Week 0 - This idea

I have this recurring idea, that I must become good at Jazz. I love jazz, and I am constantly surrounded by jazz musicians. I attend enough jam sessions to see how skilled and phenomenal this 'language' really is. Jazz is a language. Some can speak it just enough to get on by, and some are fluent. Although I don't think one can ever be 100% fluent in jazz. We are always learning.

Anyway, so I study Law, which keeps me busy. Fortunately I have been granted more time, as 3 of my bigger subjects come to an end, so I thought I'd use this time to do something constructive. Why not become a better musician and just learn jazz! I am now seeing it is easier said than done. Regardless, I have about 6 months available to me, so why not try learn this language. I wont be fluent in jazz, but I'd like to be comfortable in my musical expressions and conversations with other jazzists.

I'm not quite sure how I am going to organize and systematically manage to learn what it is I need to learn, I suppose I will figure that out as the weeks progress. For now, this is a super rough idea of what my schedule may look like: 

Ø  1 hour – Theory – Jody Fisher                                                                               

Ø  1 hour – Learn Standards

Ø  3 hour – Practice

      1hr – New scale and Technique

      1hr – New chords and voicing’s

      1hr – Practice learnt theory

Scales

·         Harmonic minor (7)

·         Melodic minor (7)

·         Whole tone (2)

·         Diminished

·         Arpeggio’s

·         Bebop scale (5)

Standards

·         Sight reading

·         Transposing/All keys – what scale fits with what chords

·         Chords vocabulary

·         Melody – consider its scale in relation to chords

Technique

·         Speed Synchronization

·         8^th Feel

·         String skipping

·         Triplet

Theory

Notes on fretboard

Notes in scales

Notes in chords

Looking at it, it seems rather short, but 5 hours, well for me at least, is intense. Yet some may argue it is not enough. We will see. Ok, well I start tomorrow. It will be the time that I am sussing out what must be done. I will be sure to update you all on a week to week basis. Can I really learn jazz in 6 months?