You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - 7 Lessons Learned from the Masters

Episode Date: December 12, 2019

Today, Peter and Adam share the most important things they've learned from some of the legends of jazz.7 Lessons Learned From the MastersPlay half of what you hear (Cecil Bridgewater)Create! (Betty Carter)When you don't know what to play, TACET (Willie Akins)Patience and beauty (Johnny Griffin)Rubato (Reggie Workman)Seriousness and devotion (Wynton Marsalis)Attention to detail (Peter Martin)BONUSWant every Open Studio course for free? That's right - over 300 hours and 1200 lessons can be yours with free lifetime access! All you have to do is enter Open Studio's 2019 Holiday Giveaway. Go to https://learn.openstudiojazz.com/giveaway/, or watch this video of Peter for more info: https://youtu.be/KsdhVXE5ovILet us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Interested in more jazz advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram at:https://www.facebook.com/heyopenstudiohttps://twitter.com/heyopenstudiohttps://www.instagram.com/heyopenstudio See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey Pete. Yo. What have you learned from being on this masterful podcast? Man, I couldn't even begin to list how much I've learned, so I won't. So nothing. Well, I didn't say that. I'm Matt Amanas. And I'm Peter Martin.

And you're listening to The You'll Hear Podcast. Daily Music Advice, comment at you. Coming at you today. We're sponsored by Open Studio. Go to Open StudioJazz.com. We have our new piano access past. That's every piano course we make, plus any piano course we will make, which I don't know if you know this,

but there's some good stuff in the pike, coming down the pike. I know, no, there's some amazing stuff, and you've actually heard even more of it than I've heard a little bit of it. Yeah.

But there's some very exciting new formats for us coming in the new year from Jeff Kieser. For sure. That's all we can say. Leave it at that. That's going to be very, very cool. Lessons and playing. But then we also have our series.

I have my series, Jazz Piano Basics, which has been very popular. What is that? What the hell is that? Well, that's a different series. That's a different series.

That's a different series. That's a different series. But we have our joint series, the Jazz Piano Technique, Volume 1, which everybody seems to be digging. A little secret on the Jazz Piano Technique course, that's been helping us up our game. I know we're supposed to only give, but we're doing a little taking because we've been practicing. I've heard you practice a little bit. I've been doing a little bit too. We've been guiding ourselves through our practice.

Yeah, those courses, the technique course is all guided practice sessions, which means that you're just practicing along with me and Peter. We set the metronome. We play along with you. We tell you to play soft or loud or fast or slow. And it's really fun. Yeah. And you don't even know about this, but we actually have a very special deal that's only going to be good today, only for you'll hear at listeners, specifically on the piano access pass. Oh, what is it?

See, why are you getting at the end? At the end, okay. You know, people got to work. They got to get through this first. We'll mention that at the end. Don't let me forget. Okay, so what are we talking about today, Pete? Today we're talking about seven lessons learned from the Masters.

Nice. And we're not talking about the Masters golf thing because we don't play golf and we don't care about that. Stay out of the roof. But, no, you know, there's a thing called the Masters. No, the tournament, yeah, of course. Yeah, it's the most famous golf tournament there is. That's great. I mean, you got your hockey game.

I mean, you're all about hockey. I like golf, man. I like some golf. Okay, cool. No, but this, we're talking about the masters of this music, of jazz music, of creative music. And, I mean, look, this is another one that could have been 107 or maybe even 707, because we have a lot of masters and just great practitioners of this music with knowledge. And so it's a little ridiculous that we're going to boil this down to seven, but everything we do here.

but everything we do here is a little bit ridiculous because we don't want to take all your day. We could talk about it. But these are ones that I think are fun for us, and I think they all came directly from the master, right? For sure. Okay, cool. Yeah.

So why don't you kick it off with number one? So number one is from great trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, and he once told me, play half of what you hear. Now, I might have been overplaying a little bit, but I think this was his philosophy in general that you don't have to play every single thing that you're hearing.

Because, you know, with jazz and musicians, we have pretty overreact. of imaginations and minds. And you can just spurt and spurt, you know, language all day long. That doesn't mean you should. Yeah. You know, this was very much,

when I was a young man, him sort of like guiding you into artistry, which I think is a very solid point. I love it too. And it's like, I love it. It's like play half of what you hear because it's like so specific.

It's not like play less than you're here, which makes sense also and falls into that. Yeah. Or it's not even like play one, it's like play half of what you're here. Because what else I love, then maybe. Maybe you do that.

And then he might say to you, you know what, do another half. So now you're at one fourth and it's working out pretty good. That's exactly right. It has infinite, infinite possibility. Here's the thing. I just want to add one more thing, the tale to this, is even if you play half of what you're here, you're still going to play a lot. Oh, exactly. It's human nature.

