As part of the upcoming Jazz Master Summit, I interviewed Mark Egan, the bass player of the quartet that recorded those early Pat Metheny albums The Pat Metheny Group and American Garage. That group consisted of Pat, Mark, Danny Gotlieb and Lyle Mays. At the end of my interview with Mark, I asked him to […]
Mark Egan remembers Lyle Mays Read More »
I’m almost half done with the video interviews I’m conducting with some of the greatest jazz players and teachers in the world. Soon, these will be made into an online event called Jazz Master Summit. Sign up on my home page in order to be notified as I get closer to releasing this unique event.
Playing jazz like your life depended on it Read More »
This morning I asked subscribers to suggest questions that I could ask Jim Pugh and Bob McChesney since I will be interviewing each of them within the next few days. I am creating a week-long event consisting of interviews with great players and teachers. I’ll be sharing more of this as the date for the event nears.
Putting the fun back into practicing Read More »
I got an email recently from an owner of Improvisation Savvy who wrote that he isn’t getting what he had hoped he would from the book. He was looking for chord/scale instruction to teach him jazz improvisation and felt that the book was, therefore, for more advanced players. For anyone publishing materials for skill development,
Getting the most out of Trombone Improvisation Savvy Read More »
In a world craving instant gratification and immediate results, players learning the craft of jazz live a somewhat frustrated existence. Results are slow to come. Spoiler alert: improvisation is hard. I watched a video today that I hadn’t seen in a while, and it reminded me that in the hands of a good teacher, instant
Hal Galper’s demonstration of results Read More »
A trombone player who bought Trombone Improvisation Savvy a while back wrote that as an orchestral player proficient at reading music, he feels overwhelmed when looking at chord changes. He wrote that the book isn’t giving him what he needs in terms of chord scales to practice until they become part of muscle memory. He
Jazz improvisation excellence may not be all about scales. Read More »
I received an email from a subscriber asking an excellent question. He asks how he can optimize his time in the three hours per day he dedicates to practicing. Is it better to have fewer things to work on and spend more time on those, or to practice on more things and extend the total practice time per day.
How to most effectively practice your musical instrument Read More »
One of the most important activities a jazz musician can take part in is a jam session. Spontaneity is the essence of jazz and if you’re not in a band that plays regularly, you probably don’t play live often enough with other musicians. Play live with and in front of people is what strengthens your
How to prepare for sitting in on a jam session Read More »
Writing yesterday’s post, I had no intention of writing a post script. But as I thought more about the section in which I suggested a 15 minute daily routine to build your jazz improvisation, I wanted to suggest an even easier routine. In the previous post, I laid out a 15 minute daily routine that
The five minute daily habit for better improvisation Read More »
A flautist (aka flute player) I’ve been working with wrote me recently that she is excited to notice that her “ear to instrument reaction time” is improving. She is habitually working on a few exercises such as the Brahms Lullaby in 12 keys and Jazz Patterns for Ear and seeing some delightful results. This article
Master this discipline and be a much better improviser Read More »
Knowing Christmas was coming, the time when I annually reach inward to give birth to a new rendition of a holiday tune, I first bought a couple of interesting synths for inspiration. One was Straylight by Native Instruments, a sample-based granular synthesizer. I’m a sucker for the X-Y modulation matrix. The other is Trailer expressions
An electronic orchestration of The First Noel Read More »
Think about playing using your right (creative) brain. It’s the part of your brain that, if connected well to your instrument, allows for the most authentic improvisation. You hear a note, you’re better able to play that note. Your instrument becomes the amplifier of your musical “voice”. But there’s another aspect to improvisation that benefits
How to develop your musical personality and style Read More »
Tools for helping musicians at all levels learn about jazz and play to their full capability.
Web design and marketing by:
Michael Lake @JazzDigitalMarketing.com
This is just a fake book example for the type of website I can build for you. Just trying to use a little humor here!
