3 essential jazz tools

3 Essential Improvisation Tools that You Need to Know

By

Eric

Chords, How to Practice Jazz, Jazz Advice and Tips, Jazz Language, Jazz Standards, Playing Techniques, Scales, Transcribing

Imagine that you’re a construction worker. You’ve just pulled yourself out of bed at 4 a.m. and slipped on your steel-toed boots. As you stretch your tired legs you let out a sigh as another long day looms on the horizon. No worries, nothing you can’t do after a strong cup of coffee. You arrive …

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Kenny Dorham Jazz Trumpet

Kenny Dorham. Not Just Another Trumpet Player

By

Eric

Jazz Musicians

Kenny Dorham was one of the first trumpet players that I checked out when I was starting to listen to jazz and after years of studying the music he is still one of my favorite trumpet players. K.D. was a prominent figure throughout the stylistic changes of the music from bebop to the modern jazz …

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20 things every jazz improviser should know

20 Things Every Improviser Should Know

By

Eric

Jazz Advice and Tips, Perspectives

Being successful as a jazz musician isn’t all about practice routines, ii-V licks, or memorizing tunes. Sometimes getting to the next level as a player is all about having the right perspective. Here are 20 things every improviser should know… 1. Nobody’s checking for your music degree Just because you graduated with a degree in …

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jazz is the moment

Jazz Is The Moment

By

Forrest

Inspiration, Perspectives

If jazz is all about being in the moment, but all our practice time is dedicated to figuring out what we want to play when we perform, then how are we supposed to be in the moment when we perform? There’s this strange dichotomy… On one side, jazz improvisation is very rehearsed. And on the …

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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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