For aspiring monster jazz musicians, the best learning resources are not books, videos, the latest technology, or fancy new equipment. These can all be powerful tools, but your fastest and most effective growth will come from associating with accomplished players.
Maybe you take lessons with an experienced musician. That’s great, and it’s certainly one of the best ways to improve. Or maybe you are friendly with some skilled jazz players in your hometown, and you can talk about music with them occasionally. That’s also a good avenue for expanding your knowledge. But there’s another, extremely powerful way to learn from great musicians: play music with them!
Sure, it sounds simple, but it’s too often overlooked by less experienced players. They’re usually just too shy and insecure to initiate a session with better musicians. But, as I hope to show you in this lesson, the benefits are so great that you should really learn to set aside any feelings of embarrassment or fear of rejection. Be the “worst” member in a band—it’s one of the best things you can do for your musicianship!
Ask any athlete about competing against (or even training with) better athletes, and you’ll hear the same response: It’s one of the best ways to improve in your sport. Sure, your pride might suffer a bit as you’re being pushed around the court or the field, but those feelings quickly fade as you observe how these skilled athletes play their sport, and as you start to judge what you must change in your own game in order to keep up.
Music isn’t a competition, of course, but similar dynamics are at work. Playing in a live situation with accomplished musicians gives you an up-close view of what it’s like to make music at a very high level.
You’ll notice the details that define a great band: the way the drummer recognizes your rhythmic patterns and highlights them, or how the bassist seamlessly leads you into the chord changes, or how the horn player has complete control of his solos.
You’ll step up your own playing in order to keep up with them. You’ll also see clearly how much work you have to do to reach that level of excellence. Playing with great musicians is like going to the Empire State Building and taking the elevator to the top, instead of just reading about it or looking at pictures in a book.
I know what you’re probably thinking: Being in a band with great players will certainly help you, but what’s in it for them? Why would they want to play with a less experienced musician? Or even worse, what if they embarrass you or put you down?
Well, first of all, let me say that this probably won’t happen. It’s true that there are some good musicians out there who are nevertheless insecure about themselves and who take their anxiety out on those around them. But, in my experience at least, these people are the exception, not the rule. The really great musicians understand that all sincere learners are on the same path, and they’re more than willing to help others along the way.
The more important lesson here, though, is that jazz is bigger than our own small fears and insecurities. Don’t let your musical development be held back because you’re worried about what some people might say about you. Playing with great musicians will help you tremendously, so set aside your fears and seek out those opportunities.
Once you’ve done this a few times, you’ll find that you’re less anxious about yourself and your music. You’ll gain better perspective on what’s important and what’s not. You’ll be less concerned about how people might criticize your playing, and you’ll be more focused on the music itself. Being the worst member of a band will improve not just your technical skills, but also your whole mental approach.
Action Step: Seek out accomplished musicians and ask to play with them. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to audition for a great band and land the gig. Then you’ll be able to practice regularly with better players. But even if that’s not a possibility, there are plenty of other avenues. Go to local jam sessions and introduce yourself to the house band. If they know you’ve come specifically to play with them, they’ll usually give you that opportunity. If you like the scene, keep going back for a few weeks. Get to know the good players and invite them to your own sessions. The more you play with great musicians, the faster you’ll become one yourself.

Chris Punis is an active jazz musician in the northeast. He is founding member of the critically acclaimed group Gypsy Schaeffer and a member of renowned saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase’s group The Explorer’s Club. Chris is also an accomplished jazz educator and author of “The Monster Jazz Formula”. For more information about his teaching methods and to receive your free lessons, “21 Great Ways To Become a Monster Jazz Musician”, visit www.learnjazzfaster.com