Areader recently sent in this question: "I was wondering if you could explain to me how to interpret slash chords for soloing. It seems like different sources have conflicting information. Also, what would I do...Read More
Areader recently sent in this question: "I was wondering if you could explain to me how to interpret slash chords for soloing. It seems like different sources have conflicting information....Read More
We talk about jazz language a lot: what it is, what it isn't, how to get it, and what to do with it. We constantly strive to better communicate these aspects of learning language because...Read More
We talk about jazz language a lot: what it is, what it isn't, how to get it, and what to do with it. We constantly strive to better communicate these...Read More
Picture this. You’re backstage before a big performance waiting for your turn to step into the spotlight. A few steps away from the curtain you can hear the murmur of the audience and your pulse starts...Read More
Picture this. You’re backstage before a big performance waiting for your turn to step into the spotlight. A few steps away from the curtain you can hear the murmur of the...Read More
What do you play over a minor ii V? Minor ii Vs are notoriously tricky. As compared to their brother, the ii V in major, the ii V in minor adds quite a few more...Read More
What do you play over a minor ii V? Minor ii Vs are notoriously tricky. As compared to their brother, the ii V in major, the ii V in minor...Read More
There’s a secret hidden in every great solo. You'll find it in those old records of Louis Armstrong and those videos of Bird and Diz that you watch on YouTube. You can even hear it...Read More
There’s a secret hidden in every great solo. You'll find it in those old records of Louis Armstrong and those videos of Bird and Diz that you watch on YouTube....Read More
Think about this for a moment. Your favorite musicians. Michael Brecker. Freddie Hubbard. Chick Corea. Sonny Rollins. Each and every one of them started at the bottom. Every single one of them began without any...Read More
Think about this for a moment. Your favorite musicians. Michael Brecker. Freddie Hubbard. Chick Corea. Sonny Rollins. Each and every one of them started at the bottom. Every single one...Read More
Ever wonder how the best players seem to improvise brilliant lines without any effort? All while you're struggling to make even the simplest chord tones sound good. If you're like most players you know this...Read More
Ever wonder how the best players seem to improvise brilliant lines without any effort? All while you're struggling to make even the simplest chord tones sound good. If you're like...Read More
Transcribing jazz solos is an essential part of learning to improvise. But here's the catch: it’s trickier than it sounds, especially if you're just getting started. Many hopeful players attempt to learn solos from recordings,...Read More
Transcribing jazz solos is an essential part of learning to improvise. But here's the catch: it’s trickier than it sounds, especially if you're just getting started. Many hopeful players attempt...Read More
Open up a music theory book and you’ll likely find pages and pages of definitions. Terms like apogituras, retograde inversions, mordents, hemiolas, turns...Good information, but not exactly stuff that you'd want to put into your...Read More
Open up a music theory book and you’ll likely find pages and pages of definitions. Terms like apogituras, retograde inversions, mordents, hemiolas, turns...Good information, but not exactly stuff that you'd...Read More
After you’ve been improvising jazz for a while, most chords are pretty familiar. You're used to major, minor, dominant, and half diminished…but just as you thought you were getting a handle on things, a chord...Read More
After you’ve been improvising jazz for a while, most chords are pretty familiar. You're used to major, minor, dominant, and half diminished…but just as you thought you were getting a...Read More
If you've spent any time practicing jazz improvisation, chances are you've heard of the turnaround. Those little two bar chord progressions that pop up at the ends of tunes or in the middle of your...Read More
If you've spent any time practicing jazz improvisation, chances are you've heard of the turnaround. Those little two bar chord progressions that pop up at the ends of tunes or...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More
Your mother probably taught you not to steal…That taking something that wasn’t yours was wrong or that pocketing an item from the shelves of a store could land you into a world of trouble. But what...Read More
Your mother probably taught you not to steal…That taking something that wasn’t yours was wrong or that pocketing an item from the shelves of a store could land you into a...Read More
Major chords are the easiest type of chord, right? We learn our major scales on Day #1 and from then on, soloing over a major chord is a piece of cake…or so we thought. One...Read More
Major chords are the easiest type of chord, right? We learn our major scales on Day #1 and from then on, soloing over a major chord is a piece of...Read More
You've got a list of tunes that you're excited to learn. Song titles scribbled on a piece of paper, lead sheets saved on your phone, and videos of your favorite players killing the changes. However,...Read More
You've got a list of tunes that you're excited to learn. Song titles scribbled on a piece of paper, lead sheets saved on your phone, and videos of your favorite...Read More
The typical jazz transcription process usually goes something like this...you start with a solo, you listen to the recording a few times, maybe even slowing it down a bit, then you figure out the notes...Read More
The typical jazz transcription process usually goes something like this...you start with a solo, you listen to the recording a few times, maybe even slowing it down a bit, then...Read More