Coltrane Concepts to Dominate Half Diminished Chords
Half Diminished chords are one of the trickiest chord qualities for developing jazz musicians. Also known as Minor7b5 chords, their structure, sound, and very nature are tough to grasp for just about everyone, so they tend to present more of a challenge than major, minor, or dominant chords. So what makes half diminished chords more ...
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Well You Needn’t – How to Dominate This Jam Session Tune
If you’ve ever been to a jam session before, you’ve probably encountered the famous Thelonious Monk tune Well You Needn’t. Over the years, it’s become one of the most popular jazz standards, but unfortunately, this is one of the tunes that the infamous Real Book got wrong… The chord progression of Well You Needn’t written ...
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The Art of Playing One Chord: A Lesson with Miles & Trane
There are a lot of skills you need in jazz improvisation…Developing great ears, a knowledge of tunes, instrumental technique, and a mastery of jazz language… But there’s one question that gets to the heart of the matter for any soloist… Can you come up with interesting musical ideas over a single chord? Without the aid ...
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Unlock Rhythm Changes & Blues With These 6 Melodies
As musicians, we often treat the songs of the jazz repertoire in the same predictable way. We learn the chords, memorize the notes of the melody, and then we skip ahead to the important stuff – Improvising our own solos over the tune… But is this really all that jazz standards are good for?? For ...
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Master The Minor Blues: A Deep Dive into John Coltrane’s Mr. P.C.
The Blues is an essential form to master for every jazz musician, but just like most things in jazz, there are dozens of variations to explore. One of the most exciting variations and one that’s exceptionally fun to play over for improvisers of all levels, centralizes the harmony around minor chords rather than dominant chords. ...
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All Blues – Miles, Coltrane, & Cannonball Techniques
Have you ever tried to play over a so-called easy tune, only to find that it’s not actually that easy? All Blues, one of the most incredible tracks from the legendary Miles Davis album Kind of Blue, is commonly referred to as an easy tune throughout jazz education, yet this seemingly simple composition contains more ...
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The Crucial Step For Mastering Any Tune You Play
One of the most frustrating things about learning to improvise is the expectation that you can simply jump in and start creating a great solo right away… The belief that you can learn a single scale and sound good over Major chords. Or that you can study a few theory rules and suddenly improvise effortlessly ...
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Jazz Form and Structure: Never Get Lost in the Chord Changes Again
One of the most overlooked and useful elements of learning a tune is the way it’s put together on a macro level, the jazz form that the tune uses. Without this vital information operating in your brain on a deep level, you’re bound to get lost easily during your solo… You know how it goes…you’re ...
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How To Master The ii-V-I Progression: 25 Essential Lines You Need To Know
There are certain things that you need to do if you want to improve your musical skills…Setting aside time each day to practice. Listening to important recordings. Seeking out teachers to guide you along the way. The same is true if you want to improve your jazz improvisation skills. You need to spend time listening, transcribing solos, building ...
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Crazy John Coltrane Techniques Only For The Brave
It’s late. I’m exhausted. Been out all night at the jazz clubs and I just want to get home. I hop in the first taxi I see and get on my way. I’m listening to the radio and I hear something that sounds familiar. Trane? I know it’s him. His sound is unmistakable. But what ...
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The Beginner’s Guide to Jazz Articulation: Coltrane Techniques Demystified
It’s the subtleties of articulation that make melodies come alive. But, being so subtle, articulation is one of those concepts that’s difficult to grasp, or for that matter, even teach. And it’s personal. Nearly every player has their own distinct method of articulating, which yields a different result. With all this ambiguity, how can we ...
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10 Diminished Patterns That Will Transform Your Next Jazz Solo…
What comes to mind when you hear the word diminished? A chord? A scale? Wait, is it whole-steps and half-steps…or the other way around? If you’re like most players, the diminished sound often creates more questions than answers. But it’s a sound that the greatest players – from John Coltrane to Michael Brecker and beyond ...
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