I felt I needed some serious work on my time feel and, to this day, I still like using the metronome as part of my playing. In most recent years it's often a challenge to keep up with all I want to learn though, for instance this morning, I took the first hour and worked with an old "50 Jazz Licks" DVD I bought in my 20s though instead of just doing the lick, I try and internalize the licks then move them around in all keys. That way I feel like I'm actually working on the true essence (the arpeggio to chromaticism balance) and tuning my ear to the lick instead of only really knowing it in one place. Then second hour I worked on songs for a show I'm doing tomorrow. I'm still working out exactly how I want things to go in practice though I've come a long way and feel I better have an understanding of things though still love working with the metronome: I could sit and run scales for hours. 🙂 Thank you for your videos always.
A simple hack to get coverage in all keys if your time is limited – I have a twelve-sided die that I got at a gaming store, I just roll it and practice in the key for whatever number comes up. #1 means C, then walk the cycle of fifths from there, so #2 means F, #3 means Bb, etc.
I like to play every chromatic note ,,, except middle C
Whats the C major A flat correlation at 10:55? Does it mean practice those 2 scale shapes in all keys?
Hello Jens, your videos are great and very helpful, but to be honest when you are learning like me this is more than a daily routine rather than 30mn.
Hi Jens I found exercises for developing Gypsy Jazz right hand technique, with that very thick pick they use. Another site on youtube had jazz standards with chords and a backing track. Over the last two years I've learned to play with thumb pick and brass finger picks, I watched the Danny Gatton vid where he taught rolls etc. I don't play enough though. I practice in blocks e.g. chord voicings or bossa nova rhythm(from the Jens Larson site). Is it possible to make a one off contrubution on patreon? Lenny
Jens you are the man, thank you!
Right now I have begun to play "Jens Ten"
1. Take The A Train 2 – Billy Strayhorn
2. Cantaloupe Island – Herbie Hancock
3. Billie's Bounce – Charlie Parker
4. Tenor Madness – Sonny Rollins
5. Satin Doll – Strayhorn-Ellington
6. Blue Bossa – Kenny Dorham
7. Autumn Leaves – Joseph Kosma
8. Perdido 2 – Juan Tizol
9. Summertime – George Gershwin
10. Solar – Miles Davis
Using iReal Pro
also… Jens Arpeggios and after practicing the arps, I reinforce them by playing against a chord prog using IReal. Also focus on hybrid picking using various patterns like… DDMAMUDU, DD_AMAMU, DAMADDMA
I love your videos, Jens. Although I am not into jazz but I find it very helpful to learn and apply its theory into my playing. My current practice regime includes: technical exercises to enhance right and left hand cordination, with the focus on strict alternate picking; chord etudes picked from Jazz instruction books and trying to play them in 12 keys; scales in different combinations, like in 3rds, 4ths, 6ths and so so; sight reading exercises from William Leavitt's book; arpeggios from Introduction to jazz guitar soloing by Jor Elliott; arpeggio studies from Mimi Fox's Arpeggios on Jazz standards; ear training using an app I recently downloaded. Of course I don't touch upon all the elements in one sitting. Thanks for letting me share what I do. Once again, you are a brilliant teacher!
Great channel. Love the focus on fundamentals and the artistic yet disciplined approach rather than totally dry technical coverage. But my question is about the sunburst strat hanging over your right shoulder in the frame – is that a capo attached near the bridge of the instrument and does it have any function down there, or is that just the way you "stow" the capo on the instrument until you are ready to use it in a more traditional position?
That one little sentence about how you see the fretboard when you improvise over (for example) G7 in the key of C was the moment where it clicked for me. Thank you
The triad exercise is interesting. Its not blues but interesting none the less. I am curious about the theory behind it.
I find 1-3-5-6-7 runs, a couple of octaves each, following a 1, 4, 5, 4, 1 very useful and fun
How do I get to patreon page
I spend most all of my practice time learning solos that interest me -currently, your Bb jazz blues solo – very nice. I usually practice for 1.5 to 2 hours at a time. Unfortunately, its not every day – live has its priorities. But I rarely go 2 days without practicing. I think an additional regime of scales and arpeggios would be an improvement.
30 minutes on a tune. Assess what needs to be done based on that tune.
Can you play the melody? Can you play in both octaves?
Do you know the real chords… alternative chords/endings/turnarounds?
Do you have an intro for it?
Can you play basic lines over the changes? (Have you memorized those changes?)
What about other techniques such as octaves, block chord solos, etc?
Did you transcribe a solo over this tune from one of your favorite players?
Did you at least transcribe a line from a particular solo?
Can you play this tune in multiple keys or at least the most popular ones?
I don’t believe there’s really a shortcut. But you can kick start the process by getting started with tunes you really love and approaching them slowly no matter the difficulty. You’ll gain so many jazz skills from this process alone.
That’s how I spend 30 minutes a day. Currently listening to Woody Shaw playing On Green Dolphin Street (Live Village Vanguard 1978). There are incredibly rich melodic ideas there.
[Other questions, do you know the lyrics to the melody? Have you transcribed a vocalist, you’ll be surprised by how their rendition varies greatly.]
Everything we need is in the records.
Eres el mejor Maestro Jens!! I enjoy your lessons even if I don´t get everything well understood, like your approach. Saludos from Mexico City
my practice routine (particularly useful for commuters without guitar at hand but with an iphone…)
1) learn reading notes – a ios app called notenprofi – its for children but i really does the job – gamification really helps you to become quicker and quicker in reading notes
2) learing voicings and the neck: iOS – frettrainer
3) learning reading rhythms – Rhythmus Trainer also iOS (most unfortunately the developers have turned the app into a subscription model – but if you only use the app 10 minutes daily it remains free…)
I used these apps on a daily basis while commuting – before the pandemic – and in the moring before starting to work in the pandemic.
One of the ways in which I have practiced scales is to play all shapes, e.g. five “boxes” of the minor pentatonic scale moving up the neck and then changing key up a minor third to play the next five shapes going down the neck. Get to the bottom, change key up a minor third and work back up the neck, and so on until all twelve keys are done. Of course after each set of four you need to adjust the starting point or you end up playing the same for keys over and over again. If that sounds confusing let me know and I’ll try to explain it more clearly.
Love the Paul David’s rip
Jens thank you , keep uploading , best wishes for the new year 2022, may it be a musical and enoy playing guitar and practicing, Thanks very much , greats from The netherlands , Amsterdam.
took good notes. many thanks
Great video, It helped a lot.
Great exercise is to play the first 6 arpejos vertically up and down within the 7 modes. For example in the key of C, C ionian (CMaj7,Dm7 Em7 FMaj7 G7 Am7), then D Dorian (Dm7 Em7 FMaj7 G7 Am7 Bm7b5), E Phrygian (Em7, FMaj7, G7, Am7, Bm7b5, CMaj7) and so on…
Love that you gave the example of G7 against or within the C major scale. I thought I was doing something wrong in doing that but I guess I'm OK….
What strings do you use and the gauge? Thanks.
Do you offer lessons Jens?
Four on six
Merci beaucoup, votre êtes un excellent teacher
That Morse-ex. sounds brilliant!