Goal setting for musicians

Goal Setting 101 for the Jazz Musician

By

Forrest

Inspiration

Everyone sets goals, but only a handful of people actually achieve them. And out of these highly-motivated people that achieve their goals, only a fraction of them are truly satisfied with their accomplishments. So what is it that this group of awesome highly-motivated and satisfied achievers is doing differently than everybody else? When it comes …

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The Secret To Great Time

5 Skills You Won’t Learn in School, Skill Three: The Secret to Great Time

By

Eric

Jazz Education, Rhythm

Ever feel like something is missing from your solos? You spend hours learning tunes and transcribing solos from your favorite recordings, you’ve memorized the chord progressions and diligently practiced the tricky fingerings, but when you listen back something is off. And it’s frustrating because you can’t quite place your finger on the problem… You’re playing …

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Overcoming mental limitations in music

Overcoming Mental Limitations in Music

By

Eric

Ear Training, How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Perspectives, Playing Techniques, Visualization

I can’t. We’ve all said these fateful words at one point or another. Fill in the blank for your own situation. “I can’t (____)”…draw, run long distances, wake up early, stop eating cheesecake. Every day there are literally dozens of things that we convince ourselves that we simply cannot do, and playing music and improvising …

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How To Play Fast Tempos

How to Play Cherokee like a Pro: 24 Melodic Tricks for Insanely Fast Tempos (Premium)

By

Eric

Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Jazz Standards, Premium Only

Have you ever wondered how the best players can play incredibly fast, regardless of the key, the chords, or the tune? I’m not just talking about running memorized licks and technical patterns…I mean soloing at breakneck speed with actual melodic lines over the progression. Trying to improvise on uptempo tunes can be frustrating and the truth …

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Jazz Theory Has Failed You

How The Chord-Scale System Has Failed You: 6 Steps to Freedom With Scales and Modes

By

Forrest

Chords, Composition, Jazz Education, Scales

The Chord-scale system has become the most established and widespread method for teaching jazz improvisation…And it’s no mystery why. So often, scales—more specifically the modes of the major and melodic minor scales—get passed-off as the most important aspect of learning to improvise. It’s as if by magic, you learn a couple scales and their modes, and …

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