The blues scale is a great device for beginners and an easy way to explain playing over the blues. At the 10 Minute Jazz Lesson, our goal is to move beyond the basics and expand your horizons into deeper levels of playing. This isn't always easy, but is usually very fulfilling and leads to quick improvement. This week we are going to move beyond the blues scale into what is called the Mixolydian Sharp 9 Scale. This may sound complicated when you first hear it, but is very close to the blues … [Read more...]

Chris Potter is a one of a kind musician. If you have ever heard him play you know what I'm talking about. His work ethic and skill level should be an inspiration to us all if not being slightly depressing at times :) This week we are going to take a look at a phrase that he plays over Cherokee and see what makes it tick. This material largely mimics the bebop language but with Potter's own special twist on it. If you don't take anything else away from this episode, just hear how flawlessly … [Read more...]

Laszlo Gardony is a living legend in jazz. Over his illustrious career as a teacher and performer he has crossed paths with some of the best musicians in the world and is a perennial favorite to jazz fans all over. This week, we caught up with Laszlo to hear about his new record, Serious Play and talk to him about some of the things that have made his career so long and fruitful. As a Boston native, I have been keeping up with Laszlo's work since I was a kid. It was a real thrill for me to talk … [Read more...]

This week is all about the 5 most common types of 7th chords and how to rapidly switch between them. Most of the time when we practice, we take the same exercise and put it in all keys. This is a great way of doing things and I've spent countless hours getting this side of my playing down. This week we are going to reverse things a little bit and instead of taking the same exercise through 12 keys, we are going to play in the same key but play all of the qualities in rapid fire … [Read more...]

This week we are talking about one of my favorite things: rhythm. The difference between a good player and a great player tends to be their sense of time and rhythmic flexibility. This is an exercise I learned way back in high school that I still work on to this day. When we are able to place a phrase anywhere we want it, we gain several advantages. One of the biggest is the ability to play over the bar line. This opens up a world of possibilities for us and removes any limits on our … [Read more...]

This week we are talking about a horrible affliction that affects many jazz musicians. The good news is, this disease can be cured with a little bit of hard work and you don't even have to see a doctor! Many folks center everything they do around the root of the chord. It's a safe bet and the root of the chord is printed right on the sheet music, making it the easiest and most convenient note play at any time. The problem with this is that our solos and phrases become boring and predictable … [Read more...]