If you’re trying to learn jazz standards and become a better jazz improviser, the sheer amount of jazz standards there are out there can be incredibly overwhelming.
Which ones do you learn? Which ones are going to help you accelerate your jazz skills?
Well, in today’s video, I’m going to go over the only 3 that I think you need to learn in order to take your jazz playing to the next level and make all other jazz standards way easier to learn.
Important Links and Resources
Suggested Resource:
If you want to dig deeper into these 3 jazz standards I mentioned today, click here to check out my eBook and companion course The Jazz Standards Playbook Vol. 1
Further Reading:
Until i heard you explain them, i’ve always heard of Jazz Standards and never know why they were called ”standards”… I just guessed that they were popular tunes from the past, and left wondering ”who cares” ? Now i know why they are important to study!!!
Glad to help Jon!
Stolen Moments, Freddie Freeloader and Maiden Voyage. Thanks for everything! 🙂
Great suggestions!
Freddie Freeloader (Slow Jazz Blues), Autumn Leaves (Minor), So What (Key Changes And Easy Chords)…
Brent, hope you are still having a great time in Greece. It's a beautiful country, especially in summer. Thanks for keeping the lessons coming. I enjoyed the Three Jazz Standards You Need to Know. I have a comment/question on your analysis of It Could Happen To you, bars 8-11.You say the Fm in bar 9 is the i resolution of the preceding ii-V in bar 8 (Gm7-C7) and the Abm6 in bar10 as a borrowing (IV) from the parallel minor. Rather than play an Fm, I would play its relative major (Ab) given that the G note in the melody is felt more strongly in the Ab major than in the Fm (it would have to be an Fm9 to hit the G). The next chord in bar 10 could equally be a Db7 rather than an Abm6 which, when resolved to the Eb major makes the whole progression sound like a backdoor progression where the Db7 is the bVII chord.I would be very curious to have your views …when you are back from vacation of course! Ardy
Ain't Misbehavin' : great to learn how to approach the next chord with diminished/augmented or substitution chords. Gives more tension in progression e.g. the 4 mesures : Bb(6) // E°// Fm7// Gb°// Eb// Eb+// Ab6// Abm6 instead of simply Bb//// Fm7// Bb7// Eb// Eb7// Ab//// (ugly…)
Great suggestion Hans!
Blue Monk, All the things you are, Solar
Great ones Ewan!
East of the sun, days of wine and roses ,maiden voyage
Maiden Voyage, interesting. Good ones, Dean!
Autumn Leaves, Body & Soul, Girl from Ipanema
Those are good ones Neil!
"All the Things You Are." "Body and Soul." "Autumn Leaves."
Great picks!