Whether you are a beginner to jazz or a seasoned pro, learning jazz standards will always be an important part of your musical development.
Learning jazz standards allows you to tap into the history of the artform and observe what was being done before, providing a framework that you can experiment with.
…But with countless tunes and a wide variety of approaches to take, finding a good way to learn jazz standards can feel near impossible…
Fear not!
In this blog post, we will go through a 5 step method of learning jazz standards that will help to improve your musical skills in no time!
Lets begin!
1. Find The Original Version
Once you found a jazz standard that you would like to learn, find the original recording of it and save it.
It is very helpful to familiarize yourself with the original version of any song before you start learning and creating an arrangement for it.
Alternate versions do not have the authenticity an original version would have. Things like dynamics, chord progressions and even how the melody is played will differ depending on the person performing.
That is why it is important to hear the original to get insight into what the composer initially intended.
2. Make A Playlist
After you’ve found the original, make a playlist of different versions of the standard on whatever platform you stream music with.
You can start with 3-5 different arrangements, or you can add every version you can find to your playlist.
The more versions you listen to, the more inspiration you will have for when you’re ready to create an arrangement!
3. Practice With A Lead Sheet
So you’ve listened to the original and found some alternate arrangements. Now its time to play!
Find a lead sheet and practice with it so you can see the melody as well as the chords on paper.
If you do not know how to read music, lead sheets are actually a great way to start learning because the majority of them have only one staff, and the rhythms are usually simple.
You would’ve been hearing the song for a little while so the melody would be easier to play with the sheet in front of you.
Practice and listening are the two important keywords throughout every step of this process!
4. Analyze The Melody & Chord Structure
This is probably the most important step in this process. By analysis, we will be able to figure out how to improvise over the chord changes and create lines that flow seamlessly. This can be broken down into smaller parts:
- Melody: Does it have a pattern or does it alternate between steps, skips and leaps? Does it have a form? Are the rhythms repetitive or does it change in each bar? Does it have lyrics? Check out how other people play/sing it. Do they change any notes of the melody? Does it sound better to you?
- Harmony/Chord Progressions: Take a good look at the chords and identify any typical chord progressions (Major/Minor 2-5-1s, 3-6-2-5s, etc.) you can find. Identify the key center(s) and use roman numerals to define the functions of the chords. Can you apply any theory that you are learning/have learned to this standard? Tritone Substitution? So What Voicings? You can make these notes in a book or on the lead sheet itself.
- Assigning Scales/Modes To Each Chord: Look at each chord separately and assign the scales/modes that are available for each chord. (D Dorian, C Aeolian, G Altered, Bb Pentatonic)
- Improvisation: Take all the information you’ve gathered and put it to good use by improvising lines over the chord changes. Another useful thing to do is to transcribe a solo on the standard and analyze that too.
5. Find Out Extra Information
This is where you take the time to research things like what year the song was written and what was going on during that time. Who wrote the melody? Who wrote the lyrics? What other standards would they have written? Where did they come from? What was their musical background?
All of this information will would’ve had an influence on the writer(s) and will influence you to some degree, as a performer.
It always pays to know the history of what you’re playing. You end up playing with a lot more confidence. Plus, people will admire that you took the time out to do your research.
Conclusion
The great thing about this method is that you can use it to learn a new jazz standard each week, or you could pace yourself differently and learn a new one every two weeks or even every month, depending on how fast you learn.
Not only will you learn a new standard, you will also be giving yourself a mini history lesson as well as practicing improvisation, scales/modes, aural skills, analytical skills and sightreading.
Don’t forget to keep listening, as this will help you greatly during your practice.
Good luck!
