Inspiration for improvisers
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Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives
We’ve all seen concerts that have affected us greatly and left a lasting impression on our musical perception and even our lives. Performances that seem to transcend the stage into another form of communication and stick with us long after the show has ended. It’s as if certain groups or performers have an uncanny ability …
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How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives
It’s been a few weeks since the new year when we posted articles on setting goals and making musical resolutions. Did you make some resolutions this year? If so, how are they holding up? Maybe you didn’t exactly make a conscious resolution, however you probably have some areas of your playing that you want to …
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Composition, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques, Rhythm
John Coltrane is probably best known for Countdown and Giant Steps, or his earth-shattering intensity on A Love Supreme. But often overlooked is the depth and beauty of his phrasing and lyricism… When I first heard the album Kind of Blue, I was blown away. And I still am to this day. There is so …
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Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives
Do you ever feel like you sound mechanical, predictable, and boring, like a robot? Nobody wants to sound like a robot. We’re human. We have thoughts, ideas, emotions…and we want to express these things in our music… How do we break out of this rigid playing style and feel free when we play? Here are …
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Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips
You’re a musician. Or at least you used to be one…You played an instrument in high school, faithfully took private lessons, and performed at dozens of recitals and concerts. Maybe you even went on to study in college. There’s a guitar sitting in your closet, a piano in the spare room gathering dust, and a …
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Composition, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Standards
In a recent post: A Blueprint for Building Your Repertoire, I outlined some ideas to ponder while creating a repertoire of tunes. Concepts like how to learn, listen to, and how to approach the Great American songbook as you prepare to build your own repertoire. However, the real work begins when you get into the …
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How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Musicians
Clark Terry is one of the legends of this music. He’s played with every big name in jazz over the last half-century from the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, to Ella Fitzgerald…the list could go on forever. With such a rich performing career spanning over six decades, he continues to play …
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Amateurs phrase in a way that sounds boring and boxy. In contrast, professionals phrase in a way that gives excitement and forward motion to their playing. In this article I’ll explore some tendencies that I’ve observed in the recordings of my heroes. Of course, your personal observations would result in different conclusions, which is why …
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Chords, Composition, Jazz Musicians
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 challenges. First off, instead of a minor 7 ii chord, it has a minor 7 b5 ii chord. This causes …
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How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips
You’re constantly practicing, listening, and striving to improve your ability to improvise…yet for some strange reason, the next level of playing somehow seems to elude you. Etudes aren’t doing the trick. Scale patterns have become boring and predictable. And memorized lines simply won’t translate into amazing musical phrases. Despite all of your time and effort, …
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Chords, Jazz Education, Music Theory, Scales
Jazz scales are something everyone talks about. Chances are, you’ve been told that you need to know dozens of scales to play jazz and that these structures hold the keys to unlocking jazz improvisation. But what you might not realize is that you don’t need to know a million jazz scales to construct a solid …
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Many times we forget about the musical skills that we should be developing until it’s way too late. Right in the middle of a gig you’re put on the spot and in a moment of panic, you realize “$@!*, I should’ve been getting this together in the practice room!” The bottom line is that when …