A man practicing his synthesizer

Jazz improvisation excellence may not be all about scales.

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…

Recent posts...

The,Young,Man,Jumps,Into,A,Lake
Abandoning the safety of the well-worn muscle memory of musical you
That was a comment by an attendee at my live webinar this week held for subscribers of my course Improvisation Savvy.
Man,In,Front,Of,A,Mirror,Observing,His,Deepest,Fears
What will lead to the best musical version of you?
I love jazz because it showcases the expression of the individual. Sure, we play in groups and communicate with each other as we play, and at its finest,...
Woman looking into her reflection
An important musical lesson Sheila Jordan can teach us all
I'm producing video marketing for my Jazz Master Savvy product and I was reminded of a priceless clip from my interview with the great singer Sheila Jordan....
altobone_a_colorful_medical_scan_of_the_left_and_right_hemesphe_20fdb424-60e4-402d-801a-369704e54071
Left versus right brain in the process of learning to improvise
The left and right hemispheres of your brain have a complex relationship, and that relationship facilitates how you function in every aspect of your life...
Musician learning online
What you're missing in most online teaching of jazz
I was forwarded a YouTube link yesterday of a young musician playing John Coltrane's solo from Giant Steps note for note. He was a technically proficient...
A saxophone player
How to develop your most authentic and best jazz playing
I received an email yesterday from a well-known jazz musician who after watching someone on Youtube "teaching jazz' on the piano using root position chords...
The exhilaration of not falling to my death
Our fear and exhilaration one afternoon during last week's spring break provided an important moment for both my son and for me-and perhaps for something...
Picture of Michael Lake

Michael Lake

Trombonist, author, composer, marketer

Courses and books

Pocket Jazz

The Pocket Jazz course is a completely redesigned series of online videos of no more than three-minutes each. Most of the lessons also contain short excerpts of tips and wisdom from masters like Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and many more.

Teaching & Learning Jazz

From this book, Richie Beirach and Mike provide great stories of jazz wisdom, a reflection on university jazz education including how to choose a school, an analysis of the Hollywood view of jazz education, a look at the psychology of education, and many other previously unexplored essential topics for both teachers and students.

Available in soft cover and digital editions.

Trombone Improvisation Savvy

Trombone demands different physical abilities from other instruments, but certain skills are universal such as connecting your instrument to your musical mind. Learn from exercises and audio files specifically focused on trombone that will help you improvise much better.