Several readers have written us lately asking how to practice scales. Simply practicing them is not difficult, but attaining a high level of speed and accuracy, while keeping your sound consistent throughout all registers is...Read More
Several readers have written us lately asking how to practice scales. Simply practicing them is not difficult, but attaining a high level of speed and accuracy, while keeping your sound...Read More
One of the most frustrating feelings I have, is to get to the end of the day and realize that I haven't practiced enough, or even worse, that I haven't even touched my instrument. Whether...Read More
One of the most frustrating feelings I have, is to get to the end of the day and realize that I haven't practiced enough, or even worse, that I haven't...Read More
Here's a collection of some of the best jazz improvisation educational video clips I've found. They include: Pat Martino, Jerry Bergonzi, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Hal Galper, Joshua Redman, Bill Evans, John Scofield, Chris Potter,...Read More
Here's a collection of some of the best jazz improvisation educational video clips I've found. They include: Pat Martino, Jerry Bergonzi, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Hal Galper, Joshua Redman, Bill...Read More
Whether it's figuring out difficult double-time passages, navigating advanced technical lines, or even finding the motivation to do it everyday, transcribing can be difficult. Transcribing, while essential to learning to play the jazz language, is...Read More
Whether it's figuring out difficult double-time passages, navigating advanced technical lines, or even finding the motivation to do it everyday, transcribing can be difficult. Transcribing, while essential to learning to...Read More
A reader writes: "I play trumpet and improvise fairly well, but mainly play by ear. How can I learn the chord tones and use them effectively to construct my solos? For example, it takes a...Read More
A reader writes: "I play trumpet and improvise fairly well, but mainly play by ear. How can I learn the chord tones and use them effectively to construct my solos?...Read More
A reader recently wrote us asking about what we think about while we improvise. He writes: "I'm a tenor saxophonist and still pretty new to the whole improvising scene. I was wondering what musicians "think"...Read More
A reader recently wrote us asking about what we think about while we improvise. He writes: "I'm a tenor saxophonist and still pretty new to the whole improvising scene. I...Read More
Iused to frequent the Village Vanguard to go see my teacher Rich Perry perform all the time. As you gaze upon the walls of the Vanguard, you peer into the past...jazz legends, the inventors, live...Read More
Iused to frequent the Village Vanguard to go see my teacher Rich Perry perform all the time. As you gaze upon the walls of the Vanguard, you peer into the...Read More
August is finally here and with the approaching end of summer looms the shadow of the fall marathon season. Across the country runners are stepping up their training for races that they've been preparing for...Read More
August is finally here and with the approaching end of summer looms the shadow of the fall marathon season. Across the country runners are stepping up their training for races...Read More
Lately I've realized that to get to specific parts of a solo that I've transcribed to memory, I'm quite dependent on the material that comes before them. In other words, I've learned the solo from...Read More
Lately I've realized that to get to specific parts of a solo that I've transcribed to memory, I'm quite dependent on the material that comes before them. In other words,...Read More
When I was younger, my father constantly cut out articles from Investor's Business Daily that he found interesting or inspiring, and casually placed them throughout the house where I would stumble upon them. Not wanting...Read More
When I was younger, my father constantly cut out articles from Investor's Business Daily that he found interesting or inspiring, and casually placed them throughout the house where I would...Read More
The altered scale allows access to the beautiful tensions of a dominant chord in a flash. The effective use of this scale, however, is not easy. In this article, I've assembled what I have found...Read More
The altered scale allows access to the beautiful tensions of a dominant chord in a flash. The effective use of this scale, however, is not easy. In this article, I've...Read More
At a certain point in your development as an improviser it becomes necessary to evolve beyond just playing "right notes" and using your favorite licks and move onto playing longer coherent musical phrases that develop...Read More
At a certain point in your development as an improviser it becomes necessary to evolve beyond just playing "right notes" and using your favorite licks and move onto playing longer...Read More
I'm always trying to learn new bits of language." - Michael Brecker. There are a lot of things to practice. What is truly vital to practice if you want to get better at improvising? ...Read More
I'm always trying to learn new bits of language." - Michael Brecker. There are a lot of things to practice. What is truly vital to practice if you want to...Read More
The melodic minor scale is a scale that you've probably learned early on in your musical development, but it can take on a whole new life when applied to jazz. This scale is a very...Read More
The melodic minor scale is a scale that you've probably learned early on in your musical development, but it can take on a whole new life when applied to jazz....Read More
Ever go to the practice room with a plan of what you want to get done, only to realize that an hour has passed and you've just muddled around? Playing your instrument is fun and...Read More
Ever go to the practice room with a plan of what you want to get done, only to realize that an hour has passed and you've just muddled around? Playing...Read More
There are really two areas of musicianship, aside from technique on an instrument, that a jazz musician requires to be a complete improviser. One is developing great ears and the other is an intellectual understanding...Read More
There are really two areas of musicianship, aside from technique on an instrument, that a jazz musician requires to be a complete improviser. One is developing great ears and the...Read More