Rhythm Changes: Play Along with Me
Trade with me on a slow Bb rhythm changes.
Rhythm Changes: Superimposing Cycle of 4ths (Monk Style)
Superimposing the cycle of 4ths on rhythm changes.
Rhythm Changes: Minor 6 Pentatonic Lick
Check out this lick…
Rhythm Changes: Using Minor 6 Pentatonic
7 ways to practice this concept
Rhythm Changes: Basic Training
You should be SUPER comfortable executing this stuff before even worrying about anything else.
Blues Basics (5 lessons)
These videos will help you get started with basic triads and how to implement them in a tune and for practicing improvisation.
In the Car with Chris Potter – Bad Guys
If you’re skipping this step, transcribing will never have the full effect on you that it could.
In the Car with Cannonball Adderley – Stars Fell on Alabama
In this episode I discuss Cannonball Adderley’s performance on the ballad “Stars Fell on Alabama”. While driving, of course.
Four – Lesson 4: Triplets, Triads and Half-Step Resolutions
A constant-triplet-through-the-changes exercise.
Four – Lesson 3: Descending Minor 7th Chord Progression
Topics covered include: Articulation, Accent points: targeting notes, Working over the descending-by-half-step minor 7th chord progression
Four – Lesson 2: Strategies for Practicing with a Play-Along
Having a plan for each chorus; how to practice with play-alongs and with another person; improvisation strategies, and more
Four – Lesson 1: Things to Focus on with This Classic Tune
Introduction and getting started.
In the Car with Chris Potter – Blues in Concentric Circles
Chris Potter’s Concentric Circles is one of my all-time favorite recordings and was HIGHLY influential on me.
How to Play Over Fast Tempos
A simple technique for dealing with fast tunes.
How Insensitive: The Power of Arpeggios
The power of practicing triads, slow with a metronome.
Practicing a tune with just a metronome
How I practice “Cherokee” with a metronome on 2 & 4
Sonny Stitt’s Solo on Tune Up
In this lesson I describe exactly what parts of this track are crucial, and HOW I went about digesting it
Playing Pop Saxophone: My Blueprint
For my money, saxophone in a pop setting gets no better than the work of these two gentlemen
Stop Feeling Lost on the Changes: How To Memorize a Standard and Keep Your Place in the Form
How to practice any standard and REALLY learn the tune.
Blue 7
Melodic motifs, rhythmic displacement, and the Lydian dominant scale are covered in this series on the classic blues tune by Sonny Rollins.
Now’s the Time
This lesson series on the iconic Charlie Parker blues dissects the VI phrase, tri-tone substitutions, and an iconic Bird turnaround lick.
I’ll Remember April
This series focuses on taking a melody from Realbook to performance, using guide tones, and creating your own etudes to build confidence on a tune.
Anthropology
In this series, we’ll use the rhythm changes classic, “Anthropology,” to practice rhythm and time-feel, melodic development, and chord substitutions.
Without A Song
Constructing guide-tone-based lines, examples from Chris Potter, going beyond 1357, and using the keyboard to visualize and apply voice-leading to the saxophone.