Transcription
This book changed how I think about practice. It's a business book, but the concepts inside solved a problem every musician has. Sitting down and practicing and wondering, "What do I work on next?" Whether it's learning scales, tunes, transcribing, ear training, chord melody, the licks you saw on Instagram, the videos that I just posted. You just do random things and then an hour later you're not sure if any of it has mattered. I call this the mercenary mindset and it's why guitarists stay stuck for years. So today I've adapted this framework from Mike Mallowitz for musicians. There's five levels and five questions within each level. By the end of this video, you'll know exactly what to practice next. And if you stick around to the end, I'll tell you where you can get the full framework that I've come up with for free.
We'll start at the bottom of this pyramid. And the very first question that you answer no to is going to be the thing that you need to practice. We'll call this vital need like Mike does. The one thing that you should be practicing now. So, let's go through each level.
Level one is foundation. You can also think about this like technique. Foundation is just pure physical mechanics. Can you actually operate this instrument or whatever instrument you're playing? If this level has any cracks, nothing we build on top of it will be stable. So, the first question, physical comfort. Can you play without any physical pain or discomfort? Now, this comes before everything. If your wrist hurts, if your shoulders tense, if you're hunched over, if your thumb's cramping, your body is telling you something is wrong. Posture, grip, technique, something here needs to change and we need to address that first. Don't push through any pain or discomfort.
Question two, fretting and picking clarity. Can you fret notes cleanly and pick with consistent tone and accuracy? When we play, we want to make sure there's no buzzing, no muted notes that shouldn't be muted, no sloppy picking. If we play a chord, every note should ring out. If we play a line, we want to make sure we hear everything on purpose. If your attack is inconsistent, if you're sometimes getting dead notes or fret buzz, these are things that need to be addressed because whatever we play after that is not going to sound good. If any of those things are fighting you, everything else suffers. So, this is our baseline. Nothing fancy here. We're just clean and controlled.
Question three, chord execution. Can you form and switch between the chord shapes smoothly and in time with everything ringing out clearly and anything that's unwanted properly muted? When we play a chord, we want to make sure we don't have any strings ringing out. If we were playing that same E flat major 7, we want to make sure we're not getting anything like that. Notes that are open that are ringing out and messing with our chord or things that are muted that shouldn't be muted. This is more common than you might think and it's even hard to tell if you don't have someone else watching your playing from the outside. If no one else is giving you feedback on your playing, this can be hard to diagnose to you. It might just sound like your chord doesn't sound right, but you're not sure why.
Question four, neck navigation. So, can you find the notes across the entire fretboard without getting lost? This means, do you know what those notes are? And when you switch positions, are you quickly able to think in that new position? I'm not saying you need to master this completely before moving on. In fact, I recommend just learning one position. Fifth position is a great place to start. Moving on to other aspects, but then coming back to this level, to this question, when you need to improve that to master more of the fretboard. And you should keep coming back to this position and this uh no pun intended any time that you have worked through other aspects harmony improvisation but still haven't mastered the fretboard. So we need to come back to different areas. It's not reasonable though to say you need to master all of the fretboard because going through these other levels will help you in that process. So we learn one position well first. We have that as a home base where we're confident and then we move forward with other aspects of your playing. But like I said, keep coming back to this, add another position and over time you'll have the whole neck.
Question five, tempo stability. Can you play what you know at a steady tempo with a metronome or backing track? Now, you have to be really honest with yourself here. You might be able to play something, but can you play it in time consistently? If you can't, it doesn't matter how much vocab or harmony knowledge you have. Everything relies on having good rhythm. And that's here in this level one. So, if any of these five are a no, this is your vital musical need that you need to practice. I really don't care how many licks you've saved. We need to fix the foundation first before we work on anything beyond. So, level one is about your body and the instrument.
And level two is about having something to actually play, which gets me into level two, repertoire, songs. This is our musical inventory. So here's the thing most people miss. Everything in music is inside songs. Whether we're talking harmony, melody, vocabulary, improvisation, none of this exists in a vacuum. We actually need tunes to apply it to. And this is where I see a lot of, let's call it self-deception.
So, question one, do you have at least 10 to 15 tunes that you can play from memory right now? Not tunes you've looked at, not tunes that are saved in your iReal book or iRepertoire. Tunes that you could play right now if someone called them. If that number is under 10, you don't have a repertoire yet. You have a wish list.
