Killer Rhythmic Tool to Develop Your Solos Like the Pros
When we improvise or solo, rhythmic variety and development are as important as the melodic and harmonic content we are putting out. However, for some reason, the rhythmic aspect of soloing or improvising is...
Why Jazz Isn’t Defined By Your Personal Taste
In recent years I’ve noticed what I feel is a troubling trend among some – but, to be fair, not all – jazz musicians and enthusiasts. Sometimes, when someone hears a style, sub-genre, or...
How to Master the “Backdoor” Jazz Chord Progression
Jazz’s harmonic language features a lot of common chord progressions that appear often in different jazz standards. For example, jazz musicians frequently encounter II-V-I’s, dominant 7th chords through the cycle of fourths, and III-VI-II-V’s...
Jazz Drumset Language: Resolution Points
Have you ever wondered why Jazz drums sound the way they do? What exactly makes them have that particular sound and feel?
In this lesson, I'll be discussing one of the essential characteristics of jazz...
Why Jazz Musicians Should Practice Slowly
If we go around and ask every professional and accomplished musician, I believe they will all agree on one thing, and that is that slow-practice routines are an essential part of their development and...
Memorizing Dominant Chords for Jazz Guitar Beginners
This is a guest post by Marc-Andre Seguin
Dominant chords are everywhere in music, and some genres use them more than others. You might have seen a funny little chord with a “7” beside it....
How to Practice Triads for Max Results
Along with basic intervals and seventh chords, triads are the fundamental building blocks of jazz harmony and melody. If you want to maximize your ability to hear, visualize, and play jazz harmony, you have...
3 Dominant 7th Chord Types All Jazz Musicians Encounter
Anyone who has played jazz or leafed through a jazz fakebook or “real book” probably has noticed that dominant seventh chords are some of the most common chords musicians encounter in jazz standards. But...
How to Comp On The Drums Like Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was born September 9, 1927, in Pontiac, Michigan. He grew up in a musical home of jazz musicians. Hank Jones and Tad Jones, both legendary and innovative musicians, are Elvin's brothers....
18 Ways to Make Big Money as a Jazz Musician
(Editors Note: This is a guest post by Chad Lefkowitz-Brown)
If you Google "How much money does a jazz musician make?", an NPR article will come up headlined, "Do Jazz Musicians Really Make $23,000 A...