Sometimes, when I'm out of my routine, it's tough for me to even take the instrument out of its case. Here's how I get through that... Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, please head over to our Patreon page and show your love by donating $3 or more each month. You get incredible benefits and this keeps the podcast coming at you regularly. Thanks so much! … [Read more...]

Last week we discussed the basic of open triads and how to learn them. This week we put them into action over one of my favorite tunes and show you some options for voice leading with open triads. Enjoy! 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 patrons including transcriptions and a FREE gift  of our latest Ebook, The … [Read more...]

This week comes in the form of an album recommendation. I have been obsessed with this record lately and I think you'll like it too! Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, please head over to our Patreon page and show your love by donating $3 or more each month. You get incredible benefits and this keeps the podcast coming at you regularly. Thanks so much! … [Read more...]

Have you ever dug into open triads? Have you ever even heard of open triads? I know I hadn't until some years ago and they were a revelation to me when I started shedding them. You have probably used open triads without even realizing it at some point. In this week's episode I want to teach you about this important concept and get you started on a few exercises that will work them into your playing. This is a simple concept with far reaching implications that will change the face of your … [Read more...]

This week we talk about listening once again. Are you doing it actively or passively? Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, please head over to our Patreon page and show your love by donating $3 or more each month. You get incredible benefits and this keeps the podcast coming at you regularly. Thanks so much! … [Read more...]

Last week we talked about developing some natural sounding, original lines over the tune, Moment's Notice. Really getting inside the changes instead of learning how to plug things in is very important over this particular set of changes. This week we are taking things a step further and introducing some new challenges along with the material from last week. Think of this as the next step once you are comfortable performing the tasks from last episode. Make sure you do this stuff slowly and … [Read more...]

This week features one of the most difficult tunes in the jazz canon. At first glance, Coltrane's, Moment's Notice doesn't seem that hard. Then you start playing over it, maybe even at a fast tempo, and everything changes! This tune is not your run of the mill improvisation experience. The difficulty comes from the chromatic movement contained in the ii-v progressions. This episode is all about how to successfully navigate these difficult changes in a way that makes sense and sounds natural … [Read more...]

This week is all about the history and popularity of the iconic chord changes to I Got Rhythm. David wrote us a great email that forced me to do a little bit of research and thinking about this pervasive set of chords that has become so famous over the years. Enjoy! Would you like to support the creators of this podcast? If so, please head over to our Patreon page and show your love by donating $3 or more each month. You get incredible benefits and this keeps the podcast coming at you … [Read more...]

This episode is going to show you the secret to perfect technique. No seriously, this episode WILL show you everything you need to know to achieve the true heights of technique on whatever instrument you play. The question is, are you willing to put the time in that's necessary for this system? This is something that was shown to me by a teacher a long time ago and I've recently been using it a lot in my practicing. The results are nothing short of incredible if you do it the prescribed way … [Read more...]