the path to finding your own voice

The Path to Finding Your Own Voice

By

Eric

Composition, Inspiration, Playing Techniques

The notion of being original and innovative goes hand-in-hand with the idea of improvisation. The inspired act of being in the moment, creating on the fly with others in a group setting, and ultimately developing an original voice are all central ideas when it comes to jazz and improvisation. Musicians everywhere, from beginning improvisers struggling …

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jazz education blunders

Jazz Education Blunders

By

Forrest

Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives

Jazz education has steadily become increasingly popular and for good reason: playing jazz is fun! In an attempt to make jazz improvisation accessible to everyone, much of the learning material has been reduced and packaged in a manner to get people playing at a mediocre level more quickly. The problem is that these methods get …

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jazz licks and language

The Difference Between Jazz Licks and Language

By

Forrest

Jazz Language

Jazz musicians and educators constantly discuss the topic of jazz licks. It’s always up for debate…Should you learn them? Is it okay to play them over and over in your jazz solos? Does it matter where you get these licks from? If you’re discussing licks, you’ve already missed the boat. You don’t want to know …

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develop strong time for jazz musicians

Develop a Stronger Sense of Time: Using a Metronome on 2 & 4

By

Forrest

Rhythm

The harmonic and melodic aspects of practicing jazz improvisation take up the bulk of our time. Consequently, developing a strong sense of time falls by the wayside. I’m as guilty as anyone else, thinking that somehow, it would just take care of itself. Unfortunately, things don’t work that way… The people who have “great time” …

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overhaul your practice routine

Time to Overhaul Your Practice Routine

By

Eric

How to Practice Jazz

One of the biggest obstacles for musicians working to improve as improvisers lies in the development of a solid daily practice routine. We all know we should get into the practice room and diligently spend hours toiling away, but how that time is spent is crucial to seeing musical development. In our daily practice, we …

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fundamental ear training exercises

Fundamental Ear Training Exercises

By

Forrest

Ear Training

Keep your eyes on the stars but keep your feet on the ground – Theodore Roosevelt. The fundamentals of ear training are largely glossed over. Developing one’s ear is seen as a linear track: learn your intervals, then your triads…and so on… But developing your ear is not a linear pursuit. Like improvisation, it’s a …

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transcribing jazz for technique

Transcribing for Technique: Improving Musicianship Through Transcription

By

Eric

How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Transcribing

After hours spent practicing technique: endless articulation, tone, range, and fingering exercises, are you still not matching up to what you’re hearing on your favorite records? Are those same étude books and exercises you’ve been working on for years still not cutting it? It can be very discouraging when you don’t see any improvement in …

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never forget a tune again

Never Forget a Tune Again

By

Forrest

Jazz Standards

Ever spend a lot of time learning a tune, only to realize that you’ve completely forgotten it a few weeks later? When you’re not achieving your desired results in pretty much anything, check your methods. What’s your process? What’s your approach? After detailing your current methods, you can then easily modify them to realign yourself …

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