How to Train Your Ears Like a Jazz Musician

Recently a reader wrote in wanting to know, “What makes jazz ear training different from just general ear training?” That’s a great question and I definitely had to think to arrive at an answer. They both focus on intervals, chords, root movement and have other common ground, but how are ...Read More

Recently a reader wrote in wanting to know, “What makes jazz ear training different from just general ear training?” That’s a great question and I definitely had to think to ...Read More

The 5 Skills You Won’t Learn in School, Skill Five: Ear Training for Jazz Impro …

What exactly is ear training? You’ve heard musicians talk about it. Your teachers have recommended it. And if you’re a regular to Jazzadvice you’ve seen it pop up in more than a few posts...But I'm guessing the thing that's made the biggest impression on you was being in the presence ...Read More

What exactly is ear training? You’ve heard musicians talk about it. Your teachers have recommended it. And if you’re a regular to Jazzadvice you’ve seen it pop up in more ...Read More

5 Skills You Won’t Learn in School, Skill One: How to Connect Your Ear to Your …

You're a trumpet player. You play the piano or the guitar. Maybe you’ve taken up the saxophone. Out of a dozen different instruments, this is the one that you’ve chosen to amplify your musical voice. You identify with it, you wield it with pride, and you strive to follow in ...Read More

You're a trumpet player. You play the piano or the guitar. Maybe you’ve taken up the saxophone. Out of a dozen different instruments, this is the one that you’ve chosen ...Read More

Stop right there! Don’t Touch Your Instrument until You Do these 4 Simple Exerc …

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All practice is not created equal. There’s the practice that's fun. You're in a room with your instrument and maybe a few friends and you just start playing. The minutes fly by, but you're not exactly working. Then there’s the practice that feels like homework. You've got a lesson or ...Read More

All practice is not created equal. There’s the practice that's fun. You're in a room with your instrument and maybe a few friends and you just start playing. The minutes ...Read More

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 ...Read More

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 ...Read More

6 Practice Essentials for Every Improviser

You walk into your practice room. You sit back in your favorite chair and mentally prepare to play your first note of the day. You glance at your stack of etude books, the half transcribed solo sitting on your music stand, and your growing list of tunes to learn and ...Read More

You walk into your practice room. You sit back in your favorite chair and mentally prepare to play your first note of the day. You glance at your stack of ...Read More

Why You Should Be Hearing Music in Your Mind

I have a vivid memory of the first time I tried to play in an early jazz group. I was in school and was asked to play the trumpet part in an ensemble that met each week studying the music of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and other significant early ...Read More

I have a vivid memory of the first time I tried to play in an early jazz group. I was in school and was asked to play the trumpet part ...Read More

Why You Shouldn’t Be a Real Book Player

Take a peek into a high school jazz band rehearsal or grab a seat at a college jazz combo concert. Better yet, walk into your local jam session or take a close look at the jazz trio playing the next time you're at a wedding. What do you see? In ...Read More

Take a peek into a high school jazz band rehearsal or grab a seat at a college jazz combo concert. Better yet, walk into your local jam session or take ...Read More

Happy New Year! 8 Musical Resolutions That Will Change Your Playing

Anew year is the perfect time to look back at what you've accomplished in the practice room and to look forward to what you still wish to achieve as a musician. It's also a great time to make a fresh start, to realign yourself musically, and to set some new ...Read More

Anew year is the perfect time to look back at what you've accomplished in the practice room and to look forward to what you still wish to achieve as a ...Read More

Overcoming Mental Limitations in Music

Ican’t. We’ve all said these fateful words at one point or another. Fill in the blank for your own situation. “I can’t (____)”...draw, run long distances, wake up early, stop eating cheesecake. Every day there are literally dozens of things that we convince ourselves that we simply cannot do, and ...Read More

Ican’t. We’ve all said these fateful words at one point or another. Fill in the blank for your own situation. “I can’t (____)”...draw, run long distances, wake up early, stop ...Read More

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