Are you looking to really improve your jazz playing in 2024?
Here are 10 tips to make this a swinging year!
Whether you are just starting out or are an experienced musician looking to take your playing to the next level, these tips will help you achieve your goals and become the best jazz musician you can be.
Practice consistently:
The most effective way to improve as a musician is to practice regularly. Make time to practice your instrument or vocals every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Consistent practice will help you develop your skills and increase your proficiency. It is always better to play 10 minutes per day rather than 70 minutes once a week!
Grab your Free Practice Tracker to make the best out of your practice time this year!
Set goals:
Determine what you want to achieve and set specific goals to help you get there. This could be learning a new standard, developing your rhythmic creativity, learning theory, going through the Daily Triads Exercises program, improving your mastery of scales and vocabulary. Setting goals will help you stay motivated and focused on your musical development.
Find a good teacher or mentor:
A good teacher or mentor can provide valuable guidance and support as you learn and grow as a musician. Look for an active musician who is experienced and knowledgeable, and who has a teaching style that works well for you.
JVL members get discounts on private lessons with Alex Terrier.
Learn to listen:
Listening is a crucial skill for any jazz musician. Pay attention to other musicians and listen to recordings of your favorite artists to learn how they approach their music. Pay close attention how the musicians interact with each other. This will help you develop your own style and improve your overall musicianship. In the JVL Tribe we often compare versions of the same standard to identify similarities and differences.
Experiment and try new things:
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things as a jazz musician. This could mean learning new styles of jazz, trying out different instruments, or collaborating with other musicians. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you can discover new musical interests and capabilities.
Study jazz theory:
Understanding jazz theory can help you better understand how jazz music is constructed and how to improvise within its framework. Consider taking a jazz theory course or working with a teacher to learn more about jazz harmony, scales, and chord progressions.
Learn the jazz repertoire:
Familiarize yourself with the jazz standards and learn as many tunes as you can. This will give you a foundation of tunes to draw from when improvising and playing with others. In the JVL Tribe we learn a new standard each month, studying in depth the melody, harmony, the 4 Levels Of Improvisation, transcriptions and different improvisation techniques.
See all the Standards Studies lessons here.
Improvise:
Improvising is a key element of jazz, and it takes practice to develop your skills. Start by improvising over simple chord progressions and gradually work your way up to more complex ones.
Discover our successful pedagogy using The 4 Levels Of Improvisation.
Play with others:
Playing with other musicians is a great way to improve your skills and learn from others. Join a local jazz group or start a band with friends to get experience playing with others.
Take online jazz video lessons:
Online jazz video lessons are a convenient and effective way to learn and improve your jazz playing. Check out www.jazzvideolessons.net for a wide variety of lessons and courses taught by experienced jazz musicians. This can be a great complement to your music school or in-person teacher and of course it’s a great solution if you do not have access to a teacher in your area. It is also financially interesting as the cost of our classes and membership is a fraction of what cost a traditional music school.
By following these tips and putting in the time and effort, you can make significant progress as a jazz musician and achieve your musical goals in 2024.
I wish you a healthy, bright and swinging new year. Join us and start improving today!
Alex Terrier
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Practice consistently:
The most effective way to improve as a musician is to practice regularly. Make time to practice your instrument or vocals every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Consistent practice will help you develop your skills and increase your proficiency. It is always better to play 10 minutes per day rather than 70 minutes once a week!
Grab your Free Practice Tracker to make the best out of your practice time this year!
Set goals:
Determine what you want to achieve and set specific goals to help you get there. This could be learning a new standard, developing your rhythmic creativity, learning theory, going through the Daily Triads Exercises program, improving your mastery of scales and vocabulary. Setting goals will help you stay motivated and focused on your musical development.
Find a good teacher or mentor:
A good teacher or mentor can provide valuable guidance and support as you learn and grow as a musician. Look for an active musician who is experienced and knowledgeable, and who has a teaching style that works well for you.
JVL members get discounts on private lessons with Alex Terrier.
Learn to listen:
Listening is a crucial skill for any jazz musician. Pay attention to other musicians and listen to recordings of your favorite artists to learn how they approach their music. Pay close attention how the musicians interact with each other. This will help you develop your own style and improve your overall musicianship. In the JVL Tribe we often compare versions of the same standard to identify similarities and differences.
Experiment and try new things:
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things as a jazz musician. This could mean learning new styles of jazz, trying out different instruments, or collaborating with other musicians. By stepping out of your comfort zone, you can discover new musical interests and capabilities.
Study jazz theory:
Understanding jazz theory can help you better understand how jazz music is constructed and how to improvise within its framework. Consider taking a jazz theory course or working with a teacher to learn more about jazz harmony, scales, and chord progressions.
Learn the jazz repertoire:
Familiarize yourself with the jazz standards and learn as many tunes as you can. This will give you a foundation of tunes to draw from when improvising and playing with others. In the JVL Tribe we learn a new standard each month, studying in depth the melody, harmony, the 4 Levels Of Improvisation, transcriptions and different improvisation techniques.
See all the Standards Studies lessons here.
Improvise:
Improvising is a key element of jazz, and it takes practice to develop your skills. Start by improvising over simple chord progressions and gradually work your way up to more complex ones.
Discover our successful pedagogy using The 4 Levels Of Improvisation.
Play with others:
Playing with other musicians is a great way to improve your skills and learn from others. Join a local jazz group or start a band with friends to get experience playing with others.
Take online jazz video lessons:
Online jazz video lessons are a convenient and effective way to learn and improve your jazz playing. Check out www.jazzvideolessons.net for a wide variety of lessons and courses taught by experienced jazz musicians. This can be a great complement to your music school or in-person teacher and of course it’s a great solution if you do not have access to a teacher in your area. It is also financially interesting as the cost of our classes and membership is a fraction of what cost a traditional music school.
By following these tips and putting in the time and effort, you can make significant progress as a jazz musician and achieve your musical goals in 2024.
I wish you a healthy, bright and swinging new year. Join us and start improving today!
Alex Terrier
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