There are certain components to playing jazz that must be happening for any line to sound good. These overlooked skills are what make a line shine. If you get these things together, suddenly you'll realize...Read More
There are certain components to playing jazz that must be happening for any line to sound good. These overlooked skills are what make a line shine. If you get these...Read More
While we typically focus on ways to improve, this article is all about how to be mediocre. Now, chances are you don't want to be mediocre, so while many of these listed points are tongue-in-cheek,...Read More
While we typically focus on ways to improve, this article is all about how to be mediocre. Now, chances are you don't want to be mediocre, so while many of...Read More
In the recent article Hearing in Color, Forrest discussed the technique of how to develop hearing individual chord tones in the context of triads and 7th chords. Just as the individual chord tones in a...Read More
In the recent article Hearing in Color, Forrest discussed the technique of how to develop hearing individual chord tones in the context of triads and 7th chords. Just as the...Read More
The infamous ii V is everywhere in jazz chord progressions. In fact, the ii V defines a sense of tension and release that prevails throughout all western music... An essential key to understanding how to...Read More
The infamous ii V is everywhere in jazz chord progressions. In fact, the ii V defines a sense of tension and release that prevails throughout all western music... An essential...Read More
Imagine that you're strolling through an art museum on a lazy afternoon. Leisurely, you walk past magnificent paintings, weave between rows of sculpture, and meander through various galleries, each showcasing a bygone era of human...Read More
Imagine that you're strolling through an art museum on a lazy afternoon. Leisurely, you walk past magnificent paintings, weave between rows of sculpture, and meander through various galleries, each showcasing...Read More
In my article on Monday I talked about why you're not getting the results you want from transcribing whole solos. For the most part, that article was written with respect to language: how to make...Read More
In my article on Monday I talked about why you're not getting the results you want from transcribing whole solos. For the most part, that article was written with respect...Read More
The melodic minor scale is a scale that you've probably learned early on in your musical development, but it can take on a whole new life when applied to jazz. This scale is a very...Read More
The melodic minor scale is a scale that you've probably learned early on in your musical development, but it can take on a whole new life when applied to jazz....Read More
Transcribe, transcribe , transcribe. It is what you've been hearing since you started to learn how to improvise...and for a good reason. Transcribing is one of the best ways to learn the stylistic language of...Read More
Transcribe, transcribe , transcribe. It is what you've been hearing since you started to learn how to improvise...and for a good reason. Transcribing is one of the best ways to...Read More
Whether it's figuring out difficult double-time passages, navigating advanced technical lines, or even finding the motivation to do it everyday, transcribing can be difficult. Transcribing, while essential to learning to play the jazz language, is...Read More
Whether it's figuring out difficult double-time passages, navigating advanced technical lines, or even finding the motivation to do it everyday, transcribing can be difficult. Transcribing, while essential to learning to...Read More
Areader recently asked: At my college, to get into the lab bands you have to be a really great sight-reader. What are some ways to become a great reader besides just saying "read whatever you...Read More
Areader recently asked: At my college, to get into the lab bands you have to be a really great sight-reader. What are some ways to become a great reader besides...Read More
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the musical masters that we look up to isn’t their ability to create incredibly fast and complex lines or even their vast library of harmonic knowledge… It lies in...Read More
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the musical masters that we look up to isn’t their ability to create incredibly fast and complex lines or even their vast library of...Read More
Practicing is the most important thing you can do as a musician. Or so everyone says...But let's be honest, practicing can be a real drag sometimes. It can feel like the daily chore that you...Read More
Practicing is the most important thing you can do as a musician. Or so everyone says...But let's be honest, practicing can be a real drag sometimes. It can feel like...Read More
There are perks to being a musician. You get to step out into the spotlight and be the star of the show. You get to experience the exhilaration of creating music in the moment with...Read More
There are perks to being a musician. You get to step out into the spotlight and be the star of the show. You get to experience the exhilaration of creating...Read More
Uggh…ouch...Have you ever made these sounds when you’ve listened to a solo? You know, one of those solos where you hear a couple of unsavory phrases and that’s it...no more! For the love of God,...Read More
Uggh…ouch...Have you ever made these sounds when you’ve listened to a solo? You know, one of those solos where you hear a couple of unsavory phrases and that’s it...no more!...Read More
We've presented tons of exercises on how to practice ear training, but many require that you have someone to train with. So what do you do when you don't have a partner? When you have...Read More
We've presented tons of exercises on how to practice ear training, but many require that you have someone to train with. So what do you do when you don't have...Read More
Each day when you get your instrument out of its case and set out to practice improvisation, your goal is to play the right notes. Whether it's playing with great technique and great sound or...Read More
Each day when you get your instrument out of its case and set out to practice improvisation, your goal is to play the right notes. Whether it's playing with great...Read More