July has five Fridays, so I figured this month we would try something a little bit different! I asked some of the Patreon members for questions they would like answered in a Q&A format. We got two great ones from Kris and Barb and this episode will be me doing my best to answer those questions in a concise manner. These two topics may very well turn into full blown series, but for now, enjoy this episode attempting to answer questions about how to swing and how to begin approaching … [Read more...]

This month, we are going to flex some of our newfound triad skills on an awesome Antoni Carlos Jobim tune, Dindi. This song has very interesting harmony and there are sections that lend themselves in particular to the use of basic triads. Enjoy and don't forget to grab the PDF! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be bringing you many extras exclusively to our … [Read more...]

Welcome back to another lick of the month episode. This week, while we give you time to practice your triad patterns, we are going to look at a line from the killer saxophonist, Sam Dillon, in which he uses pentatonics along with rhythmic creativity to give us some awesome effects. Sam is a master of using techniques like this and we can learn a lot from his playing in a short period of time. Sam and I have just released a book of transcriptions from his album, Out In the Open, so if you like … [Read more...]

This week we continue our study of triads and how to develop a firm understanding of every key and how they lay on our respective instruments. In this episode, we talk about the 4 note triad. If you're wondering how the heck we can have a four note triad, you'll just have to listen in to find out. Enjoy and don't forget to grab the PDF at the link below! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this … [Read more...]

This month we are going to talk about some of the most valuable exercises I have studied in my younger years that, I believe, gave me the technique, skills, and understanding to really bring my playing to the next level. These rapidly moving triad exercises will stretch your mental ability to think in all 12 keys faster than ever before and result in a huge bump in your ability to do almost anything. While these don't directly apply to tunes YET, they will lead to many skills handy to have in … [Read more...]

Welcome to the conclusion of our series on Rhythmic Flexibility! We finish off this series with an etude over the amazing composition by Toots Thielemans, Bluesette. This tune fits perfectly into our discussion on rhythmic devices in 3/4 time. Enjoy the episode and don't forget to grab the etude and audio on our Patreon page! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get this PDF and every other. We will also be … [Read more...]

This week, we take a look at one of the hippest lines I've come across in a while. Joe Pass plays an incredible phrase combining rhythmic and harmonic mastery resulting in some mind bending sounds. This is the perfect phrase for what we have been talking about the past couple of months and I think, with some real analysis, this could produce some fresh and interesting ideas in your own playing. Enjoy the episode and remember to study the PDF for full benefits! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH … [Read more...]

This week we continue our series on playing more interesting and engaging rhythmic material. In episode one of this series, we looked at an exercise using escalating note values. This week we are thinking along the same lines but using the 3/4 time signature to learn some new sounds and challenge ourselves. Enjoy the episode and don't forget to grab the PDF! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you donate $3 or more a month you get … [Read more...]

This month we take a look at the classic jazz standard, All Of Me, and use some of the concepts we have been discussing in the past couple of episodes. In the etude I have prepared for you, we are thinking rhythm first and basing the melodic and harmonic language from a different point of view. If you have worked on the exercises from episodes 260 and 261, you will be well prepared to play this material and get something out of it. Enjoy the episode and etude! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH … [Read more...]