Inspiration for improvisers
Use the lessons in this section to discover effective jazz practice routines that you can start implementing today for rapid improvement.
By Forrest
Do you feel like you’re always trying to catch up? Like everyone else pursuing music started fifty steps ahead of you and the only way you’ll reach them is by moving as fast through the material as humanely possible? This is how most beginner to intermediate jazz improvisers feel and unfortunately, without addressing it, this …
By Eric
In your daily search for musical information you’ve probably come across a “lick of the day,” various short musical excerpts from world famous jazz solos that are neatly written out… These brief phrases from the likes of Charlie Parker to Roy Hargrove seem to hold the musical secrets you’ve been seeking out for years – …
By Eric
As an aspiring musician today, you should consider yourself lucky. What I mean is, right now, you have access to more information, more resources, and more answers than any musician to come before you… Think about it…in a few seconds you can find a recording and the sheet music to any jazz standard ever written. …
By Forrest
When you’re first starting out on your journey learning how to play jazz, you’ll typically come across two different camps of how to go about things… One camp believes that you need a lot of music theory, particularly scales and modes, along with an understanding of how modes are applied to chords. Many refer to …
By Eric
If you’re reading this, I’m guessing you spend your fair share of time in the practice room honing your musical skills. All in preparation for that moment when you can close your eyes and begin improvising your own musical ideas… Everyone knows that practice is an essential part of daily life as a musician. However, …
By Eric
You’re constantly practicing, listening, and striving to improve your ability to improvise…yet for some strange reason, the next level of playing somehow seems to elude you. Etudes aren’t doing the trick. Scale patterns have become boring and predictable. And memorized lines simply won’t translate into amazing musical phrases. Despite all of your time and effort, …
By Eric
Do you ever get the sneaking suspicion that you’re playing the same solo over and over again? As if you’re traveling down a familiar well-worn path in every single tune, regardless of the key, the tempo, or even the chord progression… Minor chords get your favorite minor lines, major chords get major scales, ii-V’s get …
By Eric
Setting goals is an essential part of improving at anything you do…whether it’s learning a language, getting in shape, or mastering an instrument and building your skills as an improviser. You see, your goals are those big targets that you’re aiming for out in the distance. The accomplishments you daydream about, the skills you wish …
By Forrest
Every single musician to ever embark on learning to improvise jazz runs into countless musical problems. That’s just the way it is. One problem after another, figuring out different ways to approach a progression in hopes of clarifying their musical ideas and better communicating them to the listener. So if you want to play jazz, …
By Eric
You learn scales. You faithfully practice triads and arpeggios in every key. You memorize chord progressions & learn tunes. And then you improvise… Sound familiar? This is the standard approach to jazz improvisation that you find in classrooms, private lessons, masterclasses, and practice rooms everywhere. It’s what we’ve come to accept as “the way” to …
By Forrest
To an outside observer, I look like a disciplined person. The kind of person who works hard and puts the time in to move forward on their goals. And to some degree this is certainly true. I strive to be better, I’m motivated, and I tackle challenges on a daily basis to move closer to …
By Eric
As musicians, we find ourselves in an interesting time. No concerts, no gigs, no rehearsals, and no one else to play with. However, there is one thing we all have more than enough of – practice time. On one hand, this can be a great opportunity to focus on the areas of your playing that …