Question two, can you play the melody of your tunes accurately and musically? So, test yourself. Pick one of your tunes. Can you play the melody right now from memory with the correct rhythm and phrasing where someone walking by would recognize it if they know that tune? So, let's say we're playing here with our metronome and we're going to practice Blue Monk. I should be able to play the melody of that. You get the point. So, right now inside Chase Guitar Academy, we have a bunch of players working through the 90-day jazz blues system. And these guys are crushing it. We have over 195 comments from people posting their version, supporting each other, getting feedback, and by the end of the 90 days, they're going to have added four jazz blues tunes to their repertoire, ones that they actually know, melody and all. And we're even getting into improvisation. This is what building real repertoire looks like.
Which leads me to question three. Can you comp through your tunes with appropriate voicings and rhythm, not only just playing the melody? Now, for this, it doesn't have to be anything fancy. Comping competence. So, even if you just know one or two standard voicings for the chords, the idea here is that you could reasonably back someone up when they're playing the melody. And knowing the melody doesn't mean you can comp it. Knowing how to comp it doesn't mean you can play the melody. Two separate skills. And if we can only do one or the other on a tune, we don't really fully own that tune yet.
Question four is one I get a lot. Are you consistently retaining the tunes that you learn? Or are you finding that you're relearning the same songs over and over? Now, this one kind of stings for people. They've learned something like Autumn Leaves maybe six times. They got it under their fingers. After a month goes by, it's gone. And they feel like they're back to square one. So, when that keeps happening, the issue isn't your memory. It's that you don't have a system for keeping your tunes alive once you've learned them. There's a few ways to solve this, but you do have to recognize it's a problem. If you guys want me to do more on that topic, let me know in the comments. You can also check out my app iRepertoire if you have iOS.
Question five, performance readiness. Could you call any of your tunes at a jam session today and feel confident? I'm not talking about "I could probably fumble through it." No. Confident and ready to go. If the answer is no for most of your tunes, we need more time here before worrying about advanced concepts. So, repertoire is the foundation for everything above it. We need tunes, real tunes that you own. Melody, comping, and all tunes that you're retaining. If there are gaps here, we need to address that.
If level one is our hands and level two is our tunes, level three is where this all starts to click. This is the level that separates people who grind forever from people who accelerate to mastery. So, let's look at level three, harmony. This is our understanding. This is our operating system. When you understand how harmony actually works, everything changes. We stop learning tunes from scratch because you start recognizing the patterns. You stop guessing at the notes because you understand why certain things work. But before we get to chord function and voice leading, there's a foundational layer here that trips people up. And that's question number one.
Do you know your intervals and all 12 major keys inside and out? And this is the alphabet of music. If someone says play a minor third above this note and you have to stop and count, that's a problem. If you don't know all 12 major keys cold, that is a problem. Everything else that we would discuss at this level and above depends on this foundation. And it's one of the reasons I started a new class, live class in CGA this year called Essential Jazz Theory. We just did a whole class on intervals, modes, and scales. And this is to specifically address the misunderstanding and lack of knowledge that people have surrounding jazz theory, specifically applied jazz theory. How do we apply this theory to the things we're actually learning? So you can check that out in Chasing Guitar Academy.
Question two, chord function. Do you understand how chords function within a key? Like what the one chord or the two chord or the five chord? Why do progressions move the way they do? There's a reason why we have a two, then a five, and then a one. So, why do these three chords feel like they belong together? Why does the five chord want to resolve to the one? If you don't know, then these are really just shapes and concepts you've memorized, but you're not understanding the operating system. Once you understand the function, not only can you predict what's coming, but you can plan for it, and we can make adjustments. You can hear the next chord before it even happens.
Question three, can you identify and target the chord tones root, 3rd, fifth, 7th, and extensions like the 9th, 11th, and 13th of each chord in the tunes you know? So if I'm playing a chord like D minor 7, I better know that the root is D, the third is F, the fifth is A, the seventh is C, we have the ninth E, the 11th is G, and the 13th would be B. So these are the notes that define each of the chords' sound. If you can't find them on the go while you're playing, your solos are going to sound like random guessing because that's actually what they are.
Question four. Do you understand how chords connect smoothly from one to the other through voice leading? And this is the difference between playing something like the 25 here versus playing D minor and then G7 and then C major. Your playing will sound very jumpy and disconnected whether you're comping and and playing chords or even if you're soloing if you're not understanding how the voices from one chord lead to the next. And that's actually the topic of our next Essential Jazz Theory class. So, while these are the same chords, they have a completely different effect.
