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Message: <blockquote data-quote="visionari1" data-source="post: 121429" data-attributes="member: 23">Mention Ice cream and I'm there....I'LL HAVE CHOCOLATE PLEASE!Catching up on this topic and in reference to Thomas and I think Chris K's quote about things being a bit quiet around this thread.After all the solid efforts of Gary Burtons Coursera, I have been re-adjusting how I tackle a tune and am going about learning this new langauge called Jazz.The tune "My One & Only Love" dragged me into the Ballad Thread, a personal favourite of mine which I enjoyed and learnt lots from. Also had a go at Reflections also good for me, still not coming to grips with the changes, and seriously doubting its validity for me. The serious study of chords, & trying to play them in time and sound melodic, in fact seem to create just the opposite!Also the singing thread, ie is it good for Improv has also influenced my thinking on this matter.I now am playing along to other versions of the tunes we are doing like MY funny Valentine, How High the Moon, Reflection etc.Once I've learnt the head, by reading the dots, then start to get it comfortable to play from memory, which takes a week or two, then I start on the chords, so far this appears to be a backwards step, it becomes mechanical, amateurish and hard going!I have been working on these tunes but not posting because the chords parts sound....well....not worth listenings too (I could use stronger language)To cheer me up, I then fire up Spotify and play along to people like Sonny Rollins, Don Byas, Benny Carter, Lucky Thompson etc and find it's real fun and think I'm picking up language, in the way it's meant to be picked up.Sometimes I put a phrase from these masters into Transcribe and really get into it, slowing it down if need be, and really grinding into my memory the phrase, it's essence, feel and timing.. All this is enjoyable but also time consuming, so by the time the next tune is off and running, I'm still half baked with getting whatever tune we're working on anywhere near recording and posting.So apologies for not posting, though I'm working in the background.I'm finding some tunes, for me are easier to play a few notes from the chords, while others are in never never land!It's mid winter here, with heavy frosts, but beautiful clear days. I'm sitting beside a heater, got out of bed before 4 am........ to investigate the Impro-visor application,  I downloaded it (for free, during the Coursera course) some time ago...perhaps it may help with the Blessed Chord Changes??????Too early and too cold...even for me...to have Ice- cream!Ps The guys at Jazz Advice recently posted this one about Tipping Points... I found it to be great advice at this time on my musical journey!<a href="http://jazzadvice.com" target="_blank">http://jazzadvice.com</a></blockquote>