New Approach to Learning Tunes Lesson

Description

In this lesson, I talk about a new approach I have to learning the changes to tunes. I will be 50 years old in the fall and you would think that I would have all the tools I need mastered by now but a couple months ago I tried a new approach to learning a jazz standard that really surprised me. It surprised me because I had the changes to the tune memorized before ever picking up my sax!

Now, three months later, I still remember the changes to this tune even though I haven’t played it in over a month. The old method of learning a tune would be for me to play it over and over again on the sax until it was memorized. This was effective in getting it into my short term memory for a gig but many times I would lose this memory after a short time of not playing the tune.

In this lesson I talk about learning the melody of each song so that you can sing it but then also learning the root movement of the chords and being able to sing those also. By treating the roots as if they were a melody and singing them even when away from the sax or a piano I was able practice this standard for hours while away from the sax. I’m a bit excited in this video as this method seems to be working for me. I just wish I had discovered it back in high school. In this video lesson I talk about the process and all the things I am learning along the way. I apply the process to three jazz standards. My Shining Hour, Someday My Prince Will Come and But Not For me.(35 Minute Video Lesson)