This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he shares why newly learned jazz phrases always feel a little mechanical at first — and why that’s actually a sign you’re on the right track.
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Why “Playing in Shapes” Is a Phase Everyone Goes Through
I was catching up with a jazz guitarist friend of mine who lives in New York, over Zoom. We’ve known each other since our days living in Japan, so the conversation wandered, and at some point it turned into a real discussion about music.
“Whenever I try to use a phrase I picked up at a session, it ends up coming out as just a ‘shape’ or a finger position — it doesn’t feel musical at all. How do I actually understand it on a theoretical level while still using it in real playing?”
That was the question on the table. We talked it through, and the conclusion we landed on was pretty simple.
“Yeah, there’s just no way around that at first.”
A phrase you just learned is always going to feel like you’re snapping a block into place — playing it “as a shape” is completely natural at that stage. But if you avoid using it because of that, it’ll never become part of your own musical language.
In the end, the only way through is to keep using the phrases you want to play. Even when it goes wrong, even when it feels off, you just keep trying — there’s no shortcut.
The ideal, of course, is for a phrase to come out naturally in the flow of the music rather than being forced in. But getting there means passing through a slightly unnatural-feeling stage first. That part isn’t optional — it’s part of the process.
Shape → feels off → trial and error → gradually more natural. That accumulation is what eventually turns into a genuinely musical phrase.
If you’re in that place right now — “I’ve learned the phrase, but it feels awkward and I don’t love using it” — that’s actually a sign you’re growing. Hang on to that discomfort, and keep trying it anyway.
This in-between stage is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to judge for yourself — a teacher can usually tell right away whether you’re on track or stuck.
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.