"Jazz Standards"

    Master the Transcription Process: A Step-by-Step Guide to Learning from the Pros

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    Over the years I've attended dozens of masterclasses. Poured through hundreds of interviews with master musicians, and took lessons with the best players I could find. However, after a few years ONE thing kept surprising...Read More

    Over the years I've attended dozens of masterclasses. Poured through hundreds of interviews with master musicians, and took lessons with the best players I could find. However, after a few...Read More

    The Definitive Guide to Phrygian & Sus Flat 9 Chords

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    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

    Crazy John Coltrane Techniques Only For The Brave

    It’s late. I’m exhausted. Been out all night at the jazz clubs and I just want to get home. I hop in the first taxi I see and get on my way. I’m listening to...Read More

    It’s late. I’m exhausted. Been out all night at the jazz clubs and I just want to get home. I hop in the first taxi I see and get on...Read More

    The Talent Myth: Why Exceptional Musical Ability Is Within Your Reach

    Talent. It's a word that's thrown around in all professions and all parts of life. From sports and academics to art and music. And nowhere is it more prevalent than in jazz improvisation. We listen...Read More

    Talent. It's a word that's thrown around in all professions and all parts of life. From sports and academics to art and music. And nowhere is it more prevalent than...Read More

    5 Steps to Becoming A Lyrical Master With Altered Dominants: A Lesson With Stan Getz

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    Alterations are at the heart of jazz. In no other genre of music can you freely alter chords in a such a fluid and flexible manner. As chords whiz by, the soloist has the freedom...Read More

    Alterations are at the heart of jazz. In no other genre of music can you freely alter chords in a such a fluid and flexible manner. As chords whiz by,...Read More

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

    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...Read More

    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...Read More

    Why Your Search for the Perfect Equipment is Not Making You a Better Musician

    You’re searching for the perfect sound. You want to play long improvised lines with ease. You want to have effortless high range, to play swinging phrases with a stellar tone, and to sound great on...Read More

    You’re searching for the perfect sound. You want to play long improvised lines with ease. You want to have effortless high range, to play swinging phrases with a stellar tone,...Read More

    Using Permutation to Create Unlimited Musical Ideas…and Killer Technique

    Time and again, we've stressed on this site that scales are not the secret to jazz improvisation. However, scales can be beneficial if you practice and apply them in the right way. Once you aurally...Read More

    Time and again, we've stressed on this site that scales are not the secret to jazz improvisation. However, scales can be beneficial if you practice and apply them in the...Read More

    Should I Go To Music School?

    Figuring out what college to attend and what your major will be is quite a task. Recently we received a question asking specifically about how to choose a music school that is right for you:...Read More

    Figuring out what college to attend and what your major will be is quite a task. Recently we received a question asking specifically about how to choose a music school...Read More

    Piano Basics: Necessary Skills for the Non-Pianist

    At some point in your musical journey, regardless of what instrument you play, you'll find yourself in front of that 88-keyed beast we call a piano. This can be a daunting task for many musicians....Read More

    At some point in your musical journey, regardless of what instrument you play, you'll find yourself in front of that 88-keyed beast we call a piano. This can be a...Read More

    Keys to the Altered Scale

    The altered scale allows access to the beautiful tensions of a dominant chord in a flash. The effective use of this scale, however, is not easy. In this article, I've assembled what I have found...Read More

    The altered scale allows access to the beautiful tensions of a dominant chord in a flash. The effective use of this scale, however, is not easy. In this article, I've...Read More

    Becoming a Musical Character

    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

    The Real Reason You Should Start Transcribing Jazz Solos

    Here’s a thought. What if you could go back in time and take a lesson with John Coltrane? Yes, that John Coltrane. I mean drive up to his home in Dix Hills, knock on the...Read More

    Here’s a thought. What if you could go back in time and take a lesson with John Coltrane? Yes, that John Coltrane. I mean drive up to his home in...Read More

    Stuck on Rhythm Changes? Here Are 4 Coltrane Concepts That’ll Set You Free

    Every improviser has to face it at some point. We're talking about those 32 bars of music that you know as Rhythm Changes. Sure it’s easy enough to sing the melody...And you've heard all the...Read More

    Every improviser has to face it at some point. We're talking about those 32 bars of music that you know as Rhythm Changes. Sure it’s easy enough to sing the...Read More

    5 Easy Tricks With Approach Notes That Will Make You Sound Like a Pro

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    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

    The Secret of the Masters

    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