Famous Jazz Musicians and Players - Learn Their Pet Techniques • Page 5 of 6 • Jazzadvice

Think like a pro jazz musician like Michael Brecker

It sounds so complex. So difficult. So advanced. Great jazz musicians sound as though they’re implementing highly complex and difficult concepts that mere mortals could never hope to access, but in reality, professionals think simpler than you’d ever imagine. It’s the beginners and intermediates who study the pros and abstract what they think is going …

8 Techniques Mark Turner Uses to Dominate the Blues (Premium)

Eric

Blues, Jazz Musicians, Jazz Standards, Premium Only

If you’ve ever listened to Mark Turner you’ve probably wondered the same thing as me…What the hell is he playing? Rather than coming from the mind of an improviser, his solos sound like the work of an ambitious architect. Complex structures reaching into the stratosphere, lines with impossibly wide leaps, columns of arpeggios, and winding …

How To Create the Perfect Solo: A Lesson With Herbie Hancock

Eric

Jazz Language, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques

Herbie Hancock is one of the greatest living improvisers. From his work with the great Miles Davis Quintet to his own musical explorations, he has spent decades evolving and pushing musical boundaries. But the thing that stands out most is his ability to craft a musical moment for the listener. To transport them out of …

5 Steps to Becoming A Lyrical Master With Altered Dominants: A Lesson With Stan Getz (Premium)

Forrest

Chords, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques, Premium Only

Alterations are at the heart of jazz. In no other genre of music can you freely alter chords in a such a fluid and flexible manner. As chords whiz by, the soloist has the freedom to add all sorts of chord alterations to their melodic lines. But it requires a sense of how these altered …

10 Surprising Secrets to Jazz Phrasing I Learned From John Coltrane

Forrest

Composition, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques, Rhythm

John Coltrane is probably best known for Countdown and Giant Steps, or his earth-shattering intensity on A Love Supreme. But often overlooked is the depth and beauty of his phrasing and lyricism… When I first heard the album Kind of Blue, I was blown away. And I still am to this day. There is so …

A Lesson With Bill Evans: 14 Techniques to Master the Minor ii V Progression

Forrest

Chords, Composition, Jazz Musicians

What do you play over a minor ii V? Minor ii Vs are notoriously tricky. As compared to their brother, the ii V in major, the ii V in minor adds quite a few more challenges. First off, instead of a minor 7 ii chord, it has a minor 7 b5 ii chord. This causes …

The Secret Behind Every Solo that You Can’t Afford to Miss

Eric

Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives, Playing Techniques, Transcribing

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 …

7 Free Jazz Lessons From History's Greatest Improvisers

7 Crucial Lessons from History’s Greatest Improvisers

Eric

Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives, Playing Techniques

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 …

7 Surprising Qualities of the World’s Best Improvisers

Eric

How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives

Wow! You’re sitting in the audience at a sold out concert and your favorite musician has just taken the stage. Flawless technique, impeccable sound, and endless creative musical lines flow from the stage and fill up the concert hall. “Unbelievable,” you think. “This musician must be super-human!” They just might be, but have you ever …

Becoming a Musical Character

Eric

How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives, Transcribing

Have you ever seen a movie where a certain character stuck with you long after the film was over? Or what about a piece of artwork that kept popping up in your mind’s eye? Maybe you’ve witnessed a speech that had the same lasting effect or attended a concert where the performer played their instrument …

Jazz Contrafacts and Reharmonization: A Creative Approach to Jazz Standards

Eric

Composition, Jazz Musicians, Jazz Standards, Playing Techniques

Creativity in its most basic form is simply the act of taking something old and making it new. Whether you’re a novelist, an architect, an engineer or an improviser, artistic creation stems from a desire to make something new within the existing confines of your craft. To put a personal stamp on your art form …

Learning Tunes Your Way

Eric

How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Jazz Musicians, Jazz Standards, Perspectives

On this site we’ve frequently written about learning tunes. This is no coincidence – learning tunes goes hand in hand with improving as an improviser. Whether you’re practicing, performing, or simply listening to a few records with some friends you’re dealing directly with tunes. Keeping this in mind, building a solid repertoire of tunes should …

Jazz Musicians

How to Think Like a Pro Jazz Musician: Michael Brecker and The Power of Simplicity (Premium)

8 Techniques Mark Turner Uses to Dominate the Blues (Premium)

How To Create the Perfect Solo: A Lesson With Herbie Hancock

5 Steps to Becoming A Lyrical Master With Altered Dominants: A Lesson With Stan Getz (Premium)

10 Surprising Secrets to Jazz Phrasing I Learned From John Coltrane

A Lesson With Bill Evans: 14 Techniques to Master the Minor ii V Progression

The Secret Behind Every Solo that You Can’t Afford to Miss

7 Crucial Lessons from History’s Greatest Improvisers

7 Surprising Qualities of the World’s Best Improvisers

Becoming a Musical Character

Jazz Contrafacts and Reharmonization: A Creative Approach to Jazz Standards

Learning Tunes Your Way

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