Jazz Rant (Pissing on jazz)
Posted: 22 Feb 2018
So I'm gonna piss on jazz and be an annoying whiner for a while, so if you don't want to read about that then you should probably stop right now. Obviously what I'm about to say is an overgeneralization but here it is anyway.
I've heard plenty of people say that "You just don't understand it, that's why you don't like it". That might be true for some but I studied this shit for years, learning the scales and jazz chords, practising soloing, trying to listen to it and enjoy it. I really tried to like it and gave it many chances to grow on me, but no. For the most part it just didn't do anything for me emotionally.
Obviously I never became a good jazz player because it's a really hard genre to master and I really think you have to like it in order to become good at it.
The worst part for me is all the endless soloing. It might be fun to play, but as a composition itself it's just too much noodling around. Just learn to write a proper tune damnit. Maybe if they extracted 5% of what they all played and built a song around that it would work out better.
I know there's themes in jazz, but many times they are overlooked. Let's not kid ourselves, the "song" is just there as an excuse to play solos.
It probably doesn't help that the typical 2-5-1 chord progression doesn't appeal to me either.
There's so much potential in all the scales and note choices available in the genre. It's just too bad it has to end up sounding like jazz. It's supposed to be so free compared to other music, yet it's still so limited in its sound.
I'm almost of the opinion that people say they like jazz because they think it will make them sound like a sophisticated person or something, like you don't want to look dumb just because you prefer simpler compositions or genres. God forbid you actually enjoy something that's catchy.
Having said all this. I don't regret studying it because it gave me a lot of knowledge about a bunch of new scales, chords, knowing my fretboard on the guitar and so on. Jazz for me is more like an exercise in music and theory rather than something to enjoy.
I do use this knowledge in my music even though it usually doesn't sound jazzy at all. Weirder scales and note choices pops in every now and then, but I try to make sure it still sounds natural and melodic to my ears.
Of course there's always exceptions in every genre. There are a few bits here and there that I genuinly enjoy, mostly the more melodic type of jazz where they are actually trying to make proper music rather than jerk around as much as possible with their instruments.
Aaah it feels so good to vent sometimes
What's your opinion on the genre? Love it? Hate it? Indifferent?
I've heard plenty of people say that "You just don't understand it, that's why you don't like it". That might be true for some but I studied this shit for years, learning the scales and jazz chords, practising soloing, trying to listen to it and enjoy it. I really tried to like it and gave it many chances to grow on me, but no. For the most part it just didn't do anything for me emotionally.
Obviously I never became a good jazz player because it's a really hard genre to master and I really think you have to like it in order to become good at it.
The worst part for me is all the endless soloing. It might be fun to play, but as a composition itself it's just too much noodling around. Just learn to write a proper tune damnit. Maybe if they extracted 5% of what they all played and built a song around that it would work out better.
I know there's themes in jazz, but many times they are overlooked. Let's not kid ourselves, the "song" is just there as an excuse to play solos.
It probably doesn't help that the typical 2-5-1 chord progression doesn't appeal to me either.
There's so much potential in all the scales and note choices available in the genre. It's just too bad it has to end up sounding like jazz. It's supposed to be so free compared to other music, yet it's still so limited in its sound.
I'm almost of the opinion that people say they like jazz because they think it will make them sound like a sophisticated person or something, like you don't want to look dumb just because you prefer simpler compositions or genres. God forbid you actually enjoy something that's catchy.
Having said all this. I don't regret studying it because it gave me a lot of knowledge about a bunch of new scales, chords, knowing my fretboard on the guitar and so on. Jazz for me is more like an exercise in music and theory rather than something to enjoy.
I do use this knowledge in my music even though it usually doesn't sound jazzy at all. Weirder scales and note choices pops in every now and then, but I try to make sure it still sounds natural and melodic to my ears.
Of course there's always exceptions in every genre. There are a few bits here and there that I genuinly enjoy, mostly the more melodic type of jazz where they are actually trying to make proper music rather than jerk around as much as possible with their instruments.
Aaah it feels so good to vent sometimes
What's your opinion on the genre? Love it? Hate it? Indifferent?