JPS Ep:152 – How To Spice Up Your Improv With Ornaments
Most of the time improv will sound bland not because of the notes…but because of the RHYTHMS! I had this little epiphany back in my earlier days, and it completely transformed my soloing. In this episode, you will learn how you can add ornaments to your improv lines so they sound 100x times better. Here we go!
JPS Ep:151 – Unlock Your Creativity by Shedding the “In-Between Tempos!”
Do you ever feel like you’re playing the same stuff over and over again? I know I’ve certainly been in that position before. It could be a simple problem of playing songs at similar tempos! In this podcast lesson, we examine the benefits of trying tunes at different tempos than we might be used to playing in our regular circles. Watch as we unlock new creative possibilities through playing the “In-Between Tempos!”
How to Prepare for Auditions
With performance examinations coming up in many music schools across the country, I thought I’d address a question I’ve often heard, which is: How do I prepare for my performance jury? Whether you have an audition or a jury coming up for school, we’ll be discussing some best kept secrets for how to prepare! Know […]
JPS Ep:150 – This Chord Will Instantly Make You Sound Like 70’s Herbie!
Here is a quick way to achieve a 70’s funk sound, straight out of Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters record! Follow along as we explore the use of this chord from “Watermelon Man.”
JPS Ep:149 – Rhythm Changes Bridge Improvisation: Use This Today!
We continue our rhythm changes series and approach these refreshing new ways to improvise over the 4 dominant chords in the bridge of rhythm changes. If you thought the bridge didn’t provide much harmonic content to improvise over…think again! Let’s get to it!
JPS Ep:148 – 4 Secrets To Improvising Over Rhythm Changes
Rhythm changes can seriously screw you up. Once you attempted and failed, you probably don’t want to try again. BUT…with these 4 secrets that will allow you to easily improvise over rhythm changes, you’ll be loving this form and itching to play it as much as possible! Here we go!
JPS Ep:147 – How to Play “Block Chords” (pt. 2)
In this lesson we’ll continue learning how to play “block chord” voicings in the style of George Shearing. We will be working on minor voicings in the key of F, specifically with the tune “Lullaby of Birdland.” George Shearing often played this tune with these very voicings, so it is a great model from which to start!
How to Play “Block Chords” Like George Shearing
In this lesson we’ll learn how to play “block chord” voicings in a jazz style. This technique was made famous by George Shearing, and used by other pianists such as Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. You can use it to harmonize melodies and achieve a fuller soloistic sound when playing in a group.
9 Ways To Storytell With Your Improvisation
I’ve heard extremely technically proficient and knowledable improvisers completely fail at telling a story with their solo. When this happens it stinks! None of us want to be in that position. Here’s 9 ways for you to be a GREAT story teller when soloing. Let’s get it!
JPS Ep:141 – How To Integrate Jazz Extensions Into Your Voicings
I get this question a lot, and that is… “Brenden, how do I integrate extensions into my voicings?” Well most of the time you’ll here upper structure triads brought up immediately. In this episode I would like to go a step further and teach you some easy strategies you can use to extract SPECIFIC colors from your voicings by integrating the extensions of your choice! Here we go!
