I read a great article with Branford Marsalis this past week and it lived up to the strong opinions I have come to expect from him. Branford has never been afraid to say exactly what he is thinking and I have, over the years, come to respect that about him. Whether it's the state of jazz or classical music, or his opinion on what is going on in the greater music world, he doesn't pull any punches. And whether you agree or disagree with his point of view, you gotta respect the guy for saying … [Read more...]
Episode 004: Diminished Dominants: Part 2
In Part 2 of our series on diminished dominants, we get a little deeper into this concept and create some vocabulary we can use in real life improvising situations. Our vehicle is going to be ii-V-i progressions, which are the most common progression in almost any tune you will see. By learning this vocabulary and plugging it into our solos, you will start to hear this concept reflected in your playing. Once you have incorporated the scales from part 1 of the series, start working on these … [Read more...]
Episode 003: Diminished Dominants: Part 1
In Episode 3 we start our journey into the concept of diminished dominants. This episode, again, is the start of a two part series. This concept is a must for any improviser to have in the arsenal and we are going to introduce you to it step by step. This episode focuses on exactly what a diminished dominant is and takes you through the basic knowledge and scales that you will need when we start to look at how to employ this device in our solos and improvisations. We will show you how to … [Read more...]
Episode 002: Using Thirds and Sevenths Over The Blues: Part 2
Welcome to Part 2 of our series on using thirds and sevenths over the blues. Using part 1 as our foundation, it's time to kick these ideas into high gear! We are going to take what we have learned from the previous exercises and actually start forming solos that use great voice leading and center around our thirds and sevenths. I am also going to have you use some of that pent up creative energy to form your own solo with a couple of road markers along the way. If you are new to the … [Read more...]
Episode 001: Using Thirds and Sevenths Over The Blues Part 1
Welcome to Episode 1 of the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson Podcast! In this episode we are going to take you through important exercises related to the 3rd and 7th over the 12 bar blues progression. In the episode, I explain to you why the 3rd and 7th are such important notes and why I want you to have a complete and thorough understanding of this important concept. If you ever wondered why your favorite jazz musicians sound so good over the blues, this is the place to start down the path of sounding … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Become A Better Musician RIGHT NOW!
Are you stuck in a rut when it comes to improving consistently and quickly as a musician? Not to worry, it happens to everyone at some point in their musical lives. Whether it be that you never feel like you're using your practice time to it's full potential or you don't know exactly what to practice, I hope these five tips will help you in your journey to reaching your full potential. We all have the potential to become great musicians, but we need to harness that potential into a clear course … [Read more...]
A Note From A Donny McCaslin Fan
I am one of the biggest Donny McCaslin fan boys out there. In my opinion, he is one of the best modern saxophone players out there and I can’t get enough of his playing. I also have had the opportunity, through my studies, to interact and learn from him. He is a great guy who taught me concepts that I still work on to this day. Lessons that seemed simple on the outside but require a tremendous amount of work when you get into them. Let me tell you why I want you to go out and listen to Donny … [Read more...]
Inspiration: The Mark Turner Quartet
I just had the pleasure of seeing Mark Turner, Jason Palmer, Joe Martin, and Marcus Gilmore at the University of New Hampshire on recently. I hadn't seen Mark play for years and it was amazing to hear him. A few thoughts about the show which was comprised completely of Mark's original material. 1) This guy knows how to write for a chord-less band. It struck me how involved the melodies were. The majority of them had 32 or 64 bars of written material at the beginning, some … [Read more...]
Heavy Stuff From Chick Corea
If you were to wake up and base your day off of one of these points, every day, repeating the list again and again for a year, what do you think that could do for your playing and for your life in general? I'm not sure what the answer is but I think I will try it just to be safe. My guess is that I got this advice for cheap, but it will prove to be extremely valuable at the end of the year. This kind of stuff pumps me up. I'll keep you updated on my progress. Talk Soon, Nick … [Read more...]
Long Tones: The ‘Zen’ of My Warm Up
I woke up this morning, grabbed some coffee, and did my usual routine of long tones. It occurred to me how much these long tones have helped over the years and I consider it the ‘Zen’ portion of my practice routine. I have been practicing mindfulness lately with a couple of apps on my phone and I find this extremely helpful in quieting my mind for the day. It allows me to focus more on the important stuff in my life and shut out the nervous thoughts that have been known to cloud my day. It … [Read more...]
