Inspiration for improvisers
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By Eric
Kenny Dorham is one of the enduring masters of this art form, spanning the history from the bebop era to the musical explorations of the 1960s. His playing and compositions are instantly recognizable for their melodic beauty and harmonic sophistication…required listening for any serious player. You see, studying one of his solos – or even …
By Forrest
Michael Brecker is one of the greatest saxophonists to arise after John Coltrane. Like Trane, he took the instrument places it had never gone before, adding new fingerings, effects, and extended techniques that made him seem like more than a man…… Superhuman. That’s the word that comes to mind when I think of Michael Brecker. …
By Forrest
Bebop “heads,” what jazz players sometimes call the melody of a tune, tend to be some of the trickiest and most technically demanding strings of notes you’re likely to encounter. Much busier than classic jazz standards, these intricate melodies are generally more difficult to learn, understand, and commit to memory. So what do you do …
By Forrest
Taking a solo on Rhythm Changes isn’t easy. With the rapid changing chords and the typical fast tempo, this progression can be quite the challenge…but as the pros know, there are a ton of ways to simplify the chord changes to this infamous progression so that you can free up your mind to actually be …
By Eric
Beyond scales, music theory, and all those memorized licks lies something that gets to the core of what improvisation is all about – the art of crafting musical ideas. It’s what we often refer to as phrasing… The ability to take a tune, hear its melody, understand its chord progression, and then focus on that …
By Forrest
, Bebop
Bebop is by no means easy, but if you know specific bebop tricks that the great players use, you’ll set yourself up for success. In today’s video, you’ll learn one of my personal favorite bebop tricks and I’ll show you exactly how to practice it with a series of clear exercises that you can download. …
By Forrest
For a long time, patterns in jazz have been popular as a way for jazz improvisers to expand their improvisational toolkit. You see, patterns have a natural order to them that make them perfect for many jazz different improvisation applications. But every great musician uses patterns in their own unique way… Today, we’ll be looking …
By Eric
Sonny Rollins is one of those rare musical masters that seems to have it all figured out when it comes to improvisation. And if you’re a musician that’s been searching for the missing answers to improve your solos on the jazz repertoire, he’s the perfect player to study. …especially if you’re trying to develop your …
By Eric
Clifford Brown is one of those rare musicians that always seems to play the perfect solo. Every phrase is expertly crafted, every note is musical, and each idea is delivered with impeccable sound … If you’re sitting here like me, wishing you had even one of these qualites in your improvised solos, Clifford Brown is …
By Eric
All the Things You Are is one of the first tunes musicians learn when it comes to jazz improvisation. But unlike many players think, it’s not exactly an “easy tune” or something that only beginners should play… While each section poses unique challenges, the Final ‘A’ section contains essential musical concepts that every serious improviser must …
By Forrest
, Minor
What if you had Sonny Stitt’s practice journal in your hands right now? All his genius lines and exercises written out. Everything, literally everything, complete with diagrams and descriptions of what he practiced…wouldn’t that be nice? Well, unfortunately, unless he’s your relative, chances are this will never be the case. You’ll never have those practice …
By Eric
All the Things You Are is one of the first tunes musicians learn when it comes to jazz improvisation. But unlike many players think, it’s not exactly an “easy tune” or something that only beginners should play… This is especially true of the Bridge of this popular jazz standard. Hidden within these eight bars are …