How Do I Perform Solo?

Welcome to another episode where Brent answers your jazz and music questions five days a week. Today, we have an intriguing question from Ken Bryan from York, Pennsylvania, about resources and advice for a jazz guitarist aiming to perform solo at venues like bars, restaurants, and parties. Brent discusses this topic, sharing his personal experience and offering valuable tips for anyone looking to enhance their solo performance skills. Brent emphasizes the importance of finding a solo guitar style that resonates with you. He recalls his college days and the profound influence of Peter Bernstein’s solo guitar performances at Smalls in New York. He suggests building a repertoire of songs with basic solo arrangements and practicing improvisation, focusing on telling an interesting musical story through single-note lines before integrating chords. Additionally, Brent encourages solo performers to embrace their unique approach, even if it means using technology like loop pedals to enhance their sound. He also highlights the resources available in the Inner Circle membership, such as the jazz guitar and piano accelerator courses, which offer valuable tools for mastering solo performance. With consistent practice, learning jazz standards, and perhaps booking a performance to set a tangible goal, anyone can improve their solo playing skills. Important Links: Free Guide to learning standards by ear: Learn Jazz Standards the Smart Way LJS Inner Circle Membership Listen to the Learn Jazz Standards Podcast Learn Jazz Standards Inner Circle: Get 50% off your first month!

You can listen to How Do I Perform Solo? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How Do I Perform Solo? is an episode from Learn Jazz Standards Podcast by Brent Vaartstra: Jazz Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur.

This episode is 15:23 long.

This episode was published on Jun 26, 2024.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Learn Jazz Standards Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.