After hours spent in the practice room are you still having trouble remembering the chord changes to a standard you endlessly practiced, or the details of a jazz line you drilled over and over? Why...Read More
After hours spent in the practice room are you still having trouble remembering the chord changes to a standard you endlessly practiced, or the details of a jazz line you...Read More
People will tell you all sorts of things about learning jazz improvisation. But no one tells you many of the things that could actually help you the most. As we practice jazz improvisation, we develop...Read More
People will tell you all sorts of things about learning jazz improvisation. But no one tells you many of the things that could actually help you the most. As we...Read More
Minor chords are found in every style of music, especially in the jazz repertoire. From popular jazz standards and the minor blues, to the ii-V-I progression and the minor vamps that pop up in numerous...Read More
Minor chords are found in every style of music, especially in the jazz repertoire. From popular jazz standards and the minor blues, to the ii-V-I progression and the minor vamps...Read More
Recently a reader wrote in wanting to know, “What makes jazz ear training different from just general ear training?” That’s a great question and I definitely had to think to arrive at an answer. They...Read More
Recently a reader wrote in wanting to know, “What makes jazz ear training different from just general ear training?” That’s a great question and I definitely had to think to...Read More
Of all the time signatures that we encounter in jazz or any other music, the most common by far is 4/4, meaning it has 4 beats per measure and a quarter note is equal to...Read More
Of all the time signatures that we encounter in jazz or any other music, the most common by far is 4/4, meaning it has 4 beats per measure and a...Read More
How do I connect chords when I'm soloing? You're asking yourself this question in the practice room and you're frustrated when there doesn't seem to be an easy answer. But you're not alone. This is...Read More
How do I connect chords when I'm soloing? You're asking yourself this question in the practice room and you're frustrated when there doesn't seem to be an easy answer. But...Read More
On this site we've talked about transcribing numerous times. From the reasons you should be transcribing solos to the best method of transcription...even to the different definitions of transcription for jazz musicians. Knowing why you're...Read More
On this site we've talked about transcribing numerous times. From the reasons you should be transcribing solos to the best method of transcription...even to the different definitions of transcription for...Read More
We get hundreds of questions every month. We do our best to answer as many as we possibly can and write articles about the most provocative ones. Below are answers to the most common...Read More
We get hundreds of questions every month. We do our best to answer as many as we possibly can and write articles about the most provocative ones. Below are...Read More
Believe me. I know how frustrating jazz improvisation can be. There have been many periods where I’ve wanted to quit for good. Never play again. Times when I’ve seriously considered putting my horn on Ebay,...Read More
Believe me. I know how frustrating jazz improvisation can be. There have been many periods where I’ve wanted to quit for good. Never play again. Times when I’ve seriously considered...Read More
Jazz education has steadily become increasingly popular and for good reason: playing jazz is fun! In an attempt to make jazz improvisation accessible to everyone, much of the learning material has been reduced and packaged...Read More
Jazz education has steadily become increasingly popular and for good reason: playing jazz is fun! In an attempt to make jazz improvisation accessible to everyone, much of the learning material...Read More
If you think about it, the elements of your practice routine are like the different sections of a well-structured work-out plan. You've got your warm-up/stretching, cardio, strength training, resistance work outs, and the list goes...Read More
If you think about it, the elements of your practice routine are like the different sections of a well-structured work-out plan. You've got your warm-up/stretching, cardio, strength training, resistance work...Read More
People have been writing in a lot lately asking us what's okay and what's not okay to transcribe. With all the different styles of jazz and genres of music, people are entirely confused as to...Read More
People have been writing in a lot lately asking us what's okay and what's not okay to transcribe. With all the different styles of jazz and genres of music, people...Read More
Let's be completely honest...My amazing teachers did tell me many of the things that I'm about to tell you...I just didn't listen! Why didn't I listen? I don't know. Immaturity. Stubbornness. The belief that there...Read More
Let's be completely honest...My amazing teachers did tell me many of the things that I'm about to tell you...I just didn't listen! Why didn't I listen? I don't know. Immaturity....Read More
When we practice jazz improvisation, we zoom in on one area of study so much that we often lose sight of the whole. How do we practice in this truly focused way, while simultaneously train...Read More
When we practice jazz improvisation, we zoom in on one area of study so much that we often lose sight of the whole. How do we practice in this truly...Read More
Composition is selective improvisation - Igor Stravinsky. In 15 seconds the difference between composition and improvisation is that in composition you have all the time you want to decide what to say in 15 seconds,...Read More
Composition is selective improvisation - Igor Stravinsky. In 15 seconds the difference between composition and improvisation is that in composition you have all the time you want to decide what...Read More
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...Read More
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...Read More