GET RID OF YOUR FAKEBOOK! THROW THAT TRASH OUT! You know that little book on your shelf with the melodies and chord changes? Throw it in the trash. Right now. Do it. Ok, before you get motivated to throw it out, STOP-DON’T DO IT! I didn’t mean it. Maybe you bought your fakebook in 1971 and it’s got sentimental value…or maybe you JUST spent $40 on it last week.   I don’t actually think fakebooks are evil…HOWEVER this article is designed to help you rethink the purpose of a fakebook. Don’t throw your fakebook away, just use it judiciously. The [...]

Hi Everyone! Thank you for all the supportive comments! I’m really glad this has been a helpful resource. I am back in school now in my hometown in Idaho, and I haven’t had time to update in a while. I plan on leaving everything up, and I’ll add more material when the time is right. I’m working on getting new software to develop better play-a-longs for the website, and I expect to have some new songs up in the next couple of months. Good luck! We’re all in this together. Thanks for supporting jazz and jazz education. Camden

Have you ever wanted to improve your solo chops on the guitar?  Do you ever feel limited by your lack of fretboard knowledge, especially higher on the neck?  Have you ever wanted to connect the different positions on the guitar together in a cohesive way?  If so, then the CAGED system may be a great way for you to expand your ability to solo on the guitar. Why CAGED? In a nutshell, CAGED Scales are one way of exploring all the regions of the neck of the guitar.  The system breaks down each region of the neck into an easy-to-navigate [...]

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw the following video…maybe a little of both…

The Superiority of Apple So, I have a personal story I though I would share, for a little change of pace. Have you ever used the iTunes store? I would not recommend it, although my opinion has been softened today because iTunes support is actually pretty good. I like Apple a lot as a company, and I do like most of the products they put out. In my opinion their computers are superior, and they are basically a necessity for me with this website. For one thing, the Spotlight feature, with it’s lightning quick searches, has been very valuable. I’m [...]