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To truly learn a jazz standard is much more than memorizing chord charts. It means learning to express yourself through a living musical language built on ear training, interaction, and improvisation. And to do that, you need a teacher who can guide you through the process with clarity, depth, and passion. That teacher is Alex Terrier.
Since 2013, this world-class jazz musician has helped thousands of students – from beginners discovering their first tune to advanced players refining complex chord progressions – through his platform : Jazz Video Lessons Online.
With JVL, you’ll not only learn jazz standards, you’ll understand them, feel their melody, hear their harmonic logic, and make them your own. Whether you’re starting from scratch or deepening your jazz theory knowledge, you’ll find a clear, structured way forward.
Many musicians want to learn jazz songs, not just to play something recognizable, but to finally unlock the musical freedom jazz offers. But without the right path, it’s easy to get stuck. The complexity of jazz chords, the intimidating theory, and the lack of beginner-friendly resources often cause frustration.
This is why Jazz Video Lessons exists: to make it easier to start, easier to practice, and easier to grow. Each course is part of a complete learning journey, one that helps you develop your ear, improve your improvisation skills, and become a confident jazz musician, step by step.
Too often, students are told to “just learn the changes”. But chord changes are only the beginning. On JVL, every jazz standard becomes an opportunity to break down its structure, learn functional harmonic progressions, and truly hear the musical logic.
Take the Autumn Leaves lesson, for instance. You’ll explore the II-V-I progressions, practice improvising with triads, follow the bass line of Sam Jones, and understand how the harmony flows, all while connecting theory to sound.
With each lesson, you’ll improve your understanding of jazz chords, chord extensions, substitutions, and voice leading. You’ll discover how to create your own solos and phrases over classic tunes, while training your ear to anticipate the changes.
All lessons are led by Alex Terrier, in both French and English, and include HD videos, downloadable PDFs, transcriptions, and real musical examples for all instruments.
At Jazz Video Lessons, we don’t believe in random YouTube hopping. Instead, you’ll follow a five-level learning progression, tailored to your skill level. Each level includes handpicked standards, technical exercises, and practice routines that build real skills, not just memory.
Level 1: The Basics
Level 2: Seventh Chords and Time Mastery
Level 3: Improvisation Through Chord-Scale Relationships
Level 4: Bebop Vocabulary and Jazz Language
Level 5: Advanced Structures and Modal Theory
Every level includes free jazz lessons, full online jazz courses, and masterclasses with high-level musicians. Whether you need to revisit the basics or push toward mastery, the structured curriculum keeps your learning focused and efficient.
The internet is full of videos and charts, but most resources fail where it matters: helping you think and play like a jazz musician. A chord chart and a backing track might help you get started, but they won’t teach you how to improvise, how to hear movement in chord changes, or how to create a compelling solo.
With Jazz Video Lessons, you gain:
Best of all, you’re not alone. You’re learning from a passionate teacher – Alex Terrier – who brings decades of experience as a performer and educator. His lessons are designed to help you connect musical ideas, grow your confidence, and finally feel at home within the world of jazz.
If you’ve ever felt lost trying to memorize jazz standards, now’s the time to switch to a proven system. Whether you want to start learning jazz, improve your solos, or simply play the songs you love with deeper understanding, Jazz Video Lessons gives you the roadmap and the skills.
Stop just playing through the changes. Learn jazz standards in a way that transforms your playing, forever.
Start with accessible tunes like C Jam Blues, Take The A Train, and All of Me. These standards feature clear chord progressions, essential jazz chords, and are ideal for building improvisation and ear training skills as you begin to learn jazz.
Practice ear training daily by singing chord tones, transcribing simple solos, and identifying II-V-I progressions. Listening actively to standards helps you recognize harmonic movement and prepares you to play jazz more intuitively over common tunes.
Focus on chord-scale theory, voice leading, II-V-I progressions, and modal interchange. These foundations let you analyze, understand, and play jazz standards creatively, while developing stronger improvisation skills across a variety of songs and styles.
Playing with others sharpens your time, phrasing, and interaction. It strengthens your ability to learn jazz standards in real time, improves your ear, and develops confidence in improvising over unpredictable chord changes in live musical contexts.
Begin by learning jazz standards with simple chord progressions. Practice improvising with triads, focus on II-V-I lines, and transcribe short solos. Use backing tracks to develop time, melody, and phrasing while strengthening your ear and understanding of jazz theory.
It depends on your level and practice routine. With focused learning, most players can internalize a standard in 1–3 weeks. Regular practice, listening, and improvising help you not only play the tune, but also understand its chords and progression deeply.
Yes—start by playing and listening. While jazz theory helps long-term, JVL’s method teaches you through practical chord patterns, ear training, and intuitive learning. You’ll naturally absorb theory concepts by playing and analyzing real songs and tunes.
Absolutely. Jazz Video Lessons offers transcriptions and examples for all instruments. Whether you play piano, guitar, saxophone, or bass, each jazz standard course is designed to help you learn, practice, and improvise effectively within your musical context.