You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - STOP Doing These 10 Things in Your Solos

Episode Date: October 1, 2020

We're all guilty of at least one of these - today, Peter and Adam list 10 common mistakes to avoid during your solos.Have you checked out the latest course from Open Studio - Bebop Enclosures for Beginners? Learn how to create swinging bebop lines as Adam Maness walks you through how to practice bebop standards. For more information, just follow this link. Interested in more music advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase. And be sure to check out our All Access Pass - every course from Open Studio on every instrument.Stop Doing These 10 Things in Your Solos:Not listeningPlanning it all outShowing offFlirting with the bartenderShoegazing like BradTryingLooking on your phoneUndersellingPlaying too carefulPlaying not careful enoughThursday's Open Studio Live Events:1:00 PM - Adam's Daily Guided Practice Session (for Members Only)For the rest of this week's calendar, follow this linkLet us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Peter. Yeah. Stop. What? Stop what? Just stop. But I'm soloing. Peter.

I'm soloing. Yes, definitely stop doing that. He won't stop. I'm Matt Amanus. And I'm Peter Martin. And you're listening to the You'll Hear Podcast. Music, advice, and inspiration coming at you. Coming at to today, we are still sponsored by Open Studio.

And you know what? Let's extend the little bebop enclosures for beginner offer to our you'll hear it. I think we should. I think we should. This is such a spirit of giving and what better to give than a little. bit of pathway towards mastery of bebop because bebop is it's such an important part of the language

I always come back to it I always feel like ah, bebop's over I don't think it's ever it's like it's like Shakespeare or something for writers that came later yeah you can abandon it you can leave it but if you got a handle on it you've got a lot of the vocab you still hear it in modern players all the time it's such an important part

of the foundation of the language of improvising I would say even beyond jazz it's just part of the language of improvising at least you know in the music that we love. And it's Charlie Parker's 100th year of anniversary of his birth. It's a special time.

Centennial. Yeah, it's a new course. It's for all instruments called bebop enclosures for beginners. We really hold your hand through getting that sound. That bebop sounds. Check it out. There's a link here in the description.

You can go check it out and save $30 today. And very important that we stress that it's for all instruments because not all of your mini courses that you've been doing, the brilliant work you've been courses you've been doing. I didn't say that. You know, I've been often just for pianists, but this is truly for everybody.

Totally. And you kind of approached it in that way. So we're very excited about it. Totally. Oh, I'm looking forward to today's episode, man, because some of these things, I'm looking down our list of 10 things to stop doing in our solos.

And I do some of these. Well, me too, of course. But you know what? We need to stop. And this is such a great. We talked yesterday in depth about practicing and some new practice techniques we're doing. And so we want to really be thinking

towards the future in terms of, you know, I mean, we're starting to do a few little gigs here and they're still mostly, I mean, I've been doing a bunch of solace. solo piano gigs, but you did a few things with your group. Oh, man, I did my first outdoor concert. Yeah.

Social distance and maxed up. It was like a, it was weird. Yeah, it's weird. And so like we've got all that to contend with, but knowing that there will be a day when we're doing so-called normal gigs, again, let's go ahead and stop doing these things in our solos now so that once we're back out in public, we will be the new improved versions of ourselves, right? Yeah.

That would be great. Could you just question, though? Yeah. Can you hear this? Hold on. Oh. This is why I love audio. Oh, okay.

Just making sure you can hear the water. Okay. It's making a weird noise as well as I'm saying. Is it? Did you have spin drift in that canister there? Or is that Agua Natural? Or is it Topichico? Oh, I wish it was Topichico.

No, it's just Agua Natural. Yeah, I'm addicted to the Topichico. Man, can we, you know, we don't normally beg for sponsorships. Can we get a Topichiko sponsorship? Man, if there's anybody out there with a connection with the Topichico company in Mexico, I would so gladly, I will shill for that water. It's so good. I don't know what they do to those bubbles.

I don't want to know. No, I think it's all natural. And in fact, you know, the first time I had it, it's become trendy all of a sudden. I don't know how. Or maybe I just noticed it. But in February, pre-lockdown, pre-pandemic, but barely pre-pand, not really pre-pandemic, but pre-pandemic as far as we knew about it. Yeah, in the middle of the United States.

I was in Mexico for a couple days coming off the jazz cruise. Yeah. I was sitting in on the island of Cozumel. It's a beautiful place. I've been there. So beautiful. Gorgeous. I'm sitting there.

