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
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
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
Most improvisers cringe when they hear the words Giant Steps. Their hearts start pounding and they frantically try to remember the patterns they've worked out over the chord progression. If you've ever tried to play...Read More
Most improvisers cringe when they hear the words Giant Steps. Their hearts start pounding and they frantically try to remember the patterns they've worked out over the chord progression. If...Read More
Remember those times in school, where you were assigned a huge project and given a deadline to finish it by? You know, the ones where the teacher threw an enormous assignment at you as soon...Read More
Remember those times in school, where you were assigned a huge project and given a deadline to finish it by? You know, the ones where the teacher threw an enormous...Read More
Can one note really change your ears and improve your musical creativity? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. But let me explain...A few years ago I took a lesson with the great trumpet player, improviser and...Read More
Can one note really change your ears and improve your musical creativity? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. But let me explain...A few years ago I took a lesson with the...Read More
Do you find yourself having trouble remembering the solos you've transcribed? Have you ever memorized the melody to a tune only to forget it a week later? Do you have trouble recalling the chord progressions...Read More
Do you find yourself having trouble remembering the solos you've transcribed? Have you ever memorized the melody to a tune only to forget it a week later? Do you have...Read More
When I think about what it means to "let go," detailed scenes from Hollywood hits come to mind. Scenes like Neo in The Matrix learning that "there is no spoon," and Tom Cruise in the...Read More
When I think about what it means to "let go," detailed scenes from Hollywood hits come to mind. Scenes like Neo in The Matrix learning that "there is no spoon,"...Read More
We talk a lot about ingraining language. It's vital to have an array of ideas at your fingertips for any given harmonic situation. And these ideas should be so ingrained that you can easily make...Read More
We talk a lot about ingraining language. It's vital to have an array of ideas at your fingertips for any given harmonic situation. And these ideas should be so ingrained...Read More
So you've transcribed some lines and you're learning them in all keys. You've even started to apply them to tunes you're working on, but after several weeks, the line you transcribed which started out as...Read More
So you've transcribed some lines and you're learning them in all keys. You've even started to apply them to tunes you're working on, but after several weeks, the line you...Read More
Everybody wants to play "outside" the chord changes. They think there is something mysterious about getting outside the changes. In my experience, the phenomenal players that I've studied with along with the legendary players I've...Read More
Everybody wants to play "outside" the chord changes. They think there is something mysterious about getting outside the changes. In my experience, the phenomenal players that I've studied with along...Read More
There is one important part of practicing and learning any musical instrument or musical style that many players are unintentionally missing. A necessary skill that's so obvious it often remains hidden in plain sight. It...Read More
There is one important part of practicing and learning any musical instrument or musical style that many players are unintentionally missing. A necessary skill that's so obvious it often remains...Read More
The difference between many subjects and jazz improvisation is that the latter has no single correct and well-defined path. Every person takes a different route depending how they learn, how they hear, what they want...Read More
The difference between many subjects and jazz improvisation is that the latter has no single correct and well-defined path. Every person takes a different route depending how they learn, how...Read More
After hours spent practicing technique: endless articulation, tone, range, and fingering exercises, are you still not matching up to what you're hearing on your favorite records? Are those same étude books and exercises you've been...Read More
After hours spent practicing technique: endless articulation, tone, range, and fingering exercises, are you still not matching up to what you're hearing on your favorite records? Are those same étude...Read More
When exactly do I become good at improvising? Is there a single point that occurs where I can finally play like I want to? These are questions that inevitably pop up and hover at the...Read More
When exactly do I become good at improvising? Is there a single point that occurs where I can finally play like I want to? These are questions that inevitably pop...Read More
Just learn a few ii V licks in all keys, learn how to use them, and that's jazz, right? Unfortunately not. ii Vs make up the bulk of chord progressions found in all western music...Read More
Just learn a few ii V licks in all keys, learn how to use them, and that's jazz, right? Unfortunately not. ii Vs make up the bulk of chord progressions...Read More