4 simple jazz exercises

Stop right there! Don’t Touch Your Instrument until You Do these 4 Simple Exercises (Premium)

By

Eric

Ear Training, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Perspectives, Premium Only

All practice is not created equal. There’s the practice that’s fun. You’re in a room with your instrument and maybe a few friends and you just start playing. The minutes fly by, but you’re not exactly working. Then there’s the practice that feels like homework. You’ve got a lesson or a concert coming up so …

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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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The perfect equipment for musicians

Why Your Search for the Perfect Equipment is Not Making You a Better Musician

By

Eric

Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Myths, Perspectives

You’re searching for the perfect sound. You want to play long improvised lines with ease. You want to have effortless high range, to play swinging phrases with a stellar tone, and to sound great on any jazz standard. And to get there you just need that perfect instrument. That vintage Martin Committee trumpet, that mint condition …

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The worlds best jazz improvisers

7 Surprising Qualities of the World’s Best Improvisers

By

Eric

How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives

Wow! You’re sitting in the audience at a sold out concert and your favorite musician has just taken the stage. Flawless technique, impeccable sound, and endless creative musical lines flow from the stage and fill up the concert hall. “Unbelievable,” you think. “This musician must be super-human!” They just might be, but have you ever …

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