The beach is there. a couple of my friends Ruben Rogers, our friend Ruben Rogers, Romero LeBombo, Terry Angully were sitting at the resort there just chilling after a bunch of playing on the boat and they said I wanted some sparkling water

I said you have like a Perrier or a sparkling like yeah but I said you have anything local they say ah how you do and they that was my first ever Topo Chico and I can still remember sitting there with my feet in the sand drinking Topo Chico. Do we just spend more time hyping up Topuco than we did our own? Man we need a sponsorship. Yeah we do need a topichico

We have some very astute listeners. There might be some connections out there. So let's get to our list here. We have 10 things. Stop doing these 10 things in your solo. Stop. We're like, wait, we got to have a thumbnail. It's like, stop.

Stop sign. Okay. So the number one is not listening. Of course. Yeah, yeah, of course. This was an easy one for us. Got to listen. But this is probably the most important one, right?

I would say so. And you know what? Don't not listen to yourself. Wait, hold on. Double negative. I love it. I know, yeah, yeah. Dogmatic double.

I should say, don't. Don't forget to listen to the music that's in you. We've been focusing on this a lot around here at Open Studio lately, but like, got to listen to the music that wants to come out, right? So practice that in your practice routine and when you're soloing is listen to what wants to come out. Don't just try to force and run your fingers over your instrument

and hope that it sounds good. Put that on your pipe and smoking. That's right. Good. So number two, stop planning the damn solo out. Oh, please. You know what I'm saying? Like, some people do this.

Kill the mood. It kills the vibe. It kills the other solos because it's like you're not in that improvisatory space anymore. Yeah. And the thing about it is, when this is done badly, which it usually is the planning out of the solo, you can tell it. I can tell it. I've got a radar for this. Like as soon as they start, you know, before they even start to do it, they've got that attitude of like, check out what I'm about to do.

I don't like it. I don't like it. It's no bueno. It's like you're making out with someone. and they have a plan. Like, come on. Exactly. Let's let's have that happen.

Let's like that's a weird reference. I mean, I think it's applicable. Okay. Stop showing off. Yes. I mean, this is, for us,

this is rich. Exactly. I've made a career on this. What are you talking about? I don't know what else I would play. Well, think about where we're graced with the presence of a life-sized

Christian McBride poster right by us right now. If you tune in to see us on Mondays on YouTube, you will see our beautiful new safe pod store. studio with the Sneezegar. I'm glad you brought that up.

Join us on Monday is 4 p.m. Eastern. Go ahead. We're live. We're doing episodes every week. But Christian McBride is such a great example of this. Like if you heard him play and you didn't know better, you might say, oh, he's just showing off. But he's not actually. He's that good so it can come across.

But this is all about the attitudes. Like if you feel like you're showing off, then it's going to come across. Now, unfortunately, most of the people that go in with the attitude is I'm going to show off don't necessarily have a lot to show off. show off. So it's a double negative. And think about that. Would you rather watch someone try to show off and then they fail and it just is weird and awkward? Or would you rather someone who could

obviously just kick some ass and they don't? They have restraints. They're playing to the tune. And there's a certain humility there, I think. Oh, for sure. And that's what I'm thinking like so you know, like with Christian McBride is just an example of a great player. He is a combination of in some

way showing off, but it's such a humility and a respect for the music. that it doesn't come across is showing off. It comes across as this beautiful artistry and musicality that he's sharing

with the audience. So I love it. Okay, number four. Oh, I just saw you reordered it. I like that. Yeah, number four, stop flirting with a bartender.

Yes. I mean, there's nothing else to do it. Yes, nothing else. Yeah, nothing wrong with the bartender, but don't do it while you're soloing. Please. You know, have a little tact.

Yeah, yeah. Have some respect for the music. Number five. Number five. Stop shoegazing like your Brad meld out. Okay? I feel like this one's directed right at me. No, well,

Well, I mean, at this point, you do it in kind of a mockery. And you're not mocking Brad. You're mocking people that are imitating Brad. I'm mocking myself a little bit because I, I, yeah. No, but you don't, I mean, you do a little shoegazing plane. Look, this is a thing. If it comes out naturally, that's fine. But why I have to take on all the affectations?

But I will say this. Maybe this is not all bad because you talk about early Kobe Bryant on the basketball court. There was some, there was some flattery imitation of a certain Michael Gior. There was, you know, but it kind of worked for him and he started to get away from it. So imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Flattery is a sincerest form of imitation. Next. Okay.

