master your intervals in ear training

Master Your Intervals in 28 Days

By

Forrest

Ear Training, Playing Techniques

Being able to quickly hear, sing, and accurately identify intervals is essential to developing your improvisational ear. In this article, we’ve put together a plan for you to master your intervals in 28 days… For beginners, this will give you a much needed foundation. And for more advanced players, it will give you a chance …

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Kenny Dorham Jazz Trumpet

Kenny Dorham. Not Just Another Trumpet Player

By

Eric

Jazz Musicians

Kenny Dorham was one of the first trumpet players that I checked out when I was starting to listen to jazz and after years of studying the music he is still one of my favorite trumpet players. K.D. was a prominent figure throughout the stylistic changes of the music from bebop to the modern jazz …

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half diminished chord techniques

How to Not Suck at Half-Diminished Chords

By

Forrest

Chords, Jazz Advice and Tips

For most people, half diminished chords remain a mystery. Also known as minor 7b5 chords, they seem to fall by the wayside, never getting as much attention as major, dominant, or minor chords… The result: nearly everyone sucks at them Think about it. Are you as comfortable on Bb half diminished as Bb major? if …

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jazz improvising with chromaticism

Improvising With Chromaticism

By

Eric

Playing Techniques

As improvisers we are always looking to create new harmonic concepts or to find new ways of soloing over traditional changes that are innovative and creative. Actually, for the past sixty years jazz musicians have been playing the same basic set of standard tunes, each generation making their stylistic mark on the history of the …

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learning jazz tunes

Learning Tunes

By

Eric

Jazz Standards

It seems like jazz musicians are always thinking about tunes; knowing tunes, learning tunes, how does that one go again? Performing in different situations we are expected to know certain tunes that other musicians will call or even people in the audience will request. This can seem like a very daunting task at first and …

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getting more from transcribed solos

Getting More From Transcribed Solos

By

Eric

Playing Techniques, Transcribing

Transcribe, transcribe , transcribe. It is what you’ve been hearing since you started to learn how to improvise…and for a good reason. Transcribing is one of the best ways to learn the stylistic language of jazz, improve your ear and in short, become a better all around improviser. The mere act of learning a solo …

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