3 essential jazz tools

3 Essential Improvisation Tools that You Need to Know

By

Eric

Chords, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Jazz Standards, Playing Techniques, Scales, Transcribing

Imagine that you’re a construction worker. You’ve just pulled yourself out of bed at 4 a.m. and slipped on your steel-toed boots. As you stretch your tired legs you let out a sigh as another long day looms on the horizon. No worries, nothing you can’t do after a strong cup of coffee. You arrive …

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Dominant 7th Vocabulary

10 Easy Options for Expanding Your Dominant 7th Vocabulary

By

Eric

Chords, Composition, Jazz Language, Playing Techniques, Scales, Transcribing

What’s the most important chord progression that you need to know as a musician? Well that’s a good question…In the past we’ve explored some common chord relationships that you’ll encounter as an improviser, but there is one chord relationship that sticks out above the rest. Any guesses? It’s the relationship of the five chord to …

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Musical goals for new year

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

By

Eric

Chords, Ear Training, How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Playing Techniques, Rhythm, Scales, Transcribing, Visualization

A new 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 goals. So, Happy New …

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How to think like a composer

The Philosophy of Learning Jazz Improvisation: Thinking like a Composer

By

Eric

Chords, Composition, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Jazz Language, Myths, Perspectives, Playing Techniques, Scales, Transcribing

Composition is selective improvisation – Igor Stravinsky. In 15 seconds the difference between composition and improvisation is that in composition you have all the time you want to decide what to say in 15 seconds, while in improvisation you have 15 seconds – Steve Lacy. Learning to improvise is a big undertaking. Not only must …

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10 more exercises for jazz improvisation

10 Exercises to Practice When You’ve Run Out of Ideas (Premium)

By

Eric

Ear Training, How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Standards, Premium Only, Rhythm, Scales, Transcribing

We often get a ton of great questions from our readers about what to practice. These inquiries range from players that are stuck in a daily musical rut to aspiring improvisers that simply don’t know the next step to take in the practice room. The truth is, every musician encounters frustrating days on their instrument …

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How one note matters

How One Note Can Change Your Ears and Spark Your Creativity (Premium)

By

Eric

Chords, Ear Training, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Playing Techniques, Premium Only, Scales

Can one note really change your ears and improve your creativity? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. But let me explain…A few years ago I took a lesson with the great trumpet player, improviser and composer Ingrid Jensen. As I hopped on the the N train and headed to the lesson I looked over my practice …

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using permutation in music

Using Permutation to Create Unlimited Musical Ideas…and Killer Technique

By

Eric

Composition, Jazz Advice and Tips, Playing Techniques, Rhythm, Scales

Time and again, we’ve stressed on this site that scales are not the secret to jazz improvisation. However, scales can be beneficial if you practice and apply them in the right way. Once you aurally understand and ingrain the vital aspects of the jazz language (i.e. phrasing, melodic construction, expression, harmonic application, time, articulation, etc.) …

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slash chords made simple

Slash Chords Made Simple (Premium)

By

Eric

Chords, Composition, Premium Only, Scales

A reader recently sent in this question: “I was wondering if you could explain to me how to interpret slash chords for soloing. It seems like different sources have conflicting information. Also, what would I do if I encountered a chord like C/Db, in which the top and bottom are not related diatonically?” Slash chords …

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