I built a website for a very niche group: classically trained instrumentalists learning to improvise
Hi
I joined IH last month and just launched my first mini project: www.ohsojazz.com
It's solving a problem I encountered, but it's a very niche problem. I'm new to this, and reading a lot, but if anyone has any feedback on the website, or on how to find potential users/ validate my idea, that would be awesome!
Target audience: Classically trained instrumentalists who want to learn how to improvise
Background: if you want to learn how to improvise you have to know a lot about different scales, chords etc. I followed an online course last year where a simple technique was introduced to get you going: Find a backing track, find out what chords are being played, and create something called "chord stacks". Then you can improvise a melody with your instrument by playing a note of that chord stack on the downbeat of a chord (e.g. when the chord G is played, you play any note from the G chord stack), and pretty much anything you like in between. The results are great: you produce a melody that sounds nice.
The problem: it is a bit of a pain to create those chord stacks manually, either with pen and paper or with online sheet music tools. And there doesnt seem to be a tool where our can just say: "give me the chord stacks for the progression G Am F#major7". So I built a tool for that!
There are many additional features I can think of like the ability to create a simple background track from a chord progression specified for the user.
But at the moment I am mainly trying to think how best to advertise this tool (it's free), or to find out if other people find it useful.
So far I published a thread in the jazz subreddit and asked a guy called Christian Howes for feedback (he is a famous jazz violinist who is running this online jazz course).
Things I've been thinking about:
- twitter: try to find people who could be interested in learning how to improvise, or who have followed christian howes' course
- posting this link in comment sections on youtube improv videos
- more reddit groups
- fb groups
Any other ideas how best to advertise this or find out if other people find it useful?
Or any general feedback about the website?
Thanks!
@jonvet! This is neat. I can't believe you haven't had any comments.
I'm not an improviser, nor even a musician 😆but it's a fun idea. I've been listening to Thing Called Love by Above & Beyond lately (I'm a dance music lover who stumbled across their acoustic concert) and wanted to try putting in the chords for that, but those chords don't appear to be supported yet.
I think you're doing all the right things in terms of trying to find people who might be interested to play around with it.
What's your plan? Are you just looking to get experience in changing it based on feedback? I'd love to hear whether you have gained any more users.
If you intended on it being a sold product, I think starting with the problem was a good move. It's worth pointing out that solving our own problems can sometimes produce a product other people are willing to pay for, but it's risky. This is such great experience, though.
I really like your website. You do a good job of articulating the value proposition, and explaining the process of how it works. The musical notation type is cute and obviously on-brand. Everything is clear. And you get to use it right there on the page! No need to sign up.
👌🏻
oh my god I didn't see this comment so sorry! It's been a while and I have no idea if you're still active here. If you are, may I ask which chords you entered that weren't supported?
I haven't really worked on this at all lately. Recently with the generative AI hype I was thinking about synthesising a jazzy background track that people can play to instead of just giving them a pdf. I'm not sure it even needs AI, if I can find a way to automate the music creating bit. I have Propellerhead Reason, but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to create music with that using code. Ideally I would use a music software that I can call from python code.
Thanks for the feedback though! I don't have a ton of users, but I'm using it for myself every now and then :)