List of Over 50 Jazz Blues Tunes to Know
When learning jazz music, it is important to remember that “the blues” is not just simply a scale… “The blues” is a style, a feeling, a whole genre unto itself. The best way to learn about the blues (without your wife leaving you, your dog running away, or losing your trusty pickup truck) is […]
Jazz Piano School 2.0 is coming! (October 7th, 2019, 7am est)
Flash cards, practice workouts, and improv analysis OH MY! Well it’s been a long time coming but Jazz Piano School 2.0 is finally right around the corner. More specifically…we will be opening our doors October 7th, 2019 @ 7am est to accept new students into our brand new website full of fun and jammed packed […]
3 Tips to Sit In Like A Pro
Sitting in with a group of more seasoned musicians is an experience that every aspiring jazz pianist must encounter. The prospect of performing with players you want to impress can be daunting. These tips will help you to prepare and step on to the bandstand with confidence and composure! Prepare a Tune – When you sit down at the piano, you […]
3 Easy Ways to Start Composing Jazz Now!
As aspiring jazz musicians, we find ourselves mostly focused on the art of Improvisation, a paramount skill for playing jazz. Another less discussed but equally important skill is Composition. Composition is essentially the same as Improvisation, except instead of creating music spontaneously in the moment, one is creating music in a slower, more controlled process. […]
5 Insider Tips for a Successful Recording
Whether you’re making an audition recording or laying down some tracks for an album, recording can be quite an involved process. Being in the studio often comes with its own set of stressors when compared to a live performance. Here are some insider tips to help make the process go as smoothly as possible! 1) […]
4 Guidelines for Pentatonic Improv
Don’t use pentatonics exclusively – This gets old fast. Pentatonics work best when they are mixed in with other harmonic language and textures. By combining pentatonics with chord-scale relationships, you can create countless paths to navigate changes. Start inside, take it out, then bring it back in – Pentatonics create tension. For this tension to […]
3 Jazz Piano Lessons From Golf
As Brenden likes to say, there are a lot of similarities between golf and jazz improv. In fact, golf was Bill Evans’ favorite pastime. Just like jazz, there are no shortcuts to success in golf. The way to get better is to play as much as possible. However, there are specific exercises that, along with […]
5 Tips to Learn Tunes Like a Pro
Expanding one’s repertoire is an essential part of becoming a better musician. By learning new tunes of varying styles and difficulty, you can expand your palette of musical skills and deepen your musicianship. Here is a list of 5 tips to keep in mind while learning new tunes Check out the Records Save the sheet […]
3 Jazz Books to Break Through Plateaus
Do you ever feel stuck in your musical development? These 3 books offer some amazing insights that will help you break through these walls. The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten This book will challenge you to think about music in a different way. It walks through 9 elements of music, as taught by Victor’s possibly […]
How to Practice Simplicity
Sometimes the best melodies are the simplest ones. The less you say, the more each individual note stands out. Miles Davis lived out this musical philosophy every night on the bandstand, and we can all learn a lot from how he makes the most out of the fewest notes. Check out this track “Jean Pierre” […]