Yeah. Stop trying. Really? Just stop trying? Stop trying. Actually, you know, this is kind of a jokey one, but it is serious. Stop trying. This kind of goes with showing off.

Stop trying. Or planning out the whole soul. Yeah. Just stop trying and just let the moment happen. That's right. You're not that important. You're not that precious. you're not that great.

You're not Christian McBride, sorry. You know what's awesome too when you stop trying? It gets a lot easier, first of all. And also people... But don't be like... We don't mean stop trying, like, you know, when somebody shows up and they're dressed horribly, it's like, oh, they're not even trying.

They're not even trying, yeah. No, it's not that. It doesn't mean to not stop caring. But... Actually, this one's going to be totally misunderstood. Yeah. I mean, I think what I'm really trying to say is stop trying to put so much effort in this. Stop, like, stop trying to let people know that you're trying.

Just be, right? And stop trying to... make it happen. Yeah. Oh, I love the disdain in your voice. You don't even want to talk about this anymore. I'm switching everything around here.

Sorry, man. Okay. Next, stop looking on your phone. Okay, so literally stop looking on your phone. It's amazing that you start to see some of the, and not just young folks,

but I mean, during a solo, that's going to be kind of rare, but this is a metaphor or a representation of any kind of distractions. Yeah. We live in a distracted world, but focus, okay?

Because you're not that good where you can just, be unfocused. You're not trying. You're, you're, you're distracted. Flurting with the bartender. Yeah. Flurring.

I mean, these are all like kind of distractions. But, you know, there's too many phones on the bandstand. That's disrespectful. That would get you fired out of a symphony orchestra. Did you know that? Well, it should. Yeah. Although I've seen it.

I've seen him sneak out there. Stop underselling. Oh, kind of the, is that a little opposite of the trying? Yeah. What does that mean? Where are we going with this? Well, don't be so like, realistic here. Yeah, I mean,

know you're worth and it's time to solo so don't be so demure you know what I mean it's just like don't be so shy because soloing like it's like this doesn't conflict

with a trying I don't think this is yeah yeah yeah and I mean look the thing is too like don't remember like when you're improvising and telling a story you're an actor in a way you're not you're telling your story but if you're an introvert

or if you're shy which you're not necessarily the same thing or if you're extrovert that doesn't mean you have to play like that all the time So a lot of times people are like, well, I'm shy and demure, so I'm going to play that way. Well, only if the music calls for that, you know, and it doesn't always call for that. It doesn't. No, I like that one.

It does. Number nine, stop playing too careful. Ooh, this should have been number one or number two. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get tired of this. This, I mean, this, the ultimate level of this was to stop planning it all out, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But I mean, trying to be so precious with it.

And again, as you're trying to not playing mistakes. I hate souls with no mistakes. Everybody. makes mistakes, just embrace it. You just got to let that filth happen. And then number 10. This is, uh, you, I think you got this one. This is good.

Stop playing not careful enough. I mean, keep it together. We're really, we're really forcing people into that middle zone there. Hey, listen, man. Don't be too careful, but be careful enough. We don't have to fit in anybody's boxes. This is our podcast. But stop playing like, I mean, stop like you got to give a shit.

Yeah, yeah. This is kind of like the, you know, not, uh, what was it? Not flirting on the, wait, you mean, you mean, you, moved him around. I did. Oh, like not caring. Yeah,

yeah, you know. Trying too hard. I don't know. You know. Just stop, look. Just be yourself.

Yeah. Stop playing like crap and not being yourself. Unless yourself is crappy, then be somebody else. Don't plan it out, but plan enough of it out if you don't, you know. Yeah,

but I think that the, you know, playing too careful. I mean, which is worse out of that? Playing, I think playing too careful is worse than not playing careful enough. I would rather.

They're both mortal sins. Yeah. I would rather. someone take risks and fail for sure, then not take any risks and play too carefully. For sure. That's right. Yeah.

So there you go. Ten things to stop doing in your soul. That was fun. Yeah, thanks everybody. I'm a little dogmatic by its very nature. For listening this week. Thanks for checking in with us. Hey, we're back to five days a week.

And then we do have our offer here that we want to offer our loyal you'll hear at listeners. That's bebop and closures for beginners at $30 off. You can just follow the link that we have here in the description. I want to thank our producers. shout out to our producer Andrew. What's up, Drew? And yeah, man. Big shout out to Iowa.

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