How do jazz musicians know what notes to play over the chord changes as they improvise? To discover what musicians thought about that, I recently surveyed a few hundred musicians and asked them what musical skill they were most lacking. The number one answer was: knowing what to play over chord changes while improvising.

It's not surprising that the complicated skill of jazz improvisation breeds a lot of confusion on this topic. A widely followed practice of associating chords with scales has provided players with part of that answer, but as I demonstrate in this video, scale work is a means to the end, not the end in itself.

In this video, I demonstrate a natural and intuitive way to play melodic lines that align with the harmony of any tune. The secret is to have the music in your head so clearly that you can project it out of your horn at will. That is easier said than done, however. How do you know if the music is even in your mind to begin with? Singing, humming, or whistling is much more a direct connection to your musical mind than your instrument, so sing a phrase, then try to play it. How easy is that for you?

At the end of the video, I offer a 30day challenge that will demonstrate to you the connection between singing and playing. The things I take you through in the video really will use that connection and in the end, work to help you hear what to play over chord changes.

The backing track to Autumn Leaves that I mention in the video can be found here:   / autumnleavesbackingtrack