This episode ends our series on practicing your scales in a more creative fashion. This week, we combine some of the rhythmic schemes from last episode with various interval layouts to create an even more intense and beneficial series of exercises. Enjoy the episode and have fun! 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...]

This week we continue our series on practicing your scales creatively by moving into what you can do rhythmically. We have a tendency to practice our scales up and down in a homogenous rhythmic pattern (at least that's what I gravitate toward!). What could we learn and do better if we ditched this way of practicing scales and instead thought outside the box creatively?? Tune in to this episode to find out! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and … [Read more...]

This month we are continuing to look at one of my favorite tunes, After You've Gone. We use some of the material from last month's Q&A episode plus some of the things we learned in our last episode from the amazingly talented, Patrick Bartley. Enjoy and don't forget to grab the etudes on Patreon! 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 … [Read more...]

Time for the lick of the month episode and this one is a doozy! Patrick is taking over the internet with this particular solo because it is just that good. We are going to look at two similar lines over the same set of changes and see how Patrick uses one device to great effect. 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 this PDF and every other. We will also … [Read more...]

This week we continue our discussion on how we can breathe new life into our tired scale routine. Last episode, we talked about the three most common and beneficial scale types. This week , we will talk about some less common but just as beneficial scales and how you can incorporate them into your routine on a daily basis. Enjoy the episode and remember to download 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 … [Read more...]

This month we talk about how to bring new life into something that I'm hoping all of you practice everyday, your scales! In this first part of the series, we talk about how you can combine types of scales, direction, order, and tempo in new and exciting ways to make sure that your routine doesn't get stale and boring. Think of scales as a maintenance item that can never be left behind. Once you figure out how to get creative in the practice room, you'll be happily practicing scales for the rest … [Read more...]

It's the 5th Friday of the month so this week, we treat you to a Q&A episode. We tackle a very poignant question from one of our longtime listeners and supporters, David, about how to approach trad jazz vs. approaching the bebop era and beyond. This is something I have had to work out in my own playing and I hope these thoughts and observations might be useful to you and save you some time! WANT THE PDF THAT GOES ALONG WITH THIS EPISODE?? Head over to our Patreon page and when you … [Read more...]

This month's tune is one of my favorite Johnny Green standards that I play very often, Out Of Nowhere. We utilize the concepts we have been talking about in the entire pentatonic series and apply them to a great chord progression. Please enjoy the episode and don't forget to grab the PDF of the etude! 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 … [Read more...]

Time for our lick of the month episode! This month, we utilize the concepts of pentatonic shofting to create some killer ii-V-I lines. These lines will stretch your ability to use pentatonics freely and hear some very challenging and advanced sounds. Good luck and have fun!! 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...]

This week we finish up our series on pentatonics by looking at a few approaches for practicing these scales in all 12 keys. Mixing up the order of scales and rapidly changing from one key to another will be crucial in being able to play pentatonic based lines over real life chord changes. Enjoy the episode! 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 … [Read more...]