***** [ACTION STEPS] How can you learn this better?
1) Learn to play the roots of the chords 2) Learn to play the roots and 5th of the chords 3) Learn to play chord tones for the bass line 4) Learn to play chord tones on 1 & 3 and passing tones on 2 & 4
Other songs to check out: Stella By Starlight Have You Met Miss Jones Beautiful Love The Days Of Wine and Roses Fly Me To The Moon
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Many of my jazz guitar students ask me how to learn jazz. Most will say it all seems overwhelming and that there's a lot to learn. Still, most of the time my answer is the same. My advice is to learn a jazz standard. It seems obvious but there are many benefits including a deeper understanding of melody and chord progression.
After knowing this, sometimes we may still have a hard time learning the song. I too have stuggled to memorize songs and over many years of trying, asking and learning from different mentors - here are some of the key elements that helped me.
Here are 4 steps to memorize a jazz standard:
1. Study the song form
Songs use repetition to create familiarity and variation to create interest. In jazz, typical songforms are AABA, ABAC, ABCD and sometimes ABA. Most jazz standards are 32-bar forms or in the case of blues, typically 12-bar forms.
Write the song form and details such as:
an analysis of the chords and key areas
when a particular riff or melodic phrase appears and reappears
PRO-TIP: Create multiple copies of the lead sheet of a song you’re working on and analyze the form in different ways. There might be more than one way of looking at it!
2. Study the harmony
Does the song stay in one key? Does it moves through many keys?
Is it in a major key or minor key or both? Is it modal?
Is it pretty static or does it change chords every two beats?
What is similar between two chords that seem so different?
By thinking about the harmony and figuring ways to voice-lead and connect chords - the song will be more a part of you.
PRO-TIP: Memorize the chord progression in phrases, usually 2 or 4-bars at a time. Then, connect these fragments into longer sections of 8-bars and then 16-bars until you've memorized the chords for entire piece.
3. Study the melody
Same thing like the way we looked at the harmony. In fact, we should probably study the melody and memorize it first before looking at the harmony!
Study how the phrases are constructed:
Are they long? Are they short?
Do they have a call and response type of idea?
Are the phrases balanced or not?
PRO-TIP: Here's something I learned from master jazz educator Hal Crook: memorize the pitches of the melody first so you can understand the contour of the melody. Then, work on the rhythm. After that, try it the other way around, i.e. learn the rhythm first and the pitches second.
4. Study the rhythms
Are there repeating rhythmic ideas?
Is is very heavy on the downbeat?
Is there a lot of syncopation?
Where are these syncopations?
PRO-TIP: Some songs are driven more by the rhythm and groove. When this is the case, learn the groove first and be one with it. This will make everything else come together easier.
Hope these steps help you in your journey learning jazz. Remember to have fun and enjoy the process!
I’ll be starting a new series of free online guitar tips for jazz, beginner & fingerstyle guitarists this year. It’s 2013 and it’s the year of epic guitar.
2012 was really an epic year of music, friends and adventure for me.
And, it was truly a year of collaborations.
I performed with so many amazing creative artists from all across the globe. It was inspiring. From New York funky fingerstyle guitarist Adam Rafferty, Blackburn multi-instrumentalist Richard Moss, Brooklyn vocalist Cheryl Tan, Queanbeyan spoken word/rapper Omar Musa, Oakland Jazz vocalist Tara Linda and Berlin fingerstyle guitarist Matteo Alderete. From Malaysia, I worked with US-trained Jazz musicians Tay Cher Siang & Julian Chan, singer-songwriter Reza Salleh and with my own trio featuring bassist Kevin Adrian Theseira and percussionist Zalila Lee.
Here are the 10 videos from 2012. Enjoy!
1. Blue Monk | Cover by Az Samad & Adam Rafferty
This was the epic closer for 2012. Adam Rafferty was on his first tour in Malaysia and performed his debut Malaysian show as a guest for my Open Mic at The Venue #3. The following night, he played another set at The Bee in Publika, Solaris Dutamas. Towards the end of his set, I had the amazing opportunity to perform with him on 2 Jazz standards, Blue Monk and Stella By Starlight. Here's the video of us jamming on Blue Monk.
2. Penyair - Az Samad (guitar) and Richard Moss (mandolin)
In the summer of 2012, I was on my first European tour with Tara Linda & The Tortilla Western Trio. After the tour dates, I visited my good friend Richard Moss & we played a art launch show. After that performance, we decided to record a few songs at his home. This is our version of 'Penyair', a song that I wrote back in 2002. Richard had learned my songs through osmosis over the years we've been friends.
3. Dan Sebenarnya by Yuna | Cover by Cheryl Tan & Az Samad
Cheryl Tan is a pretty cool vocalist. She has quite a diverse and eclectic taste in music which makes her a wonderful musician to work with. In 2012, we started The Malaysian Music Project - an ongoing collaboration to explore the colorful repertoire of Malaysian music from pop to rock to Jazz and even musical theatre. Our first gig at The Venue was a full house concert with 2 encores! We look forward to more in 2013. Here's one of our covers, a reimagining of Yuna's song Dan Sebenarnya as a bossa nova.
4. Lost Planet - Omar Musa & Az Samad
At the 2nd annual George Town Literary Festival, I met Omar Musa. He was a really friendly and understated guy who introduced himself to me and the writers at the fest. And then, we saw him perform his brand of spoken word. I was hooked. It was intense and sincere. Coming from a Malaysian heritage but growing up in Australia created a unique artistic soul. After the festival, we decided to meet up and via some great friends, Zarul, Liz & Yin recorded this collaboration. It's a blend of Omar's piece Lost Planet along with my acoustic guitar accompaniment. Very happy we captured this moment.