We just kind of tend to overplay over time. Well, and when you play half, I mean, if you actually do this and get conscious about doing this, especially in your practice or like on a gig, you will be forced to do more listening. because you're not playing as many notes. And then you'll start to hear, like, better how much, should you go another half? Or should you go up to three-fourths or whatever? Yeah, yeah. But when you're playing everything that you're hearing,

there's no room for listening. No. You know, it's just like if you meet someone and you start telling them you're excited because all the things that you know about. And then also your inner monologue starts going, you know what I mean? You're not supposed to do that a lot talking. I didn't realize why I didn't have any friends at dinner parties.

Everyone walk away from me. Now I guess I get. Now I have a podcast. I wish I ran into yeah exactly All right so that's number one number two

and I was we flipped these around because we were normally like number one listen which of course important but this one is create and this comes from Betty Carter and you know Betty Carter was I learned you know so much from her

but I think the most important thing was like we are creative beings we're creative artists and so she was so great about weaving this as a lesson into everything that she would do both just as she was singing and then things that she would set up as the leader of the band. For instance, before she would come out, and I'm trying to remember, it was a couple

different ways, but basically before she would start to sing, whether we were out on stage and played a tune or we all went out together, she wanted us to just create something, not like an introduction to what the tomb was, just like, and we wouldn't always do this, but a lot of times, especially if it was like a festival and we weren't like sure about the sound or whatever. She's just like sounds. I mean, she's like sounds. And at first I was like dominant chords, set her up for the tune. He's like, no, create what you're feeling now. Just like real free kind of, you know.

But it got you in that creative sort of mind space. And I was reminded, you know, in doing her great program jazz ahead at the Kennedy Center, which I'm going to do again next year, she instituted this thing of like when everybody auditions for it. They play like a couple standards, but then they have to present at least two original compositions and play them on the tape, which is so great

because it focuses you back on create, create, you know. Even if you're a drummer, write a song, and that's how you're going to be judged. It doesn't matter if you're just a great thing. solace and play bebop or funk or whatever. Create something. Create something. Original, yeah, that's great. Number three is when you don't know what to

play, Tasset, and I have Tasset in all caps, because this comes from local St. Louis legend here, Willie Akin's RIP, Willie. Yes. And he would just not put up with any BS that you're playing. Right. You know, you had to be very intentional with what you were

playing with Willie, and he would tell you to Tasset. He would turn around and tell the drummer to Tasset. He would tell me to Tasset if I wasn't playing. Would he say like that tacit? No. No, that's what I was saying. No, he would say tacit. No, he would say tacit. He would say tacit. He would say

tacit. Por favor, tacit. Yeah. You kind of yell it under his breath somehow. That kind of goes with number one, play half of what you hear, too. A little bit, yeah. Except he's saying play zero percent of what you here. Yeah, it was a little more just like, listen, if you don't have anything to say, don't open your mouth. That's right. You know what I mean?

Lessons from the elders. That's right. All right. Number four, patience and beauty. Now I put these together. This is from Johnny Griffin, Griffith, Griffin, Johnny Griffin, who I got to play with a little bit and record with when I was very young and ignorant. So this is always good to learn at that age when you're a little bit more pliable. And this was nothing he ever said, but it was the way that he played. I remember him playing this ballad, one of his tunes. And it was like the first time I think that I had seen somebody live play with like a really high level of artistry.

and play with just extreme patience. Like every 100%, it wasn't like they were mostly patient and they did something that was a little bit self-indulgent. And of course, just basically everything he played was beautiful. But I remember that combination, and I didn't totally intellectually understand it until later. But I remember just like playing behind him and hearing him play like that,

and I was just like, wow, this is so easy to accompany this because it's just so beautiful. And like every phrase he plays was so patient. And I just knew I wanted to do that. And later on you realize it's a little easier if you're Johnny Griffin and you play saxophone. It's different on the piano. But that became kind of my ideal, patience and beauty because that translates to listeners worldwide. That's really great, man.

What a great lesson. My next one, number five, is a very specific one I got from Reggie Workman. I was at the newsclos in one of his ensembles was the Coltrane ensemble, Taup by Reg Workman. It doesn't get much better than that. And we were working on, I think we were working on like one of the C minor. jams. Jams starts Roboto.

Working on the Roboto, and I'm doing my best McCoy, you know, arpeggios, cascading impression. And he said something that I'll never forget was like,

you need to play with and against the soloist. And it took me a long time to understand what that was. But I think what he meant, and if you're listening, Reggie, I'm sorry if this is not what you... Why did you get so soft?

