Inspiration for improvisers
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Composition, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques
Every musician wants to sound hip and modern…To play complex lines that move outside of the harmony and above the time. Solos that’ll make your fellow musicians shake their heads in disbelief and leave the audience speechless. The only problem is that few players actually get to this point, and even less sound authentic, unique, …
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How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Perspectives
When you begin something new, there’s so much to learn. Improvement is quick and often, practice is exploratory and fun. But after doing anything for a while, you settle into a routine and your once explosive improvement tapers off. Wherever this may leave you, you can’t seem to get beyond this plateau. Why are you …
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Chords, Composition, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Jazz Language, Myths, Perspectives, Playing Techniques, Scales, Transcribing
Composition is selective improvisation – Igor Stravinsky. In 15 seconds the difference between composition and improvisation is that in composition you have all the time you want to decide what to say in 15 seconds, while in improvisation you have 15 seconds – Steve Lacy. Learning to improvise is a big undertaking. Not only must …
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Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives
I used to frequent the Village Vanguard to go see my teacher Rich Perry perform all the time. As you gaze upon the walls of the Vanguard, you peer into the past…jazz legends, the inventors, live on the walls… You sit there in awe, knowing that at some point, they occupied the space you now …
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Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Premium Only, Transcribing
Learning jazz language is vital to your success as an improvisor. Without it you’re truly lost. You may know a scale, a chord, a concept…but without the fundamental ideas of what to do with these tools, you’ll aimlessly wander through the harmony. These fundamental ideas are gleaned from learning and studying language. A reader recently …
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Composition, Ear Training, Visualization
The extent to which your aural imagination is developed, largely determines: the quality of lines you play, how you play those lines (articulation, swing feel, inflection), and the sound you play with. Nothing has such an impact on your playing than your aural imagination. If there were a secret to improvising, developing your aural imagination …
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Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives, Playing Techniques
I’m guessing you’ve heard of Miles Davis. That you know Louis Armstrong and have listened to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. But have you ever stopped and wondered why you know these names? Some of these masters have been gone for 40 years and some of their records are nearly 80 years old. So why …
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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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Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians
In my first 3 Gems Harold Mabern Told Me, we learned how much Harold stresses: relying on your ear, being greedy for the music, and the difference between inspiration and motivation. Harold’s full of incredible knowledge. Here’s 3 more gems from Harold to dwell on… 1.) Good music is good music Harold would play all …
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Blues, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques
Every serious improviser has to deal with the blues. From the players just starting out in school, to the musicians at local jam sessions, to the biggest names performing on international stages. Because the blues goes hand in hand with creating music in the moment. But unlike many players think, it goes beyond the blues …
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How to Practice Jazz, Perspectives
Your mental approach to the things you do can have everything to do with your success or failure. In fact, the way that you think about things like setting goals, learning new skills, or creating routines directly affects how successful you’ll be – and this is especially true when it comes to practicing jazz improvisation. …
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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 …