5. Az Samad/Tay Cher Siang/Julian Chan Trio | The Search For Hope
Sometimes the best gigs are the ones that catch you by surprise. This particular performance at Nerofico came together rather last minute. But, it gave us the opportunity to express what we've wanted to do for a while. I'm quite a fan of unconventional instrumentation and in this case, we got to play a guitar, piano and saxophone trio. Without a bassist and drummer, we explored Julian's composition in a playful textural way.
6. Almost Beautiful - Matteo Alderete & Az Samad
First time in Berlin and I knew no guitarists there. Then, I contacted my friend Teja Gerken in San Francisco. He introduced me to Matteo via e-mail. After many e-mails and messages, I was in his home studio and recorded 2 duets for YouTube. It's wonderful when technology really connects people and allow new art to emerge. This is one of those moments. =)
7. I'll Cross Any Bridge for You - Tara Linda
I worked with Tara Linda when I was living in Berkeley, California. This video was one of the last things we recorded together before I moved back to Kuala Lumpur. Brings back a lot of great memories of being in San Franscisco.
8. Cow Cow Boogie -Tara Linda in Segovia, Spain
In 2012, I toured with Tara Linda & The Tortilla Western Trio for a festival performance in Segovia, Spain and a 3-night residency in Töpferei Niehenke, Hasbergen, Germany. Here's a video of that memorable night in Spain. Such a great audience! =)
9. Lame Joke Jam - Az Samad Duo feat. Reza Salleh
This is what happens when a passing remark gets taken seriously. Born out of a casual conversation with Reza Salleh, we decided to see how what happens when lame jokes are spoken over improvised groovy jams.
10. Cissy Strut - Az Samad Trio
This was a great year for the Az Samad Trio. We were in the press twice (here & here) and we really developed our repertoire. This is one of the songs that I get to play electric guitar on. =)
In the end, as I reflect back on 2012 - I realize how magical the year has been and how blessed I've been to get to collaborate with all these great artists. I look forward to more music in 2013. =)
Happy new year!
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Over 14 years of learning Jazz with many amazing guitarists has led me to believe that the essential building blocks of Jazz are the same & once understood can really speed your learning process. Here are the 7 key areas:
1) Melody (single line improvisation and composition)
This includes learning melodies to songs, ii-v lines, melodic etudes, solo transcriptions, licks and composing melodies. The idea here is to develop your personal sense of melody, to develop your melodic vocabulary. For the advanced player, this would also include being able to develop a melody compositionally so that it tells a story.
2) Harmony (chords, voicing and chord progression)
This is the study of harmony from understanding and being able to play intervals to playing larger chord structures and voice-led chord progressions. The idea here is to be able to be fluid when playing more than one note at a time.
3) Rhythm (grooves, time signatures, rhythmic patterns)
This is to develop a strong sense of time, groove and rhythmic energy. Some rhythms will feel heavy and others will make the time float. This includes study of different time signatures, polyrhythms, syncopation and beyond.
4) Improvisation (how to improvise, improvisation practice)
This is the pure study of how to improvise and create music in real time. It may include what Wayne Krantz calls ‘Compositional Playing’ which is music that assembled using certain idiomatic vocabulary (licks, cliches, patterns) or ‘Improvisational Playing’ where no particular vocabulary is attached, just recombination and assembling in real time of certain material, without idiomatic consideration.
5) Songs (learning repertoire, parts)
This is all about learning songs & parts to songs. This is learning the music directly.
6) Ear Training
Ear training includes many different aspects including:
a)Transcribing
to your instrument
to paper
b) Playing by ear
by listening to something someone else played
from memory
c) Sightsinging
7) Technique
This is the pure study of technique without considering the music. Techniques may be as fundamental of hammer-ons and pull-offs or more involved topics such as tapping, hybrid picking, odd grouping string crossing & string skipping combinations.
You can cage a tiger, but you cannot brush his teeth
Photos by Yin of We Are Malaysian Made (WAMM).
The Bee Project is one interesting ride. Set at The Bee in Publika, Solaris Dutamas, it is part theatre, part multimedia and many parts fun. It starts off with dinner (if you choose) and for me it was burger, fries and a latte. Depending on where you sit in the space, you might want to finish your meal before the story develops. I took my time and I must say it’s pretty fun to have fries while watching people scream, argue, dance and walk crazy around the place.
The music sets the mood in many ways for the production with the reference to some of the characters and the impending tale. Definitely full of NSFW moments, I would strongly suggest you leave your kids behind unless they grew up watching Kevin Smith, Tarantino & other films these fine folks were inspired by. Be prepared to get up at some points at the show (again, depending where you sit down.)
Photos by Yin of We Are Malaysian Made (WAMM).
Kudos to the team of stealth actors, production folks, musicians, tech crew and all the cool people making and serving food at The Bee for their maneuvering around while the action happens. And to those who saw the previous TerryandTheCuz production, Klue,Doh! – you’re in for a treat with the embedded references and reflections to the events in that show.
There. So, I didn’t tell you the story. Coz The Cuz would probably cuss at me for that. And yeah, you should go find out why I absolutely loved the show and why you should definitely sit at the big table at the back. Yeah.
Photos by Yin of We Are Malaysian Made (WAMM).
Az Samad can usually be found performing his original jazz-influenced fingerstyle compositions or teaching music at his home studio. When he has the time, he heads out for good food and great theatre. He is constantly on the lookout for the perfect caffè latte.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 2:56PM 
[Click here to download the 'Walking Bass Lines' PDF File]
