How to Practice Jazz

    An Outlook On Practice: Reviewing and Moving Forward Simultaneously

    Improving at jazz improvisation is a process. It's an interesting process because it's both static and dynamic. It's dynamic in the sense that it constantly involves bringing new ideas, material, and concepts into your playing,...Read More

    Improving at jazz improvisation is a process. It's an interesting process because it's both static and dynamic. It's dynamic in the sense that it constantly involves bringing new ideas, material,...Read More

    Thinking Macro vs. Micro in Practicing Improvisation

    Your mental approach to the things you do can have everything to do with your success or failure. In fact, the way that you think about things like setting goals, learning new skills, or creating...Read More

    Your mental approach to the things you do can have everything to do with your success or failure. In fact, the way that you think about things like setting goals,...Read More

    Thoughts On Learning Tunes

    We practice long tones. We work on two-five progressions until our fingers bleed. We work on new ideas and concepts. The work is mostly enjoyable, sometimes frustrating, and hopefully productive... But what is all this...Read More

    We practice long tones. We work on two-five progressions until our fingers bleed. We work on new ideas and concepts. The work is mostly enjoyable, sometimes frustrating, and hopefully productive... ...Read More

    Time Management for the Improviser

    One of the most frequently asked questions that we get concerns finding time to practice or improving with a limited amount of practice time. "What should I do if I don't have enough time to...Read More

    One of the most frequently asked questions that we get concerns finding time to practice or improving with a limited amount of practice time. "What should I do if I...Read More

    How To Practice Twice The Amount In Half The Time

    If you think about it, the elements of your practice routine are like the different sections of a well-structured work-out plan. You've got your warm-up/stretching, cardio, strength training, resistance work outs, and the list goes...Read More

    If you think about it, the elements of your practice routine are like the different sections of a well-structured work-out plan. You've got your warm-up/stretching, cardio, strength training, resistance work...Read More

    Taking Advantage of Technology in Your Practice Routine

    Since the time of Art Tatum and Charlie Parker, the practice tools of the jazz musician have consisted of three basic things: a room, your instrument, and  a record player. If you wanted to get...Read More

    Since the time of Art Tatum and Charlie Parker, the practice tools of the jazz musician have consisted of three basic things: a room, your instrument, and  a record player....Read More

    Getting Started With Transcription

    We get questions all the time on how to go about transcribing. Often, the people that write in say that they tried transcribing, but it just didn't work for them, or it was just too...Read More

    We get questions all the time on how to go about transcribing. Often, the people that write in say that they tried transcribing, but it just didn't work for them,...Read More

    Learn New Material by Total Immersion

    One thing you always want to be doing is learning new material. New lines, new tunes, new concepts...there's always something new to learn. We preach the mantra "Quality Over Quantity" in practically everything we write....Read More

    One thing you always want to be doing is learning new material. New lines, new tunes, new concepts...there's always something new to learn. We preach the mantra "Quality Over Quantity"...Read More

    Clark Terry’s 3 Steps to Learning Improvisation

    Clark Terry is one of the  legends of this music. He's played with every big name in jazz over the last half-century from the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, to Ella...Read More

    Clark Terry is one of the  legends of this music. He's played with every big name in jazz over the last half-century from the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thelonious...Read More

    FAQ: The questions we get over and over

    We get hundreds of questions every month. We do our best to answer as many as we possibly can and write articles about the most provocative ones. Below are answers to the most common...Read More

    We get hundreds of questions every month. We do our best to answer as many as we possibly can and write articles about the most provocative ones. Below are...Read More

    3 Steps to Freedom In All 12 Keys

    The ability to play fluently in all 12 keys is essential for every improviser. Initially, it may seem like you rarely play in certain keys or even that it's just not necessary to play in...Read More

    The ability to play fluently in all 12 keys is essential for every improviser. Initially, it may seem like you rarely play in certain keys or even that it's just...Read More

    Time to Overhaul Your Practice Routine

    One of the biggest obstacles for musicians working to improve as improvisers lies in the development of a solid daily practice routine. We all know we should get into the practice room and diligently spend...Read More

    One of the biggest obstacles for musicians working to improve as improvisers lies in the development of a solid daily practice routine. We all know we should get into the...Read More

    Transcribing for Technique: Improving Musicianship Through Transcription

    After hours spent practicing technique: endless articulation, tone, range, and fingering exercises, are you still not matching up to what you're hearing on your favorite records? Are those same étude books and exercises you've been...Read More

    After hours spent practicing technique: endless articulation, tone, range, and fingering exercises, are you still not matching up to what you're hearing on your favorite records? Are those same étude...Read More

    How to Practice Improvisation Less and Improve More

    A reader recently wrote in the following question: "I used to play classical guitar, then stopped for a couple of years, and am now trying to teach myself jazz guitar. Here's the thing: I'm a...Read More

    A reader recently wrote in the following question: "I used to play classical guitar, then stopped for a couple of years, and am now trying to teach myself jazz guitar....Read More