Jazz Phrasing and Swing

A brand new course for Soundslice by the owner of DC Music School. A jazz course for all instruments and levels that talks about one of the most important yet overlooked aspects of jazz education: time feel, swing, phrasing, etc.

A controversial subject, as many hold the position that swing isn't taught, it is felt. In fact, this course doesn't teach you how to swing, it teaches you how to listen to subtle details when listening to great recordings of the masters. There is a lot of conventional wisdom and misconceptions in jazz education. Having transcribed or supervised the transcription of well over 1000 jazz solos, having worked with some of the world's top musicians on DC Music School, and having had the opportunity to work with some top caliber musicians, for many years, I have been pondering the mysterious topic of swing and time feel. In this course, I share my observations with you. By learning how to pay attention to certain subtle details, my hope is that it can make it easier for you to learn how to feel swing.

Furthermore, swing is a vague term as it means different things for different people. The course covers this as well, and the subjective nature of the topic is constantly emphasized. Nonetheless, when we listen to many of the pioneers of jazz, there are certain common rhythmic elements that are undeniable. This course covers these elements in great detail! Finally, I've included 5 etudes in the styles of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, and Wes Montgomery to demonstrate these common elements.

Transcriptions: Zak Martel