Inspiration for improvisers
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Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Education, Jazz Musicians, Perspectives, Playing Techniques
I’m guessing you’ve heard of Miles Davis. That you know Louis Armstrong and have listened to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. But have you ever stopped and wondered why you know these names? Some of these masters have been gone for 40 years and some of their records are nearly 80 years old. So why …
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It’s as easy as getting from point A to point B, right? Of course it is. But what they fail to mention is that the distance between the two points is not a straight line! In terms of large goals, like learning how to improvise, the path is not linear. In terms of small goals …
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Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques, Transcribing
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 out about Miles is his sense of phrasing. This is what sets him apart and why so many listeners connect …
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Composition, How to Practice Jazz, Perspectives
You learn scales. You faithfully practice triads and arpeggios in every key. You memorize chord progressions & learn tunes. And then you improvise… Sound familiar? This is the standard approach to jazz improvisation that you find in classrooms, private lessons, masterclasses, and practice rooms everywhere. It’s what we’ve come to accept as “the way” to …
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Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Musicians, Playing Techniques
Louis Armstrong is called many things: a musical pioneer, the father of American music, the first great soloist, and the catalyst for countless creative musicians around the world… But for many musicians today, his music can seem old hat, antiquated, and even irrelevant – I mean what can you actually learn from a bunch of …
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Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips
Scales, Chords, Progressions, and Tunes… These are the words we all use to define and think about music. It’s how we make sense of the songs we hear, how we talk about the solos we love, and how you tackle the nitty-gritty elements of music in the practice room. The same words are used in …
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Jazz Musicians, Jazz Standards, Rhythm, Transcribing
Recorda Me is one of Joe Henderson’s most famous compositions. Recorded on his epic album Page One from 1963, he actually composed the popular jazz standard when he was only 15. And over the years, it’s become a mainstay in jazz education and jam sessions alike, making it a need-to-know tune to add to your …
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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 …
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How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Language, Transcribing
We get questions all the time on how to go about transcribing. Often, the people that write in say that they tried transcribing, but it just didn’t work for them, or it was just too hard. Yes, transcribing is not easy, but the problem does not lie in the inherent difficulty of this activity, but …
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Clifford Brown is one of those rare musicians that always seems to play the perfect solo. Every phrase is expertly crafted, every note is musical, and each idea is delivered with impeccable sound … If you’re sitting here like me, wishing you had even one of these qualites in your improvised solos, Clifford Brown is …
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Learning the hard way? You thought you came here to find an easier way to learn improvisation, right? Well to be honest, the easier way is not always the best way and if you’re in something for the long run, getting things right from the start can save you a lot of time and years …
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Inspiration, Jazz Advice and Tips, Playing Techniques
Open up a music theory book and you’ll likely find pages and pages of definitions. Terms like apogituras, retograde inversions, mordents, hemiolas, turns…Good information, but not exactly stuff that you’d want to put into your next solo. I mean what did stuffy old composers know about improvising anyway? But before you dismiss all that tedious …