Apologetic. He still kind of scares me. You just realized you're all in public airwaves. Yeah, yeah. No, but is, and only because I now have so much experience doing it is that you do have to support whomever you're under Robato as the pianist, right? It's our job to support that, but it's also our job to lead the way a little bit and to give them something to what we've talked about before with Roboto playing. So instead of just deferring totally and just reacting, you have to throw in something to them just to help guide them in a way. It's still a dance, you know. Although that's such a great, very confident approach to music. For sure. But still a company.

Like, I mean, we can apply that to so many things of like as pianists or if you're a drummer, you know, any kind of instrument where you're going to be doing an outside, everybody accompanies at some time, but you're going to be doing more accompanying in your career as a pianist than a trumpet player. Let's be honest. And, you know, how do you get to that point, like, to really be able to discern when you're supposed to be inspiring and when you're supposed to be supportive? I mean, you're always supportive, but you can't be diminutive. You know.

And so, yeah, that's a great one. I wish somebody had told me that. But, I mean, I got it at a certain point. That's the thing is eventually a lot of bad play. You realize and you listen to enough things and you get that. But yeah, that's exactly what I took away from that. Yeah. Okay.

So number six. This is, this is from Winton Marcellus. Who? Who? Yeah, Winton Marcellus, king of jazz at Lincoln Center, master of jazz, trumpet, and many other things. But Winton, I really got a lot of things from him. But I think seriousness.

and devotion you know and you know some people kind of like we think of as being a very serious guy he's actually got a whole other side to him you know as we know he's he's a very funny guy

very smart and everything but he comes across as very serious in interviews and stuff and for a reason because he's very devoted to this music like not just to his place in the music but to like what he believes and the continuation of it

and you know he was always like that when I met him he was very young I thought he was old because he was like 23 years old, but I was like 13 or 14. And I was like, man, this dude is so like serious and has his stuff together. And he was really like, you know, practice and you got to learn this stuff and like very dogmatic and stuff. But because he was devoted. So like I just learned like, how can you be, you know, devoted to something and believe in something and not serious about it? It doesn't mean humor is not in your playing and you're not having fun. It's not about that.

But like this is a serious thing. And so I think that he's done a great job of, you know, elevating people's estimation of the music to be in line with the kind of quality that we want to put out there and stuff. But it did make a lot of musicians be like, okay, let's be serious about let's really devote ourselves to this craft. Absolutely, that's great, man. And you can hear that in his playing too. Yeah. Number seven, this is not meant to kiss your butt too much, but it's something I learned getting to know you, and that is a serious attention to detail and having the highest quality of your details taken care of. And that, you know, is something I wish I would have devoted myself to earlier in my career.

Not that I wasn't listening for details, but really to make that a priority is the little things, the little details. You're so good at it with not just your playing, but you are, but with every aspect from the business to open studio to the teaching. You know, there's a serious attention to detail and an attention to quality that I think kind of goes along with. the Winton thing. Maybe a lesson you learned from that. I got a little dogmatic stuff from Winton. That's some seriousness and some devotion, but I think it's translated very well. And to me,

that spells lots of questions about what we're doing and why we're doing it and then making sure that how we're executing is as high quality as we can. Well, thank you. You can keep going if you want. No, but I think that... And you can pull off

purple, which I can't. Well, I don't know if we're pulling it off that, but the um the thing and i and i didn't come up with this thank you but i mean obviously the tension to detail i think it's it's also a thing that i noticed in just like great artists in general it's like kind of a manifestation of an acceptance it's not really like a cockiness but it's it's it's like it's more of a humble thing that if you kind of recognize that you've been giving a gift or a talent which we all have and and everybody listening to this don't think that it's like oh no wherever you are in the spectrum, if you can play an instrument,

if you can do anything that people will listen to for more than 30 seconds, you've got a gift, you know, and you have something to say. And so I think that once we accept that, it's not about like me, me, me, me, me, me, me. But it's just like... I love that song. But it's about saying, okay, well, I want to get this as right as I can. I mean, yeah, not make it just detail-oriented and overly regiment. It's not about that.

But it's about like every part of this is important because this might mean something. something to somebody. And so once we kind of accept that, I feel like we have the responsibility to, you know, within reason and within our talent levels, to, you know, cross our T's and dot our eyes. And I think that's a challenge in playing jazz music or improvised music, I should say, because, and I think that's where like the kind of highest artistry that we bring to the table as creative musicians is so exciting to the listener because we have to, in order, and look, if you look at any of the master, that we mentioned that we learned stuff from, the real, the six masters. These are all incredible players that brought a lot of attention to detail to their playing, but we're also thrilling musicians. So it's like you want to have the sloppiness of just, I don't even want to say sloppiness. You want to have, you know what I mean? No, so, yeah, you want to have the verve and the passion without the sloppiness,

with that attention to detail, without it being sterile. And that's like that funny line that we kind of walk. And that we have to be confident as we go into. It's like, yeah, we're going to take care of business, take care of the details. But we're still going to be spontaneous and let it all hang out there. It's awesome, man. Yeah. Awesome.

