8 Things No One Tells You About Learning Jazz Improvisation
People will tell you all sorts of things about learning jazz improvisation. But no one tells you many of the things that could actually help you the most. As we practice jazz improvisation, we develop a concept of how we think we should go about learning things. This concept primarily comes from what our teachers, ...
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Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Musician? (Answer This Question to Find Out…)
Let’s say this: You’re a 25 year old guitar player, serious and passionate about what you do. Each day after work you come home and head into the practice room, learning songs, practicing your technique, and dreaming about getting onstage. But despite all of this effort you’re still not seeing the progress you want. Or ...
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Stop Running From Your Creativity
Listen carefully…Can you hear that? Underneath the thoughts about your credit card bill and next Tuesday’s dinner plans. Past the anxiety about that upcoming job interview and the frustration with your painfully slow progress in the practice room. A faint murmur bubbling up in your subconscious. A voice trying to break through the noise of ...
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27 Ways to Get Inspired to Play Music Again
It’s been a while since you’ve picked up your horn, sat down to the piano, or even thought about practicing. As time goes by, it gets more and more difficult to get that spark going again. Ok, time to get out of this rut and do something about it. Here are 27 ideas to get ...
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The Secret Behind Every Solo that You Can’t Afford to Miss
There’s a secret hidden in every great solo. You’ll find it in those old records of Louis Armstrong and those videos of Bird and Diz that you watch on YouTube. You can even hear it in the players of today like Terence Blanchard, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tom Harrell and dozens of others. It’s a secret that ...
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7 Crucial Lessons from History’s Greatest Improvisers
I’m guessing you’ve heard of Miles Davis. That you know Louis Armstrong and have listened to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. But have you ever stopped and wondered why you know these names? Some of these masters have been gone for 40 years and some of their records are nearly 80 years old. So why ...
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7 Reasons you’re not getting to the next level and what to do about it
When you begin something new, there’s so much to learn. Improvement is quick and often, practice is exploratory and fun. But after doing anything for a while, you settle into a routine and your once explosive improvement tapers off. Wherever this may leave you, you can’t seem to get beyond this plateau. Why are you ...
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Why You Should be the Worst Player in the Room
If you’re reading this, I’m guessing that you want to be the best. You want to walk into a room with your instrument and completely smash the competition. To tackle every chord progression, every tune, and every challenging technical passage with effortless mastery. To have every other player’s jaw drop as they look on in ...
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4 Reasons Why You Should Start Recording Yourself Today
There are perks to being a musician. You get to step out into the spotlight and be the star of the show. You get to experience the exhilaration of creating music in the moment with other musicians. And you get to share your music with family, friends, and complete strangers. But there’s one thing you ...
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Why Your Search for the Perfect Equipment is Not Making You a Better Musician
You’re searching for the perfect sound. You want to play long improvised lines with ease. You want to have effortless high range, to play swinging phrases with a stellar tone, and to sound great on any jazz standard. And to get there you just need that perfect instrument. That vintage Martin Committee trumpet, that mint condition ...
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How to Create the Perfect Practice Environment
Here’s something that I don’t tell many people…I’ve practiced my instrument huddled inside a closet, surrounded by dirty laundry. I’ve worked out scales after dark sitting in the back seat of my car. I’ve practiced classical etudes in secluded corners of Central Park and I’ve played into pillows after midnight to run through tunes. Looking ...
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Reality Check: Motivating Yourself to Better Musicianship
It’s been a few weeks since the new year when we posted articles on setting goals and making musical resolutions. Did you make some resolutions this year? If so, how are they holding up? Maybe you didn’t exactly make a conscious resolution, however you probably have some areas of your playing that you want to ...
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