the path to finding your own voice

The Path to Finding Your Own Voice

By

Eric

Composition, Inspiration, Playing Techniques

The notion of being original and innovative goes hand-in-hand with the idea of improvisation. The inspired act of being in the moment, creating on the fly with others in a group setting, and ultimately developing an original voice are all central ideas when it comes to jazz and improvisation. Musicians everywhere, from beginning improvisers struggling …

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seeking out words of wisdom

Seeking Out Words of Wisdom

By

Eric

Inspiration

In practicing improvisation, one common pitfall that we run into is expecting to find the secrets of jazz all by ourselves. We gather our books and recordings and head into the practice room determined to overcome the difficulties of improvisation with an army of one. What’s the big deal, you taught yourself Spanish, so how …

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freedom in all keys for musicians

3 Steps to Freedom In All 12 Keys

By

Eric

How to Practice Jazz, Scales

The ability to play fluently in all 12 keys is essential for every improviser. Initially, it may seem like you rarely play in certain keys or even that it’s just not necessary to play in every key. So why bother with twelve keys, right? If you look carefully, however, many common standards that are in …

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learning tunes your way

Learning Tunes Your Way

By

Eric

How to Practice Jazz, Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Jazz Musicians, Jazz Standards, Perspectives

On this site we’ve frequently written about learning tunes. This is no coincidence – learning tunes goes hand in hand with improving as an improviser. Whether you’re practicing, performing, or simply listening to a few records with some friends you’re dealing directly with tunes. Keeping this in mind, building a solid repertoire of tunes should …

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5 secrets to learning tunes

5 Secrets to Learning Tunes

By

Forrest

Chords, Jazz Standards

Learning jazz standards is a crucial part of every jazz musician’s practice routine. After all, as a jazz musician, the entire goal is to perform tunes, so it totally makes sense that they should be a central part of your practice… Now, when it comes to learning tunes, it’s how you first learn them that matters …

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overcoming obstacles in jazz transcription

Overcoming Obstacles in Transcription

By

Eric

Transcribing

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 often one of the most demanding tasks to complete on a regular basis for improvisers. Two readers recently asked questions …

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