And we're going to have a bonus one in a second. Okay. So, you know. But in the meantime, go to openstudiojazz.com. You could also go to you'll hear it.com. You could check out the podcast. You can leave us a speak pipe in the month of December. We're opening it up.

Yeah. So leave us your messages. Yep. And then leave us a rating and review. We haven't talked about the ratings and reviews, but we've getting some good ones, man. I'm telling you what. Well, we've got a bunch of good ones and one bad one.

Let's be honest. We did have a bad one. Should we read the bad one? That was a very funny thing, though. Andrew, should we read the bad? You know what? I don't want to give him or her. It's probably a guy because he's in, anyway.

You know. Because it's such a nudge. But I don't know if I want to give him a platform. But let's read some of the other ones. Where would we find such things? Oh, here we go. Right here. I'll just pick a random one.

Just pick them random one. Oh, seven stars. Oh, there you go. That is the last one. It's become like a pre-practice ritual to listen to an episode. We really love all the advice from real pros like Adam and Peter. It's especially valuable in the country, like, where the jazzing is really young and access to the real deal is not easy.

This is from Delhi, 23, 4, 5 from India. So we got a little love from India, which is exciting because, you know, I know that there's a bunch of people interested in jazz, but there's not a huge, as he says, he or she, not a huge infrastructure there. So that's very pleasing for us. Very, very exciting. Should I read another one? Yeah.

Okay. I'm trying to find the bad one. Oh, okay. Okay, so I'll bam. Oh, here it is. Love the, okay, go ahead. Let's jump right to it. All right.

This was, so I'll say. Wait, are we giving a platform to this? No. Okay, cool. Let's do it. I love this, though, the whole thing. So this was like right before, should we set it up? You know what?

I don't think we should give a platform to this. But we're leaving it up. Oh, my gosh. Okay, go see it for yourself. You can go to your, to your, podcast app. Let's just say that we got called a lib

tarred or something. And I was told to go back to Italy. Whatever that means. Which I actually love Italy. Enjoy the beautiful food, amazing people and the spirit of music. Yeah, so anyway. Okay, so we did mention though that we're going to do a special and we are

that you don't even know about. This is going to be, this is a little crazy. I might get in a little trouble with the execs here. But we're going to do for today, only for the, we were talking about the piano access pass. Tell them just real quick again what that includes. So the piano access pass includes, first of all, it includes the jazz piano method, which is the biggest jewel in the biggest crown, right? This is over 700 lessons now that Peter's been doing for, like, what, nine years or something?

It's the Cupid Zarchonian of our jewel. No, it is like, I always say, like, this is, if you are into jazz piano on more than any kind of, like, surface level, this is a must have, because if there's any tune you want to learn or any concept. Peter's probably done a lesson on it. Just so you know, though, I'm in every lesson, and it's, well, we have a couple of guests

occasionally, but it's basically only me. So if you're like the one-star guy and you don't like me, I would not recommend that question. It's all PM all the time. Who teaches class in Italy? Go teach jazz piano. That sounds fun, actually.

So that alone, I think, would be worth a piano exercise. Because also there's a new lesson every week, so it's just always growing. But then also you get, you know, the two courses from Jeffrey Keiser, Keith's Jazz Piano, very popular. Advanced Jazz Piano concepts,

also very popular. And then you get, all the other courses that you've made, like the Jazz Piano Jump Start, that's you and me, and the elements of Jazz Piano, Jazz Piano for beginners, everything from beginner to very advanced.

And then we've also been doing these very specific courses. Like I have the Jazz Piano Basics, lead sheet breakdown, how to break down a lead sheet, left-hand voicing, technique course, and then there's more coming. Like, we're going to be doing more specific little mini courses, and if you're a member of the Piano X's past, you just get, you get these

whenever they come out. In fact, you get them before. or anybody else does. Yeah, and it sounds like a lot, and it actually is, but it's sort of a manageable thing because it's all, it's all our piano courses.

That's the short version of it. And so you don't have to watch everything, but if you're not sure which course, we'd recommend, well, what we're going to do the deal on is an annual membership for 50% off is normally $360. If you use today only,

the promo code, you'll hear it for you'll hear it listeners only. You'll get a hot, not 100%, 100% off would be. free, right? No, 50% off. So that'll be 180 for the year, which is like $17.

Per month. So anyway, check that out. Just put that in the promo code when you check out on the annual version. You'll hear it one word. And that's the piano access pass, and you'll hear it.