Bob – Page 19

2020-01-04 By Bob 9 Comments

Soloing Over a Pop Tune: Finding Colors Beyond Basic Pentatonics

We’ll look at the modes inside the hit song “Happy” for some ways to build solos that fit the context of the tune but develop beyond just the “meat and potatoes” melody and root-based pentatonic scale.

2019-12-20 By Bob 20 Comments

Developing a Sound That Fills the Room

What should you do when you feel like your sound isn’t projecting the way you wish it would? Change mouthpieces? Reed strengths? Both? Here are some practices I use to develop a big sound—at any volume.

2019-12-06 By Bob 8 Comments

How Do You Accompany Another Soloist With Your Saxophone?

In this lesson I’ll walk you through what I’m thinking as I accompany trumpeter YAYennings in a chord-less band.

2019-11-23 By Bob 12 Comments

Half (Ghost) Tonguing: A 5-Note Exercise to Make Playing Fast Easier

Using half tonguing when playing faster lines can help keep articulation and time in check.

2019-11-03 By Bob

Snarky Puppy Lesson Roundup: 7 Lessons on Memorizing and Retaining Music, Improvising Over Modal and Non-traditional Progressions, and Developing Melodic Ideas

Learning (and retaining) music quickly, navigating non-traditional chord progressions and forms, and finding ways to expand your improvisations on modal and loop-based grooves, these are all things we do on a nightly basis with Snarky Puppy. I’m on tour with them and we just played Utrecht, NL—the city where we recorded “We Like It Here,” it seemed like a good opportunity to round up a few Snarky-related lessons, including one I made during that recording session.

2019-11-02 By Bob

5 Brilliant Measures on the Blues from Cannonball Adderley

It’s easy to get hung-up on possibilities when it comes to chord substitutions. But often, the hippest sounds are accessible by using triads and 7th chords you already know rearranged in melodic shapes. Here’s an excellent example from the great Cannonball Adderley over a classic blues. Take a look at my analysis and then do your own. What do you hear, see and feel? How does it make the most sense to you?

2019-10-09 By Bob Leave a Comment

Q&A: Marketing Yourself, Practicing Rhythm, Chord Visualization, and Writing for the Quartet

In this month’s Q&A we cover marketing yourself as a saxophonist, how to practice rhythm, what I’m visualizing when thinking of chords, and what my inspiration was on each track of Quartet.

2019-09-18 By Bob 24 Comments

A Case Study in Applying What You Transcribe and a Terrific Exercise for Getting Chord Changes under Your Fingers (Roy Hargrove on September in the Rain)

How to learn a new piece of vocabulary, apply it, and mix it in with your own improvisations.

2019-09-08 By Bob

Breaking down Stan Getz’s Solo on Pennies From Heaven (Part 3 & 4)

We wrap up this series by examining how Getz takes a familiar seventh chord and applies it in an unusual place to create tension. (See how a small piece of vocabulary can be used to practice tone, time, and technique.) We’ll also explore how to get more out of your transcription practice by including using play-alongs and a metronome.