Aebersold - thoughts?

[Bach5G]

I’m currently taking some guitar lessons and my teacher has provided a link to a Aebersold play along.

I never really paid any attention to Jamie Aebersold’s materials but I am wondering whether I should have. He seems to set out a reasonable collection of tunes, play alongs, and instructional materials that strike me as pretty comprehensive and nicely graduated.

[Doug Elliott]

There's other stuff out there but his materials have been pretty standard for about the last 40 years.

[BurckhardtS]

They are a great resource for learning, but with any transcription of tunes that have been passed down aurally for a while - there are variations and mistakes in some charts. They have been a great resource for me getting started.

[Bach5G]

There's other stuff out there but his materials have been pretty standard for about the last 40 years.

Almost too much other stuff. It’s tough to separate the wheat from the chaff.

[jazztonight]

I found out about the Aebersold books and CDs (before that LPs) when I was studying and playing the sax. There are hundreds of songs available on dozens of albums/books. Each book contains the song with transpositions for C, Bb, Eb, and Bass clef instruments.

When I switched to flute, I continued using the Aebersold books and songs.

Now that I've been studying the trombone, I use these songs as a "break" in between traditional exercises, Rochut, scales, concert band studies, and marches. Aebersold helps keep me sane. He and his materials are used throughout the jazz world to develop performance and improvisational technique. If you're not sure, buy just one book & CD (or download), and try it out.

If you like standards, my favorite is Volume No. 23. There are also volumes dedicated to one composer such as Ellington, Charlie Parker, etc., and improvisation studies such as ii - V- I, and the blues in all keys.

[Gary]

Aebersold's are great, but I also use Band in a Box (BIAB) more because you can transpose the same tune, change backgrounds at will and change the tempos, none of which Aeborsold can do. But the Aeberold have less generically performed backgrounds than BIAB.

[JLivi]

Now that iReal Pro exists I don’t touch Aebersolds. Once I learned how I learn tunes I realized that Aebersolds weren’t helping me and only hurting me.

Every one learns differently, so if they help you great! If not, stick with what works. But as far as play-alongs iReal Pro is where it’s at.

[Gary]

JLivi, how do Aebersolds hurt you?

[baileyman]

... the Aeberold have less generically performed backgrounds than BIAB.

I remember hearing an interview with Hal Galper and he said lots and lots of the early stuff kept him fed. He said the musicians played while imagining a soloist so as to make it as alive as possible.

[JLivi]

JLivi, how do Aebersolds hurt you?

I found the way that I was using them wasn’t allowing me to retain the melodies and harmonies. I feel like it was completely my fault, but I was so deep into it that getting away from Aebersolds helped me. Once I got iReal Pro it allowed me to transcribe the melodies and I’ve been able to retain those over the years.

What I thought I knew was all a facade. I truly didn’t know tunes and I feel like when I made the switch everything clicked for me. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t change until after college, but we are all on our own journey

[tim]

I'm working with some full time pros, Ira Nepus, Clay Jenkins, Tom Pederson, among a couple others at a high school jazz workshop coming up in February. While we were talking about curriculum, we got into a discussion about improvising. The school directors want us to teach as much theory as we think the kids can handle but us older folks said that's all well and good but we should also be teaching to listen and play by ear. I agree, that skill has fallen by the way side somewhat with academia's focus on theory. Thoughts?

[tim]

The workshop will be virtual unless something miraculous happens. Our Governor here in WA is threatening to lock everything up again.

[tim]

The workshop will be virtual unless something miraculous happens. Our Governor here in WA is threatening to lock everything up again.

[BGuttman]

The workshop will be virtual unless something miraculous happens. Our Governor here in WA is threatening to lock everything up again.

It seems the second wave of COVID-19 is upon us. High infection rates in all 50 states and much of Europe. I think we'll be virtual for a couple of months.

[tim]

yup

[Gary]

The school directors want us to teach as much theory as we think the kids can handle but us older folks said that's all well and good but we should also be teaching to listen and play by ear. I agree, that skill has fallen by the way side somewhat with academia's focus on theory. Thoughts?

I learned the theory by first playing by ear and then, and only then, when I just got stuck and couldn't work my way out by ear, did I find a solution by checking out the theory. Jazz is an aural art.

[BGuttman]

The school directors want us to teach as much theory as we think the kids can handle but us older folks said that's all well and good but we should also be teaching to listen and play by ear. I agree, that skill has fallen by the way side somewhat with academia's focus on theory. Thoughts?

I learned the theory by first playing by ear and then, and only then, when I just got stuck and couldn't work my way out by ear, did I find a solution by checking out the theory. Jazz is an aural art.

The guys who pioneered the jazz idiom were not experts in theory. They learned what sounded good and what didn't by playing and listening. I doubt Louis Armstrong would recognize a 13th chord if he was shown one but could play against it perfectly.

Most of my friends who wanted to improvise would play with records (remember those?).

[aboumaia]

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