In this video I demonstrate a simple method for writing music that uses an “aleatoric” or random system. Here’s the basic outline: Using 3 by…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 171: Byzantine – Double Harmonic Scale.
In this lesson we look deeply at the Byzantine or Double Harmonic Scale. Each mode has a unique sound and can add some interesting color…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 170: I Love You Etude
Here is an Etude written over “I Love You”. Three of my trombone students at KU learned the etude by ear and memorized it for…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 169: How To Write A Song.
In This Video I cover how to use the your singing voice and a “chord palette” to write a song. This is how I write…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 168: The Half Whole Diminished Scale
The Diminished Scale is one of the most important scales in Jazz. In this (video) lesson I explain as clearly as possible the C half…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 166: Thriving After College
In this video I offer you my advice on how to survive and thrive after college in your early 20’s. This can be a challenging…
Read Full Blog PostZoom or Skype Lessons
Having taught thousands of Zoom/Skype lessons over the last ten years, I’ve come to believe that Skype is a great way to both teach and…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 84: Miles -Trane
In this lesson we’ll look at 2 short phrases played by Miles Davis and 2 short phrases played by John Coltrane on a live recording/video…
Read Full Blog PostNew Book! Tetrads Vol. 2: TRIAD ADD b9
BUY TETRADS VOL. 2: TRIAD ADD b9 HERE A Complete overview of the Triad add b9 Tetrad including warm ups, melodic patterns, 2 – 5…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 164: Yardbird Suite Etude
Here’s an Etude I wrote for Bari Sax player Andrea Edwards. Andrea is an excellent Bari player studying Jazz at KU. This Yardbird Suite Etude…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 163: Blues For Alice Etude
This is an etude I wrote for Alto saxophonist Keegan Kaiser. It’s one chorus of 8th notes and uses the bebop scale, chromatic approach notes,…
Read Full Blog PostLesson 162: Rhythm Changes Etude.
There are very few living Jazz musicians that have not spent countless hours working on improvising over Rhythm Changes. There’s a often retold story that…
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