Music is meant to be heard live. There is no substitute for the visceral experience of sitting in an audience and soaking up a great live performance. Not only hearing the music, but feeling the...Read More
Music is meant to be heard live. There is no substitute for the visceral experience of sitting in an audience and soaking up a great live performance. Not only hearing...Read More
Each day when you get your instrument out of its case and set out to practice improvisation, your goal is to play the right notes. Whether it's playing with great technique and great sound or...Read More
Each day when you get your instrument out of its case and set out to practice improvisation, your goal is to play the right notes. Whether it's playing with great...Read More
Transposition is a skill that all musicians will need at some point in their careers. Whether you play a transposing instrument or an instrument in concert pitch, there are inevitably going to be times that...Read More
Transposition is a skill that all musicians will need at some point in their careers. Whether you play a transposing instrument or an instrument in concert pitch, there are inevitably...Read More
What exactly is it that makes the musicians that we call "masters" great? What sets them apart from everyone else? Is it their technique, their sound, their originality, the way they can play over chord...Read More
What exactly is it that makes the musicians that we call "masters" great? What sets them apart from everyone else? Is it their technique, their sound, their originality, the way...Read More
Anyone can improvise! - The phrase rolls off the tongue with the banality of many a late-night infomercial. "Anyone can get ripped abs! Anyone can make millions from home! Anyone can speak Navajo!" But when...Read More
Anyone can improvise! - The phrase rolls off the tongue with the banality of many a late-night infomercial. "Anyone can get ripped abs! Anyone can make millions from home! Anyone...Read More
In our first article of Fundamental Ear Training Exercises, we covered how to choose an ear training partner, the correct mindset to approach ear training with, and exercises about singing & hearing intervals, harmonic intervals,...Read More
In our first article of Fundamental Ear Training Exercises, we covered how to choose an ear training partner, the correct mindset to approach ear training with, and exercises about singing...Read More
We have met the enemy and he is us - Pogo We all want to get better and we always will. There's never a point where a musician thinks, "Well, I think I'm good enough...Read More
We have met the enemy and he is us - Pogo We all want to get better and we always will. There's never a point where a musician thinks, "Well,...Read More
Learning tunes should be fun. If ever there was a secret to expanding your repertoire of tunes this would be it. You’re more likely to pursue an activity that’s exciting, interesting, and challenging rather than...Read More
Learning tunes should be fun. If ever there was a secret to expanding your repertoire of tunes this would be it. You’re more likely to pursue an activity that’s exciting,...Read More
Have you ever seen a movie where a certain character stuck with you long after the film was over? Or what about a piece of artwork that kept popping up in your mind's eye? Maybe...Read More
Have you ever seen a movie where a certain character stuck with you long after the film was over? Or what about a piece of artwork that kept popping up...Read More
Here’s something that you've probably realized by now on your musical journey…that jazz improvisation can get very complicated, very quickly. In the blink of an eye your enjoyable musical hobby can transform into something that...Read More
Here’s something that you've probably realized by now on your musical journey…that jazz improvisation can get very complicated, very quickly. In the blink of an eye your enjoyable musical hobby...Read More
Every musician knows the feeling...You've picked out a tune to learn in the practice room. You've figured out the melody and memorized the chord progression. And you're ready to start improvising your solo. Then it...Read More
Every musician knows the feeling...You've picked out a tune to learn in the practice room. You've figured out the melody and memorized the chord progression. And you're ready to start...Read More
Blues is the backbone of so much in jazz. The melancholic feeling. The soul. The call-and-response phrasing, walking groove, and clearly defined melodic statements…blues is ingrained in jazz at its very roots. And every jazz...Read More
Blues is the backbone of so much in jazz. The melancholic feeling. The soul. The call-and-response phrasing, walking groove, and clearly defined melodic statements…blues is ingrained in jazz at its...Read More
Remember the first time you played a modal tune like Impressions and how fun it was to wail over a minor chord? Maybe you’ve had this experience, or maybe it’s in your near future, but...Read More
Remember the first time you played a modal tune like Impressions and how fun it was to wail over a minor chord? Maybe you’ve had this experience, or maybe it’s...Read More
With its unique opening chord changes, the jazz standard I Remember You poses quite the challenge to most jazz improvisers, which is surprising because the chords themselves don’t seem that difficult. But it’s not the...Read More
With its unique opening chord changes, the jazz standard I Remember You poses quite the challenge to most jazz improvisers, which is surprising because the chords themselves don’t seem that...Read More
Uggh…ouch...Have you ever made these sounds when you’ve listened to a solo? You know, one of those solos where you hear a couple of unsavory phrases and that’s it...no more! For the love of God,...Read More
Uggh…ouch...Have you ever made these sounds when you’ve listened to a solo? You know, one of those solos where you hear a couple of unsavory phrases and that’s it...no more!...Read More
You're a trumpet player. You play the piano or the guitar. Maybe you’ve taken up the saxophone. Out of a dozen different instruments, this is the one that you’ve chosen to amplify your musical voice....Read More
You're a trumpet player. You play the piano or the guitar. Maybe you’ve taken up the saxophone. Out of a dozen different instruments, this is the one that you’ve chosen...Read More