Demystifying Dominant 7 Chord Alterations: A Visual Guide
Many chords are pretty easy to understand. But dominant seventh chords with an assortment of alterations…they’re a whole different animal! What’s with all this b9, #9, b13, #11, b5 stuff! There seem to be a million ways you can alter them and so many available scales. And even when you know the theory, playing over ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
How To Turn Frustration With Your Practice Into Musical Progress
We all have those days in the practice room…days where you can’t seem to get anything right. Where you’re fighting your instrument and you want to scream… I’m sure you know the feeling of a frustrating day in the practice room. It’s frustrating because you’ve set aside time in your day specifically for practicing and ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
Why The Fastest Way To Build Your Jazz Skills Doesn’t Require Scales or Chords
When you think about the things that’ll make you a better improviser, your mind probably goes right to music theory…The scales, the chords, the diminished patterns & the ii-V licks. If only you knew more of this stuff you’d finally sound great. You’re not alone in thinking this. Take a peek inside any modern jazz method ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
Crazy John Coltrane Techniques Only For The Brave
It’s late. I’m exhausted. Been out all night at the jazz clubs and I just want to get home. I hop in the first taxi I see and get on my way. I’m listening to the radio and I hear something that sounds familiar. Trane? I know it’s him. His sound is unmistakable. But what ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
10 Modern Improvisation Techniques That’ll Rock Your World
Every musician wants to sound hip and modern. To play complex lines that move outside of the harmony and above the time. Solos that’ll make your fellow musicians shake their heads in disbelief and leave the audience speechless… The only problem is that few players actually get to this point, and even less sound authentic, ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
Why You Hate Practicing: 3 Simple Ways to Love Your Instrument Again
Practicing is the most important thing you can do as a musician. Or so everyone says…But let’s be honest, practicing can be a real drag sometimes. It can feel like the daily chore that you can never escape. Hours of tedious warm-up routines, endless technical exercises, and slogging through every key while staring at the ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
8 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Practicing Jazz Improvisation
Let’s be completely honest…My amazing teachers did tell me many of the things that I’m about to tell you…I just didn’t listen! Why didn’t I listen? I don’t know. Immaturity. Stubbornness. The belief that there had to be something else. Something more important. Something more complex. Something better, that mattered more… But these 8 pieces ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
How to Play the Blues Like a Pro: A Lesson with Wynton Kelly
Every serious improviser has to deal with the blues. From the players just starting out in school, to the musicians at local jam sessions, to the biggest names performing on international stages. Because the blues goes hand in hand with creating music in the moment. But unlike many players think, it goes beyond the blues ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
The Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Articulation: Coltrane Techniques Demystified
It’s the subtleties of jazz articulation that make melodies come alive. But, being so subtle, articulation is one of those concepts that’s difficult to grasp, or for that matter, even teach. And it’s personal. Nearly every player has their own distinct method of articulating, which yields a different result. With all this ambiguity, how can ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
4 Steps to Mastering the Solo Break: A Lesson With Clifford Brown
Improvising over any chord progression can be a challenge. But the true test of your skills as an improviser comes in those moments when the band drops out and you’re forced to improvise alone, without any accompaniment. The solo break… All of a sudden the spotlight is on you and you’ve got a split second ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
How Thinking Like a Writer Will Make You a Better Jazz Improviser
Sometimes a change in perspective is all you need. Jazz improvisation is a demanding pursuit, one that combines intellect, feeling and expression. It’s easy to grasp the music theory side of things, but it’s much more difficult to grok the more dubious concepts…things like strong phrasing, connecting ideas, having a unique musical perspective, or the ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM
2 Simple and Effective Practice Plans for Jazz Improvisation [Free Download]
There seems like there’s so much to practice, but it’s actually an illusion. In today’s day and age, we’re bombarded by information. In approaching or learning literally anything, there’s a million resources for how to achieve it. Looking for the perfect way to slice an apple, or the best diet to get a six-pack? A ...
FREE PRO PRO & PREMIUM