Question five, let's call this progression recognition. Can you recognize common progressions by ear and analyze a new tune's harmony quickly when you hear a tune for the first time? Can you feel, oh, that's the 25 or that's a blues and that's a rhythm changes? And when someone hands you a chart you've never seen, can you look at it and understand what's happening? Can you understand chord by chord what each of these chords are related to the key or the overall progression? So, if progressions still surprise you and the analysis feels slow, we need more time at this level and on this question. So, in summary, harmony is this unlock. It's what makes everything make sense. If you're weak here, you'll always be working harder than we need to.
All right, quick question for you. Which of these is hitting home so far? Which question made you think, "Yeah, that's the one I need to work on." Drop it in the comments. Tell me the level and the question you're working on. We'll share with each other. I'll read through them all and I'll give you some tips on where to start or what I suggest you could do in the comments below.
Now, the next two levels are where things get fun, but they're also where people might get ahead of themselves. Level four, expression. We're going to be talking about your ears and improvisation. This is where you stop just executing and start actually communicating musically. And all the work that we've been doing at the lower levels, the technique, the tunes, the harmony and harmonic understanding, we've developed our ears and now we have a way of using them. We can say something. We can have a musical conversation. But here is a trap. A lot of players try to start here. They want to solo. They want to express themselves, but they skip the foundation. You're like a newborn baby who hasn't even learned any phonics, and you're just babbling. You're desperate to say something, but you're not going to do the work that is required to actually be able to say anything that is meaningful. You can hear it, and the other people around you, unfortunately, can hear it, too.
Question one, hearing before playing. Can you hear a phrase in your head before you play it? This is one of the big signals that you're ready for this level. It's the difference between improvising and just moving our fingers around with muscle memory. Real improvisation means you're hearing something internally and then finding it on our instrument. So, if I'm hearing, I have to hear that first and then play it. If you can't do this, if your fingers are finding notes and you're hoping they sound good, you're not really improvising yet. You're searching and that's fine, but we need to understand how to get to that next level.
Which brings me to the next question. Do you improvise using musical phrases and learned vocabulary? Or are you primarily picking notes from scales and arpeggios? Picking notes from a scale and arpeggio will sound correct. None of the notes will be um dissonant to the ears, but it doesn't mean you're saying anything. We might be just picking random letters and random words and putting them together as opposed to what I just even played, which is very clear established blues vocabulary, let's say. So, this is an established idea in blues language. You recognize it and I recognize it and I heard it. It's very different from just going where I'm just kind of going up and down some imagined scale. So, if your solos sound more like the second example here and not the first one with vocabulary, the answer is not to practice more scales or arpeggios, you actually need vocabulary. And my suggestion would be to learn some of these essential jazz patterns and essential jazz vocabulary.
Question three, interactive comping. Can you comp responsively behind a soloist reacting to what they play? Now, we're not just talking about playing chords in rhythm here. We're talking about a conversation. Are you listening and responding, or are you just running your voices kind of on autopilot while waiting for your turn to solo? We've we've all been there.
Question four, do your solos have a shape, a beginning, a development, and a climax? You might think about this like a story. We all know that a great solo goes somewhere. It builds, it breathes, it has an arc, and it has an emotional impact. If your solos feel like they just start and stop without any shape, then this is something we need to work on.
And question five, when you hit a wrong note, can you not only resolve it musically without derailing, but can you turn that wrong note into an actual musical statement? So, there's plenty of examples, and I've gone through a bunch, whether it's George Benson or Miles Davis, where they hit quote wrong notes that can actually be some of the most impactful moments of their improvisation. So, wrong notes happen to everyone, but it's the masters that can turn that mistake into something more. If your clam is throwing off your whole solo, then this is something to work on. So, expression level four is where this starts to get fun, right? But it's built on everything underneath. If you're struggling here, the answer is not practice soloing more. It's usually going back down and strengthening the foundation. I'm going to bet there's levels and layers before we got here that you had to work on. And it's hard to hear, but it's almost always true.
So, we have one more level, and this is the top of the pyramid. And if I'm being honest, most people watching this should not be worried about this yet. But let's talk about what it looks like so you can see the whole structure. Level five is voice. This is your identity, a sound that's uniquely yours. Now, voice emerges from mastery of the lower levels. We can't have a personal style if we're still fighting the instrument. We don't know the tunes. We don't have any sort of competence or understanding of harmony or how to express ourselves. This is our long game final destination. But here's what we need to think about.
Question one, personal sound awareness. Can you describe what makes your playing sound like you? Or does your playing kind of feel generic and interchangeable? Now, I'm not talking about being instantly recognizable worldwide, someone like Pat Metheny or George Benson. That's not the standard. But do you have any sense of what makes your playing yours? Or could your solo have been played by anyone?
