Psychology
Thoughts for a prosperous New Year
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.” – Nido Qubein
Happy New Year to you!
The four stages of competence
Mastering a skill involves an integration of awareness and competence. Being aware of your current level of competence is necessary for improving any skill from riding a bike to brain surgery, including of course, jazz improvisation.
The power of habit in becoming the best possible person and jazz musician
You’ll hear me say that over and over in my masterclasses and throughout my online course Improvisation Savvy. I’ve written it in Jazz Patterns for Ear, Alto Trombone Savvy, and every other method book I’ve published.
Your mind plays jazz, not your instrument
This is a recurring theme to my writing, interview questions, books, and courses. As Hal Galper famously (to me at least) once said pointing to his head, “THIS is the real instrument we play.”
How self-discipline can make you a better jazz player
My book Self-Discipline Superpower is sparking some interesting conversations. Thank you to those who have added to that conversation. I’ve been thinking…
Can self-discipline improve your jazz playing?
My book Self-Discipline Superpower is sparking some interesting conversations. Thank you to those who have added to that conversation. I’ve been thinking…
Join me in making this your best year yet
As we all bid good riddance to 2020, I look forward to 2021 and the success I can help you and others achieve – in playing or in something else.
Michael Lake
Jazz/latin trombone, author, multimedia artist, marketer
The skill of simplicity
I’ve received a couple of emails this past week making basically the same point about Pocket Jazz that I thought was worth sharing and exploring.
Does popularity define an artist?
A comment was recently written in one of the Pocket Jazz lessons. It was a lengthy comment but it ended with these questions: When is
It’s all about your time
A LOT of you have taken advantage of my offer to sign up for Pocket Jazz for free. Some have come back asking when they
