8 jazz improvisation improvement projects

8 Improvisation Improvement Projects That Will Change Your Playing

By

Eric

Ear Training, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives, Playing Techniques, Transcribing

Practice is an essential part of your journey as a musician. We all do it every day…or at least we try our best to, however daily practice doesn’t always guarantee improvement. Why? Simply because not all practice is created equal. If you look at the big picture there are two basic types of practice: (1) …

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get more jazz language

Quadruple Your Jazz Language in 10 Minutes (Premium)

By

Forrest

Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Premium Only, Transcribing

Learning jazz language is vital to your success as an improvisor. Without it you’re truly lost. You may know a scale, a chord, a concept…but without the fundamental ideas of what to do with these tools, you’ll aimlessly wander through the harmony. These fundamental ideas are gleaned from learning and studying language. A reader recently …

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assumptions about what to transcribe

Your Assumptions About What To Transcribe

By

Forrest

Transcribing

People have been writing in a lot lately asking us what’s okay and what’s not okay to transcribe. With all the different styles of jazz and genres of music, people are entirely confused as to what’s acceptable to transcribe. I have to admit, upon receiving these questions, I was a bit confused. I thought to …

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slow practice for jazz improvisation

Another Look at Slow Practice for Jazz Improvisation

By

Eric

Chords, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Transcribing

Play it slow. Feel every beat. Subdvide. Hear every note. Concentrate on every single detail. There are dozens of different ways to describe the process of slow practice, yet it seems that the majority of successful musicians in any genre are saying “practice slowly!” Every teacher that I’ve ever had, from classical players to lead …

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how to extend your instrumental range

3 Ways To Extend Your Range You Probably Haven’t Thought Of

By

Forrest

Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Transcribing

The extreme ranges of any instrument express extreme emotion, but they’re not easy to tackle. The high register is notoriously difficult on most instruments and the low register is often under-developed and under-utilized. The standard approach towards these registers is to extend your scales and arpeggio exercises as high and as low as you can. …

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transcribing for musical style

Transcribing for Musical Style

By

Eric

Playing Techniques, Transcribing

A magical thing happens when you listen to a recording of your favorite player and begin to play along with the record. It’s almost as if an unconscious transformation takes place, an instant instruction through aural osmosis. Simply by sitting by the speakers with your instrument and taking in those sound waves, you can instantly …

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the words of the wise

Listening to the Words of the Wise

By

Eric

Jazz Language, Transcribing

Learning improvisation can be a curious process. Every now and then as we endeavor to educate ourselves musically, we hear bits of advice and pick up words of wisdom from master classes, videos, books, and conversations. Yet, we don’t really listen to these directions or take them to heart. The truth is that we can’t …

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how to apply jazz language

How to Apply the Jazz Language that You’ve Transcribed

By

Eric

Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Jazz Standards, Transcribing

So you’ve transcribed some ii-V lines. You’ve even learned a few solos note for note directly from the record, but, despite your efforts, you’re not seeing the results you expected. Transcribing those lines from your favorite player didn’t transform you into the great improviser that everyone had promised. At the end of the day, improvisation …

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transcribing whole solos

Transcribing Whole Solos Is More Than You Thought

By

Forrest

Transcribing

In my lesson on Monday I talked about why you’re not getting the results you want from transcribing whole solos. For the most part, that article was written with respect to language: how to make useful language from a whole solo. While gathering, understanding, and implementing language is one of the most important aspects of …

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