Free Jazz Education and Music
These are video entries covering various concepts and topics that I’m working on in real time. I practice the material and describe how I’m working and thinking about the concept as I play through it. These daily practice videos allow me to share how I actually practice at home each day and I hope that people will find them inspiring in so far as we are all working on this art form together and that we’re not alone in our pursuit.
A Simple Major Melody: Exploring Diatonic Enclosures and Descending 6ths I’ve been working on a little melodic exercise that I think you’ll find really useful. It’s a simple major melody utilizing an enclosure and diatonic 6th and is grouped in
Today I’m working on the first melody of the standard “I’m a Fool to Want You”. I’m singing the opening phrase at the piano while visualizing the fingerings on saxophone. I’m using the piano to help with my pitch and
Today I’ve been singing half note roots over Coltrane’s tri-tonic system. In this case: C Maj, Eb7, Ab Maj, B7, E Maj, G7 repeat… while singing the roots I’m thinking of the chord names and qualities and tapping a 5/8
This is a supplementary post to Lesson 26. This skill will help you learn to play what you hear, learn to hear new ideas, melodies and intervals, help you transcribe and help you play by ear over songs that you
I’ve been working on this interval exercise with a drone for the last week or so and it’s really starting to have a positive effect on my ear and connection between my ear and my fingers. There’s an outline of
This short warm up is a melody based on a Major 7 #5 chord. The melody starts on the Root, ascends to the #5, ascends to the Major 3rd, descends to the Major 7, ascends to the Major 9. The
Here’s a simple melody that outlines the 4 distinct half diminished modes or scales. The PDF contains both scale and the melody (which uses the half diminished 7th chord and the 9 and 13 as embellishment). The modes are: The
Although I believe there is a limit to value of practicing and understanding chord scale theory, the melodic minor scale is so prevalent in jazz improvisation and composition, I think that it’s important and relevant for the developing improviser to
In this video I’m working on playing All The Things in 4/4 on piano. Half notes in the bass and 3rds and 7ths grouped in 5/8. This piano exercise helps me to play 5/8 against 4 while playing my saxophone.
Here is a short routine I came up with that covers all diatonic triads in all inversions through of the main scale types.The scales are Major, Harmonic minor, Melodic minor and Harmonic Major (Major with a b6 or b13). The
In this video I’m working on a simple melody derived from a Dominant Pentatonic scale (1,2,3,5,b7,1). I play the melody over concert C7 chord and ascend by half steps through the keys. I play the melody slowly over concert C7
Working on triads is something I do frequently as I find it good for my ears, my mind, my technique and my basic understanding of one of the fundamental structures found in both melody and harmony. Strong melodies and voicings
