6 Great Youtube Play Along Videos
Learning jazz standards spurs overall development as a jazz musician, and helps students build a base of knowledge that comes in handy in gig or jam session situations. Backing tracks simulate playing a standard with a band, and allow students to improve their jazz vocabulary and improvisation skills.
Many companies make materials focused around backing tracks for jazz tunes. For instance, students have used the Jamey Aebersold series of books for decades. These books provide lead sheets and chord charts in all the common transpositions, and feature professional musicians performing the play along. Each book contains ten or so tunes united by a theme (most often an artist), and cost around twenty dollars. You can find a link to a complete list of books here: https://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_code=aebpla.
Another great resource is the iReal Pro app, which allows users to customize backing tracks for a catalogue of 1400 songs. You can change the style, tempo, and key for any song, and make the track fit your preferences. However, the app costs fifteen dollars, and only includes chord charts. You can find iReal Pro on the App Store Google Play.
Link to download: https://www.irealpro.com/
Besides these resources, numerous Youtube channels post backing tracks for jazz standards. You can use these for free, and they offer an excellent way to practice jazz tunes. We want to help point students in the right direction, and have made a list of six great Youtube channels to use for play alongs.
M2 Youtube Channel
This channel best approximates the total package of the Jamey Aebersold books. M2 has backing tracks for a wide range of standards, many of which fit the character of the specific tune. A concert pitch lead sheet with chord symbols displays throughout the video, allowing students to learn both the melody and the chord changes. These tracks sound like real musicians performed them, and therefore sound more natural than many other tracks available on Youtube.
Link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/matija42
2. Practice Jazz Youtube Channel
The Practice Jazz channel also features high quality backing tracks for a wide range of jazz standards, but differentiates itself by providing tracks for every conceivable rhythm section combination. The most extensive videos feature versions with a piano trio, just piano and bass, just piano and drums, just bass and drums, and guitar trio. A highlight bar follows the changes as the video plays, and the tracks sound natural.
Link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PRACTICEJAZZ/videos
3.) Backingtracks JAZZ Youtube Channel
Like the M2 channel, the play alongs on the Backingtracks JAZZ are modified to fit each tune’s melody. The channel features slow play alongs of complex jazz standards, making them more accessible to beginning students. A chord chart plays throughout each video, and a colored block always highlights the measure being played.
Link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH41jwczZGGOy0QotghGQYw/videos
4.) Guitare Improvisation
The Guitare Improvisation channel boasts many of the same features as Backingtracks JAZZ, but all the tracks feature a guitar trio rather than a standard piano trio. With a clean visual format and high sound quality, Guitare Improvisation backing tracks provide something a little different from the other channels on this list.
Link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/GuitareImprovisationCom/videos
5.) MrSunnybass Youtube Channel
Run by bassist Mauro Sereno, the MrSunnybass channel features Sereno playing bass lines for popular jazz standards. Rhythm section players will find this channel especially useful, but horn players can also play along to these tracks. Although he does not show a chord chart throughout the video, one taken from iReal Pro shows on screen for around five seconds at the start of each video.
Link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MrSunnybass/videos
6.) Learn Jazz Standards Youtube Channel
Learn Jazz Standards offers the most limited package of the channels on this list. They do not provide a lead sheet or chord chart, but the tracks nonetheless demonstrate excellent audio and overall quality. These tracks are great for practicing familiar tunes, or if a student wants to test themself by playing without the changes in front of them.
Link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEk1V5QgcGrPLxlnIV_NPFyIh8mfAvPCF