Inspiration for improvisers
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What exactly is ear training? You’ve heard musicians talk about it. Your teachers have recommended it. And if you’re a regular here you’ve seen it pop up in more than a few lessons…But I’m guessing the thing that’s made the biggest impression on you was being in the presence of a musician with truly amazing …
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Chords, Composition, Ear Training, Jazz Standards, Transcribing
Learning tunes should be fun. If ever there was a secret to expanding your repertoire of tunes this would be it. You’re more likely to pursue an activity that’s exciting, interesting, and challenging rather than one that feels like an annoying chore. At the end of a long day you’re going to put the hours …
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Jazz Language, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques
Herbie Hancock is one of the greatest living improvisers. From his work with the great Miles Davis Quintet to his own musical explorations, he has spent decades evolving and pushing musical boundaries. But the thing that stands out most is his ability to craft a musical moment for the listener. To transport them out of …
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Let’s face it, as musicians we’re all striving to know more tunes that we can improvise over with ease…because at the end of the day, this is how you get your musical message across to the listener. Whether it’s playing with our fellow musicians, walking into jam sessions, performing concerts or gigs, taking lessons, or …
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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 …
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How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Standards
One thing you always want to be doing is learning new material. New lines, new tunes, new concepts…there’s always something new to learn. We preach the mantra “Quality Over Quantity” in practically everything we write. So, while it’s true you always want to learn new things, the idea is to judiciously select what you want …
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Playing Techniques, Visualization
Countless hours in the practice room and rhythm changes or a simple bridge to a tune still giving you a tough time? This is a familiar situation to everyone of all levels. I used to waste hours mindlessly practicing, thinking that there was some secret I was missing, or if I just kept improvising over …
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Perspective is a powerful tool. At times it’s an unexpected wake-up call, uncovering hidden possibilities and pushing us to get to the next level. At others, it makes us step back and take a look at the big picture, forcing us out of our daily routine and narrow world-view with a healthy dose of reality. …
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Practicing jazz improvisation is a life-long pursuit. But just because you put in the time, doesn’t mean you’ll improve. HOW you spend that time is just as important… Here are 3 keys to practicing as effectively as possible: 1. Create your own space As a musician, time spent working in the practice room is an …
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Composition, Ear Training, Jazz Standards
Bebop “heads,” what jazz players sometimes call the melody of a tune, tend to be some of the trickiest and most technically demanding strings of notes you’re likely to encounter. Much busier than classic jazz standards, these intricate melodies are generally more difficult to learn, understand, and commit to memory. So what do you do …
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A reader recently asked: “I was wondering about how to play over altered dominant chords. What are some strategies for playing over Dominant 7 #9 chords, specifically.” This question comes up frequently for many improvisers. It seems like everyone has a “fail safe” scale or lick that they use exclusively every time they see an …
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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 progressions? Well…these are all pieces of their mastery, but what is the reason for their mastery? These are questions that …