Inspiration for improvisers
By
Jazz Advice and Tips, Transcribing
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 and carefully write them down, practicing each line until you’ve got it memorized. After a few hours or maybe a …
By
Composition, Jazz Standards, Tunes
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. Often times, one of the biggest fears or stumbling blocks for non-pianists is that of comping chord changes. This simply …
By
Composition, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Standards, Tunes
One of the most frustrating things about learning to improvise is the expectation that you can simply jump in and start creating a great solo right away… The belief that you can learn a single scale and sound good over Major chords. Or that you can study a few theory rules and suddenly improvise effortlessly …
By
Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives, Playing Techniques, Transcribing
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 in the players of today like Terence Blanchard, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Tom Harrell and dozens of others. It’s a secret that …
By
Chords, Composition, Playing Techniques
We all have lines we use frequently. Some lines we use so much, that we can’t stand them, criticizing ourselves for playing them over and over, thinking we’re being unoriginal and uncreative… It’s ok. Even the masters repeat themselves often. When you’ve got some specific language to this point, where it’s coming out naturally and …
By
Learning a jazz standard or solo transcription can be a tricky process for any musician. But what many players forget is that you don’t have to tackle the entire piece of music at once… The truth is, taking one small section of a tune and studying how your favorite players approach it in a solo …
By
Blues, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques
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 goes hand in hand with creating music in the moment. But unlike many players think, it goes beyond the blues …
By
Jazz Language, Perspectives, Playing Techniques
We spend a lot of time thinking about what we want to play, but how often do we think about what we don’t want to play? I’m sure if you spent some time recording yourself or simply observing what you play, you’d find you’re playing some things that you actually do not want to play. …
By
Chords, Composition, Jazz Advice and Tips, Premium Only
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 day, after practicing for some days, or even some years, we stop and think, “Playing over major chords is so …
By
Composition, Playing Techniques, Premium Only
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 solo, leading you back to the top of the form. But what you might not realize is that these turnarounds …
By
Playing Techniques, Premium Only
After playing a tune for a while, it can seem like you are playing the same ideas or licks over the changes every time. For example, you see a D minor chord and think “okay D minor, I can play a D dorian scale or a D harmonic minor scale or arpeggiate from the third…” …
By
Jazz Advice and Tips, Premium Only
Kenny Dorham is one of the enduring masters of this art form, spanning the history from the bebop era to the musical explorations of the 1960s. His playing and compositions are instantly recognizable for their melodic beauty and harmonic sophistication…required listening for any serious player. You see, studying one of his solos – or even …