This week we are talking about one of the most important concepts for any jazz musician. Having good time is not just for rhythm section players, each and every one of us needs to have great time and be able to swing. Not to mention drummers and bass players will love you if you have great time! In order to develop good time we need to use the correct tool. This tool is the metronome and it's impossible to have good time without using this extremely important device. There are countless ways … [Read more...]

They say that in life timing is everything. Did you know that it's the same for playing jazz? You might not think about which notes happen when, when you're improvising but it's very important and in this week's episode I'll explain why and help you get better at timing the most important notes that you play in each measure to make you sound like a pro. In this episode we talk about what strong beats are and how we can utilize them, along with chord tones to give our solos amazing structure and … [Read more...]

This week is a real treat for the listeners of the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Podcast. We welcome our first guest host to the show and what a great host he is! I'd like to welcome Jeff Schneider to the podcast and he has a fantastic lesson on triads over dominant chords. Composer and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Schneider is a DownBeat Magazine award winner and three-time recipient of the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award. His music is featured in films and advertisements by CNN, NASA, Visa, Intel, … [Read more...]

I have to apologize to the piano players this week. This episode is not for you unless you're a true beginner. Instead, this week is for all of the instrumentalists who need to de-mystify the piano and be able to play very simple chord progressions. Every great musician needs to be able to play some piano. Especially in jazz, being able to sit down and plunk out a simple chord progression, or accompany one of your students is a must. The good news is, with some of the knowledge you've gained … [Read more...]

This month we take a look at a couple of licks from one of my favorite trumpet players, Tom Harrell. Tom has a way of playing some of the clearest lines I have ever heard while still being totally creative and melodic throughout. Clarity is something that we all strive for in our lines and is one of the most important aspects you can work on. These two lines are a great place to start. By dissecting these lines and learning what makes them tick, you stand a great chance of being able to bring … [Read more...]

Cherokee is right up there with the blues and rhythm changes in terms of tunes you need to know and be able to play on convincingly. Cherokee can be particularly intimidating because of the tempo that it is normally played at. I'm talking break-neck, 300 miles an hour here. The good news is that everyone you have ever heard play Cherokee at mach speed had to practice it slowly at some point. That's the first piece of advice in this episode, slow down! This tune is not all that complicated, … [Read more...]

We're back with another episode on the infamous Coltrane Cycle. I wasn't going to create a part 2 for this series but after last week I started thinking about the tune Countdown and how much it confused me when I was learning about Coltrane and how his progressions worked. Countdown is different than Giant Steps, which last week's episode was based on. These changes can be used in a multitude of different ways and the more we discover and understand, the more places we can use this … [Read more...]

This week we are going to delve into a fairly complicated set of changes. That's right, it's Coltrane time! The Coltrane Cycle is one of the most important things to understand in modern jazz. Giant Steps is something that everyone is expected to be able to get through these days, so it would behoove you to learn what these are all about. Today we feature 3 different pieces of vocabulary that will get you off to a great start handling these progressions. Remember to use the provided material … [Read more...]

In this month's Lick Of The Month Episode, we are taking a look at a long Charlie Parker ii-V-I from the Omnibook. This particular line has a lot to unpack and shows off several of the devices that Bird used to get his quintessential sound. Bebop concepts are the basic building blocks for every style off jazz that came after it so you can be sure that this is information you need to know. Remember to put this line in all 12 keys and spend some time analyzing it further to catch anything that … [Read more...]