Why You Shouldn’t Try to Learn Everything at Once (Especially in Jazz)

Hey, it’s Marc from JazzGuitarLessons.net. I recently watched a video that totally shifted the way I think about learning jazz — especially when it comes to the messy, beautiful chaos of improvisation.

And here’s the kicker: trying to improve everything at once might actually be slowing you down.

Yeah. Let that sink in.

Let’s dive into why that is — and more importantly — how you can flip your practice sessions on their head and start making serious progress, fast.

The Rotating Focus: A Smarter Way to Learn

So the video I’m talking about is by Dr. Benjamin Keep, PhD (highly recommend checking out his YouTube channel). It introduces this idea called The Rotating Focus.

Here’s the core idea: Some skills are linear and simple — like making a cup of tea. You can break them into pieces, practice each part, then put it all together. Easy.

But other skills (like jazz improvisation or playing StarCraft if you’re a gamer) are messy. Everything’s happening at the same time — rhythm, harmony, feel, tone, vocabulary, form — and everything depends on everything else.

Sound familiar?

Jazz improv is exactly like this. You’ve got:

• Time feel

• Tone and touch

• Fretboard knowledge

• Harmony and chord tones

• Licks and vocabulary

• Interaction with the rhythm section (especially if the drummer’s rushing… yikes)

And it’s all coming at you simultaneously. So how do you actually improve when you can’t isolate one piece easily?

The Secret Weapon: Attention

The answer? Control your awareness.

In that video, they talk about a research study involving a video game called Space Fortress. Super complex game with lots of interdependent moving parts — just like jazz.

They tested different groups of players. One group just played the game normally. But the others were told to focus on just one or two specific aspects of the game during the first few sessions. And guess what?

💥 The focused players CRUSHED it.
They scored way higher than the control group — even long after the focused practice sessions ended.

Why? Because when you focus on one thing, your brain builds strong, usable building blocks that become part of the bigger skill later on.

This applies directly to jazz.

Practical Jazz Application: Rotate Your Focus

Instead of “I need to play a better solo,” try:

• Chorus 1: Focus only on chord tones.

• Chorus 2: Focus only on phrasing.

• Chorus 3: Think only about connecting phrases clearly.

• Chorus 4: Let it all go and just play.

This approach isn’t new — it’s what top players like Metheny, Scofield, Wes, and Benson have internalized. They might sound like they’re juggling 10 things, but trust me — they built those layers one at a time.

A Personal Jam Session Story

Let me share a quick story. I once hit up a jam session and the sax player called “Alone Together” — a bit too fast for comfort. And of course, my brain went into overdrive.

But I made a choice: I focused on just playing well-phrased quarter notes. That’s it.

Even though I was getting lost, and my licks were coming out all weird, that single point of focus gave me something solid to hold on to. Like a baby sucking their thumb — just something to cling to in the chaos.

Try This in Your Practice Today

Here’s a quick challenge for your next practice session:

Pick ONE thing.

Try:

• Soloing with just three notes (yes, really)

• Staying on one string the whole solo

• Focusing only on clearly ending each phrase

Don’t judge. These constraints are your superpower. They force your brain to build real skill, faster.

The Big Takeaway

🎯 Complex skills improve faster when you narrow your focus.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less, with intention.

So next time you're in the woodshed, zoom in. Let go of the urge to fix everything all at once. Your future self — the one who breezes through changes with taste and style — will thank you.

Until next time, stay groovy.