Question two, intentional influences. Have you consciously studied and absorbed the players you want to sound like? This is one of the reasons inside CGA I have various master studies, whether it's George Benson, Pat Martino, Grant Green, Mark Lettieri. This is so that players can consciously study and absorb the players that they want to sound like. And this voice, this personal identity does not appear out of nowhere. It comes from deeply internalizing your influences and then letting them be combined into something personal. Just like Benson studied Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, and many, many others and made that into his own thing.
>> Man, I got Charlie Christian's guitar in my hand. How much you want for it, man?
Think about who are your three favorite players. Have you transcribed them? Have you studied their phrasing? Do you know their favorite licks, their favorite ways that they harmonically adjust? Have you studied their time feel and their note choices? All of that kind of deep work is how your own voice will develop.
Question three, signature elements. Do you have go-to phrases, rhythmic feels, or harmonic choices that define your style? When you think about your favorite players, you should know what it is about them that defines their style. For example, we have a Benson lick like we have a Grant Green lick like each of these guys had signature phrases. Uh Wes Montgomery lick. Now these develop over time. At some point you start to notice the patterns in their playing and your own playing where you go, "Ah, I always play that phrase. I always like to start with that arpeggio or sit behind the beat." That's your identity and your voice starting to emerge as a result of the work you've put in.
Question four, taste clarity. Do you know what you like and what you don't like? And can you articulate why? This is about having opinions. Not just what sounds cool, but understanding why something resonates with you and why something else doesn't. Now, some of you guys listening to this will prefer a more virtuosic style like a George Benson. Other guys a more subdued, subtle style like a Jim Hall. You need to understand why each of those resonates with you and why the other one doesn't. And that kind of clarity helps with your choices. And really what this comes down to when we get to this level is what musical choices you want to make.
Question five, does your set list reflect your own musical identity, not just the tunes that you think you should know. So, are you playing these tunes because you actually love them or because you were told to learn them? Now, again, early on, it is important that we learn the standard repertoire. This is why I talk about the master standards blueprint. However, when we get to this peak of the pyramid, we want our repertoire to feel like our own. Now, for a lot of players, when they're at this point, this is where they're developing their own songs. The tunes that speak to them haven't been created yet, so they have to create them themselves. They've explored so much of the territory that now they want to explore someplace that has not been explored yet. So this could be tunes that have been established or ones that you actually need to create. Either way, your repertoire should feel like yours. So our voice here is the long game. This takes years and years, decades, not months. But asking these questions helps you move toward it intentionally instead of hoping it magically shows up someday.
So let's talk about how to use this system. This framework. Five levels, 25 questions. Again, start at level one. Go through each question. Honestly, the first no that you hit is your musical vital need. That's what you need to practice. And you work on it until it becomes a yes. Then you go back to level one and start again. Now, this is every time. It's not a one-time quiz. It's a compass that we can return to whenever we're stuck and need direction. And you need to do this without feeling like you're bruising your ego. You need to have honesty here. You might realize you need to work on something pretty basic. Maybe you've been chasing licks when you can't comp through a blues. Maybe you're still trying to find your voice when your technique has cracks and your wrist is hurting. This isn't a failure point. This is how we get clarity. And it lets us know where to focus.
So, I've put all 25 questions into a free PDF. And the link for sticking around for the whole time, we'll put it here. So go to that link, download the PDF, print it out, and find your musical vital need. Now, knowing what to practice is half the battle. You also need to know how to practice the actual material. What are the exercises? What is the curriculum? What is the system? So, this is what I've built inside Chase's Guitar Academy. Whether you're stuck at level one, I have technique and fundamentals courses. Level two, I can show you exactly which tunes to learn in which order. That's why we're starting with this 90-day jazz blues system currently. Level three, I have a complete harmony curriculum where we talk about theory, our live Essential Jazz Theory classes, our Art of Jazz Accompaniment classes. Level four, my Essential Jazz Patterns and Essential Jazz Vocab courses to give you the language to actually say something when you solo. And one more thing here I want to mention, every new CGA member gets a one-on-one call with me. We'll meet. I'll understand what you're struggling with, answer any questions you have, and help you personally plan out your jazz guitar journey. If you're tired of the mercenary mindset where you're practicing random stuff and hoping it adds up, I encourage you to try it below. 7-day free trial. You don't have to pay anything today. I'll put a link down below. And if you enjoyed this video, leave me a comment down below. Let me know what you're working on. Hit like and I'll see you guys in the next video. Stop guessing. Use the hierarchy. Find your musical vital need and go fix that. Next.