Inspiration for improvisers
By
Ear Training, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Playing Techniques
Play what you’re hearing in your head! These are the instructions that numerous books, videos, and educators tell us as we struggle to figure out how to play over chord progressions. The only problem in situations like these is, as beginners, we aren’t hearing anything in our heads… Think back to the first time that …
By
Inspiration, Jazz Education, Jazz Standards
Why is it so difficult to learn jazz standards even when we have access to so much information about each and every one? We can bring up recordings with a few clicks of mouse via Youtube, we can find plenty of fakebooks with the chords and melody written out for us if we’re too lazy …
By
Ear Training, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives
Learning to improvise is a path with many steps leading to many different levels. Contrary to the belief held by some that improvising is a talent, or even a skill allowed to only a special few, the truth is much simpler. Time and again we must tackle new concepts and tirelessly practice them until we …
By
How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Education, Jazz Standards, Perspectives
We practice long tones. We work on two-five progressions until our fingers bleed. We work on new ideas and concepts. The work is mostly enjoyable, sometimes frustrating, and hopefully productive… But what is all this diligent dedication for? Tunes. What else is there? Everything we do is to play tunes in the way we so …
By
There exists a hidden trap on the path of learning improvisation. One that you can fall into without even realizing it. In music school practice rooms, jam sessions, and even in the performance hall, the art of improvisation can frequently devolve into a petty competition. Rather than sharing information and focusing on musicality, some musicians …
By
Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Perspectives
In 6 Disastrous Mistakes You’re Making In Learning To Improvise, we detailed some pitfalls that cause people to waste tons of time and cause years of frustration. Let’s get right into it…here are six more mistakes that will hinder your musical success if you let them… 1.) Ignoring the fundamentals Why are you trying to …
By
Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives
Do you ever feel like you sound mechanical, predictable, and boring, like a robot? Nobody wants to sound like a robot. We’re human. We have thoughts, ideas, emotions…and we want to express these things in our music… How do we break out of this rigid playing style and feel free when we play? Here are …
By
Ear Training, Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives
Hey, did you just hear that? Look, did you just see that? Wait, can you feel that? What’s that smell? Wait…what?! On a daily basis our senses are bombarded with information. Sights, sounds, smells, and tactile sensations come at us from every angle, vying for a precious scrap of our cognitive awareness. Despite our best …
By
Chords, Composition, Jazz Language, Playing Techniques, Premium Only
Recently we received a question about non-standard progressions, specifically the type of progressions you see in Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson tunes… These types of tunes are notoriously difficult, as they don’t seem to use the same predictable chord progressions that other jazz tunes do. A reader asks: When we’re learning, we go through a …
By
How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips
One of the most frequently asked questions that we get concerns finding time to practice or improving with a limited amount of practice time. “What should I do if I don’t have enough time to practice everyday? I want to practice more, but I don’t have time to.” If you haven’t already, at some point …
By
Jazz Education, Jazz Language, Perspectives
The idea that jazz is a language can be quite confusing and ambiguous. We often make this statement, as do many teachers and professionals, but it takes time to understand what this phrase actually means and what it doesn’t mean… We’re used to a language being something like English; a body of words, phrases, grammar …
By
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 …