A new year is the perfect time to look back at what you've accomplished in the practice room and to look forward to what you still wish to achieve as a musician. It's also a...Read More
A new year is the perfect time to look back at what you've accomplished in the practice room and to look forward to what you still wish to achieve as...Read More
It's just past one in the morning. I'm standing on the sidewalk in lower Manhattan as garbage trucks rumble by and panhandlers hustle for loose change. I've just stepped outside of Smalls, the last note...Read More
It's just past one in the morning. I'm standing on the sidewalk in lower Manhattan as garbage trucks rumble by and panhandlers hustle for loose change. I've just stepped outside...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
Have you ever thought about why you’re practicing every single day for hours and what you’re actually trying to achieve with all your hard work? To play better over a G7 chord? To master that...Read More
Have you ever thought about why you’re practicing every single day for hours and what you’re actually trying to achieve with all your hard work? To play better over a...Read More
From the moment we are born, the world tends to have a container already built for us to fit inside: A social security number, a gender, a race, a profession, an I.Q. I ponder if...Read More
From the moment we are born, the world tends to have a container already built for us to fit inside: A social security number, a gender, a race, a profession,...Read More
Learning improvisation can be a curious process. Every now and then as we endeavor to educate ourselves musically, we hear bits of advice and pick up words of wisdom from master classes, videos, books, and...Read More
Learning improvisation can be a curious process. Every now and then as we endeavor to educate ourselves musically, we hear bits of advice and pick up words of wisdom from...Read More
Imagine that you've just stepped off a plane in a foreign country. You grab your suitcase and step onto the soil for the first time and suddenly you're filled with a sense of excitement and...Read More
Imagine that you've just stepped off a plane in a foreign country. You grab your suitcase and step onto the soil for the first time and suddenly you're filled with...Read More
We often get a ton of great questions from our readers about what to practice. These inquiries range from players that are stuck in a daily musical rut to aspiring improvisers that simply don’t know...Read More
We often get a ton of great questions from our readers about what to practice. These inquiries range from players that are stuck in a daily musical rut to aspiring...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
The extreme ranges of any instrument express extreme emotion, but they're not easy to tackle. The high register is notoriously difficult on most instruments and the low register is often under-developed and under-utilized. The standard...Read More
The extreme ranges of any instrument express extreme emotion, but they're not easy to tackle. The high register is notoriously difficult on most instruments and the low register is often...Read More
Have you ever wondered why great pianists, guitarists, bassists, and drummers often sing along as they improvise? Ever noticed how many of the best horn players also happen to be great singers? Great musicians all...Read More
Have you ever wondered why great pianists, guitarists, bassists, and drummers often sing along as they improvise? Ever noticed how many of the best horn players also happen to be...Read More
I wish I could tell you it’s all fun. That every time you practice music is meant to be super creative, interesting, and joyful. That it never feels like you’re just working and trudging through....Read More
I wish I could tell you it’s all fun. That every time you practice music is meant to be super creative, interesting, and joyful. That it never feels like you’re...Read More
After countless hours in the practice room, you've finally managed to transcribe one of your favorite players. You figured out a particular line that caught your ear, and now you're learning it in all keys....Read More
After countless hours in the practice room, you've finally managed to transcribe one of your favorite players. You figured out a particular line that caught your ear, and now you're...Read More
When exactly do I become good at improvising? Is there a single point that occurs where I can finally play like I want to? These are questions that inevitably pop up and hover at the...Read More
When exactly do I become good at improvising? Is there a single point that occurs where I can finally play like I want to? These are questions that inevitably pop...Read More
It's already May and before you know it those lazy months of summer are going to sneak up on you. And just as quickly they'll be gone, leaving you wishing you had more hours in...Read More
It's already May and before you know it those lazy months of summer are going to sneak up on you. And just as quickly they'll be gone, leaving you wishing...Read More
Recently I’ve been studying and transcribing a lot of Miles from around 1956-1957. Albums like Cookin', Relaxin', and Workin'. More than the notes or the harmonic devices in his solos, the one thing that sticks...Read More
Recently I’ve been studying and transcribing a lot of Miles from around 1956-1957. Albums like Cookin', Relaxin', and Workin'. More than the notes or the harmonic devices in his solos,...Read More